Another AK Help Question

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tacweapon

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I am trying to help a friend with his purchase of an AK-47 since he does not have relieable internet, and I do not know know too much about them since I am more of an AR kinda guy, he is looking at spending 400 - 600 for the weapon and wants to be able to mount a Red Dot fairly easily. What is the best brand / country of AK for the money ? Other then Magazines and ammo and a parts kit what else would you recommend for an AK ?

Thanks for the help
 
http://www.gunchat.net/chat/viewtopic.php?t=3086 is a good article for someone who is purchasing an AK for the first time to read.

Most NIB AK rifles usually come with at least two mags, a sling, and a toolkit that fits into the buttstock (http://www.gunsnet.net/Linx310/toolkit.htm).

www.rifledynamics.com is earning a reputation for building quality AK rifles. However, if you want one already built, a Yugo is a good rifle as are the Romanian SAR series rifles (SAR-1, 7.62X39; SAR-2, 5.45X39; SAR-3, 5.56X45), and the Romanian "G" rifle.

Others will have their recommendations as well and some will recommend milled receivers over stamped receivers.

In the end, all AK rifles basically the same in function. It is the fit and finish that distinguishes one from the other.
 
Many (but not all) AK's come with a Warsaw Pact milspec optics rail on the left side of the receiver, that allows you to mount all sorts of Russian/Eastern European optics directly to the rifle.

Here's my SAR-1 (Romanian AK, predecessor of the current WASR) with a Russian Kobra on the siderail mount:

med_gallery_260_23_20379.jpg


Otherwise, you can add an Ultimak forward rail (replaces the gas tube) and an inexpensive civilian red dot, for about the same price.
 
Given your friends price range I would agree with pricing a saiga. I converted mine and could'nt be happier but if your friend is unable mechanically to do it it's still a good value to by one already done. You can check out Atlanticfirearms.com for some but the do not come with the bullet guide. Some have reported it's necessary while others say it's not. A great suggestion is to check out rifle dynamics for a price as I have heard nothing but good about them and also tromax but they are a little more expensive(better conversion parts) and a wait period from back orders last I heard.

There is nothing wrong with even a wasr-10 if your friend checks it out in person for the mag wobble and canted sights/gas block and allows a lot of money left over for ammo which ain't getting any cheaper. The cosmetics will suffer from the lower cost but hey it's an AK so it goes boom.
 
BenEzra

How does the red dot work out for you. I was short on money and put a 2x truglo red dot from cheaper than dirt and love it, just interested how the others perform.
 
Since we're on the subject, who makes an AK sight rail that:
Doesn't break the bank.
Sits on the centerline.
Very low, IE almost touching the cover.

I've looked on the Kalinka site, but could only find one for ~$150
 
Chris in VA:

I got mine from BlackJackBuffer. It was around 40 dollars plus delivery. It is very sturdy, sits low profile centerline and is the quick release style so you can still change back to iron sights very quickly. If i got the name wrong(might be slightly off) pm me and I can get the right one to you.


Benezra:
Thanks I'm gonna shoot it a little more with the 2x and if i don't get comfortable with it I'll probabloy sell it off for a 1x
 
The Ultimak rail/gas tube shroud is, in my opinion, about the best way to mount a red dot.
Click to expand...
The Ultimak/Aimpoint combo are really the best way to go. Both are quality gear that work. The allow you to cowitness the dot to your irons. The rifle shoulders and shoots just like it does with your iron sights.

47b7d700b3127ccec27f61ca596000000016100CYuWbdo5bsQe3nwk.jpg

47b8dd31b3127ccec3c1e64810e600000016100CYuWbdo5bsQe3nwk.jpg


The Saiga's are the way to go, but you need to decide if you want to do the restoration or have someone else do it. The top gun in the pics above is a Krebs AK103K Saiga conversion. Krebs and AK-USA are probably your best bet for a professional job.

I've owned and own AK's in all the price ranges. Personally, I would prefer to buy guns that were made in the issuing country over one made here. They sometimes may not look real pretty, but they tend to shoot better. All of them pretty much shoot the same.

The WASR's and SAR's (if you can still find one) shoot fine and war about the cheapest.
 
Very low, IE almost touching the cover
Click to expand...

IMHO the biggest advantage of the side rail mounts is they maintain the iron sights as a back up -- essential IMHO for a sight that needs batteries to work.

If his gun ends up lacking the siderail, the Ultimak is probably the way to go.

I don't find AKs and their ammo accurate enough to justify expensive optics. I've been very happy with the cheap 20mm and 30mm RedDots from CDNN on AKs and most guns in fact.

Unless you are sure the RedDot sight will work for you, I'd start cheap as not everyone ends up liking the dot sights -- you have to look thru the dot and focus on the target which takes some getting used to compared to focusing on the reticle with a scope or front sight with irons.

--wally.
 
I don't mind not co-witnessing the iron sights for a RedDot sight picture. The quick release on my side mount allows me to pull the whole system off the rifle in a second. I also find that although it is probably the only real difference between the cheap RedDots and a mid to upper level one is battery life.
 
I don't find AKs and their ammo accurate enough to justify expensive optics. I've been very happy with the cheap 20mm and 30mm RedDots from CDNN on AKs and most guns in fact.

Unless you are sure the RedDot sight will work for you, I'd start cheap as not everyone ends up liking the dot sights -- you have to look thru the dot and focus on the target which takes some getting used to compared to focusing on the reticle with a scope or front sight with irons.
Click to expand...
You dont look through the sight, you look AT the target. The dot just appears on it where your looking and you dont even notice the sight.

I understand the not wanting to spend the money to try one out, I did the same thing and would suggest you do the same if your not sure. If you do like the concept, you'll save money in the long run, if you buy the better sight right off.


The biggest difference between the cheap ones and the more expensive ones is how well they hold up. Battery life is also a very big plus. If I had the money back on the cheap, (and bigger named) sights I've owned, I could have bought one or two more Aimpoints and mounts.

The advantage to the cowitness is, I dont have to touch a thing, I ALWAYS have my iron sights available.(unless I'm using the sight with the front cover closed) I can also instantly see if my dot has been knocked out of alignment, something I've had happen a couple of times with the cheaper sights. I've also had dead batteries on more than a few occasions with the cheaper sights. I dont even turn my Aimpoints off anymore.
 
you can get a converted saiga, or a nice wasr-10 from classicarms.us and get a reddot plus a side-rail from cheaperthandirt.com and end up with this:





then use the extra money in Mags and ammo ;)
 
I'm beginning to think a 7.62x39 Saiga tucked away in original configuration is going to be a collector's item. :D
 
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