What aspects and spec to look 4 in Ak?

[PlayMaker]

To all those familiar with AK and their many variaties, what should one look for in terms of quality and specs?

I'm thinking in either 5.56 or 5.45 whatever you recommend, and do I have to worry about twist, barrel length, and bullet grains as you would in an AR system?

Is there a list out there that compares good makes of AK's like they have for AR's? If not can someone give me a quick run down?

 

[Deus Machina]

Check the bore to make sure it's not corroded, and just check that everything is aligned and not worn out completely. Just about everything should wiggle a little, but shouldn't wobble all over the place.

Make sure the front sight block and gas block aren't canted, in relation to the receiver.

AFAIK, you don't have to worry about rate of twist because there really isn't much variation. Some may like a certain weight of bullet more than others, but there's not nearly the variance and pickiness there supposedly is with AR's.

If you ask me, there isn't as much with AR's as there's reported to be, anyway, unless you get one of the purposely slow or fast twists.

 

[rangerruck]

chrome lined
milled receiver if possible
dimpled mag well
left side rail for optics
threaded bbl, slant muzzle brake, or heavy muzzle brake, 1 of these 3.

 

[PlayMaker]

....

 

[rmuzz]

http://forums.officer.com/showthread.php?t=107080

Three is a pretty good read for you, not as good as his AR buyer's guide IMO (also a good read) but still lots of info. It is a subjective ranking based on his preferences, but he seems to explain his picks for the most part.

 

[CoRoMo]

Is there a list out there that compares good makes of AK's like they have for AR's?

Now that's an idea!!
Anyone want to put together a Rob_S/M4 Carbine Chart-esque spreadsheet comparing a few of the AK clones in production today?

Would a converted Saiga be the one in the left-hand column?

 

[RyanM]

Hm. I think the list would be much shorter for AKs.

Yugos (I think?) - no chrome in the barrel (possibly chamber?)

All Century imports - welded gas piston

Romanians - watch out for canted front sights. Other parts will probably be crooked as a dog's hind leg too, but won't affect functionality.

Bulgarians - they use Chinese tooling, which isn't "better" or "worse," but is different from Eastern European stuff.

 

[femoralis]

Do not buy anything made by hesse or vulcan.

I would try a couple of different magazines in the gun, and see if they wobble too much (this is cosmetic, but not a desireable trait).