Then there is the AK 47 chambered in 223.you could look into. Or, another AK variant available currently is the Kalashnikov USA KR-9 in 9mm.
Well guys, this isn't an AK vs AR thread. I've owned an AR before, and if I wanted to own one again, I wouldn't hesitate. I don't like them. And I know I don't like them because of personal experience. I've yet to have that personal experience or opportunity with the AK. So I'm still considering it. I don't want to add anything to it, I want to use the iron sights. That's what I did with the AR, and the M1 Garand, and the M14sa. So I don't care that it's not a very modular system. But it seems like ammo cost is a problem right now. Perhaps/hopefully that will change.
The mistake here is thinking that what something was worth 30 years ago is what they are/should be worth today. Can you imagine someone saying that their $30,000 house they bought in 1990 should only be worth $30,000 today....I mean, its still the same house, "regardless of what they charge today", right? They were inexpensive in 1990 because they were mass-produced by slave labor in China and state-run or -subsidized factories in the Eastern Bloc, and the US Dollar was strong currency that those countries were hungry to get. Yes, AKs are capable of the same 3-4 MOA military grade accuracy as every other standard-issue military arm worldwide, including the M-4.
OP, if you want an AK, get one. Before choosing, determine what you want in the rifle: 1. Caliber 2. Butt stock type 3. Optic mounting options (someone said earlier there isn’t a way to properly mount optics, they clearly do not know what they are talking about, there are plenty of options depending on what or where you want). 4. Barrel length 5. Barrel thread size for various brakes/flash hiders 6. Receiver type milled/stamped 7. Country of origin (avoid US made, even PSA as they’ve gone downhill again, but hey you get a warranty!) Someone also talked about Krebs and there are other “boutique” AKs, you’re paying a premium for a kit build with a bunch of tacticool crap slapped on to “improve” the rifle. If it’s worth it to you, go that route, but realize it’s just dolled up. In the current market of what is available, I would recommend an IWI Galil Ace. It is hands down the highest quality AK style rifle available in the US. I say this as an owner of one as well as Arsenal, Saiga, Vepr, and WASR AKs. It blows all of them away.
If I were just buying my first AK in the current market, I'd go with one of the 5.56 options: either the Polish options from WPB or FB Radom, the Zastava M90 or M85, or the Arsenal SAM5. If one was hard-over on getting a 7.62 AK just to keep it original to the design, basically the same advice applies, although *the* entry-level 7.62 AK is the WASR-10.
@WrongHanded I had a left handed Stag Arms AR and a Century Arms AK. I know that this is not a AK vs AR thread. I wanted to try both platforms and I enjoyed the AK more. At the time I was eating up Tula 7.62 × 39 for 25 cents a round and had a ball eating ammo with it.... I found it expensive to shoot. It was hard to limit myself to 100 rounds per range session. Enjoy your search
That's not a mistake , inflation is a known value and they haven't risen in proportion to inflation. $250 in 1990 is $542 today- go find a working ak for under $550. You can certainly buy a decent AR for $550 but back in 1990 the price was similar or more. A cheap AK is $1000 today, double what inflation would dictate for the same tin can you'd get 30 years ago. Sort of, not really. Mechanically , they're similar with the m4 being definitely better by an inch or so at 100 yards but that's assuming all things are equal, which they aren't . are the sights useable on the AK (barrels not canted), can the AK be used with magnified optics easily like an AR? Are the ergonomics anywhere near equal, can the shooter easily do their part or is the AK intended for a 5" tall hobbit to use crooked iron sights. That's the point . sure you can clamp both in a vice and get close to similar accuracy mechanically but in the shooters hand it's a whole different world.
Odd but Ak's do have an irrational attraction. People that think they are better than an AR at anything are not reliable sources but that is beside the point. If you want one get one even though I don't think they make sense these days. Lots of guns make no sense at all but people love them. He who shoots a 45-70 should not cast stones. You don't have to justify your purchase to a bunch of gun nuts. I have owned several versions of Ak's. None were remotely accurate by my standards except a Saiga that wasn't terrible.
Yeah, it seems like any time semi-auto rifles get mentioned, it always turns into an argument about the AR. I understand a lot of people like them. I understand they're popular. I just don't like them. I've got my reasons, but the only time most people what to hear them is so they can tell me I'm wrong. Meanwhile, I've enjoyed learning how various firearms work (including the AR, back when I had one). The AK is still a mystery to me. It's both famous and infamous, and I'm intrigued. I don't want to buy one with a bunch of issues, but I don't want to spend over $1000 on one to find out what I am or am not missing.
