This is going to be a long post, but I really hope you read through all of it because I went through this exact same roller coaster a few months ago. I have some input that might save you some headaches and I just want to share that I put a very significant thought into this.
My friend who said he used a single action Heritage Rough Rider to fight off a thousand ISIS rebels. That means it's the best firearm ever, right?
The first thing to remember is that even great companies have lemons. I once bought a Ruger LC9s that had the firing pin break on the first magazine, a Ruger security six bicentennial model that had parts missing from it, and (most recently) a Ruger mini-14 that literally had the trigger assembly fall out of the weapon when I was firing it. I've also had nothing but stellar performance from Century Arms firearms -- including weapons I've personally seen shoot thousands of rounds over several years at significant distances. Does that mean Ruger turns out a crappy product and Century Arms turns out gold? Absolutely not. It means that anecdotal evidence is just that -- anecdotal. Whether it's weapons, cars, prophylactics, or cigarettes, you get the ultimate say in what products you like and how much leniency you're willing to give a company for when they fail to deliver. Just because I've had mixed results with Ruger doesn't mean it's a bad company. Lots of people will give our opinions (and when people are passionate about firearms you can expect strong opinions), but you'll have to evaluate it against evidence.
What about PSA's AKs?
My experience and research indicates that that all of the criticisms of PSA AKs are
true. I did not
want to believe this when I started researching AKs because I really like a lot of PSA's other products and, when I was looking for an AK, they boasted a really nice price point. However, after doing a substantial amount of reading, the criticisms are definitely widespread enough to at least merit discussion. The most consistent of these is that a lot of people have problems with their iron sights. I've read everything form the rear sight leaf literally bouncing around when you shoot it to it falling off the weapon when users have adjusted it. Their accuracy is also up for debate and, before everybody rushes in and starts downplaying the accuracy of the AK platform in general,
quality AKs are actually between 2 and 3 MOA. 9 Hole Reviews did a video in 2018 shooting the Type 56 Assault Rifle (Chinese AK) out to 500 yards with iron sights. They performed 2x shots per target from 150y to 500y, segmented per 50 yards, and published their range conversions from meters to yards on the video. The weapon in question was a Norinco Type 56 from Chinese Armory (no.66). It was shot with mil-spec Barnaul 7.62x39mm ammunition and the shooter is a veteran (someone with actual basic rifle marksmanship training). The
best reports I've seen from PSA are around 4 MOA, and most of those folks appear to be using optics.
Unfortunately, there's quite a list. By version, I've heard V1 build kits having canted front sights and rust (
), and triggers breaking on the first mag (
https://www.reddit.com/r/ak47/comments/c3atch/wbp_fox_vs_psak47_gen_3/erprgau/).
The V2:
Arizona Response Systems claims the V3s are worse than Century AKs.
That said, there are folks (one in particular on this forum) who insist the PSA AKs are actually more accurate than they're given credit for. I also recall one shooter posting up pictures of his shot groups with a rifle that had an optic -- meaning he wasn't relying on iron sights. I've also seen videos of shooters (with optics) using a myriad of different ammo and still getting around 4 MOA. That might reflect on the shooter more than anything but you won't know your performance with something until you're actually behind the trigger. Also, Rob Ski did do a review of PSA GF3 and spoke pretty highly of it after 5000 rounds. He did the same with a separate PSA AK.
So again, your mileage will vary.
Why are there all these complains about American AKs? Aren't Americans great at manufacturing firearms?
One of the big things people forget is that many of these soviet countries that manufacture AKs had actual government engineers oversee production for a while. They were given special instruction on metals, measurements, and common problems encountered with the platform. Americans got no such luxury, and you either had the geniuses at Century either hacking away at weapons that were imported or groups like PSA trying to take their best guesses at building them. As an engineer, I can tell you firsthand that even the most intelligent people will most likely remake the same mistakes in reinventing the wheel as opposed to having other folks who have been there explain the common pitfalls first. There's a substantial knowledge gap that I'm confident American ingenuity can overcome, but the first truly made American AKs are actually quite recent. Hence the wisdom:
To that note, Mishaco has talked to this issue pretty extensively.
Well that's great, but what am I supposed to do?
The first thing I'd tell you is it depends on
what you're buying the AK for. Are you hunting hogs? To impress your friends? As a primary SHTF weapon? To pass down to your grandson? You've got to answer these before you can answer which weapon is worth it. Maybe you just want to shoot cans behind on the farm and kill bad guys if they break into your house. At that point, 4 MOA probably isn't going to be an issue and PSA might be your guy. Maybe you're enthusiastic about the platform and want something you can baby? In that case, you might want something else.
I highly recommend this. Find out what's available online, in gun stores, and in private sale. Then check What Rob Ski has to say about it. Again, lemons happen, but this guy really runs these things through significant testing. Also, like I said, he spoke pretty highly of some PSAs.
Which ones have consistent, reliable reputations?
Century
Century's RH10s are solid. They come with cold hammer forged chrome lined barrels and have reports of 2.75 MOA. That said they are more pricey and it's hard to find metal mags that will actually fit inside of them. PMAGs work great, but even metal mags that are designed to fit into WASR-10s don't always fit in RH10s. The design is also slightly different, which purists don't like.
If you can find a lightly used WASR-10 and know what common problems to look for, you can get a solid rifle (but you're probably paying more than was worth just three yeas ago). However, I personally foresee the prices of firearms / ammunition going up long term and another possible Assault Weapons Ban, so the days of a few hundred dollar AK might go the way of the $70 Mosin Nagant. That said, what counts as a "reasonable" price for an AK is up for debate, and if/when they come back down totally is up for debate.
I've heard nothing good at all about VSKAs, including complete headspace loss at 1000 rounds and these things literally blowing up on people. They look nice but, even during the initial covid-19 / election gun rush, I've seen these sitting on the shelves because people don't want them.
Siagas are very good. I found one very lightly used with 5 new (metal) magazines and 300 rounds of ammo for <$600 through private sale. I passed on it because I wanted something brand new, but that was an amazing price. These bargains are out there if you know where to look.
Norinco also has a very reliable reputation.
Riley Defense / Pioneer arms
These have mixed reviews.
The only thing I'd add is you might want to look into a Czech VZ 58. It's not an AKM and shares no parts with the AK, but they're much cheaper and have great reviews as well.
Just my thoughts. Sorry to write you a novella here but I went through this same damn thing a few months ago and I hope you (or others) gets some value out of it.