Ok well I just shot my first AK over the weekend and I'm planning on getting one... but i have a couple questions.

What caliber should i get? I can get  either a 7.62 or a 5.45 ak for the same price... i guess i should go with whatever ammo is cheaper and more readily available. Could i put a ak74 style compensator on a 7.62 ak?

Is it hard to change handguards, pistol grip, and the stock? The ak's i'm looking at are hi cap converted wasr 10's with thumbhole stocks, so I plan on getting some us black polymer kvar furniture... would that be difficult for someone without alot of tools?

I'm only a 2 months away from being 18, and my father doesn't have a problem getting the rifle for me. But when i turn 18 would i have to some how legally transfer the rifle to my name?

thanks

Quoted: What caliber should i get? I can get  either a 7.62 or a 5.45 ak for the same price... i guess i should go with whatever ammo is cheaper and more readily available. I would probably stick with 7.62x39, seems to be more readily available (they sell barnaul 7.62 at academy and have been doing so for years).  I have a 5.45 and I like that round a lot, due to the lower weight and lower recoil, but it's not that big of a deal. Is it hard to change handguards, pistol grip, and the stock? The ak's i'm looking at are hi cap converted wasr 10's with thumbhole stocks, so I plan on getting some us black polymer kvar furniture... would that be difficult for someone without alot of tools? shouldn't be.  You might need a vice to hold the gas tube when twisting out the handguard, and the buttstock takes some brute force either with a rubber mallot, and or a dowel rod.  If you have any of these tools, changning furniture can be done. I'm only a 2 months away from being 18, and my father doesn't have a problem getting the rifle for me. But when i turn 18 would i have to some how legally transfer the rifle to my name? unless there's a certain law within your state to do so, but I doubt it.  In TX, there's no such law, or registry of firearms.  So you can be in legal possession of it after you turn 18.  You cannot walk into a store and buy a rifle until you're 18, but from the last time I read the laws you can be in possession of one (I think, someone will come along and correct me if I'm wrong).  So there's nothing you need to do that you wouldn't do now by being in possession of the rifle.  Again I could be wrong and you might have to be around someone at least of the age of 18 to use the rifle. thanks

Hmmm i dont have a vice... i really only have basic tools to my disposal right now...screwdrivers and hammers. Should I even bother trying?

I live in pa (sorry i didn't mention that). So i only have to be 18 to buy the rifle correct? Lets just say a cop see's me shooting the gun or finds it in my car somehow.... would that be against the law?

Quoted: Hmmm i dont have a vice... i really only have basic tools to my disposal right now...screwdrivers and hammers. Should I even bother trying? I live in pa (sorry i didn't mention that). So i only have to be 18 to buy the rifle correct? Lets just say a cop see's me shooting the gun or finds it in my car somehow.... would that be against the law?

go onto the PA forum in the hometown section.  They'd know for sure.  I probably wouldn't risk it.  You probably in any state under the age of 18 would spend a night in jail if pulled over and you have an evil looking assault rifle such as that.  Most cops sadly know very little about the firearms world and assume a semi-auto sporting rifle like a WASR or any other AK is a fully automatic, illegal, banned by the AWB, cop-killer.  And this is coming from stories I've heard in TX with TX cops doing this

Quoted: Quoted: Hmmm i dont have a vice... i really only have basic tools to my disposal right now...screwdrivers and hammers. Should I even bother trying? I live in pa (sorry i didn't mention that). So i only have to be 18 to buy the rifle correct? Lets just say a cop see's me shooting the gun or finds it in my car somehow.... would that be against the law? go onto the PA forum in the hometown section.  They'd know for sure.  I probably wouldn't risk it.  You probably in any state under the age of 18 would spend a night in jail if pulled over and you have an evil looking assault rifle such as that.  Most cops sadly know very little about the firearms world and assume a semi-auto sporting rifle like a WASR or any other AK is a fully automatic, illegal, banned by the AWB, cop-killer.  And this is coming from stories I've heard in TX with TX cops doing this hr

Well that was mostly a hypothetical question... i wouldn't risk shooting or driving around with it without someone over 18 until my birthday of course.

even then be careful.

One incident here in Tx recently was with a guy who had a WASR as a trunk gun.

Cop(s) pulled him over.  Told him to get out, asked if he had any weapons in the car, he replied (verbatim):

"Yeah, just my Ak I carry around in the trunk"

first mistake.

