AK 47 or AK 74

[Rubber_Duck]

A real collector should own both but if it's one over the other, aside from ammo availability the AK-74 in 5.45x39 takes the cake. It's the pinnacle of AK design.

 

[ttarp]

The SKS is a much better rifle in 7.62X39, the 5.45 AK is the only one that interest me.

 

[Arizona_Mike]

Better for what? For SBR I prefer the AKM (I'm assuming that's what you mean by "AK-47").

Mike

 

[If1HitU]

Thanks for taken the time and giving me your opinions on the two rifles members.I do appreciate it.

 

[csa77]

im surprised by the sks comments. not sure what advantage an sks has over a good ak, other then you can get 2 or maybe 3 sks's for the price of one good ak

i prefer 7.62x39

 

[Sam1911]

An SKS is a pretty cool rifle taken on its own. It is a little heavier than most AKs which can further tame recoil. It has slightly better sights, at least due to its longer sight radius. It has a more traditional look and feel, and is easier to handle in field/hunting and bench shooting situations. Some people report slightly better accuracy from most SKSs than most 7.62 AK variants.

Though developed at the same time (1945, vs. 1946/-47), as a military weapon the SKS was doomed to fall in the shadow of the more modern AK.

As a ranch rifle or deer rifle, the SKS is really excellent. If it had been produced in the US, with nicer stock materials, it would have been the absolute darling of mid-20th century folks -- those who'd always loved Marlin 1895s or Win 94s, at least. The negative trash talk that always has surrounded it is almost entirely due, oddly, to its low price point. People don't place as much value on things they can buy cheaply, and SKSs were often sold off at well under $100 each. It may have been practically just as good as a Ruger Mini-14 or Mini-30, but if it was less than 1/6th the price and was a "commie gun" then it wasn't ever going to get much respect.

 

[entropy]

Though developed at the same time (1945, vs. 1946/-47), as a military weapon the SKS was doomed to fall in the shadow of the more modern AK.

That's when they were adopted into service. The SKS, in particular, was an 'off the shelf' design, as I indicated earlier, being a scaled down PTRS41. The reason it was not adopted sooner was the result of the pragmatic decision to keep allotting resources to Mosin Nagant and PpSh-41 production while the war was still on. As it became clear victory was in hand, then serious testing and production could begin. It was never intended to be anything but a stopgap while the AK-47 design was finalized and production ramped up. As for the AK-47, M.T. Kalashnikov came up with the initial design while recovering from injuries received as a Tank commander in 1943. Again as I mentioned, by the time the war was over, he had StG 44's to study and the men who built them to interrogate, er, work with. He borrowed heavily from the StG44, and also incorporated design elements from other guns, such as the Federov M1916 (Magazine design) and Remington Model 8. (Safety lever) Even after initial production began, ways to adapt the AK-47 to simpler production methods continued, resulting in the AKM, Avtomat Kalashnikov Modernnizhy.

 

[Sam1911]

As for the AK-47, M.T. Kalashnikov came up with the initial design while recovering from injuries received as a Tank commander in 1943

Oh, so you believe the CCCP state story!?!?



Ha ha... I kid. The world will never know.


(And you skipped the part about how the milled AK versions came to be. Another stop-gap measure.)

 

[d2wing]

I have had SKS's and AK-47's. Fun but not real practical. I would probably want a 74 as it may have been more useful. But for what they want for them an AR is better all the way around. If I were looking now I would look at an AR-10 or Century PTR-91 . About the same size and weight in a more useful cartridge than the AK style. But nothing wrong about getting the AK you like. The 74 would have more range potential for coyotes and such if were more accurate. But since it is not it is a horse apiece to me. The Russians developed the 74 to gain a more effective cartridge. That was determined by real ballistic engineers. Many posters reject science of real experts and follow totally fake quacks who had no training in ballistics, no scientific studies or any credible sources and say that real experts are for some reason lying. Lol. No comment on the total BS thread.

 

[Sam1911]

The 74 would have more range potential for coyotes and such if were more accurate. But since it is not it is a horse apiece to me.

The 74s do have a reputation for quite respectable accuracy. On par with run-of-the-mill AR-15s. I've shot silly good groups with surplus 7n6 ammo with my -74S. I think the larger difficulty is the limitations in optics.

 

[Mizar]

And you skipped the part about how the milled AK versions came to be...

Like: Russians didn't have the tooling and know-how to be able to make a quality stamped part?
But I'm not sure that comparing SKS and (real) AK47 is valid - those guns represent different tactics and mindset. A hint - that story, about why the safety on AK switches first to full-auto and then to semi, so the soldiers would flip it to semi-auto mode when in stress, is pure BS. The doctrine called for full-auto fire always, semi was seldom needed. When I joined the army (Infantry), I fired my AK74 in semi-auto mode only one time - that was the first time we were introduced to the gun. After that - full-auto all the way. I even get yelled at if I fired it one shot at a time. For decades (as a former Soviet satellite state) we shared the exact same tactics USSR thought of. As to why exactly the safety operates that way - with that mechanism this is the simplest way of operation. Nothing more, it's just easier to make it that way.

