Was going to buy an AK 74...

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jrdoall, are they Tapco mags or something? The ones I was talking about are the milsurps. Bulgarians are just above $40ish, but stuff like plum Izhevsk mags are $70+ and Molot 45rd bakelites are $150+. It's insane.
 
I couldn't afford an Arsenal so I went with an Interarms Tantal. After 2,340 rounds of surplus, no complaints. :)

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my question is... are you sure you want 5.45x39mm?... remember, ammo is cheap now but at some point the surplus sources will run out, and itll take a while for the manufacturers here to pick up the tab... and when they do it wont be cheap.. that being said it only has the muzzle energy of a .30 carbine
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Wolf and Tula make 5.45 for just a little bit more than the surplus pricing. You do realize there is more to a rounds performance than muzzle energy? Too many people take one thing about a cartridge and assume it's bad. Let me guess, you think 5.56 is a weak cartridge because it's a .22 caliber bullet?
 
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I have lots of experience with 5.56, 7.62x39, and 30carbine.
Lately, I have been shooting a Saiga 5.45, and I am very impressed by the cartridge. I bought two cases of 7n6. Been shooting one can, and I will save the other three and just pick up commercial ammo when I want to shoot.
I have no doubt that this round would be effective for SD use to moderate range, and would also serve for emergency hunting.
And, the AK74 muzzle brake is one of the most effective I have ever experienced...a really incredible lack of recoil and the feeling that the muzzle is held stationary.
 
So Jason, are you saying that 5.45 which is used in a frontline rifle with an effective range of 600 yards is the same thing as a round that is basically a pistol cartridge used in a carbine with an effective range of 100 yards and was intended to be issued as the replacement for a pistol for secondary troops? Do I understand you right? :rolleyes:
 
BACK ON TOPIC:
It's the election panic again. Availability and prices will return to more normal levels in the months following the election, probably much more quickly if Romney wins.

Now in terms of your problem, I don't know of anybody who does new AK's even remotely as well as Arsenal. Nobody else makes such a mean AK. There are older, but good AK's still in the country from before Congress decided that they were way too much fun and banned their importation with 922(r), which is why we've got so many crummy AK-shaped abominations. Off the top of my head, Valmet and Norinco all did great work, but they were primarily importers of 7.62 AK's.

You're after an AK-74 derivative and that's the problem. The AK-74 uses 5.45x39 ammunition versus the classic AKM using 7.62x39 ammunition. Now the USSR had a strange policy of preferring the satellite states over Russia for civilian items, but it favored Russia over the other Soviet Republics when it came to military matters. Thus, the AK-74 was only minimally given to the republics with only a few either receiving them from Russia or having production lines created in order to make their own. It's the satellite states that sold of their old AK's to make money after the USSR fell. Thus, the AK-74 and its 5.45 caliber ammunition and magazines are significantly rarer, and very hard to find.

I've never seen 5.45 anything at a gun store. Most guys didn't even know about the 74 I've only found limited amounts of 5.45 firearms, magazines, and ammunition at gun shows. It's available on line. The 5.45 guns are somewhat more expensive due to rarity value. The magazines are definitely pricey, running in at an average of at least $30 each. Luckily, the ammunition can be bought fairly cheaply in bulk. Do beware that the cheap surplus 5.45 ammo is all corrosive and you might have trouble with the harder primers on Soviet ammunition. There is a more expensive domestic supply of non-corrosive 5.45 ammunition. However, as with just about everything else AK-74, you'll need to go online.

My advice is to get a 5.45 Saiga if you really can't wait and then convert it. The Saiga rifle is probably one of the best unrecognized deals in firearms ever. It's the quality of a Russian military issue AK (they're made in the same place) that has a bolt hold open, improved user friendliness, and they don't make anti's flip out. All you have to do is make it 922r compliant and you've got yourself a Russian military grade AK with funky handguards and a bolt hold open.
 
So, with some help from you guys (thanks, you know who you are!), I was pointed to a gunbroker auction for a NIB sgl31-61. It was priced a bit higher than other slg's, and the seller was in the same state as me, so I had to pay tax (the horror! the horror!). But it definitely beats waiting 4 months for the retailers to get the next shipment. I'm still waiting for it to show up at my ffl, but in the mean while I've gone one a mad shopping spree for ammo, mags, and bayo. There goes my budget for a carry pistol...

e. I forgot to mention, I found a pretty awesome deal for 4 bulgy circle 10 mags + pouch for $90.
 