They threw him to the ground, cuffed him, told him during the cuffing that it's illegal to have a gun like this in America now.  They took it out inspected it, he explained it was NOT an automatic, they didn't care.  Booked him, spent the night in jail.  Showed up to the judge later, the judge agreed there was nothing illegal that he had done other than speeding, and let him go.  He was a TX member, don't recall his name, the thread on the GD got pretty long.  

-mark

Quoted: even then be careful. One incident here in Tx recently was with a guy who had a WASR as a trunk gun. Cop(s) pulled him over.  Told him to get out, asked if he had any weapons in the car, he replied (verbatim): "Yeah, just my Ak I carry around in the trunk" first mistake. They threw him to the ground, cuffed him, told him during the cuffing that it's illegal to have a gun like this in America now.  They took it out inspected it, he explained it was NOT an automatic, they didn't care.  Booked him, spent the night in jail.  Showed up to the judge later, the judge agreed there was nothing illegal that he had done other than speeding, and let him go.  He was a TX member, don't recall his name, the thread on the GD got pretty long.   -mark

my god, are you serious?

I dont know the laws as far as filing a lawsuit against a law enforment officer but that is something I would be looking into if that happened to me. I would think the first duty of a law enforcement officer would be to know the laws you are employed to enforce...lol... Then again, who knows what the other side of the story was...lol...

Well anyway i dont have a vice or a rubber mallet for that matter... just a screw driver and a hammer.

Would that suffice? or would i have to find a friend with a vice?

Quoted: even then be careful. One incident here in Tx recently was with a guy who had a WASR as a trunk gun. Cop(s) pulled him over.  Told him to get out, asked if he had any weapons in the car, he replied (verbatim): "Yeah, just my Ak I carry around in the trunk" first mistake. They threw him to the ground, cuffed him, told him during the cuffing that it's illegal to have a gun like this in America now.  They took it out inspected it, he explained it was NOT an automatic, they didn't care.  Booked him, spent the night in jail.  Showed up to the judge later, the judge agreed there was nothing illegal that he had done other than speeding, and let him go.  He was a TX member, don't recall his name, the thread on the GD got pretty long.   -mark

With that in mind, what would be the be the proper response? Semi-automatic rifle?

I'd just say rifle...

I'm guessing calling it a "rifle" would suffice.  Hopefully I won't ever have to be in that situation.

another TX member who's a lawyer put it like this, "always assume every gun you have on you in your vehicle is illegal at all times."  With that thought in mind you might be able to avoid such incidents.

When I'm on the way to the range, or back, or have a trunk gun, I never forget it, it's always in the back of my mind, just like if I'm driving without one I worry constantly about not having one.  And you'll find yourself driving better, and obeying the speed limit and laws much closer.

I've been pulled over for speeding twice, both times with my AK in the trunk. Luckily they never made me even exit my car. I later found out I didn't have it in a proper box, either. Guess I'm lucky.

That's where you reply with,

"I have an unloaded/safetied fiream in the trunk"  (I don't know why if you had a trunk gun it would be loaded and ready to go)

Back to the thread..

I don't have an AK yet, but I came across a WASR-10 Romanian for $350.  Comes with wood stock, bayonet, two mags, mag pouch, and some oil, lol.  Good deal or pass?

Well if the cop knows the law is there anyway i can get in trouble if i have the rifle properly secured?

So i can legally own the rifle in the eyes of the law? i just need someone over the age of 18 to buy it for me?

thanks

When i'm checking for canted sights what should i look for?

to check for canting......now i don't know if this is right or not but it's what I do....

put the rear sight all the up on 900 or 1000 meters and lay the rifle upside down on a flat surface where just the rear sight and front sight are supporting it, by moving it side to side slightly you can tell when the rear sight is flat if the front sight is in line there should be no gaps between any of the front sight ears and your flat surface

so whats a fair rate these days for a cheap romanian ak?

Quoted: even then be careful. One incident here in Tx recently was with a guy who had a WASR as a trunk gun. Cop(s) pulled him over.  Told him to get out, asked if he had any weapons in the car, he replied (verbatim): "Yeah, just my Ak I carry around in the trunk" first mistake. They threw him to the ground, cuffed him, told him during the cuffing that it's illegal to have a gun like this in America now.  They took it out inspected it, he explained it was NOT an automatic, they didn't care.  Booked him, spent the night in jail.  Showed up to the judge later, the judge agreed there was nothing illegal that he had done other than speeding, and let him go.  He was a TX member, don't recall his name, the thread on the GD got pretty long.   -mark

About ten years ago the Sheriff out in Decatur pulled me and my buddy over while we were on our way to the LBJ Grasslands, we had 17 semi-autos(AK's, Uzi's and Galil's mostly) and 26,000 rounds of ammo in the back of my truck. The only question he ask was whether we had any handguns in the cab with us.
Those were the days ...

