An AK.. what to get.

[mrblond]

If someone was in the market for the best AK in the market.. what would they be looking for?

Also.. what is the most like a real soviet AK these days?


Sorry for the questions, I am a total AK noob and I would like to pick something up while the ammo is still cheap.

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[ZA_Survivalist]

Arsenal is the closest you'll get.
Quality is top notch but you'll pay a pretty penny.

Century has been making waves with their C39 and C39V2*

Im partial to Zastavas aside from a non chrome lined barrel they are awesome rifles for the money. Plenty of new accessories on the market to doll them up. And accurate to boot (yes even for an AK)

There are a few other companies making AKs but they arent anything to write home about, just simple AKs.

Anything specific you're looking for?
Stock options? (fixed or UF or folding?)
Caliber?
Whats the most modifiable?
Stamped or milled?

Id go with a 7.62x39 over the 5.45
Other than online.. 5.45 gets hard to find in panics.
5.56 AKs are decent, Id go with an Arsenal and buy only circle 10 mags if that was the case.

Dont waste your time or money on converting a Saiga, if there are even any left anymore. Money pits.

 

[mrblond]

so its best to just find a arsenal, it was kinda what I was leaning to but again, I know less then nothing about them.

 

[filsonhand]

I'm with za on the arsenals

The 5.45 is a lot of fun, so load up on ammo and let the good times roll

I went out a week ago with another member and put him behind the controls of a 74'.... I give him a month and he'll have one of his own

 

[tanzuki]

Yeah listen to ZA. He knows his stuff. With that being said I love my Zestava O-pap. Pretty darn accurate and very reasonably priced.

 

[SectionChief]

I'll tell you that some of the higher quality AK's aren't that much better than many of the entry AK's when it comes to function.

I have 2 Zastavas that each cost half the price of any of my 3 Arsenals and the Zastavas are just as good if not better at putting rounds downrange.

Where the Arsenal wins is attention to detail & quality control but they are not perfect.

Lot's of things to look for in any AK to determine how good it is [Rivets, Sights, Magazine Well, Action Smoothness, Etc.].

Both my Zastava's are O-Paps.

 

[forefathersrback]

You can't go wrong with an Arsenal. SLR,101's. Stick with Bulgaria mags. Not only that, Eastern block women will love you. Hell maybe even ZA will.

 

[Mikej]

I've been looking for discussion on AKs for some time now. Like Mrblond says, I know nothing and there's so many types. I'd like to have something "Historical", if that's a correct term. A gun from the field, with some scars, but not if it's all worn out and not accurate. Which brings up something else I hear, that AKs aren't real accurate anyway, heck, I'm not real accurate! But it would be nice to hit a gong at 100 yards and get within 2"-3" at 50 yards, if that's possible. Sooo....O-Pap. N-Pap. WASR, Mag Wobble, canted sights, milled , stamped, chrome lined-Cold hammer forged, etc, etc....

I look at AKs on Classic Fire Arms and see AKs I like with wood furniture in the $550.00 - $650.00. Also like the way Classic does the write-ups of their guns. Would like the option to put a scope on at some point too. So I'm listening (reading) to what ever discussion goes on!

 

[semajg]

I love my 5.45 Arsenal, but if you want a starter AK in 7.62x39, it will be tough to beat a QC-Inspected WASR on Atlantic.

http://www.atlanticfirearms.com/com...-wasr-10-7-62x39mm-rifle-detail.html?Itemid=0

Built to AKM standards, so parts can be swapped easily (stocks, handguards, triggers, muzzle devices), and a siderail for optics if that's your preference. The QC inspection will check for canted sights, mag lockup, and action/bolt movement. It's a great deal on a no-frills AK.

