Looking to Buy an AK-47

[AVP]

I've always been a pistol guy but I have a sudden mad urge to own an AK-47, problem is I don't know much about them. I see that Gunsamerica has Romanian AK's (claimed to be new) complete with bayonet, slant muzzle break, sling, 3 mags (20, 30 & 40rd) and other goodies for $399 + 29 S&H (from Shooters Wholesale). Are Romanian AK's OK? Is this a competative price? If I decide to buy do I just furnish the info to my local dealer?

Any and all other general info you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance guys!

 

[MisterPX]

The SAR's (Romanian) usually run in the $350-$400 price range. Overall, they tend to be good rifles, although I hope cosmetics isn't high on your want list. If you want it, make sure your dealer will do a "transfer" for you, for that rifle. If he will, you buy it, have the dealer send his info to the seller, and wait for it to come in. Transfer prices that I've seen run anywhere from $10-up.

 

[1 old 0311]

Try atlantic firearms, and classis arms

 

[Kymasabe]

Welcome to the AK addiction. THey can be a blast to own/shoot. Regarding the Romanians...they're all right. You can't go wrong, they're cheap, they work...they're just a little rough. For a few dollars more, you might want to consider the SSR-85C2 from Armory USA in Houston. You can find info on them at: http://www.globaltrades.com/

They use a heavier 1.6mm receiver instead of the usual 1.0mm, CNC machined instead of drilled, heat treated, parkerized,....just overall great guns. I bought mine for $550 and has been 100% reliable. When I had the Romy's and the Armory side-by-side, there was no comparison, the Armory is much better made, much better quality. As I intend to do some upgrades on my AK and keep it for a long, long time...I wanted a good basic gun to build on. Mines based on Bulgarian receiver.

If you have money to burn and want the best AK's in America, check out Arsenal Inc. in Nevada or Krebs Custom Guns.

 

[MechAg94]

My suggestion is to put up a little more money and get a better AK. I don't think you can get a Vepr like mine, but Correia on this site reps Vector Arms. I don't think they are much more than a Romanian. They also sell Saiga AK's of all different types that are supposed to be pretty accurate, including conversions that take the 30 round mags.

 

[Shear_stress]

I don't know, I just picked up a very recent production WASR10 from Dunham's for three bills. Fit and finish was also much better than past WASRs I've handled. There is no gas-tube or front sight slant and minimal magazine wobble. Better yet, the thing came with a Tapco G2 single-hook trigger already installed.

After sending a far amount of roundage threw the gun, I am impressed. Sure, it's harder to get the same groups as my AR, but the gun has really exceeded my expectations. Accuracy is pretty good, the trigger ain't bad, and reliability has been perfect. I am far from an expert on AKs, but I am not entirely convinced that spending more money on these guns buys you much apart from a nicer finish. Of course, .223 Veprs are rumored to be real tack-drivers. Anyway, food for thought. . .

 

[Foxtrot427]

Saigas are great. Just that they come with sporter stocks and to have a pistol grip requires a conversion which can make the rife cost more. New you can see them as low as $200 I believe. Id say the best AK for the money is an Arsenal SLR-105

 

[Correia]

If you use the search function, you will find literally thousands of posts about this very topic.

I sell more AK type rifles than anything, and am a huge AK fan.

The best AK rifle for the money is a Tromix converted Saiga. In all honesty I would put one of our custom conversions against any other AK in the world. Price wise they are still very reasonable, and are in the $600 on up range. Accuracy is excellent, and is second only to the Vepr. They are actual Russian built guns, and they are my current favorite. I like them so much that I signed up as a distributor.

I sell a lot of WASRs and equivelent Romanian guns. They are okay. The main thing they have in their favor is that they are the cheapest. Fit, finish, and accuacy is going to be the worst of the bunch. All of those variables is going to depend on the individual gun. Some are worse than others.

If you want to stay traditional looking, but with better quality than a Wasr, get the Vector. Vector guns are well made, and they have a great warranty. Price wise, they are in the $500 on up range.

