What is the best AK for under 700

I'd recommend an AK-74 (SAR-2) in 5.45x39. I love shooting mine, hardly any recoil. Whatever AK you finally decide to purchase, $700 is more than enough for the rifle, ammo, and accessories.

Before asking the question of which is best you need to frame the question more specifically. That is, what caliber are you referring to (7.62, .223 or 5.45) Current Soviet issue is the AK-74 which is much different than the AK-47. You can even get .308 with an AK designed firearm. Next you should try to explain what you want to use the AK for?

Are the Bulgarian Milled AK's available for less than $700?

The SLR-95 garnered quite a reputation as a good AK variant. See if you can find one in good condition for less than $700.

(Mine's not for sale...)

In one word;

VEPR

I would look for an SLR-95. Milled reciever and from whay I have heard a decent little shooter.

I would definitely go for an AK103 from AK-USA. GREAT gun, and more original appearance than a VEPR. Those VEPR stocks and grips are nasty looking IMHO.

TaurusGL - IMHO the AK-47 is the best bargain. Bargain in the following sense, they are cheap. Even the least expensive ones (SAR1) works very well is reasonably accurate (no AK is a target rifle), reliable, cheap ammo ($75/case of 1000 rounds), plenty of options from many US and foreign vendors and has one hell of a history behind it. At the top end, in a recent article in Shotgun News high marks went to the Arsenal M-7 but let me restate all AK's are a solid, reliable weapon.

The 5.45 is more accurate than the 7.62 but not much and the ammo is more expensive and all the accessories are not only harder to find, they are fewer in number.

I think the .223 is the least desirable of the lot.

The VEPR's are great and apparently built to a higher standard but you are in the $500 range. They are a little heavy but in 7.62, have an RPK milled (I think) receiver which simply means heavy duty. The RPK was the squad automatic rifle for the Russians.

Go over to www.ak-47.net and they have all the answers.

Good luck.

The most recent issue of SWAT magazine did a review of a Kreb's Custom AK-74 clone in 5.45. It was 2.5 MOA accurate, abouts, if that means anythign to you. The 5.45 guns certainly do better than the 7.62x39 guns, according to most. Don't know about the .308 guns.

The VEPR IIs are heavier; the 20" guns weigh in a 9lbs empty, whereas the 16" guns are 8.5.

The ones based on Saiga receivers are going to be lighter, being stamped.

5.45 ammo is anything but expensive. Everywhere I've seen it it's been dirt cheap; usually less than a hundred bucks for a thousand rounds.

AK-74 mags are abundant and very inexpensive, due to there being less demand for them.

For huting, though, you'd be better off with one of the .308 AKs. The VEPR, VEPR II, or Saiga .308. None have magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. Saiga mags hold eight (but can be easily modified to hold ten), and VEPR mags hold 5 and 10 rounds. The downside to the .308 VEPR is that Robinson recently raised the prices on the mags; $40 abouts for a five or ten round magazine! For that money you could get used M14 magazines, should you choose to have somebody like Kreb's convert it to take those magazines.

Be warned on the mag conversions, though. Reliability isn't always 100% with those.

Dude, if you have $700 you have several options... even in .308



You can get these for $299 + transfer--good ones are sub-moa, you can get 5shot mags for hunting, and 20 rd mags are about $3ea.

With $700 you could get any of the nice US made postbans. The VEPRs (www.robarm.com) and the AK100 series from AKUSA are schweeeet (ak-103.com), and the Global Trades/Arsenal SA-M7 AKs are nice too (can't remember website). FAC (www.gunsnstuff.net) sells the VEPRs, and the GT/Arsenal AKs in their catalog. The SA-M7s were around $600, the VEPRs around $500. The AKUSA guns you can buy direct I think, if not I'm not sure of a retailer. They run around $600-$700 too. The VEPRs are the best deal, but I don't think they look right with the setup they have. I would personally get one of the SA-M7s or AK100 guns purely because they look like real AKs compared to the funky VEPR...

I'm perfectly happy with $300 Romanian SARs personally, but the others are definitely nicer fit and finish wise. More "upscale", but the romanian guns function/shoot just fine... I'm cheap...

I have several different AK's made by different manufacturers. VERY high end to common SAR1. Reading some of the posts concerning the quality of different makes of AK's and laying the guns side by side to compare I've come to the conclusion that except for the maadi brand they ALL pretty much have the same workmanship/fit and performance. Since none of them have a deep, highly polished blueing job, what does it matter if the finish is paint or parkerizing. A flat black paint finish is a great deal easier to touchup than the other finishes and protects the metal much better than blueing. Right now the Romak is readily available at a great price, other than "collector" AK's why would anyone buy something else? Give it time, probably within the next 10 years Romaks will have "collector status too".

Why would you buy something else?

Trigger slap, for one. Sure, you can fix that on a Romanian gun if it has it, but maybe you want a nicer AK. Some ARE nicer than others.

Telewinz, having owned a Maadi and a Norinco...

I have to disagree with your statement about them all having the same level of workmanship, fit, and performance.

My first sub 2" 100-yard group out of a Bulgarian SLR-95 justified the purchase price, right then and there. The trigger pull is smooth and stack-free, so unlike the Maadi and Norinco I sold. Wish I'd bought more of the Bulgarians when they were going for $269.95!

The thick-receivered Yugoslavian AK's, as imported by Mitchell Arms a few years back, are considered a notch above in the quality department, too.

JHill,

Sweet looking CETME!

I'm still on my quest for one. So far I haven't found one with everything in order. Perhaps I'll get lucky the next gun show.

Good Shooting
RED

Check out the forums at www.ak-47.net if you haven't. Good stuff for any AK owner. How's your stock looking? If it's a little on the ugly side read up there on refinishing. I was very happy with my truck-bedliner refinish on my SAR2... www.inter-scape.com/ray/sars.jpg pic or mine.

My vote goes to the VEPR II and VEPR K.

Egyptian AK 47 @ ammo

I have an opportunity to purchase an Egyptian AK 47, but have not seen it YET. It comes with about 400 rounds of ammo. What should I be evaluating when I get this item in my hands? Is this a DESIRABLE gun to have? What is a reasonable price to pay for the gun and ammo?
Jennie

Check for canted sights pop the dust cover off check the insides. I wouldnt pay more than 500.

Vepr's are no longer even close to $700...get a Saiga

^Wow! That was posted six years ago.

I thought I had stumbled into a time machine. I was going to ask, where are all these AKs that are less than $700? Where can I get 1k of 5.45 for under 'a hundred bucks'?

Ah, the good old days. BSW

I wasnt old enought to buy guns when this thread was started lol.