A well worn AK question - but I need some good advice.

[JB111]

Keep the lever and build up the stock pile of ammo for that rifle. As you said you are retired as I am and I don't plan to fight off an invasion of anything that would require high capacity magazines that may or may not work properly on the AK because it is .223. People get a false sense of security shooting off a 30 round magazine and may honestly make everyone run away, but in my experience one well placed aimed shot with a lever gun is better that 30 rounds fired off and everyone hits the ground but get up later because not a single shot hit the target. With the lever action there will be a target with one hole for sure.

That is flawed logic. Assumptions and opinions are not fact. Someone who practices just as much with their semi auto rifle equipped with a 30 round magazine is going to be just as deadly accurate as the man with a lever gun. Not everyone with an AR or AK adhere or subscribe to the "spray and pray" train of thought.

 

[trackskippy]

Everyone should have at least one AK and spend some quality time with it so you know how to operate and shoot them.

And like anything else, you need to learn to run them as they were meant to be run/shot, not how you learned to run something else. Most of the bitching and complaints come from those who havent bothered to actually learn them, and have no real experience with them.

Once you spend a little time with them, I can pretty much guarantee youre going to find that they are very easy and natural to shoot with (in a realistic manner), their ergo's are fine, the stocks arent "short" and the controls are easily operated, and they are accurate (if you can shoot).

Ive had a number of AK's and across the board as far as price goes. They may have looked a lot different as far as fit and finish goes, but they were all reliable and all shot well. The exception there were the AK's put together here. Personally, Id take the crappiest-looking SAR1 over the fancy US made/assembled guns.

These were shot with my old SAR1. Id taken the Aimpoint off of it a while back to put on something else and last week put a SIG Romeo 5 on it to try something different.

These were shot off a rest at 50(L) and 100(R) yards getting it zeroed. Other than the two rounds close together near the center of the bulls, those arent "groups" either, the other rounds were sight adjustments walking in.




This was 50 yards, and shot offhand, as quick as I could get the dot back on target from recoil. I was also going back and forth popping clay birds on the berms at 50 and 100 too at the same time and not having any trouble hitting them, or at least scaring them good.



This is the gun, my old Romanian SAR1...



The Romeo 5 is OK, and fine for fooling around, but well see how it holds up. In retrospect, I should have left the Aimpoint on there.

 

[CapnMac]

AK's are adequate in a caliber that they are actually designed to use, but... .

Which caliber is that?
The AK-74 has been chambered for the 5.45x39 since the 80s.

Brandon's ban on Roosian ammo means 5.45x39 is becoming about as common as 8mm Nambu (or 38spl).

The Galil could be a decent option, as would be the SIG 550; like as not Zastava is the best choice right now, as they know what theor market is.

 

[Bcwitt]

AKs got a bad wrap when they imported them w really poor barrels. W a decent barrel, they arent bad @ all. 2 to 3 MOA is very good, in my opinion. Possibly the most reliable magazine design ever. Its an excellent 200 & less rifle.

 

[ms6852]

That is flawed logic. Assumptions and opinions are not fact. Someone who practices just as much with their semi auto rifle equipped with a 30 round magazine is going to be just as deadly accurate as the man with a lever gun. Not everyone with an AR or AK adhere or subscribe to the "spray and pray" train of thought.

Perhaps from your point of view it is flawed logic but not from mine. I'm nearing 70 and I don't see a scenario in my life where I need an AK or AR15 to defend my home here in America because a bunch of gang bangers, gangsters are coming specifically for me. The truth is if you have angered so many people you need to change your ways. I do agree with you that not everyone adheres to the spray and pray, but I know from personal experience that when man's character is tested as in combat we all lose and forget our training the first few times. Best thing one can do, and just my opinion again accept the fact that you may die at that moment and move on, God decides if it is your time anyway.

 

[bfoosh006]

If I were to want an AK in 5.56, I would find one that feeds from typical 5.56 mags. IE Magpul
FWIW... accuracy might not meet your expectations... from any AK.

https://palmettostatearmory.com/ak-47/ak-5-56.html?mfg_platform=AK-556

 

[HPJeep]

I have both levers of various stripes and several different AKs in 7.62x39 and 7.62 Nato. Both are fun. Have you considered keeping the lever and putting the AK on layaway with a deposit of $2-300 down and $200 a month? My LGS does a bang up job on their layaway program.

 

[Hokkmike]

The truth is if you have angered so many people you need to change your ways.

Sadly, just being a conservative, white, Christian male is sufficient these days to attract the ire and hatred of many active liberal groups. I will not bow to their new WOKE and Christo-phobic ideology, to use one of their terms.. POINT IS, there is real concern and justification for the availability of an AK styled weapon. I am NOT advocating to go out and shoot anyone, but how much more can our society devolve before BLM is in YOUR back yard?

 

[ms6852]

I am NOT advocating to go out and shoot anyone, but how much more can our society devolve before BLM is in YOUR back yard?

Agree. I'm not white, black,italian,irish,chinese,mexican,japanese,indian,native Indian,and so on, I'm just an American born in this country. I have seen the good and bad growing up in the 50's and experienced the racism of yesteryears because of my ancestry. But this whole new woke agenda and cancel culture worries me too along with teachers not being able to use certain pronouns. It's a new world and this America is a hard pill to swallow.

But back to your original question then, I would choose the AR15 because it is a platform I know very well and used for 21 years in the Army, but most important of all is that your friends, or neighbors or anyone for that matter may have components and ammo readily available for this platform should something break or should our economy fail that can easily be used in some form of the barter system.

 

[wesmonster]

I've got two AKs, a Saiga .223 and a Zastava m90ps.
Both are reliable and accurate, the Saiga is a bit overgassed and runs any ol steel case .223.
The Zastava is picky with some steel case but shoots any brassed case .223 or 5.56. The m90ps has an adjustable gas block and is dialed to it's softest setting so it's tame even with hot loads.
But neither can use the other's mags, different setups. And that's the biggest drawback to .223/5.56 AKs, there's no 'standard' setup. All my 7.62x39 AKs can run about any flavor of mag, there are some differences in tolerances between countries or brands but nothing that can't be filed to fit.
Zastava will probably be your cheapest import option for a new 5.56 AK followed by WBP. There are some used options that take AR stanang type mags, but not many. I like my m90ps as it runs fine with factory polymer & steel mags as well as Circle 10 and WBP mags.
I love lever guns but my mod. 94 doesn't come out much wirh 30-30 ammo priced as it is.
I also think an AR is a better choice for 5.56 at today's prices.