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Posted: 6/9/2010 5:41:30 AM EDT
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Hey there, guys. I've never owned an AK, but I have come down with a bad case of "gotta have one." I don't have a pantload of money, so I need to buy an AK that is a good combination of quality and decent price. That being the case, which AK would you recommend that I buy? There are so many different countries that made this rifle - which should I go for?
Thanks in advance for your responses. |
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It really depends on your definition of decent price and decent quality. A lot of people have different ideas of what the best mix is. There are cheap AKs and there are good AKs but sometimes the two are not mutually exclusive.
My opinion is that a good deal on a Chicom AK is hard to beat for overall quality vs. price, but others will disagree. I recently picked up a like new NHM-90 for $400 OTD. I personally would much rather have it than a comparably priced WASR. I also like Arsenal's AKs. Never owned one but from what I've read they are top notch. Pricey though. I did look at an Arsenal SLR-107F yesterday in a local shop for $849. I really liked it and if I didn't already have this years "gun money" allocated it may have came home with me. My advice is to spend some time reading so you will know what is what, and don't just rely on a few recommendations from one thread. Trends change and people's opinions tend to be fickle so I try to select things based on long term reputations rather than a few recent reviews of newer products. Good luck in your quest. |
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If you can look over one yourself in a shop, WASR's are not shabby for the money.
They are a little rougher around the edges, but the 10/63's I've seen lately are actually nice. Much more so than the WASR's of the past. At the end of the day, the more expensive AK's just get you nicer fit and finish....but the function is the same. I'm sure there are exceptions to this,but all the WASR's I know out there amongst friends work fine. Again, this is if you just want an ak that will go bang each time and don't want to shell out the $ for a "nicer" one. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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JG Sales has Yugo M70B1 Ak`s for $469. Thats what I would recommend, depending upon your price range.
The Wasr`s arent bad, but you do need to inspect them carefully before buying, for the extra $75 Id rather have the M70. If you can find a nice used Chicom AK for $4-500 that would be a good purchase as well. Or go with an Arsenal if you have money to burn 
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Yeah, pretty much all AK's are going to run flawlessly out of the box. The difference between, lets say my Century M74 and an Arsenal SGL31 is the Arsenal has a chromed lined barrel, nicer furniture and shoots 3 inch groups instead of 4 inch groups. I personally don't see why a person should spend twice as much for the "better gun" (Arsenal is around $800, I got my Century for $450 out the door), but a lot of people do because the chrome lined barrel and nice furniture is such a big deal to them. Pick up the recent Guns 'N Ammo AK issue and read that, there is a full review on the Century M74/NDS2 in there, as well as a ton of other info about the various types from across the world. Like said above, a Norinco is a great rifle and can be found at decent prices. You can't go wrong with a WASR or an M70 though either. Like anything, you get what you pay for. Many of the cheaper rifles also have a chrome lined barrel. It all depends how much you want to spend and what attributes are important to you, just look around and shop around. If you know someone who has one, see if you can borrow it for a couple of hours and try it out. My Century M74 is my first AK and I absolutely love it.
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Quoted:
JG Sales has Yugo M70B1 Ak`s for $469. Thats what I would recommend, depending upon your price range. The Wasr`s arent bad, but you do need to inspect them carefully before buying, for the extra $75 Id rather have the M70. If you can find a nice used Chicom AK for $4-500 that would be a good purchase as well. Or go with an Arsenal if you have money to burn This, I keep forgetting these are back on the market. Built like a brick sh*t house. Much better than a WASR. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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Well in my opinions, if you want a AK under for $400. A WASR-10/63 will be the way to go. I have one and looking to buy another. It’s a reliable and tough. It might not be pretty, but it get the job done.
If you want a underfolder, Yugo M70AB2 is a great value for under $500. What caliber are you looking at? 7.62 or 5.45? Hope this help! |
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Quoted:
Well in my opinions, if you want a AK under for $400. A WASR-10/63 will be the way to go. I have one and looking to buy another. It’s a reliable and tough. It might not be pretty, but it get the job done. If you want a underfolder, Yugo M70AB2 is a great value for under $500. What caliber are you looking at? 7.62 or 5.45? Hope this help! Please use bigger font I can barely read your post. |
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Thanks for all of the replies, guys. I would like to stay under $500, preferably less. I'll spend some time reading posts before I go out and impulse-buy (I hope). Then I would spend some more money on parts/accessories to remake it into a testosterone-dripping he-man evil black rifle.
All of my other rifles are for hunting. so I may as well indulge myself. |
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Chinese are among the best ever made in my opinion. Nice triggers and well built. But, unless you find one that has been de-banned, you have a MAC90 with a Bushole stock. You can up grade them yourself. That's what I did.
The Yugo's are not bad for the price. Has the evil features, and has a U.S. reciever that is thicker than a Euro/Romanian. WASR's usually run ok but you need to know what to look out for. Century builds are notorious for building crap. Canted sights, gas blocks, even reports of bad head spacing. Enough that they wouldn't fire. |
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