AK-47

[03teufel]

I'm surprised I haven't seen it mentioned yet, but the Polish Tantal is the best AK I've ever owned. It lacks the visuals you'll get from a high priced Arsenal rifle, but that's not what owning an AK is all about. Actually, the Tantal is about the ugliest rifle I've seen but that doesn't bother me. The reliability is everything you'd come to expect from the AK family. The biggest surprise I had the first time I shot it was the accuracy. I'm not going to say it will out shoot an AR, but it's the most accurate AK I've fired.

The only thing I have against the Tantal is the crappy folding stock. There are much better folders out there and I'd recommend replacing it with one of those or just buying a fixed stock model. It's also worth mentioning that 5.45x39 is the cheapest 'assault rifle' ammo out there right now. If you want a top of the line AK without the Arsenal price tag find yourself a Tantal.

 

[dvdcrr]

there were some keyholing issues with some tantal builds. Which ones are the good ones?

 

[itsa pain]

The last couple posts are right on. It isn't that special of a performance for one that's a decent shooter.

Shooting offhand is hard compared to other positions, but when one practices, it isn't so hard. I agree with the poster above, and shoot the majority of rifle practice offhand. If you want a challenge, shoot the 300 yard plates with your kalash like a pistol, two and one handed.

The ak's I've handled and shot were generally all accurate enough to bang steel at several hundred yards, some shot pretty well. It seems that the better made guns shot better, but I don't have enough experience with them to say how common that is. I also agree with the sentiments that if all you want is so-so/OK quality, buy the cheap guns. If you appreciate well made and fitted guns, the extra money is worthwhile. I don't believe the difference is just cosmetic.

Yes but a real challenge is to shoot an AK at 300 yds hanging upside down with a rope tied to your feet using a hand held mirror

 

[03teufel]

I honestly don't know who built my Tantal. It's a 1993 wz.88 parts kit on an Interarms receiver. I'd imagine that the Tantal is just like any other AK in the fact that it's going to be a good weapon as long as a monkey didn't build it. When buying an AK (or any surplus weapon for that matter) I'd highly recommend inspecting it in person. If you get a well pieced together Tantal I promise you it will give you years of quality service.

Like I said, it's about the ugliest AK I've seen. The upper and lower hand guards are two different colors. The lower hand guard is an orange bakelite which is similar to the East German magazines in color. The upper is a dark red color that puts you in mind of the 'brick' colored Bulgarian mags. The finish on the barrel and receiver is a dull grey color and the pistol grip and safety selector are flat black. Despite the cosmetic appearance it is my favorite AK. I told myself when I bought it that I'd have it refinished and change out the furniture, but it's grown on me despite being the mutt that it is.I'v

I also own a Romanian 'G' kit built rifle, a WASR-10 and a Bulgarian kit 5.45 rifle. I currently only own four AK's but I've shot about all of them. I've shot Hungarian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Yugo, Polish and Saiga AK's. While I love Arsenal rifles I can't justify spending AR money on an AK just for bells and whistles. To each his own, but I love my Tantal.

 

[dvdcrr]

I hear but don't get the sentiment of not wanting to spend AR money on an AK. To me it's like a person not wanting to pay ford money for a chevy. To me a Bulgarian milled AK has more worth than any commercial grade AR. The market sets the value. There are a lot of people willing to pay for the high end AK. For their money they get a thoroughly hard core weapon. Forged, milled very hard receiver. Chrome lined milspec chamber, and bore. Piston gas system. Extremely rugged BCG, FCG. Widespread milspec magazine compatibility. Money well spent!

 

[03teufel]

I won't argue the point that you can spend your money on whatever you choose. While I don't hold it against someone to buy a thousand dollar AK, I personally don't see the point in it. Even the cheapest of surplus AK's is going to be extremely reliable if it's built correctly. I have every confidence in my WASR-10 to do everything an Arsenal AK will at a fraction of the cost. I'd like to point out again, that doesn't mean a person shouldn't buy an Arsenal AK. If money doesn't concern you, then by all means buy the best. If you want a cheap AK to shoot, you almost can't go wrong with any of them.

An Arsenal AK has actually been on my want list for a while now. Every time I think about spending the money on one I wind up buying something else. I think my next AK could very well be a milled Arsenal rifle as all the rifles I own are stamped receivers. It's either going to be an Arsenal rifle or a Krink SBR.

 

[tonytor58]

Build a Saiga, if you have a cordless drill and the carolina shooters supply website it can be very easy. The only regret I have about building mine was that instead of a tacticool with the quad rail I would have done an original wood design because it looks amazing in wood. I've added a pic of my build, took me about a 3 soils hours with drill and hand tools, the only thing I can say is that it does get expensive when ordering parts you want but you get the satisfaction of building it yourself. I may never sell it because of that, a guy offered me $1,000 for it and I turned him down, it's just my own little creation to which I'm attached. But I prob would have made about a $200 profit!

 

[Fishbed77]

Even the cheapest of surplus AK's is going to be extremely reliable if it's built correctly.

That's the rub - you have to make sure it's built correctly.

When people pay money for an Arsenal, they are trying to buy a little insurance that it was built correctly, since Arsenal has a very good reputation (though, like all other manufacturers, they occasionally put out a lemon).

Likewise, when converting a Saiga, you are starting with a known quantity (a factory-built rifle from the well-respected Izhmash factory). If you convert it yourself, you know exactly what level of quality you put into it.

 

[03teufel]

I don't know about everybody else, but I thoroughly inspect any firearm I buy prior to putting the cash on the table. Doing a simple functions check and field strip to inspect parts will serve you well the majority of the time. There are some other issues such as sight cant that you can visually inspect as well, along with condition of the chamber and bore. Most gun shops I've bought from have at least some sort of quality assurance program. Take the weapon out the day you buy it and put a couple hundred rounds through it to ensure function. If you fire it the same day and it is more of a club than a rifle, I don't know of any gun shop that won't do a swap or fix it for you free of charge. Buy from a reputable dealer, inspect the rifle before buying and test it on the range and you should be good.

 

[jungle]

The key to getting a good AK is to get one from a factory building them, to this end Arsenals and Saigas are good, the factory Zastavas are good, and recent factory built Romanians are good, there is also the obscure Beryl.

Homebuilts vary from poor to great, as do 'smith built and kits cobbled together by various importers.

You would do well to remember these are rifles selling brand new in the real world for $200 or so, when bought in quantity from the producers.

That said, the real difference between a $400 AK and one costing $1,000 is largely cosmetic in many cases or the cost of a rare configuration.