I too just turned 18 (2 months ago) About a week after my birth day I went to a gun show. I really wanted an AK but I got a SKS instead. I later traded the SKS and some cash for a romanian WASR 10. I didn't trust it very much because it jams and the quality was't that great. I said forget this and bought an Arsenal. Been happy ever since.

The moral of the story, get what you want the first time. It will be worth it.

I would go with the 7.62 bucause I see more parts and ammo for it.

Bushmaster makes a 74 style compensator. It is about $43 to your door. 14/1 threads

Replacing the furniture is not hard just make sure you know what you are doing before you do it.

I say all this because I did exactly what you want to do so take it first hand. You want to make a 47/74 look like the 100 series.Take in to acount the price of the new pieces for you AK as well, I didn't think that one through to far.

As far as the vice and rubber mallet goes, get the mallet for sure, it is nice for more than just this. A block of wood with a rag over it will work to, just be carful.

Try talking to your local gun shop FFl to find out about the legality of you situation. Your other option is wait 2 mounths build up some more cash and buy a gun exatly how you want it. It will be in you name from the begining

Sorry if I seemed to ramble but I know how you feel and wanted to help.

Yingster

Well i really only have like 500 bucks max to spend on all this AK stuff so arsenal isn't really in my budget. I thought ak's dont jam very often? So are wasr's and sar1's prone to jamming? and whats so bad about the quality apart from the wood (which ill be replacing anyway) ? And are the barrels already threaded for a compensator?

thanks

Get a Norinco MAK-90. You can buy one with a thumbhole stock for a little more than a POS WASR and convert it for less than $100 when you get some extra cash. MAK-90s are great rifles with an excellent trigger, nice finish, and quality fit and finish, which is much more than you can say about WASRs.

My MAK

I think I just got a bad one. Finish didn't look good, things felt loose,ect.

Mine was already threaded for the compensator. You should make sure that it is even legal to put one on in PA. It would suck to find that out later.

Would you buy the AK local or from an online dealer? If you choose to go online Atlantic firearms was pretty good to deal with. I just checked and for $500 you can get something worth your money. It is $20 flat shipping to an FFL. Plus the FFL fee ($25-$50) If you polish you dad's car and clean the gutters out you might be able to get the vector with the black funiture already on it. No work no fuss right out of the box. I say that because by the time you get the $399 AK package and the $100+ black furniture you are already there. Just a thought.

If you remember im me what you finaly decide to do

http://www.atlanticfirearms.com/programming/listview.asp?CatId=2

Wow thats nice!
I might be able to pull together some extra funds and i might be able to find enough for that vector.

But i'm gonna go to a local gunshop first and see what they have. I wanna see how bad the finish is on the wasr's

Quoted: even then be careful. One incident here in Tx recently was with a guy who had a WASR as a trunk gun. Cop(s) pulled him over.  Told him to get out, asked if he had any weapons in the car, he replied (verbatim): "Yeah, just my Ak I carry around in the trunk" first mistake. They threw him to the ground, cuffed him, told him during the cuffing that it's illegal to have a gun like this in America now.  They took it out inspected it, he explained it was NOT an automatic, they didn't care.  Booked him, spent the night in jail.  Showed up to the judge later, the judge agreed there was nothing illegal that he had done other than speeding, and let him go.  He was a TX member, don't recall his name, the thread on the GD got pretty long.   -mark

Not long after I bought my mak 90, I had already put the underfolder and the birdcage on it making it illegal.....WHich I found out later. Me and a friend were riding in his car with the ole AK in the hatch. And got pulled over for speeding. We were both 18.
Cops said "You boys got any weapons in the vehicle?"
"Yeah, We have my AK in the hatch"
They got us out of the car, I showed them my ID and reciept.
Then one said "Let me see this "AK" you have"
We opened the trunk and got it out.
He looked it over and played with it for a minute. Gave it back and said. "Thats a nice rifle, Now take it home and dont bring it back out unless your going to the range" Apparently he was totally ignorant of gun laws. I think the only us made part on it was the flash hider. But now shes totally legal

damn that could have gone really bad lol....

Triburst, that's a nice looking chest rig. Where did you pick that up?