RPK

the Romanian is pretty much the best deal around at 399. there is nothing wrong with the Yugo RPK though!

im getting ready to build a bulgarian RPK-74, im thinking about getting the romanian AES-10b to go along with the 5,45 round.

I've got a pair of Romie AES10b's,great value for the money.
That said,i'm also looking to get a M72 for the collection.

MRI

no its the 7,62 round

*edit oh post 666!!

I've heard good things about the $400 special, but that was from people expecting a $400 rifle.

I'd say if you have the money, go Yugo.

The AES-10B for $399 is actually a very good deal.

i would say bulgarians are about the best in fit and finish along with the Hungarians.

they are all AK's though and they all should go bang every time you pull the trigger lol it just depends on how much you want to spend Yugos do not have crome lined barrels though.

you will see Bulgarians, Romanian's, Hungarians and Yugo's the most on the market ie online vendors. About 99% of the AK's on the market are kit built on US receivers. (romanian WASR/SAR are built on romanian receivers) with the more rare AK's on gunbroker or AK specfic forums.

*oh forgot about the chinease they are normally built on chinease receivers, fit and finish is top notch, but they command a heavy premium for the polytec's and preban models, the Mak90 is the cheapest chinease out of the bunch.

For a civilian the main advantage of a chrome lined barrel is easier cleaning. They also are much more corrosion resistant, but there's not much corrosive 7.62x39 around anymore and what is around isn't any cheaper than non-corrosive ammo, so this really isn't much of an issue. Chrome lined barrels also have a longer life span, but it's extremely unlikely that you'll ever shoot out a non chrome lined barrel on an AK. Either one should last for tens of thousands of rounds.

Non-chrome lined barrels tend to be more accurate and nobody uses chrome lined barrels for serious competition. On a mass produced AK however, you're unlikely to see any difference in accuracy between the two.

Overall, a chrome lined barrel is a nice feature to have on a rifle like an AK, but it's not terribly important.

For a civilian the main advantage of a chrome lined barrel is easier cleaning. They also are much more corrosion resistant, but there's not much corrosive 7.62x39 around anymore and what is around isn't any cheaper than non-corrosive ammo, so this really isn't much of an issue. Chrome lined barrels also have a longer life span, but it's extremely unlikely that you'll ever shoot out a non chrome lined barrel on an AK. Either one should last for tens of thousands of rounds

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+1 crome lined is a nice to have.

I own the Yugo version (below).

My gun was built by Krebs Custom Guns and fit, finish and function are really excellent. Expensive? Yes, but it shoots extremely well and is very accurate for an AK variant. I prefer the Yugo version because of the heavy barrel and standard stock. I also fitted a Russian (POSP) scope to it which proved to be a challenge as well, but I ended up with a gun that functions great and also looks really cool (in my opinion).

Whatever version you decide to buy, I think you'll really enjoy it. From what I've heard, the main thing to be on the lookout for is badly worn barrels. Other than that, I say "go for it" and have fun.

Definately get the Yugo M72! I have one that was built from a parts kit and its hands down my favorite AK rifle of all them I own.

Aka Zero said:

Can someone give me a general country of origin, good to bad chart. Still confused over all these AKs.

As in:
country a = 9/10
coutry b = 7/10

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xd45gaper said:

you will see Bulgarians, Romanian's, Hungarians and Yugo's the most on the market ie online vendors.

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Yes, but those all are pretty much (re)made in the USA with US receivers, and other components.

Their quality will depend on the (re)manufacturer, the condition of the parts kit that went into it, etc.

For your all new rifles, totally produced in the foreign countries (with minimal US parts)

Saiga is top of the heap
Arsenal comes next
WASRs are fine, just their aesthetics suffer (why folks want a 'pretty Kalashnikov' is beyond me).

Pretty Kalshnikovs? Who doesn't think Aks are pretty? It's time to start buying the AKs, think I could spend a couple extra thousand on a few... get four or five before the election.

