Talk me (Out of/In To) an AK type rifle

[Drue]

AKs are great. They are short, handy, reliable rifles with cheap ammo and cheap mags so you can shoot them as much as you want. An AK in your safe or rack is a representative example of a very important military rifle, the Mauser of the second half of the 20th century. They are (or can be. . .) cheap to buy and a hoot to shoot. They provide minute of beer can (or enemy) accuracy with cheap, crummy ammo that costs less than most calibers can be reloaded for. Soccer moms are afraid of them, the news media does not understand them, and politicians don't want you to have them. What's not to like?

Drue

 

[MiniZ]

Congrats on the new rifle. I am a huge fan of laminated furniture.

 

[yesterdaysyouth]

Anyway I know the AR's reputation but, can an AR sit down and work through 1000 rounds of wolf without a malfunction?

yes...

best thing about the AK is any one who can use a hammer can work on one... if you're not happy with it, change it... check out this furniture work..
http://p077.ezboard.com/fparallaxscurioandrelicfirearmsforumsfrm34.showMessage?topicID=1948.topic

 

[KaceCoyote]

Yep just wolf. Or even better, Silverbear(gag). I dont shoot with anyone with an AR so I wonder these things. From experience at the range all I have is the one guy who stops by with a very very very loud AR and jams every other magazine. Half the time he's there the rifle is broken down and he's got his leatherman out so...

 

[Kamicosmos]

I'll say that my Varminter (with a match grade, non-chrome chamber) shot maybe 300 rounds (handloads) before I cleaned it. Never malfunctioned. As a test, I put a 30 round mag of Wolf through it quickly, fully expecting it to jam up, never did! I know a couple guys that put nothing but Wolf through their Bushmasters, and one went through at least 500 rounds in one sitting, with no malfs...

But, yes, I bought an AK specifically to shoot cheap ammo at targets under 100 yards. I love reloading and accurate rifles, but on occasion...I just want to shoot crap and not have to pick up brass or worry about blowing that .5 inch group!

I am debating on braving tomorrow's 25 degree temperature to go try it out....

 

[LiquidTension]

I have 2 AK variants and I love them both. I have to say though, the newer Romanian AKs are WAY nicer than my SAR1 that I got in '99. My other AK is a Norinco 84S, and I will never part with it. The fit and finish is better, the trigger is as good (hey, I did a good job on the trigger of my SAR), and it's just plain cooler because it's a pre-'89 ban underfolder chambered in .223! Have fun with your new one. I don't know if yours has trigger slap like mine did, but that can be fixed. Check out this site if you feel the need to fix it. My SAR trigger is about 100x better than it originally was!

 

[KaceCoyote]

This is gonna sound totally stupid but think here.

Everytime I take my AK out, people wanna shoot it. I dont wanna be rude so sure a few rounds, but with an AK like any battle rifle with a large capacity mag. people seem to feel the need to empty the magazine I just spent 27 hours loading. Trigger slap, I like it. I like it because 2-3 rounds later they just wince and hand it back"Nice rifle man" and I can get back to work. I wear mechanix gloves 90% of the time I shoot -anyway- so it doesnt hurt. Sides, a good pair've gloves also lets you drop the magazine with your right hand and leave your left only to reload. Its a neat little trick.

 

[Tomac]

7.62x39 isn't the only caliber available for the AK. I prefer the 5.45x39, very similar to the .223 with regards to recoil, trajectory, etc. Here's a shot of one of my 5.45 AKs built by Ohio Rapid Fire on new demilled Bulgarian AK-74 kits. I've added a Romanian folding stock, PK-AS sight, AR-M1 flash suppressor, 'Znich' AK-74 tactical light & Tapco SAW-style pistol grip. Also in this shot is one of my Saiga-12 shotguns w/a similar configuration.
Tomac

 

[bnolsen]

While Romanian rifles are functional, they definitely aren't polished. They're inexpensive and feel that way.

The norincos have a nicer finish yes. The nicest ones I've seen so far have been the milled bulgie variety. Very nice looking rifles, extremely rugged.

For personal satisfaction and a nice finish I very much like the saiga series. Take an AK in hunting only configuration, put a few hours into it and end up with a high end stamped AK in military configuration. For about the same price as a SAR you get a heavier and nicer receiver with your choice of trigger group and choice of rear stock and pistol grip.

It's just VERY sad the supply has dried up so quickly on these. The saigas have been one of the best deals to be had for the past years.


Using the trigger slap like you mention...that's an interesting idea. I changed out one of my trigger groups to get rid of it. But it's not a bad idea to use the slap to keep reprobates from blowing a bunch of ammo.

Of course the other solution is to only load 5 or 10 rds in the mags for others to fire. Takes care of that problem.