Decent priced ak's

[cass1776]

I'm looking for an AK just to shoot for fun at the range. Was looking at some wasr 10's at a local shop. Found 1 where front sight didn't look canted, at least not to me...ha. I don't know much about the AK yet but I do know that 599 seems a little high priced for a wasr.
Anyone know where to find decent AK 's for a good price.

 

[Cluster F]

Sadly in the 5's is what WASR's are going for unless you find a used one.

 

[cass1776]

I haven't paid much attention to ak's the last few years. I swear 4-5 years ago I was seeing them for like 350. Crazy how quik the prices go up.

 

[Cluster F]

Yea its nuts. I snagged my maadi for 350. I bought my WASR For 450 a few years back and beat the piss out of it and loved it.

 

[Dench]

I'm looking for an AK just to shoot for fun at the range. Was looking at some wasr 10's at a local shop. Found 1 where front sight didn't look canted, at least not to me...ha. I don't know much about the AK yet but I do know that 599 seems a little high priced for a wasr.
Anyone know where to find decent AK 's for a good price.

I have a MAK-90 for sale right now on the forums for $575

http://www.northeastshooters.com/cl...-want-to-sell-575-00-massachusetts-l2228.html

 

[Finalygotabeltfed]

I'm looking for an AK just to shoot for fun at the range. Was looking at some wasr 10's at a local shop. Found 1 where front sight didn't look canted, at least not to me...ha. I don't know much about the AK yet but I do know that 599 seems a little high priced for a wasr.
Anyone know where to find decent AK 's for a good price.

You can't build one for much less if at all unless you bought a kit before prices went out of sight. Between the kit, 922 compliance parts, rivetting tools, receiver or flat and tooling to bend it correctly, drill bits, other assorted hand tools, press, time ect. its cheaper even at $599 to buy one these days. (Speaking from experience)

It is what it is. Good AKs aren't cheap anymore, nor are any other guns. People drop $600 to infinity with modifications and custom work on a 1911 .45 pistols but balk at paying several hundred for a good battle rifle that will last a couple of lifetimes. I don't get it.

 

[Boris]

for general fun at the range canted sights should not be too much of a problem if you got extra capacity mags. It's not like I'm really aiming every single shot I fired lately and certainly not today.

You have to pay at least $300-$400, so then consider putting extra 200-300$$ in the "bank", get yourself a decent rifle, most of them are commodity so if you are dealing with a reputable dealer or NESer you won't get screwed. Assuming that banks pay 0% on your deposit anyways, you got a nice rifle that you can sell any time really and you are not loosing any money. With inflation it will likely cost more and considering the prices of just a few years back, you can't go wrong with "investing" in firearms. Just get what you like.

 

[cass1776]

All I've really seen at the couple of shops I've been through so far are the wasr's.
Are those used rifles? Or just unused milsurp stuff. Sorry for the dumb question but I don't know much about ak's yet.

 

[vellnueve]

Just spring for the SGL-21 and save yourself the hassle of a crappy gun.

 

[Boris]

GFA arms in Natick had many of them and I'm sure that they still have plenty. Check them out.

 

[saltydude]

$599 is pricey for a wasr at todays prices but I just saw a Milled Bulgarian Arsenal Sell on the classifieds for $700.
You can't even compare the two rifles. That hundred dollar difference can take you from the from the basement to the penthouse.

 

[flintoid]

Before the OP's question can be answered, he needs to define what a "decent AK" is. If it's a AK that shoots, a WASR does this very well. If he's looking for a immaculately finished rifle, a WASR will not accomplish this.


To the OP- when you look at a WASR and it "looks used" it's because of it's finish work. The romanians did a crappy job of finish work on the metal- it's a black oxide finish that scratches lightly very readily, but taking it all the way down to bare metal takes a little more effort. These rifles are also built off of military parts. Most of the time, you can see the old serial number on and year of it's original manufacture on the front trunnion next to the Romanian arsenal mark (triangle with a single edged arrow, or sometimes a blank triangle depending on the year). If the trunnion number matches the top cover, bolt, and carrier, it was probably built off of an old rifle. If they are mis-matched entirely, it was built off of production spares.

These WASRs are imported into the US as single stack magazine "sporting rifles." Then the importer modifies them to take double stack mags and puts enough US parts on it to be 922r compliant.

