Polish Tantal or AMD-65

[AethelstanAegen]

After extensive research, I've concluded there's room in my gun budget for the rest of the year to add an AK variant to my collection. My main criteria was that the rifle have a folding stock and I'm generally trying to keep things cheap. The two fore-runners are the AMD-65 and the Polish Tantal. I'll break down what I see as the pros and cons of each and ask for any input you might have. In general, I'm mostly just going to be shooting for fun with this rifle and I see it mostly as a mid to close range rifle thus I'm not worried about shots much beyond 2-300 yards (I have rifles much more capable for long distance shooting). I'd just like something reliable, resonably accurate at shorter ranges, cheap and fun to shoot.

AMD-65 (TGI build):
Pros:
Fires the hard hitting 7.62x39mm
Solid Folding stock
Very compact
Cheap ($400)
Cons:
Perhaps a little ugly, though I must confess it's growing on me (looks awesome with a bakelite mag).
I've heard that I'd be pushing the accuracy at 2-300 yards
Ammo more expensive

Polish Tantal (Interarms build):
Pros:
Cheap (about half the price of 7.62) and effective (the 7n6 anyways) ammo
Solid Folding Stock
A more traditional AK than the AMD
Low recoil/generally quite accurate
Cons:
Limited ammo types (ie I'd really hate to buy it then have the surplus 7n6 ammo dry up, leaving me with more expensive and less effective ammo which recently happened to me after buying a Yugo Tokarev)
More expensive (a bit over $600)
Less Compact overall

Polish Tantal (Century Arms build):
I just wondered if they'd fixed the problems, because these tend to run around $400 which is a nice price but I've never heard good things about them. I'm inclined to just rule them out but I wanted to see if the new ones have fixed the keyholeing problem and if the barrels are chrome lined or not.

Many thanks to any help or advice you can give me.

 

[mortablunt]

I'd take the one from Interarms. I just don't trust Century Arms after their reputation.

 

[InkEd]

I would go with the AMD-65 without a doubt. Two of my gun buddies have them and they are very nice. In fact, I seriously debated picking one up myself. (However, I splurged and bought a long desired Arsenal instead.) They are LOUD but have VERY tame recoil because of the muzzle break that's added to get the barrel to a 16" length. IMHO they are one of the best values out there right now. Also, you can buy a little "cheek weld adapter" online that makes the wire stock rather comfortable. I like the quality of original Polish AKs but I would RUN (not walk) away from anything CAI unless I could examine it.

 

[Moose458]

I have an Interarms Tantal and it is a fantastic rifle. Highly recommend it.

 

[AethelstanAegen]

Hey guys, I was pondering the choice a bit and thought I'd share a few other desired features that may help focus suggestions.

Firstly, it sure sounds like I was right about the Century Arms rifle and I think we can safely discard that option.

One concern I have with the AMD-65 is recoil. I'm sure it won't bother me (the reason my budget is so narrow is that I've decided to get into reloading to feed my .45/70 guide gun) but I'm wondering about my sisters. My little sister has been expressing some interest in shooting. I'm buying a cheap .22 rifle to help encourage her as she's not a fan or large recoil guns. Is the recoil on the AMD-65 really that tamed by the muzzle break (ie would my sister not hate me for having her shoot it)?

In some sort of (albeit highly unlikely) defense scenario, I was hoping to have something I could give out to family members who would be more recoil-sensitive/less experienced with firearms. My thinking is that the recoil of the Tantal would be much more controllable for a new shooter, but I have heard from AMD-65 owners that the muzzle break is very effective.

Just another feature to keep in mind. Summary: Does it have controllable recoil (especially for less experienced/weaker shooters), or perhaps some advantage in ease of use (I could see the AMD-65 foregrip being helpful for some new shooters). Thanks for the input so far!

 

[A_Matthew]

My brother has a Century Tantal, and so far, none of his bullets have been keyholing. It is really accurate, very cheap to feed, and has no recoil to speak of.

I would buy the AMD-65 myself for the bigger caliber, but it is going to recoil more. I own a AK-47 that I put a Tapco Razr brake on, and now the gun doesn't have a lot of recoil. But I'm the only person who's shot it, so I don't know if other people would say different.

Because of wanting your sister to shoot it, I might almost buy the '74. Plus, you'll probably have a lot more fun shooting it as it is a LOT cheaper to shoot. (Did I say that already?)

 

[Hizzie]

The AMD-65 is my favorite AKM. It is lighter, better balanced and handles very well. It is also loud as all hell and throws fireballs like you would not believe. The shorted stiffer barrel is actually a litle more accurate due to better barrel harmonics-less barrel whip. The AMD-65 "snake brake" is extremely effective at reducing recoil. Watch some YouTube videos of the AMD.

If you really want accuracy out of an AK you gotta feed it something better than Wolf/Barnhaul/BrownBear. The newer ammo from Hornady, Winchester white box and Lapua is much more accurate than the cheap stuff.

 

[AethelstanAegen]

Thanks for all the input. I think the AMD had carried the day (though I still have about a month to decide). From what I've seen here on this forum, a first AK is almost never also a last AK, so I feel happy knowing that I'm not passing up on the Tantal but rather postponing the purchase.

 

[Gunnerboy]

i own a polish tantal from century and the only thing i hate about it is that non corrosive ammo in 5.45 is a little hard to find so cleaning the rifle is a pain due to not having a chromed barrel but otherwise its my favorite for shooting coyotes turns thier inards into goo with one shot

 

[AethelstanAegen]

Update: I bought an Interarms Tantal earlier this month and I'm very happy with it. Pics to follow. I'm planning to add a TGI built AMD-65 at the end of the month so pics will follow there as well. Thanks for all the input, everyone!