Check out this deal. You can get this gun for the price of a AK 74 kit.

www.aimsurplus.com/acatalog/Romanian_WASR-2_5.45x39_AK_Rifles.html

They were selling them for that priced with shipping last week.

Yep, they've been on that clearance price for a while.  Guessing the shortage in 5.45x39 has brought the demand for 74's down.  

You'd probably have to do a little work on these though, since they're wasr's.

A little work is 15 min of grinding and polishing on the trigger parts and run a few mags through it and its good to go.

What is the 5.45 situation? Who carries it? Is it destined to disappear or go high in price due to availability?

Is the barrel threaded?  What about a bayo lug?  Pre or Post ban?

Quoted: Is the barrel threaded?  What about a bayo lug?  Pre or Post ban?

I would say that the ones in the ad have no bayo lug and are not threaded.

I am waiting fpr them to offer the free shipping again, then I'll jump.

I just passed on a Sar2 trade today because I am worried 5.45 will become non existent. I own three 7.62 AKs(used to be four until today). I would have loved a 5.45 and this one had been refinished and had a threaded FSB. The thought of 10 dollar a box or no ammo at all made me decide to sell the AK I was gonna trade instead. I will take the money and stockpile more ammo for other three. I am pretty sure 7.62 will be more available and cheaper  this summer but I must admit the last few months are making me worry. I can't imagine what would happen if russian ammo was banned or stopped coming in. It would suck for 7.62 but be even harder on the 5.45 shooters.

Most of the dealers of AK ammo are saying large quantities are inbound.  But, what about all of those backorders.  Will they eat up all the shipments that come onshore? Will the dealers ever catch up? Will dealers like SG cancel all of the backorders at the low prices that we ordered at and then relist the ammo at high prices?

I remember another time ammo skyrocketed in price,  before Y2K.  I stocked up on some 7.62x39 when some "friends" asked me to order additional cases with an order.  With shipping I must have paid $140.00 a case.  I got stuck with it all when they balked at paying that much for the ammo they wanted. I told them upfront what the cost would be.  I had to make my money back by selling it to them by the 1/4 case or by the box.

At the time I also had a crate of South African 5.56x45 military surplused ammo that everyone wanted (around 6,000 rounds).  It's nowhere to be found now.  I got it cheap and when these same guys need a battlepack for a shoot they pay out the ass for it and don't bitch at all.

Supply and demand.