Veprs are the most accurate AK in existence. They are heavy, but not bad. The downside right now is that Robinson doesn't have any more to sell, and they are no longer the importer. There will be a new importer of Veprs later this year.

Bulgarian guns are nice (Arsenal) but in my personal opinion, I think they are expensive for what you get. I also sell these for when the customer insists on a milled receiver, but I think the whole milled receiver thing is overated when it comes to actual performance.

Seriously, do a search. You will read for days.

 

[Foxtrot427]

any of those PG converted saigas for sale now?

 

[Gixerman1000]

If you have money to burn and want the best AK's in America, check out Arsenal Inc. in Nevada or Krebs Custom Guns.

I agree, I own 5, soon to be 6 Arsenal AK's and they have all been top notch rifles.

SLR-105A1 – 5.45x39.5
SA M-5 G - 5.56
SA M-7 S – 7.62x39
SA M-7 SFC – 7.62x39 (only 46 made)
SA M-7 Classic – 7.62x39
SAS M-7 Classic – 7.62x39 (on the way)



But one of the good things about AK's is even the cheapest ones still tend to work pretty good

 

[lawson]

i bought a cheapie AK, a WASR, and i classify it as "good enough". i had to refinish the wood, as it was pretty much bare and dry when i got it. lots of mag wobble. bore was pretty clean, good rifling. it's minute of pie plate at 50 yards, and hasn't jammed in the last 2000 rounds.

i wouldn't mind having a nicer one in the future, but the one i have will get the job done.

 

[RM]

The AK for you depends on your philsophy on gun buying. If you simply want a shooter and care nothing about fit and finish, a Romanian SAR-1 or similar gun is probably for you- about $350. If you somewhat particular about the guns you buy, then pay up and get something nice. I would agree that Vepr is an excellent gun, but I also found them too heavy. For a nice gun, I would look at some Arsenal Inc. ( not Arsenal USA) guns that are at the low end of their price scale. Mine is a SA-M7 which cost me about $650 out the door. Also, do some research on whether you want a milled or stamped receiver. A gun show would be a good place to check out some different AK's.

 

[Doug S]

I have a Romanian SAR 1. It isn't pretty, but it works great. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend one. That said, I just ordered a Yugoslavian M70 with an underfolder stock from Classic Arms for only $439. Fit and finish are much better on these. They are very nicely built rifles. A friend of mine also picked one up recently, and we had a chance to shoot it at the range yesterday (I haven't got mine yet). It was flawless, and impressed everyone at the range. Another friend decided to buy one after our range session.

 

[Correia]

Foxtrot427, yes, I've got .308 and 7.62x39 in stock, and more .223s on the way.

 

[The_Shootist]

Go With The Romy!

Bought my WASR10 from www.classicarms.us for $ 279 and haven't looked back.

Yeah, there are NICER looking ones you can pay extra and get some snob appeal for. But I figure it wouldn't be a true AK-47 unless it looked a little on the rough side

My Romy has no to minimal mag wobble, is accurate enough to 50-75 yds (heck, beyond that I can barely SEE the target) and has NEVER in a few thousand rounds failed me. If I need a rifle (post hurricane say) thats portable, accurate, reliable and easy to maintain this ones perfect!

Will I ever step up to a more expensive one - probably! AK addiction doesn't grab you quite like heroin I suppose, but I bet its close! But I'll consider it a luxury when I buy up and only if I have the spare cash.

 

[Drakejake]

Take a look at the MAK-90, a Chinese AK made for export. Mine is excellent in every way, especially the short, light trigger pull. Mine has the milled receiver rather than the stamped but the latter is more common and lighter. I do not like the thumbhole stock that was standard but mine came with a very nice Choate Dragunov style butt stock. Takes all standard AK mags. C. $300-400.

Drakejake

 

[MechAg94]

I will be in the market for a higher end 5.45 rifle before too much longer. I'll have to think about that. Vepr, Saiga conversion, or Arsenal? Hmmm...

