Was going to buy an AK 74...

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Soapy5

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So I was all ready and hyped up to drop some big bucks on an Arsenal SGL31 (~$890), and *nobody* has them. I called up a few dealers and the earliest estimate is sometime around December :cuss:

Now I am trying to decide whether to wait 4 months or hope a good deal pops up in the marketplace, or settle for a next runner up.

To which i ask, what is the next best option? What exactly can I expect to lose compared to an Arsenal AK (aside from bragging rights :D)?

I've been looking at some Bulgarian AK's (spud receiver), but at $600, I am curious how they compare to the arsenal.
 
I've got a Bulgy on a Spud, it runs perfectly. No issues. It's worth the $600, IMO.

Edit: Oh, and you can spend the money you save on magazines, seeing as they're above $40 apiece now...
 
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Just because I've never gotten to be the first to say it before:

You could get a Saiga and make your own SLG31 clone. :p

Seriously though, it would cost about the same, (or less, depending) and the quality of rifle would be the same (since Arsenal AKs are Saigas anyhow). The biggest downside is the import marks on the average Saiga aren't as pretty as the Arsenals.

Atlantic has some 5.45 saigas in stock according to their website, and I've recently seen them locally. You could even get the IZ 340 version with the front end mostly done up (no heat shield or bayonet lug, but has a FSB and hanguard retainer) to get you really close in a hurry. A quick back end conversion and you're golden-- same thing I did for my own rifle. You could probably swap the FSB to get a bayonet lug and still come in under cost on the Arsenal.

Atlantic has some other brands, and there are VEPRs out there if you look around. Lots of options.
 
well you can go to atlanticfirearms and they have rifles from several builders ranging from converted saigas to kit builds and more that range in different price ranges.

Thats where id start looking if it were me in your situation.
 
my question is... are you sure you want 5.45x39mm?... remember, ammo is cheap now but at some point the surplus sources will run out, and itll take a while for the manufacturers here to pick up the tab... and when they do it wont be cheap.. that being said it only has the muzzle energy of a .30 carbine

so... consider an arsenal AK in 7.62x39, or my preference, in 5.56mm as an alternative to your sgl31
 
I actually thought about going the saiga conversion route, but I was a bit apprehensive about the front handguard conversion. But that IZ 340 really opens up that route back up. I am surprised I didn't notice that before, considering I scoured the Atlantic firearms site. But if the price range after the conversion is comparable to the Arsenal i'd rather just get the Arsenal, regardless of the wait.

I know we are talking ak's here, but kind of accuracy can one expect for an arsenal 74 vs bulgy spud? (I would be happy with under 4 moa, and thrilled if it got down to 3)

fake edit: on second though, the more I look at the IZ 340, the more appealing it is. I do have a few questions:

-is the barrel chrome-lined and threaded?

-can the front handguard be replaced with any other standard ak handguard? (my goal being to get one with a heat shield)

-how much would your standard pg and stock conversion go for?

-also, I have read that the saiga 74's don't necessarily need a bullet guide to use standard ak mags; will not installing one compromise reliability in anyway?
 
it should be chrome lined since it is a saiga.

i dont see why the handguard wouldnt be able to be replaced

it really depends on a few factors. You can go bare bones and itll be fairly cheap

im not positive on this but i think pretty much all 74 mags have a higher feed lip than the 47 style mags(dont quote me on that though), so you could probably get away without installing one, then again if your having problems it would be a simple/cheap part to install

EDIT: i did a quick google check on the bullet guide and some people think theyre not needed others do, so yea worst thing thing that happens is the rifle doesnt cycle rounds from a hi cap reliably without it and you install it
 
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jason41987 said:
my question is... are you sure you want 5.45x39mm?... remember, ammo is cheap now but at some point the surplus sources will run out, and itll take a while for the manufacturers here to pick up the tab... and when they do it wont be cheap.. that being said it only has the muzzle energy of a .30 carbine

so... consider an arsenal AK in 7.62x39, or my preference, in 5.56mm as an alternative to your sgl31
Click to expand...

