AK-47 Options; Availability and What to Buy

[miked]

Been awhile since I have paid much attention to the AK market. Was hoping that someone could update my understanding of the current AK recommendations and what retailers have current inventory. Would consider quality a priority but I don't think I need the best AK out there. Looking for best value in a good gun. Any info is appreciated.

[PAHUnter04]

Look at and trya an I.O. Inc. AK-47. Sweet Trigger, Accurate, and priced right.
 
PAHunter... The Head Hunter...

[Bugflipper]

PAHunter4, not a jab, glad to hear yours was a good one. They really aren't known for being "quality". They are known for providing hand picked quality samples. Then when the dealer makes his order, they send the real deal. Junk parts kits with enough US parts and receiver for the BATF to allow them to sale in America. They are assembled in America, but not made here. One foreign no-no part like a magazine makes them non 922r compliant. The tapco bodywork is making them appealing on the shelf. A lot of buzz online about them making Century look like a quality AK manufacturer. The name change was because they ruined the old one. Sounds like you got a sample gun, good for you.

[jlwilliams]

The Saigas are top notch Russian made guns.  If you want to convert them to the classic pistol grip configuration (much better ballance than the 'sporter') you have to shell out for 922 compliance parts.  Not the cheapest AK, but outstanding quality and you get a brand new factory gun not a rebuild of a shot out milsurp with an unknown round count down the pipe.
 
  I have one in 223 and it's the best shooting AK rifle I've ever shot. 

[PAHUnter04]

Hi Bugflipper:
 
Thanks for the advice. But mine was 1 out of 10 that were purchased. All were newly manufactured. If there were old slap together parts in them I couldn't see it. All 10 had GREAT Triggers. I did a review on mine on my website www.huntershut1.com check it out if you like.
 
I ran about 150 rounds through it of 7.62 X 39 mm 122 grain FMJ, steel cased, Tul Ammo. At 100 yards, open sights, I was getting 1.5 to 1.75 inch groups. To tell you the truth I was amazed. That's not to say they didn't pull a fast one before though.
 
A company called Parabellum Armament makes an adaptive rail system that replaces the top cover and has pic rails for a combat rifle sight or scope. Looks pretty cool. I think they are in the $129.00 mark for this accessory.
 
I don't know enough about I.O. as a company, only the 10 rifles that were purchased new from Wholesaler.
 
Regards PAH..

[Bugflipper]

Virtually every ak that is new on the shelf today is an assembled parts kit. There are exceptions like the custom manufacturers and converted saigas and the VEPRs. It is not to say that every parts kit with American receiver and barrel are automatically junk. There are just some companies known for their shadiness when it comes to AKs. Inter Ordnance/I.O. inc. is a step above Hesse/Blackthorne/Vulcan or whatever their current name is. Century International Arms is another very poor company. Arsenal Is a mediocre company. Their quality has picked up a bit over the last 5 years or so and they tend to be pretty reliable now, but not very accurate in general.


What you are describing is what I tried to convey. They do fine for a small order. When the guy likes the product and decides to make a large purchase problems tend to arise. BTW I don't doubt what you say about your particular rifle. It's good that you got one you are happy with. Wouldn't be good for a fellow to get stuck with a normal rifle they produce if he doesn't know what to look for.


For a brief rundown of inter ordnance. They started as an importer mainly dealing in mags and rifle kits. Later they started importing firearms. In 2005 the ATF busted them and took away their firearms license for importing and selling illegal kits. Next the ATF went door to door and confiscated the kits from the purchasers.
 They hide behind the 922r law to call their products 100% Made in the USA. They continually put out that they no longer manufacture kit guns. That their current line is 100% new. Yet folks are still finding worn parts inside the "new" rifles. Just do a quick search on the quality of I.O. inc., not much out there positive.

[Bugflipper]

Sorry for side tracking your thread a bit miked.
Current for the money quality imo would be http://www.classicfirearms.com/long-guns/romanian-wasr10 and http://www.classicfirearms.com/long-guns/polish-ak Neither are tack drivers, but they are reliable and of good quality.
Another option is a saiga and pay someone to convert it if you are not confident. Century actually does make a good saiga conversion. http://www.impactguns.com/saiga-762x39-2-30rd-mags-cent-ri1808-n.aspx Saigas and veprs are going to be the more accurate of what's currently available within a reasonable price. I think cz quit importing their vz 58 but it's also an accurate ak .


For quality mid range Arsenal is pretty well the standard. They are around $700 starting out. There are better but price starts getting pretty high.
 Of coarse there's always the used market as well. There have been plenty of good AKs in the past. The problem right now is there are more bad than good being sold new.

[PAHUnter04]

HI BF:
 
Again I thank you for the advice. That promo they are having for $499 seems like a good one. Any advice on that particular AK-47..??
 
Regards...PAH04

[SwampThing762]

With any AK, there are only two words you need to know: "forged receiver".   I am a former FFL holder, and I got many guns from Century Arms that looked like they were assembled by chimpanzees and spider monkeys.

Stay away from any stamped receiver as it is flimsy.    You can get a stock AK-47, and just upgrade it with better parts as you go. Personally, I prefer the AR-15 platform.    The biggest limitation to the AR-15 platform is the cartridge, specifically the bullet type.   Switch to an expanding bullet fromt eh standard FMJ and you are in business.

BTW, this is coming from a former 7.62mm junkie.

ST762

[Bugflipper]

I think it was 2007 or 2008 that Nato pressured Romania to quit making AKs for the US market, to allow them to join. Cugir was the best AK plant in Romania, they switched to making car parts when they got kicked out of the AK business. They had one last go at it and sold off all of their AK kits that were for the military. These were new kits, not salvaged, mixed parts from defective guns like a lot of kits on the market. Cugir was the main producer since they had modern machinery.
 A lot of WASR rifles have a bad name because they were put together by bad companies with used parts. This one has a US barrel, receiver and enough US parts to comply with 922r just like all other currently imported kit guns. What sets it apart is having all new Romanian parts and a Green Mountain barrel. Normally that would mean it's capable of 1" groups give or take. But military parts allow greater tolerances for debris and such. So you have a 2-3" group with good ammo. Not great, not terrible but it makes it more dependable. Truthfully though the dependability is not really an issue. Americans tend to keep their rifles somewhere they don't get rained on all the time and not use them as pry bars, hammers and so on. Odds are an average fellow couldn't get a tight tolerance AK style rifle like a vepr or saiga to fail with normal use, even if he neglected cleaning it for a few years.


BTW I've heard the milled receiver thing for years. All it amounts to is more weight and the first design. They made them in 1947, 12 years later they switched to stamped with the akm. Yes they are stronger, but how much strength is needed? Countless stories from US soldiers running them over with a tank, digging them out of the dirt and firing them. Hard surfaces would be different. But there is a video online of a land rover parking on one on a road, driving off of it, then being fired.