Looking for a decent AK47, what to look for?

[jehicks87]

Gym, first, I'm sorry for calling you some innawoods nutcase. My apologies. However, the thing about "shtf" situations is that you can only do so much. People who are starting communes are crazies. They aren't "prepared," they are obsessive. The government didn't almost "shut down." In the event of a so-called gov't shutdown, all NON-essential personnel would have been told to stay home. Not, "Oh, come on in to work but we aren't going to pay you." The military, federal LE, etc. would have still been paid. Same if we had defaulted, which I assume is the second shutdown you are referring to. It also would not have directly related to your state agencies, unless the state gov't subscribed to the panic that the layperson did.

Also, in the Katrina situation, I actually lost a friend (Fraternity Brother) to gunfire there. The kicker of that situation is, he was a private security contractor carrying an AR and a Glock. He wasn't killed because his weapon didn't go bang, he was killed because someone got the upper hand on him and slipped away, never to be caught. By a 9mm pistol round. Pretty sure that one wasn't shot from 800 meters.

I also have served overseas in Afghanistan, where when the AR platform did fail to go bang it cost Americans their lives. Not reservists or nat'l guardsmen, but "professional" infantry soldiers. I have never seen a real AK fail to operate when in the hands of a professional adversary. Never. And even in Afghanistan, most engagements are well within the effective range of the 7.62x39 round. And trust me, there is plenty of wide-open space in Afghan. We just don't shoot it out over the desert. Why? Because people are smart, and a smart opponent will never engage someone or willingly cause an engagement to happen outside of their own TTP's.

And I honestly feel that is enough about SHTF real-life scenarios that I have personal and true second-hand experience with for this thread. If you'd like to continue this, please make another and let's not clutter up this guy's thread, which if you will recall had nothing to do with "Rawr I wants a badass GAT for when SHTF, YO!"

 

[psyshack]

Several years ago I purchased a Romanian Guard Kit a DS-3 receiver. Refinished the furniture, painted it with cheap paint put it together and have a good basic AK.

Best I can remember I don't have more than $300 in it. Some fast googling looks like it would be a $500 build now. Man have prices went up!

It feeds, fires and ejects every thing. Its not perfect. The front site is canted to the left just a tad. Honestly it's hard to see and it still sights in good. Some fool took a pair of shears to he dust cover and cut a small sliver of metal off of it above the bolt. Other than that it's surprisingly good. The bore is good. The chamber is good. Not hard on brass at all. The bolt was like new. It's simple and shoots straight.

The DC Ind. DS-3 receiver is fine no issues with it at all.

I'm real glad I built my AK when I did and ended up with a good one.

 

[bri]

Wow, there's so much SHTF garbage and complete mis-information in this thread that it should be renamed and locked.

 

[JustinJ]

Arsenals are definitely worth the extra money. Have you considered an AK74 platform? My arsenal AK74 shoots 1.5" groups with 7n6 (mil surp) all day. Either way the arsenal Russian made and Bulgarian made are both as good as it gets.

If you are not considered with having a real AK appearance and don't mind doing the conversion yourself go with a Saiga. Also, if money is a factor you can buy a saiga now and upgrade over time.

 

[gym]

Sorry to haer of your loss, I lost many also. But I sold my AK, a month after getting it, My friend owns a gun store an he warned me not to buy one, so did my pal who did 4 tours as a marine sniper, but he biased because he warms up at 600 and goes out past 1000. You as well as several others know it's made like crap, Unles you buy a 1000 dollar one like some of the aformentioned ones. I only have handguns, because that's all I have an interest in, I have shot for 55 years and carried in NYC and FL for 37. I do know a little about mechanics, I understand why the AK fires so reliablly, but it's hit and miss with them. The kid who bought mine was thrilled, I took it down the first day, and corrected a few minor things like the saftey falling off. and realized that it was intimidating but I, as an ex- dod guy, look at this thing as all guns I inspect.First of all it was made to be a machine gun, once you start putting stamped parts and grabing barrells from a box with tubes to try and match up, precision goes out the window.
How many shops make an AK by hand anymore, If they do they are more than an AR. And yes, they are good for short range blasting "just look on utube" but not a serious gun for distance or accuracy, that has always be the wrap on them. You can pick up a savage precision rifle in 6 calibers that is a well made rifle and it is not much more money. AK's were never made for scopes, people put them on but they were made or iron sights, because of their limited range. You can put lipstick on a pig, "you know the rest". Arsenals are supposed to be good guns that's why they cost more like Veprs. But the standard century build, come on. Once you make that stamped reciever to lower the cost, since it's not an auto weapon anymore, and stick a barrell on that you pull out of a parts bin ,along with 3 or 4 other parts that need to be changed in order to import them, you have a hit and miss gun. I think you are aware of all this, but for some reason enjoy the bantor. But as one who lost a dear friend, you know how fast things can go down hill, we had armed mobs roving the streets ater 4 or 5 days in Broward and Miami. I'm up here in Vero, where little old church ladies pack 357's in ther handbags. My doctos "both" their nurses all carry. My surgeon and I go to the range, it's mainstream now. But I don't get the fasination with AK"s , I even tried, but it wasn't there. Sure if I was stuck in a store and people were shooting at me, and someone handed me one I would gladlly take it, but not as a first choice, or an intoduction to rifle shooting as the op said If I remember. He should get a nice AR for a couple more bucks, A good pistol for close quarters is still the best weapon, or a carbine. Thanks for your time

 

[gym]

By the way J hicks, I told folks 6 months before the banks defaulted, "which could never happen" that they better pull all their cash out, the signs were there two years before. The shutdown of the govt, is just part of a process that is needed to throw out all these guys at once, and put in some folks wo care about what is going on. It will happen eventually, it may take a few years, but with the dissaproval rate near 90% we are heading for some kind of change, not the one this last guy promised. It may be overnight or it may be for a week but as sure as I was about the banks, "and I can give you names and numbers of people I warned",I am just as sure about this. I am not some kook, I owned and operated 7 businesses with 200 people, it's just reached a point where it cannot be fixed by borrowing worthless currency anymore.
During that timeframe it will be the same danger as a power grid failure or hurricane. People will try to tke from others. How you deal with it is up to you. i just mentioned that once it starts being on TV and showing sucessfull people preparing for an event, it should give one pause and food for thought.
By no means am I a doomsday predictor, we just need to kick out these bums like we did the british, they call medicare an entitlement, i paid 45 years for all my employees and myself, they aren't giving me anything but my own money back.And don't get sick, unless you are here illegally you won't get any healtcare, because nothing is covered.But enough before Bernie hits the axe.When you sai "real AK" that was the closer, these aren't real ak's. As you know thw selector switch goes to full aut at the first setting, it was never made to dhoot 1 at a time, with a thin stamped reciever, "aside from everything else the metal is thinner and it loses stability when shoting fast. That is why the expensive ones all have milled receivers. But you know that, maybe some don't like the op.It was designed as a machine gun not a rifle.

 

[Sam1911]

Oh good grief. This thread is embarassing. I know we can do better.

It was bad at post 28:

Wow, there's so much SHTF garbage and complete mis-information in this thread that it should be renamed and locked.

But against all odds, it managed to get even worse.

Enough.

To the OP: There are lots of threads here on THR that actually answer the question you asked. I'd encourage you to do a search.