Time for a new fun gun....what to get/

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Hunterdad

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I am ready for a new fun gun and would like it to double as a SHTF gun also. I am looking at either an AK or AR. I found AK's on gunbroker for $400, which is definately doable. I can build a budget AR for around $550. I would like to stay in the $500 range if possible. Is there anything else I should be looking at? Any insight is appreciated.

Thanks
Adam
 
I tend to lean toward the AK design since I'm a lefty and the ammo is cheaper. Hey you can pick up a 5.45x39 for about $150 a case which is pretty darn good compared to 5.56. I would get a little range time with both platforms before making a choice. Each has their own benefits and problems as have been discussed here on the boards.
 
Kalashnikov did an interview on the ak. During the process told the reporter that the 5.45 was a mistake. The Russians had to keep up with the Americans. Showed the 5.45 in ballistic gelatin compared to 5.56 and 7.62x39, not that impressive.

He told them the 5.56 is a good round and made for the AR platform. The 5.45 is ineffective in the ak platform. A small round must have good accuracy for combat. The AK was not designed for that. I don't know but will take the designers word for it.

I have several of the ebr. My first choice is always an ak in 7.62x39, then a galil or hk93 in the 5.56. .308 I like the hk91. I do have a few ARs just have a huge aftermarket support base so it's hard to stay away from them. My favorite AR is actually a 6.8 in a m-4 platform.
 
There's nothing wrong with either of them. Both will suit your needs just fine for plinking and such, and both will help you out of a sticky situation if the S does indeed HTF. Is there anything else you want to use it for? 7.62x39 makes for a pretty decent hog round, and the last I checked, could still be got for around $4/20. The AR is insanely modular, so if you ever decide you want to add another caliber to your collection, you could just pick up another upper. There are a handful of calibers that all use the standard AR magwell.
 
If an AK is in your possibilities and you aren't married to a tricked out AR, I would consider a CETME or FAL. They are a lot more gun for the money than an AK. I'm not nuts about either the 5.56 or 7.62.x39. I found a CETME the other day for $700 with 300 rounds of ammo and 20 mags in perfect condition.
 
It truly is a tough choice. I really just want a new fun gun. And to be honest, a .22 would fit the bill nicely. It wouldnt cover the SHTF situation, but I have other guns that would fill in.

I'm so up in the air. Keep the recommendations coming!
 
SKS would fit that bill. Well under your price range too. With money left over for ammo.
 
Get a Saiga rifle or shotgun and convert it, lots of learning, you get to work on it and customize it to your specifications and the end result is a damn fun "AK" to play with. Fits the $550 mark.

Get a Mosin-Nagant for $100 and a big spam can of 880 rounds for like $150 and turn pennies into noise. You'll have $300 to spare. Take it to the go go bar? Haha. That's lots of fun too.

You could get a Ruger 10-22 and buy the MG-42 lookalike kit for it. That will be tons of fun, cheap to shoot, and turn lots of heads!
 
I've heard a few times of people with AKs really not liking them at all once they actually had one. The complaint doesn't seem as common with the AR guys, but much can be changed with an AR to fit you better.

Definitely check out an AK before you decide. I'm sure someone in your area would be willing to meet you at a range.
 
I've heard a few times of people with AKs really not liking them at all once they actually had one. The complaint doesn't seem as common with the AR guys, but much can be changed with an AR to fit you better.
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If I spent $1200 on a gun, I'd MAKE myself like the damn thing. People put $200 stocks on their AR's, so it's less of a try-and-see kinda clique. $200? That's half what an AK is worth.
 
The problem with AKs is that the receivers are made of very thin metal that flexes when you shoot them. I have had several and none of them shoot into less than 7" or so at 100 yards from a bag. An SKS you might get into 4". Neither of the guns are servicable because they are by design not built with close tolerances. This effects accuracy. The old "you can throw an AK in the mud and it'll still run" is somewhat true, but it at the cost of accuracy. The parts have room to breath, but they are sloppy and moving around in there as well.

I have never had an FAL shoot into more than 3." I paid $550 for the ones I've gotten. And the CETME (the HK91 is a copy of the original from Spain) shoots into less than 2" consistently.

The question is, do you want a genuinely serviceable battle rifle, or something just to make you feel like you have some firepower.
 
Get one of the new S&W .22RF AR's , and when The SHTF you can live on bunnies and little tree rat critters . Ammo cost is a lot less, and therefore you will shoot it more, and therefore, more fun !! :D
 
The question is, do you want a genuinely serviceable battle rifle, or something just to make you feel like you have some firepower
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The AK has more than proven itself in war over the last 60+ years.
 
Kalashnikov did an interview on the ak. During the process told the reporter that the 5.45 was a mistake. The Russians had to keep up with the Americans. Showed the 5.45 in ballistic gelatin compared to 5.56 and 7.62x39, not that impressive.

He told them the 5.56 is a good round and made for the AR platform. The 5.45 is ineffective in the ak platform. A small round must have good accuracy for combat. The AK was not designed for that. I don't know but will take the designers word for it.

I have several of the ebr. My first choice is always an ak in 7.62x39, then a galil or hk93 in the 5.56. .308 I like the hk91. I do have a few ARs just have a huge aftermarket support base so it's hard to stay away from them. My favorite AR is actually a 6.8 in a m-4 platform.
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I wasn't aware that missing with a bigger bullet was better than missing with a smaller bullet :)
 
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