Author Topic: AK-47's are they good for anything but fun for the average american shooter? (Read 1355 times)

lukewiersma2007 · « **on:** January 21, 2008, 09:38:40 AM »

i have a romainian Ak-47 variant...i use it mainly for going out to the dirt pile a rattling off a clip or two for the fun of it. i know the AK is argualby one of the greatest battle implements ever devised but are there any legitimate hunting uses for the AK or is it mainly just used for shooting around in the US?

PartsMan · « **Reply #1 on:** January 21, 2008, 10:26:29 AM »

I don't know about AKs but I have buddies that hunt coyotes with SKSs.

We raise cattle around here so we are controlling the population not saving fur.
That quick follow up shot or 9 is nice to have.

With hunting ammo (not FMJ) a 7.62x39 will kill a deer just fine at closer ranges.

PS check that you are using a legal size magazine for your area.

R.W.Dale · « **Reply #2 on:** January 21, 2008, 12:31:21 PM »

A Long gun firing 7.62x39 can be used in any situation where you would use a Marlin or Winchester 30-30

I've owned both and extensively tested both cartridges and there is literally NO difference in what they can do

phalanx · « **Reply #3 on:** January 21, 2008, 01:12:35 PM »

Partsman is right , and so is Krochus .
The 30 30 can use the heaver bullets though.
AKs are not my favorite gun ,but i own one , it is fun to shoot, accurate ,reliable ,and cheap .
I live in the country ,and i had a cougar kill one of my dogs one night ,now if i hear something like i did that night ,i grab the AK , it is my semi auto 30 30 i guess .
I have had to use it on a rabid Badger ,a Ferrel Hog , and numerous snakes .
So then again i am not going to bad mouth it eaither.

Mikey · « **Reply #4 on:** January 22, 2008, 01:59:30 AM »

Either the Kalashnikov or Siminov actions in the 7.62x39mm have a number of applications. You can hunt with it - the caliber is effective on critters the size of Whitetail and small hog. It is on the lower power end of the 30-30. Not a long range varmit rifle but it is satisfactory at closer ranges.

You can plink with it - it is a lot of fun.

You can defend yourself, your family and your home with it - it is one of the most effective battle rifles ever known.

What else do you need??? Mikey.

1911crazy · « **Reply #5 on:** January 22, 2008, 07:40:43 AM »

If you want a very accurate ak47 i'd get a russian izhmash saiga in .223 or 308. These babies can shoot if you do your part. My chinese norinco sks can also hang right in there with 100 yd accuracy too. Beyond that the saiga kicks butt. I have never seen anything thats semi auto spit out the 308 round as fast as the saiga does and its flawless ak47 action proves that. I'm new to the ak47 too. I was never interested in the ak47 until i seen the brand new russian izhmash saiga.

We've always been too busy shooting empty soda cans, just blasting away at them with our sks's. We never thought about them being accurate until we started to benchrest them. They say the pinned barreled sks is more accurate than the screwed in barrel. This brings up the point is the ak47 just as accurate as the sks is? Has anyone ever took the time to benchrest the ak47?

phalanx · « **Reply #6 on:** January 22, 2008, 02:02:36 PM »

Bill ,i have to admit i am an H&K fan ,but the AK i have is a Russian ,tweaked a little from the factory ,and will shoot a 1 ,1/2 group at 100 yards all day.
It makes me sick to have to say this ,but it does.
Never fails , never jams.
For years we were told these lies.
Russians are stupid ,but they have more PHDs than we do.
The Women are fat and ugly , but i think we all know that is wrong.
Their equipment is junk ,that is very wrong , i have clocks from Soviet Submarines that keep better time than anything else i have.
It is a good thing we never had to meet them in Combat ,if our guys had gone in there thinking this ,,,,it would have been bad.

Oldtimer · « **Reply #7 on:** January 22, 2008, 03:53:51 PM »

A farmer in the area was having problems with deer in his soybeans. so a friend of mine lent him an AK, because the guy had killed 40 deer in one night with a bolt action and wore his arm out. We are talking pest control, not hunting, and the man had a damage permit to take the deer. The next week, he took another 40 deer, and it was a lot easier using the AK. The only addition to the rifle was a scope. That farmer is a real believer in AK's now. I hate to think of what his crop losses must have been.

