I am in search of info!

[TacticalSuperiority]

I have used AK's many many times, but I never got into the whole "owning" thing. I have never owned one, but i want to own one lol. I have a mini 14 but since i have seen the durability and power of the AK first hand, i am thinking about getting rid of my Mini14 to get an AK. i need somebody to tell me what i'm looking for. all of you guys know the names and such of each kind of AK variant and i dont. I am looking for the basic AK rifle. i have no idea what a WASR10 is. i may have used one but i didnt know anything past the fact that it was a Kalashnikov. can anybody help me?

[DrewArtist]

DON'T get rid of your Mini... Save up and do some more research on AK's and buy one and dozen mags for it, but don't go selling your Mini. There will be other forum members that will voice their opinion on what to look for in an AK.

[alaj70]

TacticalSuperiority,

Drew Artist is right...DON'T sell your Mini-14!!

Believe me; you'll be kicking yourself in the a$$ later if you do. Besides, you can get a decent AK-47, or AK-variant for a price tag that won't break the bank.

Personally, I went the Saiga rifle route (it's an AK-variant). But, here's the thing...it's made at the IZHMASH, which is the Russian arms factory where the legendary AK-47 was born. Essentially, the Saiga is a "sporterized" version of the AK-47 rifle.

I recently purchased my 7.62x39 Saiga for just under $400. Check out gunbroker.com for pricing. You'll find some good deals there, especially now...prices are falling.

Now, you can keep the Saiga in its "sporterized" configuration. Or, you can do what a lot of guys do...convert it back to the AK-47 configuration. That's what I did. It just takes a drill, a Dremel, and some patience.

If you're not up for that, and you just want to buy a "converted" Saiga, you might want to check out this recent thread:

http://www.perfectunion.com/vb/showthread.php?t=73906

For 5 C-notes, you're into a "converted" Saiga. Frankly, if I didn't like to tinker and do the work myself, I would go this route.

Anyway, once converted, the Saiga is essentially the same rifle as an AK-47...just with a different name tag. In fact, that is why many guys buy this rifle. And, with a little elbow grease and patience, you'll see why too.

Finally, just to reiterate DA's point...DON'T SELL YOUR MINI!

Just save up for a Saiga.

I hope this helps.

Cheers,

alaj70

[billdeserthills]

AK's are coming down in price right now. I would rather spend $500 on a new AK then have a converted saiga. You'll hafta decide if you want the plain jane AK w/ wood grips: RI 1166 same rifle with bayonet: RI 1188
Add Dragonov stock (has thumb hole grip) RI 1164
there are many others, AK 47 underfolder, AK 47 sidefolder (AMD 65)
I have seen (and sold) AK w/ collapsible stock, AK bulldog (magazine is behind trigger)

[camocorvette]

i dont have much advice for AK's since i am looking into getting one in 308WIN. BUT I will say this do not sell your mini. I WILL NEVER SELL ANOTHER FIREARM. once it is bought and paid for thats that. save up the extra cash and have both. just my 2 cents good luck

[alaj70]

You can get a Saiga .308 and convert it to the AK-config pretty easily.

Basically, what you wind-up with is an .3.08 Win / 7.62x51mm "AK" rifle.

Yes, it's "converted", but IMHO, this a great way to go!

Here's a really good example of what I mean:

http://perfectunion.com/vb/showthread.php?t=61869

A real nice looking rig!

Happy shooting, gang.

Cheers,

alaj70

[Boner Stallone]

As said AKs are beginning to come down in price a bit, and it seems that it all began after K-var dropped their prices.
If you are looking for a quality AK and have a bit over $500 to spend, order one of the SGL rifles from K-var immediately. Arsenal makes top quality stuff. These things normally cost much more, even before the obama madness. You really can not go wrong with one of these things.
http://www.k-var.com/shop/home.php?cat=353

[TacticalSuperiority]

Thank you guys alot, This helps me, I am gonna look into the Saiga Coversions and the Cheaper AK's. Thanks again guys

[DrewArtist]

Check out Classic Arms:
http://www.classicarms.us/

[TacticalSuperiority]

hey Drew thanks alot man. I think I am gonna be buying from that sight. I have another question, When it says I need an FFL to order, does it mean i have to get my FFL, or can i just have it sent to a dealer nearby? And if i can have it sent to a dealer nearby, do I need to get with the dealer and let him know i am having something sent to him?

[Boner Stallone]

You need to have it sent to your dealer or ffl holder who in turn has to send the distributor some info, for a fee. No need to get your own FFL.In my experience it is generally a good idea to let your dealer know about it before hand to avoid any potential hangups.
Nothing wrong with ordering what classic arms has, however i believe a lot of them are century builds and it is sort of a risk purchasing one without a chance to examine it. I still say that if you are gonna pay close to $400 or more for a romanian AK most likely built by century, which are considered by many to be the bottom of the AK barrel,you would be better off paying a bit more for one of the arsenal builds from k-var. They are in essence converted saigas, but word on the street they are some of the best AKs you can buy here in the U.S.

[TacticalSuperiority]

well that sounds like a plan to me. See i am very glad i asked becuase i didnt know about century AK's being the bottom of the barrel. maybe thats why they are going for $459.....another thing i wanted to ask is which is better, milled or stamped. In my work we never ask, we just do.............

