AK47, AK74, or PSL

[nforest]

So I want an AK, I like the ammo price of the 5.45x39, but am a little worried about being able to get it forever.

I am pretty much sold on an Arsenal SGL 31-62

Now I am having second thoughts about the caliber.
Also considering an AK47 or a PSL

Either way I want a QUALITY Rifle.

Any suggestions in regards to the AK platform and what I should get? (price is not as much of a concern as quality, however ammo prices area concern)

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[del_and_bones]

Any of the arsenal firearms are good quality, they're converted saiga rifles. Is this for plinking, 3-gun or are you also going to use it for hunting?

If you want something to use for hunting or longer range work, a psl fits that bill and the ammo is cheap.
7.62x39 is my choice, they are producing it domestically now and I can use it for deer hunting.
5.45x39s would be the best for plinking and 3-gun. I'm going to build a krink to fill this spot.

 

[slowstang11]

5.45x39 has much better ballistics than 7.62x39, even better than 5.56x45. And it's the current caliber of much of Eastern Europe. So I don't think it will ever stop being produced.

 

[Rix]

My psl will keep 10 rounds on a 100 yard small bore sight in target..... at 200 yards.
With a 4 power pu doohickie scope made in 1976.
With my shaky *** and not very good vision shooting it.
With surplus yugo ammo.

 

[xm193]

ak74 has similar ballistics to 5.56 but i believe better terminal ballistics than the 5.56 out past 150 yards. The bullet is not speed dependent for inflicting damage where a 5.56 needs speed to come apart. The 5.45x39 is hard hitting and accurate out past 7.62x39 ranges. ammo is real simple at .12 or .13 cents a shot get plenty at the time of purchase

 

[nforest]

Any of the arsenal firearms are good quality, they're converted saiga rifles. Is this for plinking, 3-gun or are you also going to use it for hunting?

If you want something to use for hunting or longer range work, a psl fits that bill and the ammo is cheap.
7.62x39 is my choice, they are producing it domestically now and I can use it for deer hunting.
5.45x39s would be the best for plinking and 3-gun. I'm going to build a krink to fill this spot.

Mostly plinking, no hunting.

 

[nforest]

I'm considering buying the rifle and 10,000 rounds of ammo at the same time

I reload .223 but cant do it with my time factored in for .10-.12 cents per round.

titsonritz: I do really like the folding setup! thanks for pointing me there.

Is there any better quality to be had than the SGL 32-94? I don't mind spending more up front for quality.

the SGL 34-94 takes regular ak74 mags, right? no odd mags or anything?
Any other oddities with this rifle? anything special i need to know? any other suggestions?

Thanks for the answers and please keep the comments coming.

 

[nforest]

Also the popularity and production of 5.45 with Eastern Europe means little if a ban is placed on its importation.

So is 5.45 being produced anywhere other than Russia? I could see how the flow could stop if we stopped importing it from Russia, but if its made in other countries, the only way that I see it not being available is if something drastic happened, in which case I'd better have the ammo I needed anyway regardless of the calibre.

 

[nforest]

Oops I meant SGL31-94 not 32. The SGL31 series is 5.45 and the SGL21 series is 7.62. They are Russian made and are pretty much the top of the pack for production AKs. The Bulgarian SLR are also very good. They all take standard AK mags

Any other places you know to get and Ak74 ie custom?

 

[trainsktg]

Regardless of what you get, buy yourself a 1pn34 too. (Sorry, for some reason my picture loader isn't working. Just Google 1pn34...you'll see )

Other than that, all I can do is reiterate what others have already said. All of the three major calibers you mentioned are good choices. The 5.45x39 is most commonly found in the countries that used to be part of the Soviet Union, but 7.62x39 is by far the most predominant worldwide AK caliber. Neither are in danger of ever becoming scarce in our lifetimes, though. As mentioned, the 5.45 ballistics are far superior to the 7.62x39. The PSL is of course the affordable powerhouse of the family with its x54 round. (The NDM and SVD are priced too high for most peoples' budgets.) If you like giant tires on your crewcab or other overt show of manliness, you'll love the PSL.

If I were limited to one and only one caliber, I would get a rifle chambered in 5.45.

An unconverted Saiga is your cheapest choice; it is entirely Russian made and the quality is top notch. Later, you can have fun converting it into a clone of any AK variant you choose. I have several Saigas, converted and stock.