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I forgot to mention, I found a pretty awesome deal for 4 bulgy circle 10 mags + pouch for $90.
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I got four East German Bakelite magazines and a East German mag pouch for $20 before I got my 74 a few months ago. :)
 
WHy the 5.45? It shoots with very minimal recoil and just fun gun. The accuracy is a much better than the usual AK round. In fact , its my choice when the world goes south and everyones wants a piece of me....
 
Agreed, definitely. It's a nice entry in the 5.56mm sort of niche, and a 74 with the muzzle brake is about the fastest handling AK out there for a 0-250 meter sort of weapon.
 
So I finally got my AK this weekend and went out to the range. It was a blast to shoot, and the recoil was almost non-existent; the gun would give a little wobble and that was it. I need to remind myself to shoot it without the muzzle brake and see how much of a difference there is. I was shoot an FAL alongside it and it was day and night in terms of recoil (yea, 308 vs 5.45, apples to oranges, but still). I'm a pretty mediocre shot with irons, so I couldn't really get a good feel for the gun's accuracy, but It's more accurate than I am with irons.

Down the road I might get an aimpoint or even a 1-4x scope on there. Maybe both considering how easy it is to change optics via the side-mount. While I'm at it, I'll buy that lambo, since I found that money tree growing in my back yard :D

All in all, I'm really happy with my new gun.

I'm planning on heading out to a friend's property next week, so I can have some real fun without any pesky 1-shot-a-second and only-10-rounds-in-a-mag range rules :evil:

also, a pic to round if off (apologies for the quality, I need to get around and get an actual camera instead of using my cellphone):

PzLON.jpg
 
Very nice!!

Is that a Waffen Werks? Looks very much like one I picked up a while back.

I put some E. German bakelites and a red-brown Bulgarian pistol grip on mine. I kind of like that multi-colored look on the 74' (well, maybe out of 992r compliance, but...)

Anyhow, big congrats on your purchase!!
 
Soapy5: How would you describe the trigger: stiff, crisp, or a really long pull (like my Nor. SKS)?

Maybe a Tech Sight is available for the AK-74 clones, as with the -47 etc?
 
Ignition Override said:
Soapy5: How would you describe the trigger: stiff, crisp, or a really long pull (like my Nor. SKS)?

Maybe a Tech Sight is available for the AK-74 clones, as with the -47 etc?
Click to expand...

The short version: First stage pull sucks, second stage is very good with a strong crisp break at around 6-7 lbf.

The overly complicated and over analyzed version :D:

Looking at my trigger group, I'm guessing its the 2-stage trigger. It has the little nubs at the end of the engagement surfaces, which I am guessing serve as the second stage.

The first stage is pretty bad; its not rough per se, but it's very... mushy. There is a very tiny bit of "take up" (not sure if that really applies to the ak trigger, but it's essentially the first 1/8" of pull where the trigger does not pull back on the hammer) which sorta blends into the first stage area. You can't really 'take up' the take-up since you end up transitioning right into the first stage pull (the "take-up" pull is around 2lbs, and the first stage pull is around 3lbs). Essentially, the first stage pull starts off jumpy and continues on with a mushy feeling. I just treat it as if it was the take-up and bring it right up to the second stage when I am shooting.

The second stage pretty much is the trigger break, which is excellent. Extremely crisp, with no creep or movement whatsoever. You pull through the first stage, hit a 'stop', apply some more force, and the gun goes boom. It's a bit on the heavy side at around 7 pounds according to my trusty fish scale.

Also, no trigger slap to speak of.

Compare the tapco g2 trigger, which from my experience has no break; it just 'happens' as you pull the trigger back. The best way I can describe it is as if you where pulling an xbox trigger. Looking at pictures of the g2, it looks like it does not have that little bump at the end of the engagement area. Personally, I prefer a 2 stage since you can take up all of the "slack" (or relatively speaking, since the trigger and hammer are always engaged...), and know when you have reached the end of the engagement area.

I think the trigger has great potential to be amazing after a little polishing of the first stage area. Although to be honest, the first stage pull is light enough to where I just treat the trigger as an extremely crisp one-stage trigger with bad take-up :p
 
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