 

[Foxtrot427]

If the looks of the WASR bother you, there is a guy with this handguard on his



what handguard is that?

 

[bigdog210]

I agree with Gixerman1000. The Arsenal Inc out of Las Vegas makes some of the best AK variants. I have the SAM 7. They run almost twice a normal AK but they are worth the money, very high quality. Get a milled reciver. I would also sugest getting an AK with a side mount already installed for optics.

Gixerman1000, very nice collection!

 

[The Grand Inquisitor]

I'm an AK nut and I have a good amount of AK's and love every one of them. If you are looking to get started in AK's, you can't go wrong with a Romanian WASR or SAR for $300-350, but if you don't mind spending a little more, getting a Polish or Romanian AK74 in 5.45 is, in my opinion, the very best AK available.

5.45x39 is a round like 5.56 (and superior in some ways) but it has almost no recoil and can be nicely accurate.

Also, if you find a Chinese AK for a reasonable price, BUT IT! Chinese AK's are very well made and have become very scarce and some brands like Poly Tech have started to reach the $1000 range.


Polsih TANTAL in 5.45. I have one and love it.

 

[Correia]

I don't know about paying extra for just snob appeal. You also pay for more performance. I've won carbine matches with an AK, so the performance is there. Most of the bad repuation AKs get for accuracy comes from the cheaper parts guns. All Saigas are about a 2 MOA or better gun.

WASRs are more hit or miss. Some are minute of pie plate, others are worse. But sometimes the stars align just right. PvtPyle has a 2 MOA SAR 3, so who knows?

 

[MechAg94]

Correia, I have a WASR2 that seems to shoot a lot more accurately than I expected. It's problem is the mag wobbles so much the next cartridge can be out of line with the bolt so it is completely unreliable unless you hold the mag. I haven't had a chance to try to work on it yet.

I plan to look at your Saiga conversions. I want a good 5.45. I would consider a Vepr, but I want light weight for this rifle. I'm moving in a couple weeks so it will be a few months before I pull the trigger anyway.

I saw an Arsenal (global trades) 5.45 made on a Polish Tantal kit at the gun show in Pasadena yesterday. It looked pretty nice.

 

[AVP]

Thanks

Thanks for the many replies, fellas. From what I've learned so far I'm thinking that for my purpose a Vector may be a good compromise between $ and quality. I'm presently searching for more info on them. I assume that the receiver is pressed steel (what I want due to weight) but would like to know more about the trigger, accuracy, weight and overall quality. I want to stick with 7.62x39 because I have a rather large qty of ammo on hand.

 

[MTMilitiaman]

I bought a WASR a while ago and have not be disappointed. It has been surprisingly accurate--enough so to put the majority of a 30 round magazine COM at 200 yards from a knee in about 30 seconds--and absolutely reliable. I have put over 3000 rounds through mine. I had a couple FTE with some lacquer coated Brown Bear when I first bought it, but since then it has been trouble free. I've shot Yugo ball, lacquer and polymer coated Wolf by the case full, and more Brown Bear through it with no problems. The only way to get it to jam is the fill the receiver with sand then throw it in a river until the mag fills with river muck, and even then it is only 2 rounds out of the magazine. Yes, I am speaking from experience

I've upgraded mine a lot, so I could have probably afforded an Arsenal. But replacing trigger groups, handguards, pistol grips, buttstocks, and sights allows you to learn a lot about the platform, and I feel like I could almost build one now.

As suggested, if and when I can get another AK, it will be a Tromix Saiga.

 

[Correia]

That my friends, is the beauty of the AK. Whether is a top of the line, brand new, pretty gun, or one hammered out of old rail road track over a Pakistani campfire, they are going to be reliable. Whether it is in 7.62x39, .223, 5.45, .308, 7.62x54R, .22, 9mm, .45, 20 gauge, .410, or even .12 gauge 3 inch mag 00 buckshot, they still work.

Man, I so love these things.