What to look for in my first AK?

[XD_Hokie]

Ok, thinking about an AK, no AR at home yet either. So, do I want an eastern block AK or a new one made in the USA? Any model better than others for a modest price? Caliber? I know the sights are said to not be so great, so what can I do to improve those? Wood furniture or polymer? Any good places to buy or shop for these that you can recommend and things I need to look out for?

THANKS!!

[shyi3t]

romanian Ak' is a good start . cheaper than most ak's . if you want better quality move up to like yugo's . hungrian made and then there is the expensive usa ones that i want . but to expensive for me to get. i have all 7.62x39

i like wood furniture but if you like polymer . they have the tapco products

Aimsurplus
classicarms
centirefiresystem

some sites has ak rifles and accesories.

here is some infos
New Page 2

[LKB3rd]

I replaced the sights on my Saiga with a mojo micro click rear sight and a front aperture with a little crosshair that I got from midway ( MidwayUSA - KNS Sight AK-47, MAK-90, SKS Duplex Crosshair Reticle Matte ) and it is a big improvement.
As far as wood or synthetic, that's a matter of taste. I prefer an old school wood look.

[casio02478]

If you want best of the best then go with Arsenal. Although even as fan of the company I have to admit that they been having a little QC problems. In the end if you are going to AK way then make sure you check for canted front sight, they are IMHO the #1 problem among most AK makes.

[Ishpeck]

I love my Romanian rifle. It's been good to me. You should be aware that some WASR10's were built for single-stack magazines and have since been refitted to fit the full, AK-style mags. There may be some wiggle on a mag as it sits in the well.

I've always been hesitant to buy a gun I haven't handled before-hand.

Before you buy the rifle, quickly field strip it and check the receiver for rust. Every once in a while (though it's rare), someone will have built a rifle out of ye olde parts that may not have been given the full love they need (which isn't much).

Most any other problems are easily fixable.

[XD_Hokie]

OK, thanks for the information. Now, what is the deal the different flash hiders/ muzzle breaks, or what ever you want to call them. I see the slant and I see barrels with holes in the sides, etc. I know the idea is to hide the flash or reduce recoil, maybe, but not sure how that really accomplish this accept maybe letting some of the gases escape earlier than just when the round leaves the barrel. How does it reduce/hide the flash? I saw the thread on muzzle breaks / flash hiders, still do they work and should I care on my first AK? Kind of new a this as you can tell.

[EricCartmann]

AK sites are not that great but they are good enough for minute of man at 100 yards. Even the worse AK's such as WASR-10's are fun. My WASR-10 has major trigger slap, sloppy mag well, crooked front site, ugly finish, but the thing just shoots and shoots.

I also have a milled Arsenal that I am very attached to but Arsenal is no longer the best and their newer guns are getting reports of major qc problems on the AK forums.

If I were shopping for an AK right now I would get a Vector, reasonably price at $500 and very high quality.

[billbrasky]

Originally Posted by EricCartmann

AK sites are not that great but they are good enough for minute of man at 100 yards. Even the worse AK's such as WASR-10's are fun. My WASR-10 has major trigger slap, sloppy mag well, crooked front site, ugly finish, but the thing just shoots and shoots.

I also have a milled Arsenal that I am very attached to but Arsenal is no longer the best and their newer guns are getting reports of major qc problems on the AK forums.

If I were shopping for an AK right now I would get a Vector, reasonably price at $500 and very high quality.

glad you brought up the milled receivers. How much of a difference is there? I have only shot stamped AK's i am looking into the not too distant future to get atleast one, i might jump on a bubba'd one at a pawn shop or gun show if i get a deal. But AK is not huge priority, need FAL and AR first. I want to be educated so when i see the one i want i can wip out the cash and make her mine. I can't seem to find much on how much of a performance difference there is between milled and stamped (all other things being equal).

eric cartman if you could compare this bulgarian with 1.6mm reciever to stamped regular thickness of 1mm with the milled units.

Atlantic firearms - AR15 & AK47 rifles - Olympic arms at wholesale prices.

[bigjimcalhoun]

read this site
Romanian Kalashnikov Rifles

It shows how to identify "cant" of the gas tube and sights.

[EricCartmann]

My personal opinion is the milled recievers are more of novelty than anything. Pick one up and it is love at first site as you will notice the beautifel finish and detailed sculpted block. They say the milled recievers are also more accurate as there is less reciever flex. I can't confirm this because when I use my AK it is always with cheap combloc ammo and I never shoot for groups. A major negative about the milled recievers is they are are noticably heavier.

The thicker sheet metal AK's is basically the same concept as the milled; less flex, means more accuracy. I don't think either milled or 1.6mm will outlast a standard stamped AK. Also how accurate do you need an AK to be? I can hit man size targets @200 yards all day with both my wasr and arsenal using the stock sites. I thought about getting rails and adding a red dot to my AK's but then decided against it as the AK is what it is, a simple, light, reliable weapon.

The best AK is probably the Polytech Legend. Near match grade barrel and a Milled Reciever that is said to be even better than the Arsenal Milled Recievers. But these go for about $2000 now and there is no way in hell I am paying that much for one. Maybe if I was a investor and a collector I would as they will only go up in value, but I buy guns to use not as an investment or something to only look at.

Arsenal also quit making milled recievers, so if you want one expect to pay minimum $900. Any AK will do, but if you have the money nothing wrong with ponying up for more percieved accuracy or novelty item.