school me on the AK???????

[Baltimorejake]

I am reading a lot on them give me the skinny on the rifle what is worh spending the money on? I would like old school wood stock want to keep it in the stock config. polish,wasr???????

 

[fivepointstar]

did you try the search??? this question and the 1911 is asked FREQUENTLY
WaSR aren't that bad....Maadi are my favorite

 

[johny357]

Spend the money and get an arsenal sgl21. It is the only factory new, fully converted rifle available.

 

[crfakm4]

Your budget will dictate what you can buy. If you just want an AK type rifle because you gotta have one and to target shoot, a WASR will do you you just fine for less cash.

 

[rob-cubed]

General rule of thumb is: foreign factory built AKs are the best bang for your buck. The more work done stateside, the more expensive they get if done by a reputable builder.

WASR = cheap but does everything an AK should do. Primary build in Romania, minor tweaks in the states.

Converted MAK-90 = great quality rifle for the price, 100% built in China, no longer imported, and still cheaper than Arsenal

Arsenal = built in Russia/Bulgaria, significant tweaks stateside. Good rifles but expensive for what they are. You'll still need to add your own wood furniture

There are several other nice pre-ban and converted post-ban rifles out there for the price of an Arsenal, but they aren't widely available.

 

[DarthZed]

Check out Atlantic's website. They have more AKs than you can shake a stick at, they are an industry partner, and they are good people to deal with. I agree an Arsenal is the best option. But Atlantic has several AKs from different manufacturers that emulate the "old-school" AK look (Interarms, Vector, etc). They might be a better option.

http://www.atlanticfirearms.com/storecategory90.aspx

 

[Baltimorejake]

Thanks Gents for the direction just too much info overload and which opinions to value.

 

[JOBU]

Google is your friend.

 

[fivepointstar]

Thanks Gents for the direction just too much info overload and which opinions to value.

learning is 1/2 the fun!!! its easier then the world of AR but thats fun too

 

[DarthZed]

A WASR is generally considered a low-end AK. And they don't have the magwell dimples to help stabalize the magazine when its inserted in the rifle. This lack is due to the fact that WASRs are single stack rifles that are imported and modified to work with AK47 style magazines. Not a huge issue from a functional standpoint (you will get quite a bit of mag wobble), but this deficit will immediately mark the rifle as a low-end WASR. (If you care) That said, many people have gotten good WASRs that function flawlessly. There are several competing schools of thought on AK manufacturers. The first contends that the AK's simplistic and robust design means that the more expensive AK manufacturers are simply making you pay for a name and a pretty gun; so you might as well go with the cheaper, simpler options. (Hey, its an AK!)

The second school contends that you do get benefits from purchasing a more expensive gun in higher quality components, better build quality, better resale value, and better accuracy (notice I didn't include reliability, since once an AK is running properly, a cheap one will probably be as reliable as the most expensive one available).

You need to decide what you want from your gun. If you just want to try the platform, a WASR is a cheap way to go. If you want something to add to the collection that is more representative of a military AK; then you might want to spend a few hundred more for an Interarms, Vector, etc. Just my 2 cents.

 

[K31]

The AK is evil.

It shoots bullets specifically designed to go though cops vests.

It is the weapon of choice for gang members.

It has the shoulder thing that goes up.

 

[Scott7891]

If the OP is looking for a brand new AK the only ones that are being built currently that would be considered 100% new are:

Saiga
Serbian PAP's
Draco
Mini-Draco
M10

All the others including the WASR's are from military parts kits or at this point are used. Not a bad thing, I have several that are like that (only my Saiga is brand new) but just saying if you hear someone trying to advertise an AK as "brand new" unless it is the ones mentioned above then they are used or cut up.

However one thing I will say about the Arsenal-imported Saigas are that:

-They have an extra rivet to initiate bolt rotation making it even more reliable.
-Improved muzzle brakes
-Thicker dust cover
-100% brand new parts

 

[Gundahar]

I was in the same boat as the OP very recently. I picked the arsenal SGL-21.

