Help sought for battle rifle purchase.....

Status
Not open for further replies.
B

Bobarino

member
Joined
Mar 12, 2003
Messages
1,625
Location
western Washington
if an effort to round out my collection, i'd like to buy a battle rifle. i believe i've decided on a AK variant. i do not want .223. 7.62x39 will be fine as ammo is of course, dirt cheap and i'd like to play with it a lot. AR's are overpriced in my opnion, and although i like the AR-10, 7.62x51 is too pricy for plinking. for me anyway. i'd like to keep the price under $500. i've seen several examples in this range on various gun auction sites. i'd prefer an all black finish and provisions for mounting a low power scope or red dot would be nice. my question is (of course) which one? Romanian? Russian? Egyptian? Saiga? Cetme? Chinese?

this one appears to fit the bill, but i don't know the manufacturer. opinions?

http://www.gunbroker.com/auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=9676633

any advice would be greatly appreciated.
thanks all!

Bobby
 
Well first technically an AK is not a battle rifle, neither is an AR. I am not being rude, I am just beating everybody else to the punch. Battle rifles would be an M1A, FAL, Garand etc.
Ok, moving on.

Aks are great. Drit cheap to shoot, run all the time, really cheap full capacity magazines what's not to like.

You can put black furniture on any AK you might buy. The SAR -1s from AIM seem to reasonbly good AKs for the dollar and you could buy black stocks later.

I personally like the ROBARMS VEPR IIs they in the $500-$600 area but feel more HK then AK.

Stay away from MADDIs as those seem to usually be subpar. Make sure that any AK you have has the requisite number of U.S. Parts to make it legal and make sure those parts are not the magazine springs and base plates so you can use any magazine.

Chris
 
7.62 NATO ammo is not really that expensive if you buy milsurp in bulk.

Like was previously posted, if you want a "battle" rifle, then you want something in that line listed above. my personal preference is the FAL, which depending on where you shop, can be less expensive than the others listed.

But, if you really want an AR or an AK, there's nothing wrong with that either.
 
ok. semantics aside (please pardon my ignorance.) what about the AK's? any more specific recommendations on makers or models? what is the required number of parts? thanks again all.

Bobby
 
Last edited:
what is the reauired number of parts?
Click to expand...

Assuming you are talking about the import prohibitions, the number is 10 of a list of 20 overall parts. Don't worry about it. The AK variations you see advertised for sale to civilians are (for the most part) assembled with enough American parts to make them legal.
 
i think the sar family (romanian) is still the most available (easy to fine and afford) of the ak clones

there really isn't much to choose between in mil-surp ak's, unless you want to go to somthing different like the veper (built on the RPK receiver...longer and heavier)

you might want to look at one chambered in 5.45x39mm (ak-74 clone). same gun as the 7.62x39mm, but lighter and more accurate. it is their current issue calibre.

both the sar-1 (7.62x39mm) and the sar-2 (5.45x39mm) come with the side rail mount for a scope/red dot already attached...i would recommend the Kobra red dot designed for spec ops for the ak-74
 
I know your looking for a rusky vodka burner, but if we're talking BATTLE RIFLE, I must whisper one potent word of mystical battle rifle power.



enfield

:uhoh:

That is all.
 
Another vote for the SAR. They are a little rough around the edges (none of the AKs are Weatherbys oe Custon Shop Jobs) but they work fine. You can get one plus ten or so mags and a case of ammo for under $500. They have the optics rail that can take a variety of scopes or the excellent Kobra red dot sight. What's not to like?

Drue
 
I just acquired a new M1A, and fired it today for the first time. I wanted this model in part for nostalgia, and also because I remember really enjoying firing one a few years ago.

Anyway, it functioned 100% with Portugese military and also with some reloads. Even better, it's a 2 MOA rifle with the standard sights and my aged eyes.

I couldn't be more pleased with it.
 
Grrr. What's wrong with you people!!!!