Aka Zero said:

Might buy a Saiga and try the conversion sometime. Or just buy a converted one. Looks to be just a little more money, and a little less to worry about.

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Right. Until your bullet guide falls out and jams you up because it was glued in place. Or where you have no bullet guide at all ( instead, there is a line of weld ). I will never recommend one of these corners-cut commodity "saiga conversions". It is so very easy to convert one on your own, and you know the quality that goes into it when you do it yourself.

Aka Zero said:

Can you just make the saiga sporting rifle take AK mags. Have a hunting rifle, that can take 30 rounds for hunting paper targets.

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Sure, so long as you follow 922r.

So I've been reading this and thinking seriously about getting the AES-10B and/or the M72, mostly for the collection. I have a few questions.

From what I've read, the M72 has a 1.6mm receiver, as it should for an RPK type, and a US-made barrel that isn't chrome lined. I assume the receiver is also US-made. Is this all correct? How is the quality on those Green Mountain barrels?

Then, with the AES-10B, can you tell me:
1) Is the receiver also 1.6mm? (it appears to have trunion bulges, and since both are from Century I would guess they are the same receiver, but who knows...)
2) Is the barrel an original piece or a US replacement?
3) Is the barrel chrome lined?

Also, both of these, in the models I'm looking at, were assembled by Century. Has anyone fired one who can tell me if they have trigger slap issues? What is the build quality like? Quality of the parts that went into them? The AES-10B is said (on J&G's site) to have like new parts. It isn't clear if the M72 is also like new parts, or more heavily used parts. I had called Classic Arms about this and the person I talked to there didn't know. Anyone?

Z-Michigan said:

So I've been reading this and thinking seriously about getting the AES-10B and/or the M72, mostly for the collection. I have a few questions.

From what I've read, the M72 has a 1.6mm receiver, as it should for an RPK type, and a US-made barrel that isn't chrome lined. I assume the receiver is also US-made. Is this all correct? How is the quality on those Green Mountain barrels?

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The receiver and barrel are US made. Green Mountain barrels are fine.

Z-Michigan said:

Then, with the AES-10B, can you tell me:
1) Is the receiver also 1.6mm? (it appears to have trunion bulges, and since both are from Century I would guess they are the same receiver, but who knows...)
2) Is the barrel an original piece or a US replacement?
3) Is the barrel chrome lined?

Also, both of these, in the models I'm looking at, were assembled by Century. Has anyone fired one who can tell me if they have trigger slap issues? What is the build quality like? Quality of the parts that went into them? The AES-10B is said (on J&G's site) to have like new parts. It isn't clear if the M72 is also like new parts, or more heavily used parts. I had called Classic Arms about this and the person I talked to there didn't know. Anyone?

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The AES-10B is wholly made in Romania. It is an almost direct copy of the current issue RPK.

The US parts in it are trigger, hammer, disconnector, pistol grip and gas piston (and muzzle device, if it has one).

Chrome lined original Romanian barrel ( new ).

Trigger slap should not be a problem for any Kalashnikov purchased from Century in the past couple of years. . .

They stopped using their own crappy FCGs and went to Tapco G2s back then.

M72s are built from parts kits. Since they have new receivers and barrels, the quality of the donor kit really doesn't matter. Build quality on the Century-offered Yugos has been quite good across the board.

Thanks - you are a wealth of information!

Just to clarify:

The AES-10B is wholly made in Romania. It is an almost direct copy of the current issue RPK.

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So that means a 1.6mm receiver, right?

Also, does an RPK receiver allow or not allow attachment of standard AK buttstocks, pistol grips, and forearms? I think I remember that the VEPR's imported by Robinson were based on Molot RPK's and would not accept standard AK buttstocks. Judging from the photos, the buttstock on the AES looks kinda short.

The Veprs had the back of their receivers cut with a slant to them and that was why they need special stocks or adapters. Generally, the only difference between 1.0, 1.1, 1.5 and 1.6mm receivers when it comes to mounting stocks is doing a little filing to make things fit.

The AES-10B has a 1.5mm thick receiver. I measured mine.