Best Ak47 for ~$500

[futureseabee]

Where do the Yugo M70s fall in at? I ask as I have 2 (Zastava?) and they both seem pretty nice. Never had any issues, even with crappy mags.

Thoughts?

I love them, except for the non chrome lined bore.
better accuracy that way, but worse corrosion resistance.
not bad when you are punching paper, but this would be my main SHTF weapon, so i might not be able to clean it as often as i should, i want that extra protection

 

[cobra]

I have a Wasp underfolder for just under $500.00.
Had none of the front sight/post problems of past.
Have had no problems with it at all.
Granted a underfolder stock may not be the most comfortable to shoot in a tee shirt.
The rifle itself has been flawless. fwiw

 

[Scott7891]

I love them, except for the non chrome lined bore.
better accuracy that way, but worse corrosion resistance.
not bad when you are punching paper, but this would be my main SHTF weapon, so i might not be able to clean it as often as i should, i want that extra protection

If the barrels are Yugo hammer forged originals they would hold up better. Of course the ones that have come in have been chewed up due to neglect and lack of maintenance. However chrome-lining the barrel isn't a guarantee of rust-proofing but does slow down the process.

U.S. barrels made for the Century-built Yugo's, AFAIK, were just bare steel, not even hammer forged. Hammer forging helps to make the barrel durable over a long period of time, chrome lining adds more protection to it. That being the case U.S. made AK barrels for the most part will not hold up to a SHTF scenario like the Combloc originals because mainly a lot of them are not hammer forged and their chrome processes are inferior to factory-specs (issues of chrome-flaking being one issue).

 

[oldman12]

Wouldn't hold up in a SHTF scenario, How Come? I have 2 Lancasters I wouldn't trust,maybe protecting the home but as for relocating, no,they would be left behind. My Century built Yugo's and the Arsenal built would be a must.

 

[BLACKTALON]

Saiga you have a free experience person that is willing to do free work for you that's a no brainier it is a Russian made AK 299.99 +shipp +30 bucks for GC transfer or get the already done front one for 475 i think and half the work is done the hard work.

 

[Lerlactl]

I've had the same experience with my Wasr. I purchased a wasr 10/63 underfolder from Dan at Gun Connection and it has been flawless for me. All the serial numbers match and it has never failed to feed, fire, etc. I get 3 - 4 moa at 100 yards if I do my part. All in all the best 500 dollars I ever spent.

 

[Scott7891]

Wouldn't hold up in a SHTF scenario, How Come? I have 2 Lancasters I wouldn't trust,maybe protecting the home but as for relocating, no,they would be left behind. My Century built Yugo's and the Arsenal built would be a must.

Because of the quality and durability of the barrels. Machine gun barrels if they are worth their salt will have hammer forged chrome lined barrels. Hammer forging makes the barrel extremely durable and disappates heat and wear better. Nitriding is supposed to be the next gen way of doing the same thing hammer forging does but cheaper but that is another story. Chrome-lining reduces wear and is corrosion resistant (not proof).

Try taking your bare metal barrel, the same barrels that Century and other mass-built U.S. barrel makers use in their builds which are not hammer forged or chrome-lined mind you. Shoot a bunch of rounds out of it at a time, I mean rapid fire as fast as you can and do this for thousands of rounds. Don't even think of cleaning the barrel, because if you are in a SHTF you might not have time to have the luxury to clean your gun. See how much throat erosion and damage to the barrel one sees. It will be horrendous. Hell even Clandestine said that for AK's that non-chrome lined barrels are not as reliable as ones that are since most combloc ammo is steel cased. The chrome acts as a sort of lubricant in extracting and loading rounds.

A member on here did a test that compared the factory hammer forged barrel with a Century junk barrel. After shooting 5,000 rounds out of both the factory barrel still looked great and ready to keep on trucking. The Century barrel was already showing signs of extreme wear.

To put it simply, if you want a range AK that you shoot every so often then a Century barrel will do fine. If you want a barrel that you can depend on to save your life when the time comes, go with hammer forged chrome-lining.

 

[oldman12]

I bought my yugo's in early 08, not sure if they are American made or not.Thanks for the input. My SGL 20 and 21 are my go to rifles in a serious situation.

 

[Scott7891]

I bought my yugo's in early 08, not sure if they are American made or not.Thanks for the input. My SGL 20 and 21 are my go to rifles in a serious situation.

