Which Kalashnikov style rifle would you chose?

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Expertowgunner

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Ive got the money to either buy one of these two ak rifles and im wondering which one should i get?

Ak-74 variant (5.45)
Pros:
Cheap ammo
Lightweight
light recoil
could make great HD rifle

Cons:
hard to find "match" ammo for it or quality HD ammo for it
some shoddy builds of rifles out there
expensive price for most rifles (not counting wasr 5.45 im not considering it)
mags are hard to find in my area


PSL romak rifle (7.62x54r)
Pros:
again cheap ammo but not as cheap as it used to be
powerful round and better at extended range
more accurate
can find match ammo if you look hard enough
fun to shoot

Cons:
still pretty pricey for a romanian built gun
mags are hard to find and can be spendo
not a lightweight gun
heavy recoil

while they are two different classes of guns, what im looking for is the best cheapest most accurate and most of all fun gun to shoot that also has good ammo availability and is cheap to shoot. sold some of my oddball caliber guns because i couldnt afford to shoot them often and what use is a good sporter or home defense gun if i cant practice. your opinions are valued :cool:
 
I think you would like the recently imported 5.45x39 Saiga's; seems you asked this question at the right moment. Comes with a longstock if you're looking for a little support in accuracy as opposed to the pistol-grip style AKs.

I hope you are happy with whatever you choose, God bless.

:)
 
thank you how much are those saigas are they pretty cheap and im looking for a ak-74 pref polish or bulgarian and whats your opinion on the best ak-74 for under 725 thanks
 
Centerfire Systems has them for 369.99; definitely a fair price.

As for your preferences, sorry man. Wish I could give you more insight on what the BEST 5.45x39 rifle is; I can only guarantee you that Saigas are top-quality Kalashnikova-style rifles from the experience of owning a converted, custom Saiga in 7.62x39.

If you check out their (Centerfire Systems) website, they actually have both Polish AND Bulgarian 5.45s there; drop the folks an e-mail and they'd definitely be able to help you much better than I could.

Fortunately they are in your price bracket; the Tantal is 529.99 and the Bulgarian AK-74 is 699.99.

Happy hunting and God bless.
 
Gahh! Centerfire Systems won't ship a CA legal rifle to CA!!! I want one of these so badly (5.45)

Are there any other dealers that have the 5,45 Saigas and will ship to CA?
Most of the time I hate being associated w/ this state :barf: :barf: :eek: :barf:
 
From the two.... the 5.45x39. The x54 simply isn't practical for anything but hunting animals or long-range "military" uses. :)
 
The Saiga will run you maybe $400-500, then to convert it to AK configuration another $80-200 depending on furniture and 2 hours on a Saturday afternoon.

The Saiga will be top notch quality, new manufacture in Russia and customized exactly to your intended configuration and well withing your budget.

Saiga 5.45x39 sounds like your dream come true.
 
I'd get the AK74 style. The PSL isn't that accurate or all that useful for real shooting.

I'd seriously consider a Saiga 5.45 for the price/quality ratio.
 
^^^same goes for the PSL, more or less.

I'd say that, if you are worried about ammo restrictions, then grab a Saiga in .223 or x39 and convert if you can.
 
I would get a Siaga and then spend the rest on magazines and a couple cases of ammo. Just make sure to clean real well after you shoot all the surplus ammo whether in 5.45 or 7.62x54 it all should be corrosive.
 
I found a good supply of 5.45 from a guy just outside Thunderdome, only cost me 2 propane tanks and some beef jerky for 500 rounds. I also heard some convoys carrying various ammo through what used to be Nevada can have old Soviet 5.45 but it's hard to deal with them now that the Mexican gangs rule much of the area.

Come on people. Get real. Midway USA has 5.45 ammo 1000 rounds for $240.
 
Not crazy about AKs... *dodges thrown vodka bottles*


...but I do like the look of those Polish Tantals.
 
While I like 545 if you want a 22 caliber AK i would recomend the 556/223 over the 545 because it is easier to get and reload for ammowise. You can also get more types of bullets for it like hollowpoints softpoints etc with relative ease. However if you got your heart set on those two calibers I would get the 545 because even though the 54 has better range it doesn't have the match ammo to go with it. You can reload for it and get that yugo sniper stuff but a semi auto 308 is the way to go in my opinion if you want a longer range round.
 
if i wanted a 223. rifle it would be a ar if im worried about it and im not. already got a 7.62x39 gun and dont want another as it has gotten stupid over the price of it (250 for a thousand rounds of steel case come the hell on and thats "cheap"). Im suprised as to see how many of you recommend the ak-74 over the psl. did some thinking past few days and i think i changed my mind. i wanted the psl for a long time but i have owned a ak 74 briefly (didnt even shoot it long story and one i dont like) and longed for another. the saiga sounds good but i dont like the tapco or ati stock sets for it too flimsy for me and have seen a ak 47 melt the tapco fusion handguards right off so i want a decent battle ready robust gun worthy of kalashnikov himself. the cheapest gun that meets that description is the tantal and saiga. id rather get the tantal as it comes alreadly equipped with the features i want (evil pistol grip and stuff) and dont feel like putting tons of money into a saiga and i will if i do that done it before with other guns and if i have to sell good luck getting your money out of it but i think this gun wont be sold as im buying to keep. dads got a arsenal and i like it but they only offered a few 5.45 aks and most are really spendo. what is the best site that i can find 5.45 ammo, mags and aks off of as all of that is not real common around here.
 
I found a good supply of 5.45 from a guy just outside Thunderdome, only cost me 2 propane tanks and some beef jerky for 500 rounds. I also heard some convoys carrying various ammo through what used to be Nevada can have old Soviet 5.45 but it's hard to deal with them now that the Mexican gangs rule much of the area.
Click to expand...

Some of us would be more concerned that the President could ban the import of 5.45 as "non-sporting" with the stroke of a pen, no Congressional action needed. With 7.62x39 at least there is domestic production already in place, and reloading components available.

Come on people. Get real. Midway USA has 5.45 ammo 1000 rounds for $240.
Click to expand...

You can get 7.62x39mm for about the same price from other companies right now, and Wolf 223 for not much more. IMHO, 5.45 only makes economic sense if you're going to use the corrosive surplus that is still cheaper.
 
Personally, I'd stay away from 5.45 x 45mm anything. Ammo for such a carbine could dry up overnight; and, the way things are going, I would expect it to do so. ;)
 
well i just get a boatload of ammo on reserve and switch to a diff caliber. dont see it happening right away heard the same thing about 7.62x39 years ago so i could care less. im talking about getting a gun for my collection i can go order 2 cases of ammo for one case of 223. and shoot to my hearts content.
 
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