Reasons were simple:

1) Built new. Others, like the WaSR, were assembled from (at least some) used parts.

2) Strong reputation. From what I read, you can get perfectly fine WASR, or other types, some of the time. But you need to inspect for cant, magazine wobble, and a few other things. Since I am a newbie, I figured it was way smarter to accept my limitations and go with the sure thing.

In addition to the other mechanical advantages already mentioned, the Arsenal has a heat shield for the hand. A nice comfort point :-)

So bottom line, the Arsenal is the sure bet, but you pay a bit extra for it. I went with 7.62 over 5.45 simply because I figured that I wasn't going to be shooting over 300 yards anytime soon.

A major downer for the OP is that the SGL series is built by Russians to Russian spec---that means no wood furniture. Russians haven't used that in a couple of decades. Too heavy, more expensive, etc. I'm liking the black AK look myself.


Gundahar

 

[DarthZed]

WASR's are from military parts kits

I not certain that the WASRs are made from parts kits. I've read several people claiming that they are built from lower quality new parts that didn't meet mil spec requirements. Which would make sense, since they are an export specific firearm that is shipped to numerous countries. Probably cheaper to source cheap new parts than acquire and prep parts kits from all over. meh. Not that it really matters. As for the wood furniture, you can get surplus sets for $25-$35. Spend the $700, get an SGL-21 (Mine is my go-to gun) and a wood stock set from Apex; and you're set. Or, alternately, get a Saiga for half that and convert it yourself.

 

[Scott7891]

A major downer for the OP is that the SGL series is built by Russians to Russian spec---that means no wood furniture. Russians haven't used that in a couple of decades. Too heavy, more expensive, etc. I'm liking the black AK look myself.Gundahar

The furniture of the SGL series is interchangeable with any STAMPED AK furniture. That means one can put wood on it if they desire. Do a google search and see you will see many gun owners who swapped out the plastic for wood. The only part that is not interchangeable between the AK-100 series and the older AKM's is the bolt assembly. The bolt assembly is based on the AK-74 but modified for the 7.62 caliber. Apart from the muzzlebrake which is a 24 RH thread compared to the older 14 LH thread and possibly the FCG, everything else is interchangeable.

I not certain that the WASRs are made from parts kits.

The new ones, WASR-10/63's are. If you see the Cugir triangle in the trunnion with a date prior to the end of the Cold War then it is a parts gun. The Romanians completely did away with the Cugir triangle after the end of the Cold War.

The first ones to come in this country were new from rejected military spec rifles. However due to the quality issues that were brought to a head with the WASR's imported during the early to mid 2000's, the Romanians decided to use parts kits from former military PM-63's to increase quality. Plus since the Romanians are moving away from the 7.62x39 caliber anyway it is a win-win to sell them and make a little money on the side.

 

[Atlantic Firearms.com]

BaltimoreJake , if you have quesitons on AK 47 rifles please email us your contact info and we will be glad to give you a call sales@atlanticfirearms.com

 

[Gundahar]

The furniture of the SGL series is interchangeable with any STAMPED AK furniture. That means one can put wood on it if they desire

Ah, I see what you mean. Grammar error on my part. I meant only that it doesn't come with wood furniture, which was something the OP wanted. Just adds to the expense of the already expensive arsenal.


Gundahar

 

[DarthZed]

Good to know. Thanks Scott.

 

[Scott7891]

Ah, I see what you mean. Grammar error on my part. I meant only that it doesn't come with wood furniture, which was something the OP wanted. Just adds to the expense of the already expensive arsenal.


Gundahar

True but you never know though. Maybe once the OP tries the wood he might not like it and go back to the original plastic stock that came with it. It is good to have options if what you originally wanted turned out not to be what you expected.

I know I had wood on mine when I bought one. Then I switched to a polymer stock. Ended up not liking it in the end (and totally threw off my POI) so I went back to wood.

Good to know. Thanks Scott.

 

[Stealth Pants]

Arsenal.