As a quick aside to the 5.45 and 5.56 debate, the Russians didn't quite copy the 5.56 when they designed their new .22 caliber ammunition. They retained the cone-shaped casing of the 7.62x39 round which allows for easier extraction from the rifle if the chamber is dirty, corroded, pitted, etc. which in my opinion qualifies the 5.45 as the better all-enviroment battle ammunition. (Not that I'll be going into battle anytinme soon, but you get my point.)

Keith

 

[74sporty]

since purchasing an unconverted saiga, i have realized how little i know about the very many variations of ak's out there. i was quite disappointed to find out that my saiga doesnt have a manual bolt hold. when i grab the charging handle and pull it back, it wont lock in place. i know, stupid me. why would it, you ask? because the only ak i had before, a vector arms, did lock in to place. the bolt would lock into place when it completely clears the breach, but when i pull the bolt all the way back the mechanism would release and bolt would close. i see online people doing mods to the safety that locks the bolts. its a cheap and easy way to go, but i dont like it nearly as much. there is a little lever by the trigger guard that locks the bolt. but it locks it too early. it locks in a position where the bolt is still interfering the breach. so you cant pop in a mag and release the bolt to chamber a round. go figure

a saiga is definately a economical way to get into ak's, but you wont get fight rifle features. if you do an ak mag conversion, your bolt will not hold open when you fire the last round. "click" will be the only indicator that your out of ammo. saiga's proprietary magazines have followers that are taller and when empty petrudes into the bolts path. its a cheap way to offer the feature, but the flaw is when you drop the mag the bolt closes because the only thing holding the bolt open was the follower on the mag. so if you do a mag conversion, you lose a coveted feature of the rifle. tactical marketing.

one of the reasons i got a saiga was because i like to tinker. i thought i'd be fun to convert a saiga and easier then building one from a kit, but now realize that the to do list on the saiga is more than just moving the trigger foward and filing the mag latch. its a good amount of research and money to make a well functioning bolt hold. now i know why there are thousand dollar ak's out there

 

[HappyValleyAP]

Go the 74 route I just ordered one this morning - can't beat 1080 rounds for $129.95!

 

[nforest]

Well I really appreciate all of the feedback. I think i will go with the 5.45 cal. and with go with an SGL. I really want to be able to go out and shoot the rifle, not tinker with it. I really do like tapered cased military ammo, that is one of the giant downsides of .223 (not starting a war here I shoot .223 also).
I don't want a bunch of rails and junk hanging off the gun, I want iron sights and simplicity. I want it to be original as a gun made in Russia and then hacked up here can be

My next question: is it worth an extra $338 to have a folding stock? that seems like an insane price jump. (plus I do really like the plum furniture, but that's not a deal breaker.)
$800 from RRC for the plum, or $1138 from k-var for a folder. $338 is alot of ammo

Thanks again! you guys are a great help!

 

[darkminstrel]

I'd say Pick up a PSL and a Mosin-Nagant or 10. I've shot both flavours of AK and personally don't like either. My PSL and 91/30 have had more lead pushed down range than all my other weapons combined.

 

[nforest]

I'd say Pick up a PSL and a Mosin-Nagant or 10. I've shot both flavours of AK and personally don't like either. My PSL and 91/30 have had more lead pushed down range than all my other weapons combined.

I have a couple Mosin's, no PSL though. what turned you off about the AK's vs the PSL?

 

[nforest]

They are an expensive add; only you can decide if it's worth it to you. I have seen just the parts go for well over $300 in the past. I personally like folding stocks on AK and view them as one of the advantages of the weapon.

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thats the advice that I was looking for! Guess the plum stock is out.

 

[Caleqs]

For plinking, the 74 is hard to beat. A good defensive round too. I prefer the 47 myself. Mostly because I'm standardized on that round and the .223. I can't see spending more $ on a third caliber.

I have the Arsenal and its fine. I also have a Fuller and its bloddy friggin' fantastic. Costs more, but worth it, imo. I've also seen great rifles from Red Jacket. If you can afford it, having Jim Fuller build you a rifle is the way to go. But the Arsenals are great for the $ money too. I can't figure out how to post a pic on a post on this forum for some reason, or I'd post a pic of my Fuller.

 

[Caleqs]

Trying to post pic of my Fuller AK...

 

[darkminstrel]

I have a couple Mosin's, no PSL though. what turned you off about the AK's vs the PSL?

I like that I can use the same round in both. I like the power curve of the PSL more than the AK. Reloading for a traditional x39 AK is going to be cheaper than for the x54r round but I never liked the way the AK platform really felt.

 

[slowstang11]

Is all 5.45x39 ammo corrosive except the US made stuff?