Avyctes · « **Reply #8 on:** January 23, 2008, 09:22:03 AM »

I quit hunting years ago and just reverted to collecting and shooting, so if it don't have 'fun' going for it, it don't have much going for it in my book. And my AK is tons of fun. But, as far as other uses, as others have observed the round is a very capable one, was designed to kill a man sized target, which it will readily do, and should have no problem being used for hunting (watch your mag capacity) or self defense. I also agree with statements above that the AK is definitely more accurate than it's given credit for. My AK at the range has certainly turned some heads of other shooters who watched me punching the center out of targets who would jokingly make comments like 'I thought those things weren't supposed to be very accurate' etc. I'd just tell them 'Yeah, that's what I keep hearing', and then I'd just keep flinging lead down the firing range.

navylawdog · « **Reply #9 on:** January 23, 2008, 12:56:39 PM »

Quote from: Avyctes on January 23, 2008, 09:22:03 AM

I quit hunting years ago and just reverted to collecting and shooting, so if it don't have 'fun' going for it, it don't have much going for it in my book. And my AK is tons of fun. But, as far as other uses, as others have observed the round is a very capable one, was designed to kill a man sized target, which it will readily do, and should have no problem being used for hunting (watch your mag capacity) or self defense. I also agree with statements above that the AK is definitely more accurate than it's given credit for. My AK at the range has certainly turned some heads of other shooters who watched me punching the center out of targets who would jokingly make comments like 'I thought those things weren't supposed to be very accurate' etc. I'd just tell them 'Yeah, that's what I keep hearing', and then I'd just keep flinging lead down the firing range.

That's what I like to see. A man who is not afraid to make people wonder to themselves if they had really just witnessed that and then leave them to ponder on it some more. Good shooting! And welcome to GBO the greatest gun forum on the web!

Navylawdog

phalanx · « **Reply #10 on:** January 23, 2008, 04:17:15 PM »

OK ,my AK is a tack driver ,Gag.
It always works ,Gag.
It can handle the desert ,Gag.

Commie gun ,ARRRRRR.

mcwoodduck · « **Reply #11 on:** January 23, 2008, 07:01:24 PM »

I purchased a Chinese Varmint model with a folding bipod. I removed the bipod and used it in a High power Military rifle match my club puts on monthly (DCM shoot) If you want to get into the target shooting it's a good rifle to start with and see what others are shooting. It was also good for the bowling pins as the big bullet knocked over the pins while the 223's zinged through and didn't always dump the pin over. The best pin rounds were the plastic practice ammo rounds that were copper jacketed. Bullets knocked over the pin and no recoil.
It is accurate enough but I purchased an AR 15A2 and my scores jumped.
It is a fun gun. I took one of my friends kids out to the range and let him shoot it and my AR. He hit everything with the AR and 2 out of 3 with the AK especially out past 200 yards. When he was done with his second mag he went back to the AR and shot it till I ran out of ammo for it.

corbanzo · « **Reply #12 on:** January 24, 2008, 11:05:07 AM »

Yeah... mine is also the romanian derivative... and it's not the best shooter. At short ranges, I would think of taking small animals with it... but really have no reason to. I own a .30-06, which makes my AK pretty much completely obsolete for my hunting applications.

Sure is fun though!!! I was actually thinking about getting rid of it, then I thought, man I've had some good times with this gun, so why go and do a thing like that? I don't think that it will ever be used for hunting. If I had an application such as above with deer or hog control, then a good lever action .30-30 would probably be my choice. There are some 7.62x39's which would be good for hunting, but I don't think the inherent accuracy of the AK-47 makes it a great choice for me.

1911crazy · « **Reply #13 on:** January 24, 2008, 01:32:01 PM »

I really like my 338winmag for hunting but the saiga's in 308 and in 223 are growing on me. There light with the 16" barrels plus very accurate too. They also offer a saiga in 30-06 too now. I been hoping to see the saiga line expand into the larger magnum calibers too. They will have to super size the ak47 acition just a little but they did it for the 12ga anyhoo.

