On the Subject of AK's, What's Good, What's Not so Good?

[Hodgie]

Pegging this thread because I'm right there with you...just never got around to picking one up.
The most Commie things I have right now are a SKS and PPS.

I am a little taken back by some of the prices being tossed around here.
Guess I haven't been paying attention for a while.

The AK market unlike the AR market is dried up and has over inflated the cost of what used to be very affordable rifles. There are a few other factors involved like the Russian sanctions as well as conflict production trumping civilian export production.

[Jimmy_Chimichanga]

It's slim picking right now. Arsenal are considered the best but enthusiasts still complain they are too heavy, have finish issues, & bad triggers on top of being overpriced.

I like Zastavas & would buy another but they are hard to come by since imports were cut off, possibly due to Century trying to push their own output domestically.

[Ronin]

I love my WASR. Get one.

[Walleye Hunter]

I suffer from CRS so I'll have to print all this out and condense it to help me out.

[eagleclaw]

The best you can get is the Galil Ace from IWI. They come in .308, 7.62X39 and 556. The 556 version has a last round hold open. All come with back up tritimum night sights. The bad news is the price between $1600-1800.

[Bang]

There are strong reasons to buy an AK: Fun to shoot, fun to take apart and marvel at the concepts, relatively low ammo cost. It's also fun to buy accessories, install them, remove them, and try to justify that box marked AK parts.

I love my WASR, with one disappointing discovery. The side mount for telescopic sight was bowed when riveted to the receiver, and no mount can reliably clamp to it.
But I really don't want a scope on the rifle anyway.

The WASR 10/63 originally took a single stack magazine. To accommodate a staggered mag, CAI opened up the magwell rumored by hand and the opening varied rifle to rifle depending on which employee applied his skill or lack thereof. Fortunately, mine fell short on metal removed and I was able to further adjust the opening to a satisfactory tolerance. The magazine-snugging dimple of other manufacturing was accomplished by tack-welding rails inside the sides of the receiver. I find that completely satisfactory.

I bought an Asian-made 75 round drum and found I had to slightly dress the magwell opening a tad more to get it to latch.

I had no interest at all in "black rifles" until Obama was first elected. I was instantly part of the panic, and several days later ran to the local gun store and grabbed one of the four remaining WASR AKs for $399 and a can of eastern bloc ammo.

I still enjoy taking it to the range now and then, and am very happy to have it.

ETA: My wife really likes it too!

[Bang]

CRS? Cash reserves stretched?

AHA!...Can't Remember Stuff

[Walleye Hunter]

It's slim picking right now. Arsenal are considered the best but enthusiasts still complain they are too heavy, have finish issues, & bad triggers on top of being overpriced.

I like Zastavas & would buy another but they are hard to come by since imports were cut off, possibly due to Century trying to push their own output domestically.

Zastavas, that's the Serbian one that I saw at the show today.

[Hodgie]

Zastavas, that's the Serbian one that I saw at the show today.

Yes the N and O PAP rifles are good.

[USMC3531]

Yes the N and O PAP rifles are good.

they are ok but its hit and miss if it has a soft receiver and the fcg pin holes may egg out. stay away from psa aks they have cast parts.