Hello all,
I am debating whether to undergo a fixed stock build.  I have only 1 NDS-3 and am thinking about either one of the ROMY Kits or one of these SA-85 Hungarian Kits.  Some of these SA-85 kits look close to brand spankin new (slight wear).  However many people seem to have at least one ROMY in their collection.  

Are the Hungarian rifles good quality?  They do cost slightly more then their Romy counterparts, but from what I have seen they look pretty sweet.  

Thanks,
~Dj

sa 85 all the way

i think they are one of the best quality aks you can buy

+1 On the SA85 build.  You can always add the Romy build to your collection later on down the road though.

What stands out as making the SA 85 better?

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Quoted: What stands out as making the SA 85 better?

My guess is that there are less machine marks on the SA85.  If this is the main difference then I'd personally call it "more refined" and not necessarily "higher quality".  Perhaps the quality of steel is also better on the Hungarian vs Romanian but I've yet to see any evidence of Romanian steel being sub par.  Not saying it isn't just that I've yet to see anyone post any evidence of it.  Any metalurgists on this board?  One example that I always hear is that the Polish kits are "higher quality" than the Romanians yet I've seen more than a few Polish barrels with flaking chrome and have never seen or heard about this with a Romanian.

i wont say anythang bad about the rommys
the rommy kits we are getting are nice (totaly diff from the rommy import guns)

Quoted: i wont say anythang bad about the rommys the rommy kits we are getting are nice (totaly diff from the rommy import guns)

Socandyman, I wasn't trying to diss anything you were saying, it's just that I hear it a lot how Romanian kits are less quality than others.  Usually, when I ask why, most folks just reply that they have less machining marks on them or maybe a canted sight.  I guess that "lower quality" could mean less refined workmanship and not neccessarily less material quality of the parts.  I do wish there was a metalurgist out there that could test and compare the steel in various AKs from different countries... that would be interesting to see.

i know

the hung parts are alot better fitting to eachother

like when you pull the slide back on a custom 1911
you can tell the quality just by the feel of the parts

any place other than centerfire to get a nice sa85 kit?

Quoted: any place other than centerfire to get a nice sa85 kit?

word, ditto....

Quoted: any place other than centerfire to get a nice sa85 kit?

I'm happy with the one I got from AKParts.  I haven't built the kit yet, but it'll clean up real nice.

By the way, what is an NDS-3?

NDS-3 is a North Dakota Spuds 100% receiver made by Dan Coonan.. I built my first build on one, and it works slick.. no problems whatsoever!!    Les

The NDS-3 according to Nodakspud, is a perfect fit for the Romanian.  All the trunion holes in mine line up perfectly and the receiver slides right in to the correct position in the trunions.

Socandyman, how do the SA-85's compare tothe M70AB's

Quoted: Socandyman, how do the SA-85's compare tothe M70AB's

As far as kits the Yugo 7.62 kits do not have chrome lined barrels which means some of them can be pretty rough. I have two that are so so. The hungarian kits and chrome lined and in much better shape. I personally think the Hungarian made Ak's are some of the nicest. The machine work is awesome and they have a nice black enamel finish. The Yugos are pretty bad ass though. Everything on them is heavy. They have the thicker receivers, grenade sites, nite sites and several other cool features. They have a blued finish that I like but is not as weather resistant as other finishes. My biggest concern with the Yugo kits is their condition. They vary from very good to poor as far as the ones I have seen. I guess Im just spoiled as far as the Hungarian kits that I have. All my Hungarian kits appear to be unfired and are mint. As far as choosing between a hungarian & romanian definately go with a Hungarian. Both are awesome kits but the hungarians are nicer in my opinion. Its kinda like comparing a Seiko to a Rolex. Both are nice watches and do the exact same thing but the Rolex is has the smoothness & precision that the Seiko is missing.

Who's got the AMD63 kits?

I picked up a couple of Hunky SA 85 kits from AKparts.com.  They were in good shape, a little rougher than described on their website.  Nice craftsmanship and fit on the Hungarians.  
I have also built up a few Romanian kits from different dealers.  A few looked unissued and all were in excellent condition.  For the price you can't go wrong with a Romo.
I suggest you just get both.  If you can only get one, the Hunky is a step above the Romo.