First AK47 purchase

[stevetford]

Hello guy's. Went to a local gun show today and bought my first AK47. Ever since I began collecting SKS's I thought it would be nice to add an AK to the collection. With the up comming election I thought now is probably a good time. I have been watching them on the Classic Arms web site sell out and seem to be getting harder to find everywhere. I will be honest and tell you that I am still not very knowledgable about the AK rifles, but from what I have read set my goals on a Yugo model. I wanted a fixed wood stock Yugo M70 but just can't seem to find them anymore or at a price I can afford.
Ok, to the point. I ended up comming home with a Yugo M70AB2 model from Century Internation Arms. It is a underfolder with the black poly or whatever handguar and lower forearm. Not exactly what I was looking for but it was within my price range after beating up on the dealer a little and seemed to be much better built than than the WASR10 right next to it. I fired 10 rounds from it today and really like the little guy. I was not too sure about the steel stock for a comfortable cheek rest but I have no complaints yet.
I could have bought a Saiga and saved some money, but thought this model would be a better investment in the long run if I should ever decide to sell it. From what I can tell the fit and finish is far above that of the WASR models I looked at today. What do the AK experts think.

 

[Hoppy590]

yugo is a good choice. they are well made. the underfolder will only help the resale value. and they are better made than WASR's. you did a good job

 

[chris in va]

I like it. Nice pistol grip too. How much did you pay?

 

[Picard]

I was able to get the Yugo that you wanted, the fixed stock version and I am thinking that I should have gone with the the folding design. I still might have an opportunity to buy a Romanian Underfolder. Did you get a chance to check one of those out? If so, what were your impressions?

It's either buy that, a Romanian RPK or a Yugo SKS. I'm in a conundrum with too many choices.

Yeah, and how much did you pay for that underfolder of yours?

 

[stevetford]

Thanks for the comments everyone. Picard, the only Ak's at this gun show were a few of the Yugo underfolder's like mine, a WASR 2 and several WASR 10's. There were plenty of Saiga's also. To answer everyone's question I paid $540 out the door. The dealer was asking $599. Since I have been home I have seen this model on the net advertised cheaper but most were in backorder status. I am happy with the price because I was able to look and compare and the dealer was from within the state and I feel better when I support the local economy.

 

[jdc1244]

I ended up comming home with a Yugo M70AB2…

Well done – you’re going to love it. I have an M70 that’s been flawless. They eat anything w/o a problem, in my case Wolf MC HP.

 

[MD_Willington]

Still kicking myself over not getting one... along with a MAK-90 at a fun show a few years back...

 

[transformerguru]

Nice!!!!

 

[gp911]

I have the exact same rifle. Love it.

With underfolders it's a try before you buy situation regarding fit, and the Yugo underfolder geometry is apparently more comfortable than other underfolder styles. I've had a few people take a dislike to mine, so it's not for everyone. Mine eats anything and keeps on running, with decent accuracy. Looks cool too.


gp911

 

[speedball]

Nice rifle. I have the same one. Took it out to the range this weekend and had some issues. The first 50 went ok although the action seemed weak with ejection at 0200 and 5 to 10 feet. Then the failuers to feed started. I did clean the gun, grenade launcher was down, ammo was wolf black box fmj. I have read similar posts on other sites with this same problem. I guess what I am trying to say is take a couple hundred rounds and make sure it works. Mine is going back to century. Hope yours is a good one.

 

[buck00]

You can always speculate on if you should have got a different AK or if you could have gotten a better price, , etc, but I think you did good.

Sometimes you just have to take the plunge into a new realm.

That is how I started. I never owned a gun in my life until I walked into a gun shop in 2003, and made an impulse buy of an SAR-1 (had no idea about AKs or guns in general). Seven guns later.... I realized this hobby can be more addicting than many realize!

 

[stevetford]

Tell me about it. What began for me as a simple purchse of a Yugo SKS to do some coyote hunting has led to the ownership of 6 rifles, a pistol and in the process of building another AR. Oh did I mention that I am shopping for another AK just because I like the one I bought yesterday so much!

 

[FEG]

I would agree that the Yugo is probably the best first AK. You have to spend a LOT of money to get a better rifle, but they are considerably better rifles than most Romanian builds.

 

[ROMAK IV]

I happen to like underfolders, the folding butt usually fits lower on the shoulder than does a fixed wood buttstock, which means you can look throughthe sigths easier. Ialready have an underfolder but I am looking at a Yugo RPK.

 

[Kind of Blued]

Isn't that pistol grip the most comfy thing ever?!?! I just love the horizontal thumb groove.

You made a good choice. That thing will fire 200 rounds bone dry if you need it to. Ask me how I know. I had to see if the AK myth was true.

Hope you don't mind... Here's mine, it's the black one...