Hi~

Ive been at the Ar-15 section of the site for a while now but am new to the AK section. Id like to buy a decent AK. If someone could point me in the right direction- tell me what to stay away from(hesse, etc) and wheres a good place to buy. Thanks.

As many on this board will tell you - if you want more bang for your buck, get a SAR 1.  I just got one from AIM Surplus for $309.  You can spend more and get a better finished weapon if you choose, but for the money, the SAR series kicks ass and will function as well as any AK variant.

Good luck and have fun!

I second Aim Surplus.  Great company to do business with, they have great products and great service.

SAR 1's are great AKs,but either visualy inspect the rifle for straight front sight and gas block or ask the people at AIM to before shipping.You will be much happier with a straight AK.

For $350 out the door, nothing beats a handpicked SAR. If you want more refined finish and minor details, you can spend $200 more but it will not shoot much better groups.
But depending on your interests, you may be happier with a SAR2 in 5.45.

Get either a SAR-1 or SAR-2 like everyone else says.  Definately the most bang for your buck.  The only difference between the two is caliber(7.62 and 5.45).

Each caliber has it's advanteges and dis-advantages, though I'm partial to the 7.62, since I only have an SAR-1.


7.62

-Slightly cheaper ammo (about $20 less per 1k)
-Cheaper and more plentiful mags
-Drums
-More recoil (can be good or bad depending on preference)
-Drums


5.45

-Flatter shooting and slightly more accurate
-Less recoil (I hear it's easier to bump)
-It's what the Russians upgraded to



Of course, AIM is always a good place to get one.  That's the best price you will get for an SAR-1 or 2, and the SAR-2's are cheap now there.  

IMHO, you can't go wrong with either caliber, which leaves you with one solution:  buy both!

I hope I'm not hijacking this thread, but what do you guys think of a nib Norinco MAK-90 with several mags, for $500? Thanks

I'm about to order a SAR-1 from AIM in like a couple minues. How would I go about getting a handpicked one?

Just ask them...it cost $10 more.  Most people will tell you that you're just wasting your money b/c all it means is that they use a "hand" to "pick" one off the shelf.  Personally I think of it as cheap insurance.  If they don't actually look it over, it's only $10.  If they do, then it's money well spent.

Nismofun

Quoted: Just ask them...it cost $10 more.  Most people will tell you that you're just wasting your money b/c all it means is that they use a "hand" to "pick" one off the shelf.  Personally I think of it as cheap insurance.  If they don't actually look it over, it's only $10.  If they do, then it's money well spent. Nismofun

"just ask them"
do you mean call them? or email them? or...