Ok, so things are going well and I've decided to expand my collection of firearms to the AK again. I'm looking for opinions about 5.56 AK's. I like the idea of shooting the same round as my AR's. I'd really like an M95 as yugos look beefier to me. My concern is accuracy and mag availability. Is the 5.56 AK (all things being equal)  more accurate for plinking than the 7.62? Are mags interchangeable and reliable? I've looked at the arsenal offerings, and they look to be a decent price...do they offer any advantage over a Yugo? Any others you'd recommend? Thanks.

I have a few of the Norinco 5.56 AK's and I love them.  Mags can be expensive though.  Never had an issue with these and I do feel the accuracy in the 5.56 AK is better than the 7.62...plus we have all the different ammo choices in it. Chicom AK's in any caliber have been my favorite for a long time, got my 1st one in 1989. Good luck!

K-Var Corp. is having a sale right now and it includes the Arsenal Inc. SRL106-31 in 5.56x45mm. (.223 Rem.) for $700. If I was looking for in AK in 5.56 right now I would get this rifle. It is a very nice rifle for a great price.

K-Var’s Arsenal SLR106-31:
http://www.k-var.com/shop/product.php?productid=17014&cat=356&page=1


I you have time to wait and watch the actions then I would try to get an Arsenal Inc. SAM-5 or SAM-5R. I think this is the best AK in 5.56, but it is out of production and is a little harder to find.

Arsenal Inc. SAM-5:
http://www.arsenalinc.com/sam5s.htm

Arsenal Inc. SAM-5R:
http://www.arsenalinc.com/sam5s.htm

If I was in the market for a 5.56x45mm AK I'd be on the SLR-106 that K-VAR has on sale right now like a bum on a bologna sandwich! The only thing keeping me from buying one is that it doesn't accept any of the hundreds of AK-47, AK-74, or AR mags that I already have. I'm not about to buy a new mag for $37 a pop.

Ok, so the arsenal sounds like a good deal...what sort of accuracy can I expect?? Also, since the mag expense was noted...are there other models that take cheaper mags? You guys are helpin...I was leaning toward the kvar rifles. Do all the 5.56 AK's take expensive magazines or is it just the SLR106? Just wondering which variant takes cheap mags?

All of the 5.56 rifles take expensive mags, whether they are Bulgarian, Chinese, German or Romanian.

Arsenal had the 5.56 mags on sale for $20 recently, and will probably do it again, just keep your eyes peeled.

I haven't seen any accuracy testing in pics or video myself, but maybe someone else has. I am going to do a test with my 5.56 Romanian SAR3 very shortly and see what it yields.

The SLR-106/SA M-5 both take Bulgarian Waffle magazines which are much cheaper than Chinese 'Polytech' or 'Norinco' magazines.

Bulgarian magazines go for about $30 each (unless there is a sale at K-Var ). Norinco magazines fo for $40 to $60 each... Polytech magazines go for around $100 each.

ETA: If you are interested, I have an SLR-106F, SA M-5R, and a Norinco 84S for sale. I also have a bunch of magazines for sale.