Battle rifle = M1 Garand
$500 for a Springfield Armory Service Grade from www.odcmp.com.

It shoots 30-06, looks cool and has history galore.

The only problem is that they are like potato chips and one is almost never enough.

Disclaimer - Opinionated comments above are purely in good-natured jest. No offense intended.
 
Look for an SAR-1 it is a Romanian AK clone in 7.62X39, and can commonly be had for just over $300 new.

you could get the SAR-1, a Kobra red dot (nice red dot with quick detachable mount that holds zero), many different stock sets and a few 30 rounders for around $500 total....

much ak info:
http://linx310.nothingbutguns.com/

Kobra red dot:
http://tantal.kalashnikov.guns.ru/bstkobra.html
EKP-8-02 or the EKP-1S-03M

and a Romanian ak forum:
http://www.gunsnet.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=37
 
I must whisper "Enfield" also. They are tough, accurate, ten round mag, battle proven, powerful cartridge, easy to reload.
For many years I owned a HK91. Great rifle. But drew more attention than I wanted. I own two NoI MkIII's. Both will stay inside an inch and a half with the right reloads. At the range most people do not give it a second look. Most think
"Old rifle, Ho Hum" But to those who know. ;) .

P.S. Check out the ballistics, it had .308 power years before .308
was thought up. And MUCH more power than those AK and SKS things.
 
For a turnbolt, Enfield.

Semi-auto=US Rifle Cal .30 M-1 Popularly known as 'The Garand'.

Blam! Blam! Blam! Blam! Blam! Blam! Blam! Blam! ping!
 
while i appreciate all the "true" battle rifle input, i am more or less set on an AK variant. pardon my poor wording please. perhaps assault rifle would have been more appropriate. so i'm looking for info on AK's specifically. SAR-1 and SLR-95 look lke good candidates. any opinions on either, both, or something different? thanks all..

Bobby
 
You have two worthy candidates there. IMHO the -95 is considered a bit better quality than the SAR-1.

Are you set on 7.62 X 39? The 5.45 X 39 is current issue in many countries. Slightly more expensive. Just another alternative in the broad world of AKs.

But don't listen to me--I got a SAR-3 because I wanted. .223.
 
The best "bang" for the buck is the Romanian SAR-1. They are a little crude as far as markings and finish but they can be fixed up to be a real nice looking AK. They are now available with laminated stock sets and a fixed folding type. If you want a nice looking one out of the box go with Global Trades/Arsenal USA SSR-85. They are built on FEG (Hungarian) receivers which are first class. The price is right with nice blonde furniture. Both the SAR-1 and the Global Trades are stamped AKM type receivers. If you want a milled receiver AK then the Arsenal SA-M7 out of Las Vegas is the way to go. These are a Bulgarian type and have hammer forged barrels with current AK-100 series black synthetic furniture.
 
depends on your point in time....

The definition of what a modern "battle rifle" is should have changed by now. IIRC the majority of issued battle rifles are in 7.62X39 and .223 or smaller! The modern battle rifle has evolved into what we call an "assault rifle."

I think you ought to get a REAL battle rifle... a Martini-Henry in 450/577 caliber. If the NATO "small bore" lightweight 147 grain bullet in 308 calibers isn't obsolete yet as a "battle rifle" then neither is my 45 caliber, 500 grain bullet! It turns your cover into a crater!:D
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

L
  • Locked
Advice on a MODERN battle rifle
2
Replies
49
Views
3K
artherd
A
C
  • Locked
Help me decide what to do with my AR's
Replies
10
Views
703
jobu07
jobu07
H
  • Locked
I Need a Battle Rifle !!!
Replies
18
Views
979
Glockfan.45
G
B
  • Locked
Okay, folks... I'm thinking about getting a battle rifle.
2
Replies
32
Views
2K
MrPink
M
Z
  • Locked
high capcity battle style deer rifle
2 3 4
Replies
76
Views
5K
oldfool
O
Back
Top