Chuck White · « **Reply #14 on:** February 06, 2008, 03:22:39 AM »

Are you guys talking about the MAK-90 or the actual (full auto) AK-47?

I have a MAK-90 that was made in China.
It is still unfired (with the exception of factory tests) and has a thumb-hole stock.
I picked up some Wolf brand ammo (123 gr hp) a while ago and just haven't been able to get out and try it out!
What kind of accuracy could I expect from this rifle?

mcwoodduck · « **Reply #15 on:** February 06, 2008, 09:12:19 AM »

I'm talking about the semi auto version. Some my may have full auto versions.
With the wolf ammo. You will have about 3 to 4" groups at 100 yards.
Just what the rifle was designed to do.
Accurate enough but not a tack driver.

Chuck White · « **Reply #16 on:** February 06, 2008, 12:27:06 PM »

Thanks for the reply mcwoodduck.

I agree with you, 3-4 inch group at 100 yards isn't bad for a rifle such as the MAK.

The price of ammo has gone up though.
Last time I bought ammo for the other MAK that I had, it was around $2.50/20 and now it's $5.90/20 at the same store!
But they are a lot of fun to shoot.

GRIMJIM · « **Reply #17 on:** February 06, 2008, 03:17:55 PM »

That's what I said when a friend asked me why I own an ak 47. The simple fact is they're fun to shoot. They're not super accurate, they're not beautiful (they are in their own way) pieces of art like a nice S&W revolver, they're just fun. Then he tried to give me the old "you don't need an assault weapon, a regular rifle is good enough" So I asked him why he wanted a corvette "you don't need to drive that fast, a yugo is good enough." I don't think he'll ever agree with my logic though.

Ammo is getting more expensive, 2 years ago I got 1200 rounds of 7.62 x 39 delivered to my door for $99.00. DELIVERED! Ammoman had a special at the time. You can't find prices like that anymore.

corbanzo · « **Reply #18 on:** February 06, 2008, 05:12:38 PM »

The variant we are talking about is the WASR10, not the mak 90.

There really isn't a whiole lot of difference between the semi auto and the full auto in the first place... one little piece of metal catching the top if the trigger is all it is....

lukewiersma2007 · « **Reply #19 on:** February 06, 2008, 05:27:29 PM »

yeah the variant i have is a WASR10 but i agree it is very similar to the MAK90 but i like the WASR10 better because i dont like the thumbhole stock of the MAK90....and i agree i am truly dissapointed that the price of ammo has skyrocketed

Mikey · « **Reply #20 on:** February 07, 2008, 02:20:38 AM »

Chuck White - you're right, 3-4" at 100m is about standard for the standard length AK with a 16.5" bbl. Most SKSs shoot even better than that with their longer bbls.

I have one of the NHM-91s, a Norinco Hunting Model, that came across the water with one of those horrendous thumbhole stocks, a overly fattened forend and a folding bi-pod. All that is gone now. The funriture is replaced with standard AK wood and the barrel now wears a flash hider that gives it an extra long appearance. I think it looks kool, and shoots one heck of a lot better than most would imagine. I regularly get 2-2.5" groups at 100 yds with a number of different brands of ammo.

Most AK variants I am aware of will readily swap to standard AK furniture. This makes it so much handier in the woods. There are times when I have stood and looked at the cabinet to see which rifle I am bringing with me to the woods - the AK, one of my 30-30s or my 444Timber Carbine. Most often it is the AK.

GRIMJIM - how about a Remington 7400 or the newer models instead of the AK for that friend of yours. You can find aftermarket 10 round mags for it and you wouldn't have to use that piddlin' little AK round, ya'll could go to 308 or 30-06. And you're right, he doesn't need a Corvette, a Yugo will suffice under the same reasoning he uses for your rifles. Unfortunately, people like that never listen to reason. Heck, you can always say that you will trade off your AK for a 7400 if he will pull 4 of his 8 plug wires - doesn't that man ever consider the size of the carbon footprint he leaves with that Vette??? My Gawd Man, is he a hypocrite?? Just askin'. Mikey.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #21 on:** February 07, 2008, 03:30:56 AM »

are American shooters that much different ? the AK type rifles have supplied the needs of shooters world wide for decades now !