User Panel
Posted: 8/13/2005 2:40:39 AM EDT
What is the advantage to building your AK from a parts kit? You can pick up a WSAR for $320 so building one can't save much money. Are WSAR's crap and a home built one is better? I don't understand.
Kevin |
|
well its alittle cheaper not alot
but alot of the rifles we build cant be had any other way like the polish uf's they where never imported you can buy 1 someone else has put together but it was built from a kit that and for alot of us its a great hobbie some people build model cars/planes i build assult rifles |
|
|
It's kinda like building models as a kid.
Sure you could go out and buy a plastic airplane/car/ship etc, or buy a model kit and build it yourself. Which is going to give you more satisfaction? As far as I'm concerned, cost has nothing to do with it. |
|
From reading here, WASR quality is spotty, some run, some don't. I never could stand the crappy engraving on the side of the receiver.
|
|
Building from a parts kit is the way to go if you want the experience of building a gun from almost scratch.
The Romanian stuff seems to be of a lower quality. I would go with a Saigas (If you can find one cheap enough) as the base for a pre-built conversion. |
|
Cost has a great deal to do with it in my case. I can build a Romy in a legal configuration for about $225. And get it exactly the way I want it. That leaves me another $100 for a case of ammo to shoot thru it. (comparing to the WASR)
The issue about 'thats the only way you can get it' is very true as well. The WASR is neutered on importation. The mag wells are reamed out to accept normal mags, but you still don't have threaded muzzles or lugs. Looks like the most recent 5.45 and 5.56 WASR's don't have dimples from the pics I have seen. So it's not a question of "why", but rather "why not", The general rule is that the rifle is worth about double what I can build it for. Immediate 'profit' if I 'have to' sell. Initial investment in tooling may offset some of that but what other hobby allows you to recoupe your money as soon as you finish? NONE! Although the drawback is you spend way too much time hunting for new kits, new parts, specific parts and looking at this little box sitting on my desk. YMMV |
|
+1 Exactly right! |
|
|
I do it because it is simply fun for me. The guys here helped me a lot and I hope I returned some of that help to others. I've already built too many and am going to build some more!
|
|
Cause it's imposible to build without one.. |
|
|
there are a ton of reasons. i like guns, and part of guns to me is taking them apart, cleaning them, fiddling with them in whatever way i can. as a natural step i enjoy taking the "fiddling with them" a bit further by actually making them. its kind of fun to have something you made yourself in the same way that its fun to make your own computer.
it saves you money and you can make it your own, not to mention, you always learn more about whatever when you do it yourself than when you just buy it. all in all- because guns are fun. |
|
Yep, that is a TRUE statement! |
|
|
I just picked up a bulgy AK-74 kit, amazing condition. It's cool to build guns, I've built a number of ARs and the 74 is my first AK. My buddy has built a couple and the quality is better than an AK I have seen offered on the market.
It is an addiction. |
|
my total in my romy is 180 including tapco flat, 20 round mag, shipping and gas to go use somebodys press and jigs. the fun involved priceless
|
|
|
Because it's sooooo much fun being a gun nut! And I love the look I get from the wife when she sees the credit card statement.
|
|
What do you mean a WASR isnt the real thing? I'm relatively new to the whole AK thing and I am slowly gaining knowledge. Do youmean that a WASR is an AK clone and therefore inferior? Maybe I'm being a lil sensitive here but my WASR looks real to me. It feels real to me and I think it shoots real 7.62 X 39 bullets. The targets I hit with it have real holes in them. What makes a WASR not real? Im not bashing the guys who build from kits and I hope to one day join the kit builders ranks b4 theyre ALL banned but I think the above quoted statement is just wrong. My WASR is very real. Please to explain. |
|
|
It's not genuine military issue. It's made for the commercial market to be sold to civilians. Kit guns are demilled machine guns that could have seen action. Do you really think they meant WASRs are make believe??! |
||
|
The biggest drawback to building from a kit is- as I understand it - is you can never legally sell the gun. It is to be for personal use only. Which essentially makes the firearm worthless. Course I’m new around here – maybe I got it wrong? |
|
Aceface, it's my understanding that only applies if you build from a receiver flat.... since flats don't have a registered SN. I think as long as you use a 100% receiver (like a Global, Ewbanks, OOW, etc) it's fine to sell so long as you aren't selling too many of them. Maybe I'm wrong about this. |
|
|
well if you buy a 100 % receiver you can sell it anytime and as many as you want, because they are a registered SN gun. if you build it from flats you cant make it with the purpose of selling it, but lets say you make and 5 years latter you want to sell it, go for it. but as for how many you can do there are lots of different things that get said, as a safe rule i like the number that i heard that you cant make more than 1 per month ( not a legal rule justr safty ) now how many of those could you sell. that is depending if you want to find out the hard way
|
|
The main draw back to the WASR's is that they were built for single stack 10 round mags. All the ones modified to accept double stack mags by the Century monkeys are hit or miss as far as mag fit and reliability of feeding, since a lot of them do not have a bullet guide. |
|
|
Highlighted part in red is why I spend 400$ on kits when I could have a completed rifle and mags. |
|||
|
I'm not going to bash WASR's because if that's all you can afford/get, then it's better than nothing. BUT, as mentioned before these are modified single stack guns and are were made for the 1994 gun ban. Just because they now hold 30 round mags, IMO they do not have the same flavor as a genuine military-style AK. Kind of like a teenager who dresses up as a war hero and tries to memorize a bunch of stories to convince people that he's the real thing. He looks like a war hero from a distance, but upon further inspection..... Don't make a big deal out of it though. The WASR's shoot the same bullets. |
||
|
The WSAR is a good rifle. If you are only going to get one AK rifle, than I'd say buy one.
But I look at building them as very rewarding hobby. You can build it yourself and save money, even though money is not the object for me. I've built two Romanians for under $230 each. You can also have rifles that would be cost prohibitive to buy, such as my Russian AKM. Lots of good reasons to build. |
|
After lots of reading I got myself a few of the $100 Romy kits floating around. And I'm looking at getting a couple Krink kits. Should be mucho fun building and I now understand I will end up with much nicer rifles.
Thanks, Kevin |
|
At the same time if you already have a WASR, with a little work you can make it look much nicer with just a bit of work and very little cost. But as they come the finishing is about as fast and cheap as they can make it. Not a state I'd want to take it into the field for an extended period in.
|
|
Why couldn't you claim that you sold it in a FTF transaction? |
|
|
|
||
|
The thing about it is that people sell guns FTF all the time. The ATF can have at it looking for the ones I've sold FTF over the years/decades because I don't have them anymore nor do I know who has them anymore. |
|||
|
Sign up for the ARFCOM weekly newsletter and be entered to win a free ARFCOM membership. One new winner* is announced every week!
You will receive an email every Friday morning featuring the latest chatter from the hottest topics, breaking news surrounding legislation, as well as exclusive deals only available to ARFCOM email subscribers.
AR15.COM is the world's largest firearm community and is a gathering place for firearm enthusiasts of all types.
From hunters and military members, to competition shooters and general firearm enthusiasts, we welcome anyone who values and respects the way of the firearm.
Subscribe to our monthly Newsletter to receive firearm news, product discounts from your favorite Industry Partners, and more.
Copyright © 1996-2024 AR15.COM LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Any use of this content without express written consent is prohibited.
AR15.Com reserves the right to overwrite or replace any affiliate, commercial, or monetizable links, posted by users, with our own.