AK shopping! need advice....

[CosmicGrooves]

Thanks Hank! I too am in North Texas.

Ok, I think I'm getting the SGL21. I just need to find who offers the best deal.

One more thing, can the SGL21 use magazines made anywhere and still be legal?

Thanks for all the info, everyone.

 

[benEzra]

only if you're using surplus ammo, for hunting you should use nice domestically produced commercial, which reports say is quite accurate

I've shot domestic 7.62x39mm in my AK, and it's better than Wolf accuracy-wise, yes. But domestic .223 is better still, from most reports, and I suspect domestic 5.45x39 would be as well, given that Wolf 5.45 is more accurate than Wolf 7.62. Of course, for hunting, it's a moot point, as 7.62x39mm is much more suitable for deer sized game than the fast .22's.

I suspect the reported accuracy difference may be due to the fact that given a barrel of similar outside diameter, the barrel with the .224 bore will be stiffer than the barrel with the .310 bore because it has more steel and less air; it's also possible that the lighter, faster bullets generate fewer high-amplitude barrel harmonics, or are more tolerant of the harmonics produced by the gas piston launching off the gas block. That is just wild speculation on my part, though.

The best 7.62x39mm I've ever shot was Lapua (Finn), but unfortunately it's no longer imported. Darn.

 

[hank327]

Ok, I think I'm getting the SGL21. I just need to find who offers the best deal.

One more thing, can the SGL21 use magazines made anywhere and still be legal?

K-VAR has the best prices on SGL21s right now and until the 7th. I paid $505.00 for mine when I ordered it a month ago and the price has been inching upward. K-VAR has announced that the sale will end on December 7th:

http://www.k-var.com/shop/

You can order your SGL21 through the website and have it shipped to a FFL near you who will do the paper work of doing the transfer for you. If you don't have a FFL that you prefer to use, I suggest the folks at Sporting Arms if Lewisville, TX is convienent for you. My purchase of my SGL21 last month was my first experience of buying a gun through the internet and the folks at Sporting Arms were great to work with. Sporting Arms website is:

http://www.sportingarms.com/transfers.asp

Click on the, "Use Sporting Arms FFL Transfer Service" at the top of that page and it will tell you how to proceed.

As to magazines, you can legally use any magazine in the SGL21. Surplus steel military magazines are the best bang for the buck at this time. The best deal going is the sale AIM Surplus has on European steel magazines:

http://www.aimsurplus.com/acatalog/Surplus_European_Steel_AK47_7.62x39_30rd_magazines.html

I ordered four and when they arrived I found that Aim had thrown in a surplus four magazine pouch for free. The magazines were in like new condition with only very minor handling marks. I've read that these magazines are actually Chinese made that were supplied to the Bosnians back in the 90's during the war there. Regardless of origin these mags are great. The Bulgarian polymer Circle 10 waffle mag may be the very best AK magazine available. I ordered one with my SGL and it looks great and it is lighter than the steel ones. But it is very expensive compared to the surplus steel mags at $32.00 apiece compared to $9.99. Hope this helps.

One more thing, stay away from American made AK magazines. They are inferior to surplus military magazines and not worth buying.

 

[CosmicGrooves]

Thanks Hank! I do have an FFL guy in Ft. Worth. I bought a Taurus model 651 .357 a few months ago from Gunsamerica.com. That was my first internet gun purchase. He only charges $25.00, so I thought that was a good deal.

Great to know I can use the milsurp mags!