AR-15 vs. AK-47

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Rob1109

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I'm sure this has been beaten to death already, everywhere. Locally the AR prices are goofy. I just don't need the rifle that bad. Leaves me looking for AK.
Who builds the best? Opinions, .02, welcomed and appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
Best.
 
AR prices are back to pre-sandy hook here, AK prices are still stupid. If you want one, have your local box-chain store order one n from a different location.
 
Saigas are good. I liked factory built AKs, so I liked my old Maadi also. I recently sold my AK stuff during the panic and made a small fortune. I personally stay away from Century but YMMV. Arsenal is always a safe bet.

Try to stick with as many foreign parts as possible, bbl being one of the main parts. US bbls arent as good as the foreign arsenal produced ones.
 
I have no idea what;s going on in this thread.
ARs have risen but AKs haven't? as if AKs weren't hit by the shortage or just aren't in as much demand?

I'm not even going to offer my opinion for lack of flame suit but I will say that the title is deceiving. here I thought I was stumbling into a dead horse beating competition where I can tote the AR above AKs but instead it's actually an AK VS AK thread...

not cool OP. not cool at all.
 
Robert said:
Play nice and this will stay open. If this goes down the same road they usually do and it will be locked.
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yeah, the title is almost troll bait. It should be 'Which AK is good enough for my budget' or something to that effect.

Ive ran both extensively and find the AR superior, but that doesnt seem to be what the OP is looking for so I answered accordingly. Im sure, however, the title alone will bring out the worst in some who seemingly cant resist..... :mad:
 
Go onto buds and buy a cheap Romanian Wasr. It'll fit the bill for cheap.
 
Build your own, and it'll be as good as you need it to be ;)

*dang, tyeo098 beat me to it :D

"I thought I was stumbling into a dead horse beating competition where I can tote the AR above AKs but instead it's actually an AK VS AK thread..."
Yeah, kind of a letdown, isn't it? :( Watching AKs beat each other up is unsatisfying (they even seem to enjoy it :D )

TCB
 
Apples and Oranges.
I would save and buy what I want rather than let current market prices decide what my rifle will be.
I own AK's and AR's and they are two totally different systems and each have a place in a well rounded armory.
Right now AR's are cheap in my area and I bought a D.D. M4-V7 recently. If I was on the fence I would go AR.
 
Arsenal and get a 74 instead of a 47.
MHO
The russians have so many ak74s stocked up they can arm every man in the federation several times over. A russian soldier on the european continent having the benefit of russian numerical exigency and russian tactics will never be at any kind of disadvantage if he carries an ak74. A western foe there will be disadvantaged no matter what small arm they carry, but especially if said arm cannot match the kalashnikov in sustained rapid fire before catastrophic failure. The kalashnikov is not practically or critically inaccurate. M4s are most commonly seen configured so as to be superior during night ops.
Edited: to remove all rational thought.
 
What about peripherals for AKs? I occasionally check K-Var and other places to price mags for my '74, and while it seems like they are back in stock, I think the last time I looked prices were in excess of $40/mag. Brownells and other places have AR mags in stock for $15-ish a mag. Tacking a .mil style basic load of mags onto either rifle means the price of the AK goes up $175 or so more than the AR . . .
 
It really depends on what you want to do with the rifle. Want a simple to operate, dead nuts reliable rifle that you're ok with shooting 4MOA with? AK.

Rifle that's more complex and that requires a bit of learning but that's trivially easy to get under 2MOA groups with? AR.

If you're a new shooter and don't know what you want, I'd get an AR. They are like Barbie: get a basic flattop 16" mid length gassed rifle. After a while you can get the Camero (optic), disco outfit (fancy flash hider), and the swimming pool set (special stock, handguard, and grip).

With a AK you're pretty much stuck with how it comes without doing lots of work.

BSW
 
You can easily get a entry level for within $75 of what you can get a entry level ak for so personally i wouldnt use the price to decide of wich to get. If you want a ak go to jgsales website and look into the century yugo aks. Or for under 500 you can buy a saiga from buds and for around 150 you can pay someone to do the conversion for you including parts.
 
Lots of people knock them but my WASR 1063 AK 47 runs like a tank, & is just as accurate as my friend's Saiga & Arsenal. It eats any kind of ammo and 7.62x39 is easy to find right now and cheap. An AK 47 is an AK 47 as long as it does it's job.


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Century Arms Yugo O-PAP AK for $600 at J&G sales or $619 direct from Century. Said to be the best current deal for tight budgets by quite a few. That's only about $100 more than you could get an AMD-65 for before the run on firearms.
 
I like the AK's. I was at the range yesterday shooting my Arsenal SA M7S. Just set my targets, took the rifle out of its case, loaded and started firing. Guy came in with a tricked out AR. Fooled around with it for a long time. Asked if someone had a few tools and some oil. He tinkered around with it for about 20 minutes, inserted a loaded mag and could not get a round chambered. Ended up going home. I've never seen anyone have trouble with a AK based rifle. All the AR guys seem to do a lot of fiddling around with their rifles.
 
I'm a big fan of the Waffen Werks ak74 builds. Bulgarian rifles that look as nice as they run. Tight fit and finished with a Gunkote finish. Can't beat them for the price IMHO.

Certainly not any cheaper than a similar quality AR though.
 
aka108 said:
I like the AK's. I was at the range yesterday shooting my Arsenal SA M7S. Just set my targets, took the rifle out of its case, loaded and started firing. Guy came in with a tricked out AR. Fooled around with it for a long time. Asked if someone had a few tools and some oil. He tinkered around with it for about 20 minutes, inserted a loaded mag and could not get a round chambered. Ended up going home. I've never seen anyone have trouble with a AK based rifle. All the AR guys seem to do a lot of fiddling around with their rifles.
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So you're extrapolating one "tricked out AR" into "all"? Do you even believe that? :D
 
why?
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5.45x39 can be found for under $200 for a thousand+ round spam can. And there has been a good supply even up here when *everything* else was running out. I have a Waffen Werks and it's been shooting reasonably accurately and with absolute 100% reliability. The Arsenals also have a good rep. Stay clear of some of the Century Tantals as they were assembled with the wrong barrels and will keyhole.

As has been discussed ad infinitum, there are good AR's that will also run without any problems. Colts, DD's, etc. But they do tend to be a notch more expensive than a good AK at least when the market is sane. And 5.56 is now WAY more expensive than 5.45, with no end in sight due to production problems and high demand. AR's have the edge in accuracy of course. But you can get a nice AK-74 clone and a top of the line RAKURS for half the price of a nice AR and ACOG.

Also, it's entirely subjective but I've noticed a number of the tactical crowd going over to the AK platform during the great ammo shortage. And they aren't flocking back. As a close quarters weapon the AK-74 has some serious advantages in ease of use. Plus it's funny when you say "failure drill" in the context of an AK. Because, while good AR's are indeed very reliable, you still have to TRAIN to deal with a variety of potential disasters. And being freed up from all those complex operations is a good feeling.
 
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