[Boner Stallone]

Century built AKs used to go for sub $300 dollar prices before the madness. Realistically they should cost less, and far less than they are going for now.

Milled receivers are supposed to be better and more rare than stamped, there are pros and cons about both. You will be paying quite a bit for a milled receiver and in my opinion it would be more of a collector item.
If this is going to be your initial foray into the world of AK ownership i would recommend just getting a fairly priced blaster that you can abuse and F up without worrying about your investment. Just about any stamped AK will fit that description however you want to get a quality build made with quality components.

[DrewArtist]

Originally Posted by TacticalSuperiority

hey Drew thanks alot man. I think I am gonna be buying from that sight. I have another question, When it says I need an FFL to order, does it mean i have to get my FFL, or can i just have it sent to a dealer nearby? And if i can have it sent to a dealer nearby, do I need to get with the dealer and let him know i am having something sent to him?

Your welcome... I just got back from my local shop and they have Romanian WASR10 for $350, almost bit on it. I have 150 rounds of 30.06 that I might take down and see what I can get out of it.

If you place an order from Classic Arms, all you will need to do is call them and place the order. Then go to your local shop that does transfers and have them fax or e-mail their information to Classic Arms. Make sure to shop around on transfer fee prices. Each shop charges different amounts. Typically $25 is a normal transfer fee. You might get lucky and find one that is less.

If you are just looking for something to play around and burn powder for Sh*ts & giggles then I would go with a basic AK. You can always upgrade or buy another one when you done more research and know what a good deal is. I own a MAK90 but I want another AK just to chew up Russian ammo when i am at the farm messing around and not get stressed about getting it dirty.

[TacticalSuperiority]

Well, I have chewed up enough ammo with these weapons that I dont really need it to get used to them. I just want one that i can carry around with me in the woods and patrolling. BTW i have decided to keep my mini and just save up for the AK. I am not worried about tearing this weapon up. If it gets torn up, then it did what it was supposed to when i needed it. So a stamped receiver AK will do just fine. I just want it to work when it needs to work. Thanks again guys for all the help. When i get mine i will be sure to Post pics of it in the gallery.

[phreakshew]

Take a look at a Romanian SAR-1. All around good, reliable, mid-priced, sooper dooper shooter. Assembled in U.S. from mostly Romanian parts. Accepts all hi cap mags. http://www.ak-47.net/ak47/sar-1.html

Here is a short comparison of Saiga vs. SAR-1: http://www.ak-47.us/Saiga_SAR-1.php

[alaj70]

Originally Posted by TacticalSuperiority

Well, I have chewed up enough ammo with these weapons that I dont really need it to get used to them. I just want one that i can carry around with me in the woods and patrolling. BTW i have decided to keep my mini and just save up for the AK. I am not worried about tearing this weapon up. If it gets torn up, then it did what it was supposed to when i needed it. So a stamped receiver AK will do just fine. I just want it to work when it needs to work. Thanks again guys for all the help. When i get mine i will be sure to Post pics of it in the gallery.

TS,

It sounds like you're simply looking for something to lug around and do its job, when called upon.

Frankly speaking, you've chosen one of the best firearms for the job. In short, the AK-47 is probably one of the most reliable firearms, in the history of firearms. In fact, this is THE reason I started to look at the AK platform myself.

Don't get me wrong; I love my Mini's, my AR's, and my M1A's, but if the SHTF, and I knew I wouldn't be able to clean my firearm for days, weeks or months, I'd most likely be grabbing for my converted Saiga rifle.

Now, assuming you're going with the standard 7.62x39 round, you're going to lose some mid-to-long range capabilities. But, if you're looking to defend yourself from goblins within 100 meters, this round will do the job. And, it will put a "hurt" on anything that it hits.

Anyway, I'd still recommend checking out the converted Saiga's that K-Var is offering right not for 5 C-notes. It's Russian, made in the same factory the AK-47 was first produced in, it's got a chrome-lined barrel, and K-Var states that it, "Accepts any standard AK-47 Double Stack Mil. Spec. Magazine."

In short, you'll be getting the next best thing to a Russian AK-47.

Trust me; if I didn't already have my war chest stocked with an ample supply, I'd probably look to this particular deal myself.

Again, if you're just looking to find a good "mud gun" that works when you need it, you'll probably be fine with anything you can get your hands on for a decent price.

Anyway, good luck! And let's see some pics when you have the rifle in-hand.

Happy shooting!

~ alaj70

[Boner Stallone]

I agree with alaj70. Just about anything will serve the purpose you intend but your best bet would be to get converted saiga from k-var. If you do decide to pick up a wasr or anything built by century arms, keep in mind the pitfalls of buying a century ak such as canted sights, mag wells not cut properly, ect.

I ran into a guy at the range over the weekend who had just picked up a century wasr from a gun show that came with a few tapco mags. We got on the subject of quality mags and i threw him a few circle 10's to try out but they would not fit in the mag well at all, not even half way. Aside from that it was a great shooter.

[Sarge45]

You owe it to yourself to look at a Yugo M70AB1 or Yugo M70AB2. These are very nice guns for cheap.