Campy is saving his box tops for a free T34 (FOB Ukraine), and knows he is at about 14,000 thru his SAR2. It may not be a milled runway model, but the stamped slut puts out well.

5K? any ak will go 30k without batting an eye...stamped or milled.

i prefer stamped due to the weight reduction, but if you aren't goiong to be humping the rifle, it makes little differemce. the extra 2 lbs. of a milled rifle also helps to dampen the recoil of the 7.62 x 39 round.

don't fool yourself into thinking that there an actuall longevity bonus in going with either mwthod of construction. there isn't, in all honesty. both methods will outlast your grandchildren.

for the best of both worlds (bulgarian quality and lightweight ), you might want to try the new ak74's from arsenal inc.

bulgaria is good for both milled and stamped...good stuff.

avoid hesse receiver guns.

any romanian rifle should be eyeballed for straight assembly, as should any ssr56 from globaltrades.

for a college kid (man do i remember those days!), i recommend a ohio rapid fire or vector polish underfoder. it's not too pricey and is full of class and features that an akm should have.

In 7.62, the mags all work. Only the 5.56 AKs seem to be finnicky (round is very straight and feed angle matters more).

For kit guns, the Polish underfolders and both AMD models are usually very good. BUt unless you have a builder friend in the area, the best deal is a $300 Romanian. The fcg may need to go, but the G2 set is good for $40. There are also $50 options for folding stocks, but I suspect you'l be happier with more ammo.

If Bush wins, get a Yugo SKS and fistfull of stripper clips for $150 to tide you over till the budget grows years later. If Kerry wins, give up laundry and beer money for an AK.

I have a bunch of C&R rifles, but no C&R. I don't mind paying another $40 to handpick, compared to buying 3 to get the potluck one I want, selling off the other 2, and having the ATF think I am abusing my collector's license. But your local dealer/show supply will vary.