5.45x39 guns, saiga?

[akodo]

I have been noticing the 5.45x39 has been staying petty low price

do you guys think this will continue to be the case or is it just that there is still a moderate pile of the old stuff still being sold, a pile that was bought years ago when prices were lower and it is selling slow enough thatt those old prices are holding

Do you expect it to be relatively available for some time to come even if it does climb to match 7.62x39 or 556NATO prices?

Is there a Saiga that eats the stuff? Other than a Tantal http://www.atlanticfirearms.com/programming/expand.asp?Prodid=367 are there any good inexpensive 545s out there?

 

[Kind of Blued]

S&W is putting out a 5.45x39 AR upper soon.

I'd REALLY like one of those side-folding Tantals though!

 

[HighRoad]

Now is the time to load up on 5.45. This is a great cartridge.

As far as rifle availablity, slim pickins'. After much thought, I had my dealer order an AK-74 from Ohio Rapid Fire. The image below is the rifle I purchased. It is listed for $749.95. My dealer asked for dealer pricing, and they immiediately took $100 off the price. $650 for this, which I think is a deal. The rifle is due in any time now, I have not received it yet.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

do you guys think this will continue to be the case or is it just that there is still a moderate pile of the old stuff still being sold, a pile that was bought years ago when prices were lower and it is selling slow enough thatt those old prices are holding

The 2nd thing you said.

Rest assured, the low ammo prices will NOT continue indefinitely. At any time, the prices could and will go back up in line with other calibers.

 

[Neo-Luddite]

I've been watching for Century to re-stock on the entry-level priced WASR-2 hi cap in 5.45 x 39. I've heard good things on the Tantal, but have been messing around with a pal's WASR-2 and really like the little gun.

The S & W upper might mean that the round will gain a foothold here.
Will more cheap surplus come in? Yes, maybe, but politics may interevene.

AIM has the ammo for 119 a tin of 1080 rds.

 

[rangerruck]

I think there is megatonnage of the ammo out there, and russia certainly still uses it, and it has proven over and over to be better than 223, so I would deff have no probs telling someone to get one.

 

[MD_Willington]

Saiga is not chambered for the 5.45 round... something to do with the Saiga, even though you can get it in "AK form" is considered a civilian firearm and civilian firearms are not chambered for the current military round 5.45x39.. or something along those lines.

• 5.6x39 (220 Russian)
• 5.56x45
• 7.62x39
• 7.62x51
• 30-06
• 9x53
• .410
• 20g
• 12g

Think that is it off the top of my head.

 

[GigaBuist]

Saiga doesn't sell a rifle chambered in 7.62x54, 7.62x54 isn't 30-06, and 5.56x39 doesn't exist.

I really wish Saiga did make something in 5.45x39mm.

 

[strat81]

And with the swipe of a pen, all of your 5.45x39 imports will evaporate. There is no domestic production either. Caveat emptor.

 

[buck00]

This is an old debate. I have heard people sneering that 5.45 will dry up tomorrow and it is a foolish investment. And its true, just a few years ago it was very difficult to come by- so any market has booms and busts in terms of availability and prices.

I think it is pretty easy (if you do an honest day's work) to stock up and get a few thousand rounds of 5.45 currently. Some people blaze through ammo, personally I shoot very seldom so the 5,000 rounds in my basement will last me for a long time.

You can get burned trying to predict what ammo will become plentiful or scare (or $$$ or cheap). I would highly recommend an AK-74 clone rifle overall.

 

[MD_Willington]

Fixed...

3 sick kids
no coffee
and 4 hours sleep will do that to you!

 

[Prince Yamato]

If the import stocks of ammo are banned, Winchester will pick up production of 5.45x39. They already make Makarov ammo. So it's not a stretch to say they'd make the soviet round too.

 

[Neo-Luddite]

If the import stocks of ammo are banned, Winchester will pick up production of 5.45x39. They already make Makarov ammo. So it's not a stretch to say they'd make the soviet round too.


likely so--but it wouldn't be 11.5 cents a round and would likely NEVER be built around the concept of a hardened steel (and in later production) tungsten core that in effect makes the military round now for sale effective on many levels.

So I guess, buy the ammo if you can NOW (AIM in ohio is the cheapest I've found).

 

[HorseSoldier]

There is no domestic production either.

If foreign supplies were banned, there are more than enough 5.45x39 AKs out there that US domestic producers would step up and start producing it to capitalize on the market.

Admittedly, that wouldn't be cheap ammo. Cheap 7.62x39 would probably go away with the same pen-swipe, however.

 

[akodo]

thanks guys you gave me a lot to think about

 

[Daemon688]

Yeah, that's why surplus is surplus. So buy it cheap and stack it deep now if you can afford it. Tell me, what US manufacturer makes "cheap" 7.62x39? Oh yeah, that's right, no one.