All,

This is my first post here. I've only owned guns for about a year but I've decided to add an assault rifle to my collection (4 longs and one handgun). I was planning on buying or building an AR-15 style weapon until yesterday when a colleague put the idea of buying an AK in my head.

My main concern is cost since I have a laundry list of guns I'd like to buy PLUS class and registration fees for both my wife and myself for CCW. So, I'm tryin to balance quality/utility and out-of-pocket price.

Any ideas?

V/R,
Tom

I don't know about all that registration stuff. I live in a free state where you can get an AR15 at Walmart along with a gallon of milk and a box of rubbers. First off as far as cost goes it never ends. There is always another accessory another mag another piece of gear another upgrade etc that can be bought. My suggestion would be to go to a range and rent an AK and an AR and get some familiarity. One thing you will discover is that neither is an assault weapon. They are just rifles with detachable magazines. After you have an idea what you want go shopping and do some pricing. I don't know what is still legal in your state. You might not have many options anyway.

Welcome to the site.

Just as when firearms enthusiasts become addled when a noob or Fudd says "clip" in place of "magazine" (they aren't the same thing), so to is the term "Assault Rifle" a very specific definition that you should be aware of.

An "Assault Rifle" is defined as being capable of select-fire (like 3-round burst or full-auto in addition to semi-auto and safe).

If that is not the type of firearm you are talking about, I encourage you to use the term "military-pattern rifle/carbine", "semi-automatic rifle/carbine", "Home-defense rifle/carbine", or even () "modern sporting rifle/carbine". Using the proper terms will ensure that you get the best advice and there are many here who are awfully finicky about this type of thing.

I appreciate the feedback. I moved from the DC region to Colorado Springs a little over a year ago and have been schooled by peers about guns. The vocabulary you're suggesting is new to me, so I'll do some research and see to it that I'm clearer in my posts.

In the mean time, with regard to my first post, do you have any advice? I want to learn and I'm looking for a place to start.

Merry Christmas,
Tom

Tom, start with this thread...LINK

Welcome to an awesome site!!  

There is a lot of useful information available here and a lot of knowledgeable people to help you with your questions.

As stated above, please don't say "assault rifle", that's not what AR stands for, and certainly not what AK stands for, its a made up term that makes guns sound bad.

I think you would really enjoy adding an ak or an ar to your collection, but what kind of shooting do you like?

If you want to hold tight ass groups on paper at 100+ yrds perhaps an ar is what you are after

If you enjoy blasting off a few mags and turning a tree stump into splinters, maybe an ak would fit you well.

Price of gun, use of gun and price of ammo are all factors you should consider.

Have fun be safe

Hello mate and welcome to one of the best firearm sites on the web. Seems like we covered the assault rifle bit thoroughly so I'll skip to information

Unfortunately questions like "What kind of gun should I buy?" is like "what sort of vehicle should I buy?". We need more information to give you the best answer our collective minds can give you.
Tell us information like: your intended use, what you're ready to spend on the gun, what you're ready to spend on ammo, do you want optics?, etc. The more info you give us the better we can help generally.

I can tell you that my AK is a range toy, I shoot it whenever I go shooting my rifles. But it would not be my first choice for home defense because I have a shotgun which is better suited for that task IMO. I drive a motorcycle 95% of the time, so I don't need a trunk gun. Mine is used for pure entertainment rather than utility. But one can easily adapt it to almost any purpose. Hope this helps you Tom.

Mike