[TEXAS SOLFTAIL]

What is the better AK-47'S that are still on the market & witch ones do you want to stay away from?

 

[EricCartmann]

Though technically not an AK, the CZ's from Aim are of excellent quality. Milled reciever and also quite a value at $800.

For stamped AK's, Right now I would say the Bulgarians from Atlantic Firearms looks to be a great rifle.

 

[Guest]

Eric, I've been eyeballing those CZ's, how Is it shooting for you? can you get spare mags for it?

 

[EricCartmann]

actually i am eyeing one out too. I have only held one and never shot it.

 

[MickeyC]

If my memory serves it's striker fired and reasonably accurate with optics but the magazines are not compatible with the AK family. It's been a long time since I instructed soviet small arms.

 

[EricCartmann]

... It's been a long time since I instructed soviet small arms.

Yeah back in the days when I trained the KGB and British SAS, the CZ's were common.... [then i woke up]* ;D

 

[gunner69]

Expensive as hell, but the Krebs 03S is a real winner. The Bulgarians, Russians, and Yugos are good too. :2cents:

I will put my Krebs up against any AK made anywhere. It is superior.... but you are going to pay when buying one. It has the Galil style safety at the left grip where needed, and no "KLACK" when the safety is moved from safe to fire. It also has the rear sight on the enhanced tightened cover, and is A2 style. Russian made and American improved. The trigger will bring tears to your eyes. If you are close to Alabama you can shoot mine and decide for yourself. You get what you pay for. :2cents: :deadhorse: :thanks: :fencing: :toast: :sniper:

 

[va_plinker]

Classic Arms has yugos $450 -$480

I don't know. Any deals there?
http://www.classicarms.us

 

[TerraShrewsbury]

George - you've piqued my interest. Are those any good?

 

[EricCartmann]

i heard yugo's are not chrome lined barrels. even cheap $300 romanians have chrome lined barrels. Yugo's are good but I heard Polish is #1, and Hungarian is also up there close to it. I am sure it really does not matter as they are all AK's and all will be balls reliable.

i myself have a milled Bulgarian Arsenal and a cheap Romanian WASR10. The Arsenal is more accurate, but the WASR is just as reliable. The finish on the WASR is atrocious at best, the Arsenal is a milled piece of jewelry. but at the end of the day they both go bang just like all AK's do.

 

[gunner69]

My neighbor bought the Weiger style AK with the Romanian receiver. Surprisingly, the receiver is BETTER than the run of the mill Romanian based AK. Shoots pretty good too for a "cheap" AK based weapon. I like the stock improvement and receiver mount for scope mounting, trigger is improved too. A cheap thought. :2cents:

 

[badman400]

The STG-2000 (imported and coverted to the Weiger design by Inter Ordnance), is said to be a more accurate AK-47. And still a good buy at $470 retail. See the Feb. 2008 issue of Guns And Ammo magazine (p. 74).

My friendly neighborhood gun runner had one of these on the rack a few weeks ago. I handled it and liked the weight and balance a lot! Before I could decide to go back and buy it a few days later, it was gone.

A man can always use another AK. I will probably add at least one of these to my collection. 8)

 

[gunner69]

Another plus on the Weiger is the choice of 5.56 (.223) or 7.62x39. :2cents:

 

[va_plinker]

STG is $380 at Atlantic

 

[gunner69]

Good post VA. Note the better A2 flash hider. All drums/mags for the 7.62x39 fit. Good cheap AK....... but I like my Krebs for THREE TIMES MORE! :duh: >

 

[DARIVS ARCHITECTVS]

Of all the AK's I've shot, the most consistent and accurate is the Chinese Polytech Legend AK-47S. It has a match grade barrel and milled receiver with excellent finish work. Of course, it also has a match grade price: $1750 new and $1100 used. Part of the huge price is the fact that they were banned by import by Bill Clinton after the Chinese tried to smuggle 2000 full auto guns into California and were busted by the ATF. After that, the price skyrocketed. If you want a decent AK for a much better price, the Yugoslavian AK's are hot right now since their sheetmetal reciever is very thick and almost as stiff as a milled reciever. Also, a great bang for the buck AK is one of those from Arsenal of Las Vegas, who makes US/Bulgarian style AK's, which sometimes are less accurate, but frequently absolute tack drivers. Very few lemons there. My old Arsenal SAM-7 AK had to have it's front sight moved almost all the way to the left side to shoot straight, and was a good shooter, but not nearly as consistent as the Polytech Legend. Most people go cheap, and grab a crappy WASR 10 Romanian, since they don't notice much loss of accuracy since most plink at 50-60 yards. I plink at 150 yards with the Legend. Yes, the rifle I got IS THAT GOOD with open sights. (I like scaring the M-4 AR shooters by doing that.) I have heard of Polytechs that don't shoot as straight, but paying a steep price for better quality control improves your odds of buying a tack driver. Another fun cheap AK, but hard to find now, is the SAR1 Romanian. And, at near the top of the range of quality and almost as pricey as the Polytechs, are the AK variants like VEPR's. You gotta select the AK for your pocketbook and accuracy expectations. Basically, you get what you pay for.

 

[EricCartmann]

I had a SAR-1 before I even knew they were more valuble than a WASR. I bought my SAR for $350 and sold it for $400 and picked up a WASR for $350 with slant muzzle break and all the accessories... yes I was idiot!

SAR-1's are also not that much different than a WASR, other than the fact the sites are straight and they got the dimples (so no mag wobble), but they still have horrible finish's and crappy balsa wood for furniture.

You sound like you had experience with all of them.

1) What do you think of Maadi's? I remember about 15 years ago they were really the only AK's available.

2) How about Vectors? I heard Vector uses Polish parts kits and they are of high quality.

3) How about Lancasters? They are new in the game and they also seem to use the thicker sheet metal for stamped recievers.

4) I have heard the legend of the Poly Legend. When you say match grade barrel, are they all like that? Same quality as say a Kreiger?

5) I have heard the new stamp Arsenals are having issues. Is this true? An AK having issues? I myself got a milled AK and let me tell you, it is one awesome shooter. Would you say the Poly Legend reciever is of the same quality?

Thanks for your post and I find it dead on with what I have heard.

 

[MickeyC]

Eric, my old saussage jockey. This one's for you.

Not only have I been there, I even have the scars and broken bones to prove it. You'll have to excuse the quality of the picture, it's pre-digital, been awhile.

 

[EricCartmann]

so am I allowed to post cool pictures of my Army days too? How about my motorcyle racing days?

 

[Carl AMG]

Of all the AK's I've shot, the most consistent and accurate is the Chinese Polytech Legend AK-47S. It has a match grade barrel and milled receiver with excellent finish work. Of course, it also has a match grade price: 50 new and 00 used. Part of the huge price is the fact that they were banned by import by Bill Clinton after the Chinese tried to smuggle 2000 full auto guns into California and were busted by the ATF. After that, the price skyrocketed.

I have a Polytech AK-47S pre-ban model I bought brand new in 1987 or so. It is the fixed stock, dark furniture milled receiver model with the short barrel as opposed to the National Match long barrel version. IIRC I paid under $500 for it, again, brand new. The model I have was designed to replicate the Vietnam era AK-47 in terms of the furniture, bayonet, flash hider, etc. It has been an excellent AK and I still really enjoy shooting it. It has NEVER had any malfunction of any kind.

I know it sounds like I was brilliant to buy it at the time (maybe not) but I haven't mentioned that I chose it over a Steyr AUG semi-automatic with the green furniture. The price for the AUG at the time was right around $1,000. At the time the AUG just seemed to expensive. :duh: