Help me get started with AK's.

[WhiteShadow]

First off, i'll say, i'm pretty ignorant to rifles in general. The only legitimate experience i have with rifles is with Mini 14's, Mini 30's, and bolt action 30-06's.

But now, i want to get an AK. I shot a friends' AK years back, but i dont remember what kind it was or the make. All i know is, it was an extremely fun rifle to shoot.

I have a few questions though.

1) What kinda money am i looking at for a quality AK (ball park figures)?
2) What are some good brands to check out?
3)Any good websites/links to information on AK's?
4)Do i need to get an NFA license to purchase a semi-auto AK?

Please forgive my ignorance, any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Steelblitz]

[QUOTE=WhiteShadow;821833]
1) What kinda money am i looking at for a quality AK (ball park figures)?

$1000 +/- but mostly under. Price will be determined by if you want to buy a complete rifle such as from Arsenal which is on the higher priced side. You can get kit rifles that others have already assembled for $600-$1000. Or you can go with a kit for a few hundred, buy a USA receiver, and build it yourself or have someone else build it. Unfortunately at this time, unless you have all the tools to do the riveting, it is about as expensive to have one built as it is to buy one already complete.

2) What are some good brands to check out?

Arsenal is good for complete rifles. There are some very good companies that built them from kits out there also, see the website I recommend below. Watch out for WASR's. I have one of them. Nothings wrong with mine, but it's just on the lower end of my AK scale. Dunhams typically sells these if you want to see one up close. I prefer to get authentic ex-military AK kits and build them up just for the nostalgia factor. A lot of top notch Bulgy kits hit the market over here in the last couple of months. I'm working on one at the moment and plan to get another one of those kits soon.

3)Any good websites/links to information on AK's?

Everything you need right here: http://www.theakforum.net/phpBB2/index.php
Spend a week or two looking at the various AK models and see what tickles your fancy there. You'll get a good idea of prices also in their classified area.

4)Do i need to get an NFA license to purchase a semi-auto AK?
Only if you go with a Krink do you need to register it as a SBR. Owning the rest of the AK family is no different than owning a semi-auto AR or one of your Mini's.

You will have to decide if you want an AK47 (7.62x39) or an AK74 (5.45x39mm) along the way. [QUOTE]

[Steelblitz]

I see you are also in York County, I've got a handful of different AK's you can check out in person if you like. Just PM me.

[Kodiak]

First off, i'll say, i'm pretty ignorant to rifles in general. The only legitimate experience i have with rifles is with Mini 14's, Mini 30's, and bolt action 30-06's.

But now, i want to get an AK. I shot a friends' AK years back, but i dont remember what kind it was or the make. All i know is, it was an extremely fun rifle to shoot.

I have a few questions though.

1) What kinda money am i looking at for a quality AK (ball park figures)?
2) What are some good brands to check out?
3)Any good websites/links to information on AK's?
4)Do i need to get an NFA license to purchase a semi-auto AK?

Please forgive my ignorance, any help would be greatly appreciated.

First off I am by no means an expert with Ak's.....I recently purchased my first one after handling dozens of them at the oaks show.

People told me to avoid the Romanian Ak's and I didnt understand what they meant until I compared them with Yugos....

I purchased a brand new Century Arms Yugo Underfolder for 750$ at the show....I saw Romys for 600ish and I saw other Ak's for more then 750+ but I only saw one UF and thats what I wanted the day I was there.

[mpoppel41]

ak's are bit pricey now, if money is no problem i would stick to one that would be in the 500 to 600 range. that way if ya don't like it it would be easily to resell it. other than my sbr's the century arms ak's cost more than the ak's i own now.

[mojo]

1) What kinda money am i looking at for a quality AK (ball park figures)?

Really depends on the rifle and what you want. Right now the ranges for AKs are about $500 - $2000. IMHO, Yugos are going to be your best bang for the buck. They run about $750 now. If that's too much the Romanian WASR ones are bad and run around $500. You just have to make sure that you handle it first to check out if (or how bad) the sights are canted. If you look around you can probably find a Romanian SAR1 used for around $700 or so. The chinese MAK90 aren't bad either. If you don't like the stock they come with, you can buy a more "standard" stock, but you will have to swap out a few parts to meet 922r. For a little more you can buy the SGL-20, they run about $900. They are russian "sport" AKs that Arsenal (Bulgy) re-worked to look like a true AK.

2) What are some good brands to check out?

See above

3)Any good websites/links to information on AK's?

www.theakforum.net (all that is needed)

4)Do i need to get an NFA license to purchase a semi-auto AK?

Nope, NFA is only for Full Auto, Suppressors, SBS, SBR, DD. semi-auto AK is they same as a semi-auto shotgun

Please forgive my ignorance, any help would be greatly appreciated.

Don't worry about it. Everyone starts somewhere.

[d90king]

You have gotten some good advice to start with. The one thing that people have forgotten to warn you about is...................................

They MULTIPLY quickly!

It is a great platform, and once you get started with them, there is no turning back.

The Arsenal SGL-20 has dropped down into the 800+/- price point. They are a true Russian and are well made. You can buy one and it will last you a lifetime. Arsenal is a Bulgarian importer. Bulgarians are considered some of the best builders in today's market of AK's...

Yugo's are also hard to beat. CIA rifles can be hit or miss, so simply inspect them before spending your money. If you find a good one they are good to go. They are built on DCI (no-dak) receivers which are very good.

I, like others highly recommend www.theakforum.net . Great group of guys with a wealth of knowledge.

Here is also a good primer to read.. Prices are out dated but you can still get some good info.

http://m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=30850

[mythaeus]

I have 3 AK's and one on the way. My favorite one to shoot is actually the Polish Tantal, which chambers the 5.45x39 round. The wire side-folder is lightweight, but very sturdy and fit my shoulder very comfortably compared to underfolder or fixed wood stock. The ammo can still be had for $170/shipped for 1080 rounds (corrosive, need to clean your rifle after each shoot). The Tantal is accurate, reliable, VERY pleasant to shoot and handle and costs around $550 after shipping and transfer (check classicarms.us).

Al

[ByAnyMeans]

As everyone has already given you the info needed I will add mine with a twist. The AK unless severely defective will function, the money is being paid for fit and finish and sometimes accuracy. I have never shot an AK that was not a 4 moa gun rested at a hundred yards which will translate to a man sized torso at 300.

Stock up on mags and ammo when you find a deal, which is getting better but had been hard for a while.

If handy look into converting a Saiga to AK configuration. If you don't go for a flash/suppressor it is fairly easy and is a brand new gun from Russia.

When shooting your AK learning the trigger improves accuracy and time to next shot especially for a quickened pace of fire.

Last but not least attend an Appleseed shoot and learn how to shoot any rifle with combat accuracy.

[brian]

firstly, do not be afraid of the romanains, AKA wasr's.
they might not look as nice as others but they work just the same.
yes you might here they have problems, but when you hear how many are out there vs how many issues there are it evens things out.
some say they are not as "accurate" as other aks, i have doubts to the accuracy of those claims......
at one time(about a year ago now) they were the best bang for the buck in the ak world.
are they pretty? nope, but since when was an ak designed to be pretty? their true beauty is in how they work.......which is every single time you want it to.