Yea, I've given it some thought for a while. I really dont care about the terminal ballistics of the round, since the main reason I want a 74 is for the cool factor alone. Also, supposedly the 5.45 is a bit more accurate than the 7.62, so that's a plus. As for the ammo cost, I'm not too worried since wolf already manufactures 5.45 ammo that is comparable in price to the 7.62 round. Yea, once the surplus supply dries up the commercial ammo prices will probably rise, but hopefully not by too much.. *crosses fingers*

Honestly, the only real PITA are the freaking mag prices! How? Why?

I blame this guy: :cuss:

LzV3P.jpg
 
My 74 with Spud receiver and chromelined Bulgarian barrel works just fine.
 
I bought a Bulgarian 74 a couple of years ago and it has been perfect through maybe 1.000 rounds. I just have it for sh*&^ and giggles and it serves that purpose well. I keep it under my back seat most of the time.

I just looked on CTD and they have several mags for less than $15. Ammo is -$5 for 20 rounds from CTD but they show out of stock now.
 
Pictures of the destruction of guns and accessories en mass like this really tick me off. Why did these people do this? If nothing else these are worth money and could have been sold somewhere - and why were they contraband, if that's the case??? Surely the local governments could have unloaded these on the international markets for a nice sum...
 
Soapy5 said:
Yea, I've given it some thought for a while. I really dont care about the terminal ballistics of the round, since the main reason I want a 74 is for the cool factor alone. Also, supposedly the 5.45 is a bit more accurate than the 7.62, so that's a plus. As for the ammo cost, I'm not too worried since wolf already manufactures 5.45 ammo that is comparable in price to the 7.62 round. Yea, once the surplus supply dries up the commercial ammo prices will probably rise, but hopefully not by too much.. *crosses fingers*

Honestly, the only real PITA are the freaking mag prices! How? Why?

I blame this guy: :cuss:
Click to expand...
i dont even buy 7.62x39 in AKs anymore.. all 5.56mm now, gives me better ballistics than both the 5.45 and the 7.62, plenty of magazines available as well, and best part is the prices will remain relatively stable... im not sure where the "cool factor" of the 5.45 comes from

but on another note.. bulgarian AKs should easily get under 4 MOA, some bulgarians and saigas get around 2 MOA, with decent ammo (not wolf)
 
Another place to check is Centerfiresystems. Free shipping this weekend according to the email I got.
 
I just saw a sgl 31 on GB or somewhere I think. If you convert a regular saiga you will have a rifle that is just as accurate. Handguard conversion is easy if a little expensive.
On the atlantic site it says to call to ensure its in stock. I would do that before getting hopes up too high.
 
We do not expect to see more Arsenal SGL 31 series until December we do offer several other AK74 alternatives . The demand is high right now and supply low of all AK style rifles and we expect it to get worse as we get closer to the height of the election cycle. We are working with a firm now on a new Milled AK 74 offering and some stamped AK 74 ith side folder stocks
 
Atlantic Firearms said:
We do not expect to see more Arsenal SGL 31 series until December we do offer several other AK74 alternatives . The demand is high right now and supply low of all AK style rifles and we expect it to get worse as we get closer to the height of the election cycle. We are working with a firm now on a new Milled AK 74 offering and some stamped AK 74 ith side folder stocks
Click to expand...

a milled 74? thats new, please share more info:D
 
Seems to me that for anything decent (in a standard AK "style" platform), you are going to have to spend $600-$700. Probably closer to $700.
 
does a 74 mag work in a 47? I'm not used to the ak platform. a lgs has ak mags for 15 bucks. but I didn't look hard enough on which model. if thy are the same. I'm going to buy a lot of them
 
We do not have a bunch info to release just yet on the Milled AK74 they will have chromed lined barrels with a Gun Kote finish. We will offer them in wood and black poly hope to see them in approx 4 -6 weeks .
 
does a 74 mag work in a 47?
Click to expand...
No. The 5.45 is much smaller the AK47's 7.62.
As I said earlier they have several different AK 74 mags on Cheaperthandirt for $15 so I would imagine they are around that price on other websites. Maybe a high quality mag is $45 but the ones I have from CTD work fine. It looks like cheap ammo will be the biggest problem going forward.
 
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