Pickup a set of Balkan battlefield furniture if you want some "ruggedness".
http://www.apexgunparts.com/balkan-battlefield-akm-buttstock-set.html

 

[filsonhand]

I gotta say also that one of my favorite rifles is a century build 74' with a Bulgarian kit on a nodak spud receiver.
Its very accurate and 100% reliable, and looks good in plum furniture

 

[Mikej]

Okay, I'm ready to drop the hammer on a Zestava N-Pap, $579.00 on Atlantic. I like the idea of the bolt hold open. From reading I got the idea the non-chrome barrel MAY be more accurate, and have been told that non corrosive ammo is more common now than corrosive.

https://www.atlanticfirearms.com/co...a-n-pap-fixed-wood-stock-detail.html?Itemid=0

I'd like hear if there's any issue with this gun? I going to go with Tigard Pawn for More, the guy there has been really good (Patient) with this newbie TWICE now. $25.00 for the FFL service is a steal too!

Mike

 

[jbett98]

Have you considered a Czechoslovakian made VZ 2008.
They aren't an AK 47, but they have some good features and are very reliable and accurate.

 

[semajg]

Mikej, NPAP's are solid, but keep these things in mind:

The bolt hold open only exists so long as the magazine is locked in place. Remove it (to do a mag change, obviously) and the bolt will slam shut. It does not operate like an AR bolt-hold that stays open without a magazine.

Yugo's do not take "standard" AK furniture. A lot of options still exists, just be aware you need to buy parts specific to the Yugo.

Look up "Yugo cheek slap". You will probably want to change out the stock, or sand it down.

 

[Mikej]

Mikej, NPAP's are solid, but keep these things in mind:

The bolt hold open only exists so long as the magazine is locked in place. Remove it (to do a mag change, obviously) and the bolt will slam shut. It does not operate like an AR bolt-hold that stays open without a magazine.

Yugo's do not take "standard" AK furniture. A lot of options still exists, just be aware you need to buy parts specific to the Yugo.

Look up "Yugo cheek slap". You will probably want to change out the stock, or sand it down.

Thanks for the input Semajg, just what I'm looking for!

That cheek slap is curious....So many folks said no problem working around it, though there were many more complaining of it. Makes me wonder how it would work for me see as the only long gun I've ever shot is my 10/22, and a partial mag of a members AR at the forest clean-up.

They are out of stock now....Yippee!

 

[etrain16]

I have an N-PAP, I really like it. The cheek slap is a real issue, but several companies make adapters to allow you to use other types of AK stocks. I'm going to change mine out at some point, just haven't gotten to it yet. But otherwise, I really like the rifle.

 

[semajg]

Atlantic has O-PAPs in stock, QC inspected. These are usually much more difficult to find than N-PAPs and collectibility and resale is usually much higher. Basically an N-PAP "on steriods", has a thicker RPK-style recieiver.
http://www.atlanticfirearms.com/com...47-m70-pap-7-62x39-rifle-detail.html?Itemid=0

 

[Mikej]

Atlantic has O-PAPs in stock, QC inspected. These are usually much more difficult to find than N-PAPs and collectibility and resale is usually much higher. Basically an N-PAP "on steriods", has a thicker RPK-style recieiver.
http://www.atlanticfirearms.com/com...47-m70-pap-7-62x39-rifle-detail.html?Itemid=0

Yeah I saw that......So the only difference between the N-pap and O-pap is the heavier receiver and the bolt hold open? If that's the case I may do the O-pap instead. I'm not sure the bolt hold open is THAT big of a deal to me, and the heavier metal may lead to a better more solid gun.

I put in for a message once the N-pap is back in stock too.

 

[Sideways]

Love my N-pap! Go for it!

 

[slimmer13]

Refinement and fit and finish is not what I look for in the ak platform. My WASR looks like it was assembled in a cave with a rock but has straight sights and tight mag well. And like the Crack ho on the corner goes bang everytime for a small amount of money.

But for only a few bucks more you can get into the Zastavas and such which don't have the stigma of being one of those POS WASRs if you ever want to resell.

 

[Mikej]

LOL^^. I was wondering about that....The WASRs are not much less, and to my completely unknowing self, look pretty much the same.