Calling a WASR a "crappy gun" is only valid if you value finish work. Other than their ugly looks, they run pretty damn good and are about as accurate as a chrome lined bore 7.62x39 rifle gets.

 

[cass1776]

Before the OP's question can be answered, he needs to define what a "decent AK" is. If it's a AK that shoots, a WASR does this very well. If he's looking for a immaculately finished rifle, a WASR will not accomplish this.


To the OP- when you look at a WASR and it "looks used" it's because of it's finish work. The romanians did a crappy job of finish work on the metal- it's a black oxide finish that scratches lightly very readily, but taking it all the way down to bare metal takes a little more effort. These rifles are also built off of military parts. Most of the time, you can see the old serial number on and year of it's original manufacture on the front trunnion next to the Romanian arsenal mark (triangle with a single edged arrow, or sometimes a blank triangle depending on the year). If the trunnion number matches the top cover, bolt, and carrier, it was probably built off of an old rifle. If they are mis-matched entirely, it was built off of production spares.

These WASRs are imported into the US as single stack magazine "sporting rifles." Then the importer modifies them to take double stack mags and puts enough US parts on it to be 922r compliant.

Calling a WASR a "crappy gun" is only valid if you value finish work. Other than their ugly looks, they run pretty damn good and are about as accurate as a chrome lined bore 7.62x39 rifle gets.

Just looking for one that shoots just for some range fun. That's why I was looking at wasr's because they are the cheapest I've seen soon far. I know there the " low end" for finish and looks as far as ak's go but I still have heard and read they are pretty reliable.

 

[flintoid]

Just looking for one that shoots just for some range fun. That's why I was looking at wasr's because they are the cheapest I've seen soon far. I know there the " low end" for finish and looks as far as ak's go but I still have heard and read they are pretty reliable.

reliable they are. And if anyone tells you otherwise, they don't know what they are talking about.

 

[cass1776]

To flintoid - Thanks for the good info much appreciated.

 

[drgrant]

reliable they are. And if anyone tells you otherwise, they don't know what they are talking about.

The only thing I don't like about WASRs is the mag wobble. If you find a new one that has the tapco G2 already in it, they're actually excellent rifles. I fired William_Munny's awhile back, and it exceeded my expectations, that's for sure..... the action wasn't even that bad. The "non wheeled dumpster dragging on rocks thing" goes away somewhat if you shoot it enough. The MISR-90 I had was far far worse. The front sight block on that rifle was canted something fierce. I actually had a smith who fixed it by putting in set screws in the damned thing so we could move it wherever and lock it into the right place.

-Mike

 

[flintoid]

To flintoid - Thanks for the good info much appreciated.

No problem. Be sure to ask any other questions you may have when shopping for one. Like you've already seen, they are for sale in gun shops all over. But you are not limited to what's on hand at shops if you're willing to look to other places like auction sites and forum classifieds. The advantage to buying in person is what you've already stated- you can check to make sure the back sight lines up with the front sight block. If the front sight block is "canted", you'll be able to immediately tell by looking down the iron sights- it will look off axis and funny.

Good luck. And be sure to share what you get. I like looking at AK flavored gun porn.

 

[flintoid]

The only thing I don't like about WASRs is the mag wobble. If you find a new one that has the tapco G2 already in it, they're actually excellent rifles. I fired William_Munny's awhile back, and it exceeded my expectations, that's for sure..... the action wasn't even that bad. The "non wheeled dumpster dragging on rocks thing" goes away somewhat if you shoot it enough. The MISR-90 I had was far far worse. The front sight block on that rifle was canted something fierce. I actually had a smith who fixed it by putting in set screws in the damned thing so we could move it wherever and lock it into the right place.

-Mike

no kidding? On a MISR? Dang.

 

[Phlach]

Have you considered a saiga? I was looking at the WASR as well, but decided I couldn't pass up $299.

http://www.jgsales.com/product_info...i-import,-new-/cPath/209_214/products_id/5888

I'll probably convert it sooner rather than later which will run me a few more bucks, but I like the idea of having something I can shoot now for that price, and being able to customize it as funds become available. The one I ordered is actually in 5.45x39 because the ammo is cheaper.

 

[vellnueve]

The biggest issues I have with the WASR are the canted front sights and the massive mag wobble.