 

[Sam1911]

Like: Russians didn't have the tooling and know-how to be able to make a quality stamped part?

Indeed! And not even a very complicated stamped part, either.

 

[DMK]

I really like my SAR-1 and SKS's, but if I could go back in time and do it all over again, I'd have bought 5.45 chambered AKs instead and stacked deep on cheap 5.45x39.

I have never been impressed with any steel case 7.62x39, accuracy wise. Since I got a .223 Saiga, I rarely shoot my 7.62x39 guns anymore.

 

[kayak-man]

I have zero experience with the 74, but I really love my 47. It's a saiga I converted, and to me, part of the fun is that it's that bigger 7.62 round. If I wanted a smaller faster bullet, I'd just stick with my AR, so I really appreciate the diversity that the ai brings to the table.

 

[fallout mike]

Krinko, what is the bolt action gun in your picture?

 

[fallout mike]

I've had both. Wasn't impressed by either.

 

[Dr.Rob]

My only AK variant is a 5.56 but that '74 brake really helps keep the muzzle in line in fast shooting.

 

[krinko]

"Krinko, what is the bolt action gun in your picture?"

It is an SSG 82 out of East Germany. Made at Suhl and equipped with Zeiss-Jena glass.
-----krinko

 

[Dr.Rob]

Those SSG's are hard to find, they were inexpensive on the surplus market for a short time.

 

[FN in MT]

I far prefer the AK 74 to the 47. To me the 5.45 x 39 round is flatter shooting and was cheaper back when I started buying it. Still have TEN full cases left, paid under fifty bucks per can, two cans per case. I also bought a mess of the Hornady, STEEL ammo, non corrosive. Also expanding bullets that work far better on coyotes, skunks, etc than the Commie stuff. Though it does work OK.

NO denying the 7.62x39 IS a good deer, pig round, basically a .30-30 ballistics wise.

Currently 74 mags are more expensive. And unless something happens to allow importation of Commie 7n6 FMJ ammo...the 74 IS dead in the US. The ammo is getting too expensive.

 

[zaitcev]

The 74 is far less common, I'm not aware of any domestic ammunition source.

Hornady sells a line called "Hornady Black", which they claim is "proudly made in the USA". But the cases are typical Russian cases. They even migrated from the green lacquer cases to gray ones together with Russians. So, I'm pretty sure that they import the cases, then load them domestically.

https://www.hornady.com/ammunition/rifle/5.45x39-60-gr-v-max-black#!/

Some people reload the 5.45, so there's that escape if worst comes to worst. Supposedly the 222 brass can be used.

 

[Jackal]

The 7.62x39 is the primary reason to buy an AK. An AK74 is trumped by an AR15 in nearly every way.

 

[grampajack]

Definitely prefer the 74 for any practical application, namely home defense, but the ammo is definitely in question right now thanks to the sanctions on Russia. If the sanctions are lifted and we get Russian ammo again, then the price would probably go back down to less than 20 cents a round. Before the sanctions, 5.45 was the cheapest rifle round to shoot, which is why people were converting ARs to fire 5.45 for training purposes. The recoil and everything was identical to 5.56, and the ammo didn't cost a whole lot more than .22lr. Ah, the good ol' days before Obama screwed everything up.

 

[Ignition Override]

DMK: my post-ban .223 Saiga is in the exact, 100% original configuration it had while "in the box". I've never owned a scope (age 62), but sometimes get invited to try somebody's red dot etc 'sight' at the private club.

Do you use a scope or red dot on your .223 Saiga?
I'm curious whether that could be the reason you seldom use your 7.62x39 (no scope) anymore, or whether you use only iron sights, and find the .223 inherently more accurate. I'm confused, due to lack of info on the context.

My Yugo M59 (Not a /66...), AMD-65, SAR-1, MAK 90 and 'Intrac' Maadi have no scopes.

 

[DMK]

DMK: my post-ban .223 Saiga is in the exact, 100% original configuration it had while "in the box". I've never owned a scope (age 62), but sometimes get invited to try somebody's red dot etc 'sight' at the private club.

Do you use a scope or red dot on your .223 Saiga?
I'm curious whether that could be the reason you seldom use your 7.62x39 (no scope) anymore, or whether you use only iron sights, and find the .223 inherently more accurate. I'm confused, due to lack of info on the context.

I use both Aimpoint red dots and 1-4x Mueller Speed Shot scopes on my Saiga AKs. I have my optics configured on RS Regulate QD side mounts. These are the best optics mounts that you can buy for an AK IMO. I've used the same optics, same mounts, on both my Saiga 223 and 7.62x39 AKs. As close to identical platforms as it gets. I believe that the average.223 ammo is just better. Mostly, I shoot XM-193, but I've even compared Wolf 223 to 7.62x39


My three AKs with red dots: 223 Saiga, 7.62x39 Saiga, Romanian SAR-1

 

[Ignition Override]

DMK: I will remember or later recognize the type of scope.

Very attractive rifles you have.

Thanks.

 

[DMK]

Very attractive rifles you have.

Thanks!