AK-47 Accuracy or not

Hmmm. Maybe your trigger is in need of some polishing? Is it gritty and creepy? Are you pulling rather than squeezing? The gun should shoot better than that.

Out of curiosity, what is the accuracy of the average AK?

I get 3 to 4 inches from my SAR-1 in 7.62. I think thats about average.

do you have a slant brake on it??? if so put some teflon tape on the threads. that will keep it from wabling and improve your groups a lot!

Is that at 100 yds EghtySx? The AK is somewhat notorious for it's inaccuracy. I've no experience and too have wondered how true these rumors are.

Call it 4MOA for a good example....but not with the cheap mil.surp. ammo.

Seldom get a direct expanion of groups with range...2" at 50 doesn't "have" to work out to 4" at 100, but going from 4-5" groups at 50 to 12-14" groups at 100 does indicate something not being right. Most likely, it's the iron sights and the shooter...AK sights are pretty close set, so a tiny error results in a large movement on the target. Sights are best (and perhaps kindly) described as "coarse".

It has been my experience that almost every single WASR I've ever seen had an uneven, and also, rounded crown. That's 2 negatives right there. I've seen dozens and don't recall a single one I'd want to own.


Check yours. If that's what you see, find a gunsmith who can fix that. That should cut your groups down in half at least. The AK isn't going to be an MOA gun, but the groups you describe are terrible even for an AK.

The AK47 was originally designed as a full auto assault rifle with loose tolerances for minimal maintenance. Sniper rifle it's not. Don't get caught up in spending money in order to make it something it's not.

Have that smith level it, then cut it nice and sharp. That will help immensly!!


Why do you suppose that everyone raves on and on about the Bulgarians, Vepr's and Saigas? There is nothing special about them accuracy wise. They just have nice clean even sharp crowns!!


It shouldn't cost much. Make sure he touches up the finish on the end after he does the work.

I can keep em 4 MOA at 50 yards from a knee with Wolf from my Rommie 7.62. Bench accuracy at 100 yards is about 4 MOA as well. I am expecting better when I get a scope on it--either a PK-AS or Kobra. I just replied similarly to Colt's thread but the AK should be easily COM at 200 or 300 yards. Something is wrong with your rifle.

AKs may not be poodle shooters, but they are certainly accurate enough for their purpose--Minute Of Bad Guy out to 300 yards.

As long as your scope isnt loose you should be getting 5 moa or less even with cheap ammo. 16 moa is crazy unless you were practicing during a hurricane.

Is that at 100 yds EghtySx? The AK is somewhat notorious for it's inaccuracy. I've no experience and too have wondered how true these rumors are.

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Yessir. 100 yards.

Get a better AK?

My Vepr K in 7.62 will easily do 4" or 5" at 100 yards. I haven't heard too much experience with .223 AK's. There have been those on this site who have gotten decent accuracy with the Romanians.

You might as well check out my reply to this topic under the same sign-in name. I got pics...

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=199402

My SAR-1 has done .8" at 60-65 yards with a red dot. Until I added a red dot, and really took my time, the best it would do was 6-8" at 100. My MAK-90 was similar.

The irons are horrible, for me at least, and the wolf ammo probably doent help either. If I had never shot that group I'd be another guy on here saying AKs have bad accuracy. The rifle is clearly more accurate than I am.

I'm not saying thats the case here, it sounds like something is really wrong with yours, I'm just saying that the AKs reputation for horrible accuracy isnt deserved from what I've seen.

Clange, I agree. The short sight radius and overall poor design of the sights is largely responsible for the AK's reputation for being inaccurate. The Mojos help, but can't remedy the rifle's short sight radius. I can't wait to get a good red dot on my AK and see what it is really capable of.

Why do you suppose that everyone raves on and on about the Bulgarians, Vepr's and Saigas? There is nothing special about them accuracy wise. They just have nice clean even sharp crowns!!

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Dunno about the other ones, but the Vepr also benefits from having a nice stiff barrel and receiver, too.

loose tolerances

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Clearances, actually.

AKs may not be poodle shooters, but they are certainly accurate enough for their purpose--Minute Of Bad Guy out to 300 yards.

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Well, I'd say that the original purpose of the AK was "Minute of Good Guy out to 300 yards", but that's just me.

Mike

Among other things I've found out that affect accuracy,
1. polishing the trigger helps a bit
2. fitting the gas tube. If it fits really tight, it tends to force the barrel to shift when things get hot.

Yes, the high end AK's do benefit from a stiffer action and stiffer barrel...but that is not the main factor in accuracy.


The guy posted that his crown was rounded, just as I suggested it might be. That's what's giving him horrible accuracy. Once he fixes that, his WASR should be shooting close to the higher-end AK's.

MGK, if I had to guess, your problem is probably the sights; I couldn't shoot my SAR-1 worth crap until I opened up the rear sight notch a little with a sharp V-file, so that I could actually see the entire front sight post. I've gotten 2.5" groups at 50 yards, both with and without optics, though not always consistently.

Having said that, also check your benchresting technique. The AK design is very sensitive to how it's benchrested and it's not an easy rifle to shoot from a rest. A fairly firm rest placed under the handguard will cause the rifle to jump off the rest when fired, when the heavy gas piston gets launched toward the rear while the bullet is still in the barrel. I've had best results with a softer bag (suede bag filled 3/4 full with corncob, sitting on top a benchrest), with the bag placed as far to the rear as possible--ideally touching the front of the magazine--and also using a rear bag under the butt. The further to the rear the rifle is supported, the more stable it will be. Also try to keep the downward pressure consistent from shot to shot.

Accuracy of my Bulgarian SA93

I get a fairly consistant 3 inches, +/- at 100 meters. I have been shooting the Wolf 124 grain HP for years.