Whats the BEST AK to get? What would you buy and why?

[2fast4u]

Whats the BEST AK to get thats well made and looks good ? ? ? ?
Looking for something well made that will be good to keep around for years. Maybe something
with nice wood or Black set up.

What Round would you pick for your AK?

Someone told me the Arsenal AK's are very nice?

Any info on Brands,models,deals would be great.

Thanks.

[strangerdude]

Arsenals are good but hard to come by in CA. I would avoid WASR and Polish tantals. Get Lancaster, Vector, or your best choice is to buy a Saiga and convert it. Converted Saiga sometimes make it to the private firearms saled thread on here. If you can find a HUngarian, bulgarian, Russian, or Chinese AK that's not on the ban list get it.

[xrMike]

What Round would you pick for your AK?

7.62x39, since almost all of the 5.45 stuff is military surplus corrosive.

[Kendo671]

Arsenal SGL series are the best AK rifles you can find in the US imo. I was lucky enough to get on that last group buy by KVAR for $499, with middleman FFL (thanks freakshow-adam) I was OTD @ $650. The finish on their rifles is impressive, and clean. The bullet guide done by arsenal looks really nice.

I believe Atlantic Firearms has them for sale to Kalifornia. The price has increased a bit, but I think you still are able to get one of these beauties.

[Jayruta]

Arsenal is the best.. however they will not; and their distributors will not ship to CA (Breach of Contract), so you will have to go through a middleman.

I personally will not buy an AK from a company that will not support us. So arsenal is out for me. Atlantic Firearms does have some nice Non-Arsenal AK's which imo are just as good I believe they sell a Lancaster Rough Rider. Lancaster, Converted Saiga, Vector, etc. all good companies that support CA.

Wasr are hit and a miss. If you do go that route be prepared to fix a few things. I personally do not have issues trying to fix a few things for the WASR price.

[djleisure]

I have seen a couple people suggest Lancaster's and they are the only ones I would NOT recommend. I paid them for an AK over three months ago and still have not received it - go with ANYONE BUT THEM.

Definitely recommend Arsenal for high quality and Atlantic Firearms is good to go.

[Trendkill]

Hey....I just checked my UPS tracking number....My SGL20-41 just got to CA.


Yeah..!!!!!

[hkdad]

+1 for arsenal!

[JeffM]

There aren't too many factory anythings that are the "best"

The only way to accurately answer that would be to know your budget and try to get the "best" within that range.

Like others have said, avoid WASRs and Century built Polish Tantals. Professionally built Tantals are great but Century used barrels with an oversized bore to save money. They are known for cutting corners and for putting out a marginal product at best. I won't own one.

Arsenals are good but CA money isn't green enough so f*ck 'em. And I've seen the $500 SGL-21 next to the $1000 SGL-20 and the fit and finish on the cheaper one was not the same high quality that Arsenal was know for in the past. I won't own one.

Lancaster has had QC issues recently and some SERIOUS customer service issues as well. I won't own one.

I've got a Bulgarian AKS-74u pistol build in the works from PRK Arms in Fresno. I might also have them do a Polish underfolder AKM and a Khyber Pass AKM (using the AKS-74u stock) for me too. PRK Arms is likely the best custom AK shop west of the Mississippi. Their work is impeccable and their customer service is top notch. They are expensive and the wait time for a build is fairly long. IMHO it is worth it if you truely want the best.

Saiga rifles are great for what they are. Cheap, reliable, and CA legal right out of the box. If you want to convert one to a more standard AKM format it's relatively easy if you're mechanically inclined. The cost can add up if you want it done right - US parts for 922r, refinishing the exposed metal from removing the original parts, etc.

If you can find a lightly used Hungarian SA85m they are probably one of the best, affordable factory AKMs out there. Out of all the AK's I own it is my favorite factory built AK. They haven't been imported for a while so they are getting hard to find. You might be able to get one for around $800-900. Again, well worth it.

[C_1]

Best is subjective and AKs arent really known for being pretty. When you talk about good looks, what are you referring to? Rivet heads? Paint finish? Wood finish?

Stay away from WASRs and Century built guns. Like JeffM said, they cut corners. You cant really get Arsenals because they are CA haters. Arsenals are nice but a lil expensive, considering you can get a Saiga for fairly cheap, and convert it yourself.

I say get a custom AK built by a reputable builder. So then you can have the color paint you want, the right furniture, and you know it'll be nice and will function.

7.62x39mm FTW!

[Trendkill]

If you want an Arsenal enough....you can get one.

Plus...it makes it all the more satisfying to get one here knowing that they didnt want it that way.

[Chatterbox]

Best is probably a custom built rifle from somebody like Jim Fuller or Marc Krebs.

[Super Spy]

Saiga 7.62x39 they are inexpensive and completely CA legal, if you want to convert it later fine, I like not having to BS around with a bullet button so I'm leaving mine alone. I do plan on getting another down the road that looks like a classic AK, but my go 5.45 on that one.

[Aleksei Vasiliev]

I have seen a couple people suggest Lancaster's and they are the only ones I would NOT recommend. I paid them for an AK over three months ago and still have not received it - go with ANYONE BUT THEM.

Definitely recommend Arsenal for high quality and Atlantic Firearms is good to go.

I came in here to disrecommend Lancaster.

They are utterly terrible. I'm not sure how their gun is (it's my first AK) but it took them more than half a year to send me a prototype model of their 3060M.
No, I did not order a prototype.

[Lagduf]

Arsenal is the best.. however they will not; and their distributors will not ship to CA (Breach of Contract), so you will have to go through a middleman.

I personally will not buy an AK from a company that will not support us. So arsenal is out for me. Atlantic Firearms does have some nice Non-Arsenal AK's which imo are just as good I believe they sell a Lancaster Rough Rider. Lancaster, Converted Saiga, Vector, etc. all good companies that support CA.

Wasr are hit and a miss. If you do go that route be prepared to fix a few things. I personally do not have issues trying to fix a few things for the WASR price.

Why wont Arsenal ship to CA?