Don’t let the nay-sayers deter you – it’s always a time for an AK. They’re reasonably accurate at short-range – the distance you find at most public ranges. I’ve got an M70 that’s nearly 20 years old and after countless thousands of rounds it’s never had a failure. As to the cost of ammo, you make allowances as with everything else; the 300-round range sessions might be over, instead have a 150-round range session. And here in Hurricane Alley, an AK comes in handy when the power is off – nothing deters potential looters like the sight and sound of an AK’s action being cycled.
I agree 100% with you, when someone says they’re interested in a type of rifle someone ALWAYS chimes in about ARs and they can’t comprehend some people do not like them. I cannot stand ARs, they feel like toys and shoot like toys. I have shot high end, low end, short barrel, longer barrel, full auto, and different calibers (up to .50 caliber) in ARs and they feel generic and soulless. I have one, it sits in the safe.
It's a simple system. gas tapped from a port in the barrel acts on a piston, which is attached to the top of the bolt carrier, pushing the whole shootin' match back, extracting the spent case. A telescoping recoil spring that runs up into the top of the bolt carrier pushes the BCG(bolt carrier group, just like in an AR) forward, stripping the next round from the magazine. The trigger is a very simple design. This shows it well; I understand. It's the same way I feel about Glocks. But, I shoot them well.
Almost sounds like grandpa joe and his whiz bang idea of turning loose a round from a double barrel. Besides we all know that the scariest noise ever is a loud and forceful rack of an 870. AK got nothing on 870.
Oh, well I guess I was being a bit dramatic when I said "mystery". I've seen videos like that, and I have a general understanding of the mechanics involved. But it's not the same as playing with it for myself. And I suppose after I got bored I could always bury it in backyard in case of an apocalypse.
What about starting off with an SKS? Granted, they have skyrocketed since their cheap heydays, but they are still half the $$$ of a quality AK and give you much of the same feel and experience. Heck, I would argue that stripper clips are more fun than rock 'n' locking a banana magazine. Plus, they are pretty much all built to a military grade standard, have oodles of accessories available, and, if you still want to upgrade to (or add) an AK later, the ammo is already paid for!
Hmmm ... I hadn't considered that. I've handled on once, but it was a long time ago. I'll have to give that some thought.
I try to take a few of my AKs to the range every time I go just to get a good laugh at the overly proud AR owners. I shoot my ARs first & when the other guys start bragging about their ARs being so good, I pull out my scoped WASR10 & start banging on the 400yd gongs that the AR guy was having a hard time with. If that doesn't get the proper reaction I then pull out my Romanian PSL, it tends to freak some out. Most of them pack up & leave after that. LOL
Again, the point was that the price points you're basing the logic in your post on were artificially low even then (again, state-run factories and slave labor leading to cheap US imports), which makes the gun owner's entire "because it was inexpensive, that means it is not of quality construction" logic train in your story jump the tracks. By definition, things are worth what people will pay for them, not what you personally think they're worth. That value, higher or lower, is not connected to some subjective notion of quality. The fact that AKs are selling quite well in today's market at a substantially higher price multiple than in the early 1990s is testament to that. Which is also why the 1990 $30,000 starter home is worth $400,000 in today's market. This is opinion about ergonomics, not universal fact. That's fine that you don't find them ergonomically as pleasing as other rifles, but some people like them just fine. What is fact is that AKs have the same 3-4 MOA mil-standard accuracy as every other military-issue rifle worldwide, a capability which normally well exceeds the recreational shooter's physical ability.
One thing I'd like to know about AKs (and the SKS too) is this: how is the brass ejection for left handed shooters? I'm not worried about the charging handle, or even the safety lever, being on the right side. I'm confident I could make those work okay. But getting nailed in the face with brass constantly would be a deal breaker.
Wont need one with an SKS..... There are a couple slow-mo videos on YouTube showing the difference in ejection patterns. SKS definitely ejects more up and forward, compared to pretty much straight sideways on the AK.
Century BUILDS are hit or miss. My C308 Cetme runs like a top, even with steel case 308, but i know of others that dont. I would choose an SKS over an AK. I did choose an SKS over an AK lol. Bought my used Century IMPORTED romanian SKS and 500 rounds for about 275 bucks back in like 2002. It has never had a hiccup and only one good cleaning in that time. It will hold 3MOA if i do my part. The steel case ammo is obviously gonna be tough to get. But brass cased x39 is still as cheap as steel case 223, and is reloadable. X39 also works well with gas checked cast lead boolits too.
Left handed--SKS is still ejecting at a high right angle, and similar with AK. Catch empty brass: right side ejection into brass catcher. Catcher sits at right- close, and facing the ejection port. Standing position is a different ballgame.
I did have a CAI marked Yugo M70 once that was great, but it was one of the ones they had subcontracted to a shop in Texas for assembly. The Century USA MANUFACTURED AKs with all the castings and brittle wood were terrible.....
