Advice on AK's please...

4 Seasons has MA legal Romanian WASR-10 in 7.62x39 with 2 pre-ban high cap mags on order for $469-479.00...

Originally Posted by Radtekk

Put another way, can I get a decent gun for around $500?

Surprisingly, $500 won't even "get" you the following in a MA gunshop anymore:

Originally Posted by *chris*

I have one of these and it is a fine gun, it goes bang every time, but it has a crappy dull black oxide finish and mine had crappy laminated wood stocks. I really would like a Russian or maybe Chinese one that is actually blued and has real wood.

As far as WASRs being "crappy" ... yeah- they are a little rough around the edges. However, they are "the real deal" AFAIK because they are actually made by Romanians in Cugir. Granted, they are slightly converted when they come over here to be 922r compliant, but depending on the model, they are coming over here in pretty much the same form they left the factory over in Europe.

As far as getting something "nicer" a MAK-90 is always a good option in the People's Republic. You can find them from anywhere from $500-$600 (usually sold privately.... a place like 4 Seasons is going to jack the price on them) and they are a solid rifle. No evil features to make it a violation of the AWB, and if you get one with a non-cut-in-the-ass receiver, you can put any furniture you want on it.

Search the forum. I've covered this topic about once every month for the past 5 years. You'll find some more info that I'm too lazy to type up at the moment. As with any other rifle, the sky is the limit when it comes to the lowly AK.

Little bit pre-requisite info about them:

Firstly:
AK comes in several calibers:
-First and most known is 7.62x39 - which is AK-47 and AKM.
-then came along low-impulse round - 5.45x39 AK-74, Tantal, etc. this caliber being counterpart to NATO 5.56. recoil on these are light and very enjoyable to shoot.
-also there are commercial variants a.k.a K-VAR that can be had in 5.56/.223 if you so desire. Pre-ban mags for them is a bitch to find, but there is an inexpensive attachment that allows you to use AR mags, but it does require small moding to the rifle.

Secondly:
500 is a low number to get something nice, especially in this state, although not impossible.

when i was in your shoes just two years ago I had hard time finding good AK on the budget, being pre-ban, not beat up and with chromed bore for use with super cheap corrosive surplus. After much research and asking around, I went Saiga-way, and do not regret. You can find Saiga for ~350 and then spend another 150-200 in conversion parts but you will have a rifle that is top notch quality in 'all the right places'. I had so much fun with my first Saiga I went ahead and bought and converted 7 more . Kept 4 of them.

there are number of advantages with Saigas, but there is also few small things that *might* drive someone nuts.
you really need to think about What you want, what you expect of it and what you can actually find in mAss. got to do the homework.

if you have more questions regarding 'Saiga-way' - feel free to ask.

BTW: here some pics of what people are doing with their Saigas
there are tons more on this forum alone and everywhere else.

I have a SAR-1 that I like quite a bit.

You can get double the ammo for the same price if you go with a 74 over a 47. However a 47 is more powerful and you can find cheap ammo at dick's or walmart.

I would just go with a Saiga IZ 240 or Saiga IZ 132 and put in the $20 bullet guide for hi cap mags.