 

[BearArms]

Have you considered a saiga? I was looking at the WASR as well, but decided I couldn't pass up $299.

http://www.jgsales.com/product_info...i-import,-new-/cPath/209_214/products_id/5888

I'll probably convert it sooner rather than later which will run me a few more bucks, but I like the idea of having something I can shoot now for that price, and being able to customize it as funds become available. The one I ordered is actually in 5.45x39 because the ammo is cheaper.

This, Saiga's are great. Sure you don't get a pistol grip out of the box but that's an ” easy” fix depending on your skill level.

 

[cass1776]

Ya that saiga group buy in the members section is pretty tempting.

 

[Dench]

This, Saiga's are great. Sure you don't get a pistol grip out of the box but that's an ” easy” fix depending on your skill level.

if i can do it anyone can. i did 2 so far, and only ruined one part, a mag catch

 

[Blix666]

definitely go with the Saiga...pretty sure the price dropped to $289 too...

 

[mclina]

I was in the same boat until I jumped on the Saiga group buy. A $289 Saiga is tough to beat. Even if you drop $150-200 into a conversion, which I plan to do, you are still way cheaper than a MA compliant WASR. (WASR's in NH can be had for $450)

 

[mclina]

Not to derail things too far, but in converting your Saiga there appear to be two routes. You can buy a Tapco stock with pistol grip built in, and leave the recevier alone, for about $60. Or, you can do the full conversion to the receiver starting at about $130. In either case, you can get the $20 bullet guide kit to be able to use standard AK mags. All of these parts are readily available from Carolina Shooters Supply, among others.

Has anybody tried the 'cheap/easy' route of the bolt-on stock with PG? Are the ergonomics that bad?

Edit: Just for the information of future readers, this turns out to be a dumb question. Simply replacing the Saiga rifle stock with a pistol grip stock WILL result in a non-922r compliant rifle. These only count as two parts, and you need a minumum of 6 (or 7) US made parts to be compliant. If you want to add a PG to your Saiga, the only way to legally do it is to do a conversion that results in 10 or fewer foreign made parts out of the 'list'.

This has surely been posted here before, but Tapco has a writeup and chart explaining which parts can be changed to comply:

http://www.tapco.com/section922r/

 

[mclina]

Or would just adding the stock with pg and making no other changes run you afoul with 922r compliance?

 

[Terminator03]

Have you considered a saiga? I was looking at the WASR as well, but decided I couldn't pass up $299.

http://www.jgsales.com/product_info...i-import,-new-/cPath/209_214/products_id/5888

I'll probably convert it sooner rather than later which will run me a few more bucks, but I like the idea of having something I can shoot now for that price, and being able to customize it as funds become available. The one I ordered is actually in 5.45x39 because the ammo is cheaper.

Quote from that link:
"These are Saiga 7.62X39 caliber semi auto sporter rifles featuring 16 inch chrome lined barrels with an AK styled action, side mount scope rail, black synthetic sporter stock and forend. These come with a 10 round polymer magazine and the rifle is not suitable to use standard AK high cap magazines. These Saigas are made in Russia by Izhmash and imported by TGI."

Does the part I highlighted mean it can't use AK mags at all, or does it just mean that it can't without converting with the bullet guide? Sorry for the thread derail, but I am also interested in building one of these, but want to be able to run the pre-ban mags if possible.

 

[Flyer007]

Quote from that link:
"These are Saiga 7.62X39 caliber semi auto sporter rifles featuring 16 inch chrome lined barrels with an AK styled action, side mount scope rail, black synthetic sporter stock and forend. These come with a 10 round polymer magazine and the rifle is not suitable to use standard AK high cap magazines. These Saigas are made in Russia by Izhmash and imported by TGI."

Does the part I highlighted mean it can't use AK mags at all, or does it just mean that it can't without converting with the bullet guide? Sorry for the thread derail, but I am also interested in building one of these, but want to be able to run the pre-ban mags if possible.

Can after conversion (the easiest part of conversion) Doing the stock is the hardest part I believe from reading the notes.

 

[Terminator03]

Can after conversion (the easiest part of conversion) Doing the stock is the hardest part I believe from reading the notes.

That's what I thought, but figured I should ask, because I am not really experienced with the Ruskie hardware.