Ak47: which one?

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Don't let the guys scare you away from WASR's :D. I'm a long-time AK fan, and own/owned some of the better ones (Polytechs,Hungarians,Yugos,Saigas,etc.), but the couple WASR's I've owned were great AK's. Sure, the older ones had some geniune issues, but the infamous "chimps at Century" finally got the message, and tightened things up considerably, and all of the one's I've seen in the past several years have been solid.
Sure, you definately want to see the gun in person and check it over, but a tight,straight WASR is basically as good as any.
Also, it's easy,cheap and fun to do your own re-finish job on the cheap,laminate wood furniture, it's not hard at all to make the stocks look really good !!
 
I have an arsenal 107f. I love it so much. Its way higher than your original budget but Atlantic firearms.com has some awesome deals sometimes. They have a great selection as well. Also Classicfirearms.com is normally decently priced.

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Sometimes. I had to manufacture (from scratch) a new magazine catch on a -74 once for a guy and had to modify, re-assemble, and re-rivet the trigger guard mechanism with the new one I'd made, plus make a couple of cuts on the receiver to allow the magazine to seat deeper. NO magazines would work; was built out of tolerance so far it wouldn't strip rounds! He bought it used, couldn't return for a new one as that particular model was long out of production from CAI.

(Magazines would lock in, but the bolt couldn't reliably strip rounds, was very odd until I found that they'd drilled the guard and pinned in the lever in the wrong damn spot)

THAT sort of thing you can't see on a normal function test; only way it rears it's head is later, when you get it to the range.

I also had a brand new Maadi blow up in my hands once (Locking lugs SHEARED OFF after the fourth shot). Thankfully I haven't seen THOSE piles of scrap on the market in a long, long time.

Stuff like this gets even MORE common when you have so many bubbasmiths out there spot welding receivers together and building up parts kits in their garages.

Definitely inspect before you buy, and take someone along that knows what the hell to look for.
 
A friend just paid $450 for a AMD-65. It's not the prettiest looking gun in the world but it works. I was actually impressed with the fit and finish of his particular gun. Looks/feels solid and it shoots well. It's probably the best bang for your buck these days.
 
Just be aware that the amd doesn't have complete parts commonality with akm clones.
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Take my advice and keep this in mind when selecting your rifle. I got a Tantal and despite it being a really good rifle, I regret the proprietary parts. Actually found a source for a side rail for optics and it's $60 more than any other side rail for no reason as they are all manufactured replicas.
 
Don't the TGI AMD's have to use US magazines to be 922(r) compliant(feel free to correct me if I'm wrong)? If so, that would be a deal-killer for me.
 
i found an io sporter for $640 any one know much about them
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I had one that required multiple trips back to the gun store and a trip to the factory before it would run right. I ended up trading it in for a huge loss just so I could put the experience behind me. Others have had different experiences with IO. For 640, I would pay another $150 and get an arsenal sgl. Money well spent if you ask me.
 
I bought a WASR 10/36 a year ago at a Dixi Gun and Knife show for $420. It is a great gun! I know that there is a lot of controversy over them ( as many people liking them as don't) but personally, I have no regrets buying it. Yes there was no finish when I bought it but that became a nonissue as, over time, it wore pretty smooth just through normal use. Also, it is really pretty easy to finish it yourself. I ended up buying a nice stock set for it off of Amazon for $100...but that was later.

A couple of things to keep in mind when buying and using an Ak:

Buy it at a Show or gun store so that you can get your hands on it.
Make sure that the magazines aren't real wobbly in the gun.
Don't put cheap ammo through it and blame the gun when it jams...and it will with cheap ammo.
I replaced the muzzle tip on mine 'cause it was that slanted tip...that design made for poor accuracy. I purchased a symmetrical muzzle brake for $15 from Cabelas and noticed a big difference for the better.

Hope this helps ;)

P.S. I saw a WASR at that gun and knife show for $390 but I didn't get it because the magazines were real wobbly in it. So they are out there for under $400.
 
I don't think the WASR is THAT bad for the money. Sure it's cheap....and some had canted sights and other issues but you can usually work with that. An arsenal is almost double the price. It's a lot nicer but the WASRs I've had worked as advertised, were accurate enough and were reliable. The triggers were pretty bad but that can be fixed. I don't have one anymore but I kind of wish I did.
 
Don't put cheap ammo through it and blame the gun when it jams...and it will with cheap ammo.
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I don't know what you define as cheap ammo, but I have run the cheapest stuff I can find through my current AK with nary a problem. The AK was designed with steel ammo in mind
 
By "cheap ammo" I am referring to some foreign, army surplus, brass ammo, made in 1994, that I bought when I got my Ak. It was good for the first 800 rounds or so and then it started jamming. Now I bought some steel cased ammo and have not had any issues with it. That is what I meant by cheap ammo....not so much the price as the quality of the rounds.

Just my thinking...

-1911
 
A $600 WASR? Before shipping/other expenses? for an extra $200 max I'd just get the Arsenal. Problem free, more accurate, better furniture, higher quality.
 
Save up for an Arsenal. In my local gun shop the other day, I looked at a beautiful Norinco pre-ban AK variant that was chambered in 5.56, with a straight 30 round magazine. It had wood furniture that was painted black and it came with a bayonet. I think the guy called it an "AKS". I googled it and didn't find anything. They were asking... $1500. If I had that on me, I would have walked out the door with it, I swear. It was awesome.
 
fisto, i just hope they did not paint over the original wood of that gun:( if they did its not worth $1500.
 
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