AR Guy... Thinking of getting my first AK

[zfields]

Right but the Saiga people are adamant that a Saiga is the solution...Which it is not in this case. However I hope the OP takes this to a real AK site for further info.

Still waiting on the open challenge to the Saiga guys. I will be at SLOSA on the 29th.

Holy god man, does that chip on your shoulder hurt?

[ZX-10R]

Holy god man, does that chip on your shoulder hurt?

From people here...Nah. Have and have nots.

[CLIFF]

I don't think this thread will never end with the saigas vs wasrs. long story short for the op do some research or go to a range and rent different types of aks. BTW I have wasr and I love it.

[FiveSeven]

From people here...Nah. Have and have nots.

Wasn't going to comment but you just had to say it twice and set it up.
From the looks of it.... It looks like "have nots" in your case.
I think you might get a hint in whats implied there.

[cmace22]

I'm a die hard AR guy... love em but recently I've been thinking of getting my first AK and or Saiga 12 to diversify a little...

That being said, I really don't know much about AKs...

Whats hot, whats not, best price to pay. Milled vs Stamped receiver worth it difference in cost?

Can anyone give me a little education here? Do they have "featureless" versions that don't require a bullet button?

I skipped all the BS banter above and will answer your questions the best I can.

There are a few ways to go about it and ALL will net you a great AK. It just depends on how much time, energy and money you want to put in to the look you want.

Options:

Buy a Saiga- They are great rifles but do not look like a traditional AKM. Converting one to look like an AKM will cost you time and a little bit of money. The conversion is not hard and can be done in a few hours with the right tools and know how. You do trigger 922r and have to make sure your rifle is compliant. In the end you will have a mostly Russian, new production rifle.

Next you can buy a AKM pattern rifle from a reputable manufacturer. There are a few out there that I would buy from (if I didnt build my own) and a lot to stay away from. I comes down to how much you want to spend and whats important to you.

Last, build your own. Buy a parts kit and spend the time to put together the rifle you want. Its not hard it just takes some know how and time.

What you have to figure out is what you want it to look like and how much you want to spend. Of the AK's I have build, none could be purchased from a manufacturer (in Cali especially) and If I found a compete rifle from a private party it would have been more expensive than it already was.

Milled is more true to the original AK-47's, stamped is more true to the current AKM's. Not the same but everyone uses AK as a generic term. Like I said above you have to decide what features you want (Milled vs stamped, wood or synthetic furniture, standard,side folder or under folding stock)

These are the ones I have built, the last one is a Saiga conversion!

[C_1]

Last post about this for me : )
The 7.62x39 REQUIRES the use of propriety mags for them to feed, or the use of a bullet guide.
The 5.45x39 does not. You are not modifying the gun in anyways.
And again, your making the assumption on what a "sporter" rifle is.

Its debatable. Im full on for converting, I cant stand the craptastic stock trigger.

My last post on this as well

But my "assumption" is loosely based on what Izhmash, and whoever takes care of the firearms importing and laws, thinks a "sporter" rifle is. I mean, we can't import Russian AKs but we can have all of the Saigas we want.

And Im well aware of Saiga and AK mags. But just because the the 5.45 Saiga just so happens to work with AK74 mags, without mods, and a lot of times without a bullet guide, doesn't mean its legal.

It is debatable. So you cannot argue that its not a "gray" area (we usually stay away from them). I will be on the safe side, and caution others; instead of telling people to stick 30rd AK74 mags in their unconverted 5.45 Saigas.


To the OP, sorry for the side tracking, but if you want a traditional looking AK, something like the one you posted, and don't want to convert a Saiga, get a WASR. Make sure its the best of the bunch, and maybe refinish the wood later. But buy lots of ammo, shoot it, and have fun!

[captbilly]

Depending on why you like ARs, you may or may not like ARs.

If you like the AR because you like a nicely machined, highly accurate, close tolerance gun, then you will not like the AK. If you like the AR because it has a military heritage, looks cool, is a semi auto, and ammo is cheap, then you may well like the AK. Come to think of it, when I first went from only shooting competitive target guns, to ARs, I thought the triggers were unbearably creepy and hard, the tolerances loose, and some features to be gimmicky, but you can get ARs that are very nicely put together, and even the bad ones still shoot OK. But the AK is a whole other step towards awful build quality and feel, and accuracy is really poor (even a tweaked on only shoots OK). But the AK does have a certain allure. And everyone should know how to use and strip an AK, there are just so many out there it seems likely that you will eventually end up with one in your hands.