Want an AK47 for the collection, I need help!

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I've heard about Century WASRs being very hit-or-miss. Some are fine, others have poor finish, rough stocks, canted sights, etc.
 
I've had nothing but the best of luck from converted Saigas, but I've also heard that the MOLOT VEPRs are the absolute top of the pack.
 
Id look at a vepr, or saiga 7.62x39, or arsenal ak. Wasrs or older romaks are ok. Theres also the mak 90 s from china, and yugo underfolders that are ok. I stay away from US builds. I also prefer something with a scope rail.
 
I haven't got an AK because I, too, don't know how to tell a good one from a bad one. I'll watch this thread with interest....
 
A great one is a Vepr. If you get a square back, your furniture will be TRASH. Probably not even usable, but the whole concept of the square back is open up the universe of AK "stuff." From my experience the Vepr is very high quality. The original slant backs are very high quality, including furniture. Good luck.
 
Which ones do I need to stay away from?
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The one with canted sights, canted gas blocks, excessively sloppy mag wells, rivets that protrude from where they should be touching the receiver, rivets that crush or dimple the area around where they touch the receiver, front sight moved all the way left or right (implies a cant or bent sight), bent rear sight. I personally would prefer a com-bloc barrel, not a US made one as well. I am not an expert but if these items appeared in good shape after inspection I would have a reasonable expectation of receiving a very reliable weapon even if it's "just a WASR". A well put together WASR is nearly as good as any AK in terms of actual in-the-field performance.

Some cheaper AK's with a decent overall reps that I personally would risk a sight unseen purchase:

FEG AMD-65
Yugo O-Pap
Yugo N-Pap
Century Saiga Conversion
 
At this point, I agree with looking at the ones from Arsenal. They're quality rifles. I wouldn't buy a WASR. They were OK deals at $350 but at the $800 they're going for locally now... no way. If you're going to spend the money, go with quality.
 
My WASR 10-63 has been a good purchase but I paid $390 a few years back. Everything is straight on it and it has the G2 trigger that actually has a pretty decent feeling pull. There are nicer AKs out there and it might be worth spending a little more for a nice one. I have no regrets though.
 
While not as cheap as they used to be, you can't go wrong buying a Saiga and doing the conversion. You get the options you want and none of the stuff you don't, and the satisfaction of doing it yourself. I can ring a 6" gong at 200yds with boring regularity with mine! BTW it has a 1X micro red dot from Primary Arms and a Ultimak rail on it.
 
I haven't got an AK because I, too, don't know how to tell a good one from a bad one. I'll watch this thread with interest....
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This may help you and the OP. I made it focused on WASRs as they're the most common stateside but the inspection process is the same regardless of what AK it is.

 
I would never buy one that doesn't have a chrome lined barrel. The AK was designed from the get go with this feature for reliable cycling of steel cased ammo, reliability when dirty, longevity, and ease of cleaning.

I know the IO rifles don't have this feature. I don't know about the Zastava PAP rifles that have recently hit the market, but I suspect that they do not as they are not advertised as having it.
 
you can convert a Saiga yourself with minimal handtools. It can be a couple hundred cheaper than an Arsenal. Some bare-bones conversions can be done for under $500 if you're a great shopper.

If not, then the Arsenals are the best bet. I personally think that the AK is overpriced for the kind of gun it is, but it is better to get quality than to roll the dice with Century. I've rolled that dice four times, and all four times were snake-eyes.
 
I have owned several and still have 3.
With that being said I ould stay as far away from a WASR as I could get if I were you. A WASR was my first purchase and although it was a beautiful gun when I was done with it; it had more issues than I wanted to deal with ever again.
If I were you I would go with a SAIGA AK103.
http://www.ak-103.com/
This guy stands behind his product to the point where he was willing to work on my AK even though I was it's second owner. Now that's standing behind your product.
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A good AK with wood furniture can be hard to find.. especially because of all this tapco crap that is out there. Not to say the tapco isn't functional... but it really takes away from the asthetic qualities that an AK can have... Id say got with an older Yugo, it'll have a 1.6 mm receiver. Usually they have grenade launcher sights on them too! :)
 
henschman said:
I would never buy one that doesn't have a chrome lined barrel. The AK was designed from the get go with this feature for reliable cycling of steel cased ammo, reliability when dirty, longevity, and ease of cleaning.

I know the IO rifles don't have this feature. I don't know about the Zastava PAP rifles that have recently hit the market, but I suspect that they do not as they are not advertised as having it.
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WHY?

Chrome lined barrels were made in response the corrosive ammo.. the chrome handles it better then just steel. Other than that though... the Chrome lined barrels are THE reason the Ak gets a bad rap for accuracy. Steel barrels are much more accurate. Ive owned three ak's... All of which were steel barreled.. and that would be my preference.

Yugo m70AB
Yugo PAP m92 krink
IO sporter Econ
 
I would never buy one that doesn't have a chrome lined barrel. The AK was designed from the get go with this feature for reliable cycling of steel cased ammo, reliability when dirty, longevity, and ease of cleaning.
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Chrome barrels are my preference UNLESS you are referring to the Yugo rifles, which never had chrome barrels, and are still very high quality rifles. The current Yugo O-PAP is getting pretty rave reviews, so I would certainly not overlook this rifle because its barrel is not chromed. It's an outstanding AK for the price, and meets the OP's desire fr wood furniture. Here is a detailed thread over at AK files discussing the O-PAP:

http://www.akfiles.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1521642&postcount=107

Myself - I'm a Saiga fan. I love the light weight, the surprisingly accurate cold hammer-forged chrome-lined barrel, and Russian AK-100-series heritage.
 
The o-pap is interesting but if im going 775 on one Im saving up for the arsenal
 
I've heard good things about the Vz-58. Not exactly an AK, but similar. Any thoughts on that one?
 
xxjumbojimboxx said:
Chrome lined barrels were made in response the corrosive ammo.. the chrome handles it better then just steel. Other than that though... the Chrome lined barrels are THE reason the Ak gets a bad rap for accuracy. Steel barrels are much more accurate. Ive owned three ak's... All of which were steel barreled.. and that would be my preference.
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[In bold] Um... No. Before I call you out, cite many reasons why you are wrong, and raise the BS flag, I will ask you to explain this further. Because there is no possible way Im understanding your statement as it reads.
 
I have seen some pretty sky high prices on AK types. If you are going to purchase one now, get one of the Arsenal products. Very nicely finished quality rifles. If you want something that has the quts of a AK and is sort of reasonably priced, the Russian Saiga's are great firearms. Some people do the conversion on these to make them look like a true AK. I left the two I own in their original configuration since converting would have no effect on what they do down range.
 
I left the two I own in their original configuration since converting would have no effect on what they do down range.
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I will have to respectfully and strongly disagree with you. Converting a Saiga back to proper AK form can dramatically improve the shootability and practical accuracy of the rifle, largely because of the ability to replace the atrocious Saiga trigger and linkage. Even an inexpensive option like the Tapco G2 trigger is a vast improvement.

The ergonomics will be dramatically improved as well (for example, you'll actually be able to reach the safety without taking one hand off the rifle).

If you live in a state that allows you to restore the proper AK configuration to your Saiga, I can think of no good reason not to. The kit and the few tools you'll need will run about $150, but the value you add to the firearm will be much more than that. It's also a fun and easy project that will teach you much about the inner workings of the rifle and give you a great sense of satisfaction.
 
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