The Yugo's will have American barrels especially if Century built them. They do not use factory barrels in their builds but use cheap American barrels.

Your Arsenal's should be GTG since they are from Izhmash and use the same barrels as their military AK's

 

[mbz300sdl]

Where did you find an Arsenal for under $500? All the ones I've seen are $800+

When people need money and you have money they take what they can get it was new never shot and had a surefire quadrail that I later sold for $150.

 

[oldman12]

Kvar did a special couple years ago,I got my SGL 20 with a 5 round mag for $599.Haven't seen them do it since. I really want a Heavy HF barrel ,milled receiver, just couldn't come up with the cash.

 

[oldman12]

The Yugo's will have American barrels especially if Century built them. They do not use factory barrels in their builds but use cheap American barrels.

Your Arsenal's should be GTG since they are from Izhmash and use the same barrels as their military AK's

I heard they used Green Mountain, I'm not sure. In SHTF any of the ones I have are better than nothing.

 

[Nemesis]

i wouldnt dare own an AK that wasnt CHF-CL barreled...completely defeats the purpose.

keep in mind that most of the ammo you will be firing is bi-metal jacketed...meaning essentially its just a thin copper coating on a soft steel jacket. i believe izhmash uses a chrome lining that is thicker than normal for this very reason...im not 100% sure of this however.

 

[This One Goes To Eleven]

I'll take the barrel life argument but to suggest that AK barrels without chrome lining shouldn't be counted on for more than plinking is nonsense. I'd put money that those inferior century AKs would be floating around in working condition for a lot longer than they should if SHTF. If I'm wrong you Arsenal guys can make sure to take a break from pumping thousands of rounds into wasteland raiders and say I told you so in your best Lord Humungus voice.

 

[Nemesis]

I'll take the barrel life argument but to suggest that AK barrels without chrome lining shouldn't be counted on for more than plinking is nonsense. I'd put money that those inferior century AKs would be floating around in working condition for a lot longer than they should if SHTF. If I'm wrong you Arsenal guys can make sure to take a break from pumping thousands of rounds into wasteland raiders and say I told you so in your best Lord Humungus voice.

i wont say anything about reliability other than, even just theoretically speaking, the slick surface that chrome provides in a chamber would greatly aid in extraction, which would become even more apparent once the chamber begins to get quite dirty.

here is the biggest point though...saigas are cheap...why spend more to get less?

a base 7.62x39 saiga is like 300 bucks these days...a full pistol grip conversion would run that bill up from anywhere between 375-450 bucks...give or take depending on what you use FCG/furniture wise...so then why spend 400ish on a wasr?

 

[This One Goes To Eleven]

so then why spend 400ish on a wasr?

Some people , consider spending 3 hours to monkey off an AK buttstock the peak of their mechanical prowess and aren't gonna sink $450 on a half converted rifle because "that guy" on the forums says he'll help for parts and beer.

 

[Nemesis]

lmao...fair enough, i suppose...

edit: it really only takes about 30 mins to do a conversion, by the way lol.

 

[aquaman]

threads like this are pointless. The OP asks for advice, gets it and then totally ignores it. The "best for $xx.xx" threads always turn out this way.

 

[-Z/28-]

threads like this are pointless. The OP asks for advice, gets it and then totally ignores it. The "best for $xx.xx" threads always turn out this way.

The OP also broke the rules. He didn't take any pictures of what he bought.

 

[clandestine]

lmao...fair enough, i suppose...

edit: it really only takes about 30 mins to do a conversion, by the way lol.

No way its possible to do it that fast. If I rushed it would take me 4 hours to do a Saiga 7.62x39 Conversion

Heres average times involved to do a Saiga 7.62 Fixed Stock Conversion without converting the handguard/retainer.

Weld the FCG Holes Up, Mill, and Blend (1 HRS)
Remove the Mag Catch and Cut Down, Reinstall and Flare Pin (30 MINS)
Rivet On New Trigger Guard (30MINS)
Remove FSB/CUT off Nose and Reonstall with Crosspins (1 HRS)
Thread Barrel 14/1 LH in Lathe with Jig (1 HRS)
Weld In Bullet Guide and countour welds (30 MINS)
Prep and Refinish the Barreled Receiver (2 HRS)
Polish Contact Surfaces (30 MINS)
Tune Safety Tab/Contact Points/Detent (15 MINS)