dang...that's a lot of money on one rifle.
The AK my brother has is a WASR he picked up for under 400. He's hitting man-size targets at 250 yards without much difficulty.
I'm planning on taking some carbine classes in the summer next year, maybe doing some hog hunting back home (Georgia, Bama), and of course, just having fun at the range.
I'm just the kind of guy who buys reliable first. (Glock 19, pump action for my shotgun, my only rifle is an old lever action Marlin 3030) It's just how I was raised, trucks, guns, boots, whatever, I buy long lasting and dependable usually.
Plus, I'm of the mindset that this fall doesn't bode well for gun owners. I want to buy something that is going to last a long time if need be.
If I won't be hitting really solid AR's until near 2k, maybe I should be looking at a top end AK for a little under 1k?
I don't really imagine a scenario where I'll be needing to shoot an AR in those kinds of terrible conditions, I just don't want a bottom-end jamomatic like I'd tried at the range. (not a knock on any particular breed of AR, just speaking from what I've seen personally. I know the AR is fully capable of being dependable and quality, that's why I want one.)
I'm not some special forces commando coming up out of the quagmire to fight terrorists. I]m just a guy with a limited income who wants a nice solid rifle I can count on for years and years to come.