[sarge1967]

I am looking at getting an AK. I know very little about the different brands. What are ones to avoid and what is your best quality for the money?
My budget is around $800.00

 

[Piratesailor]

Look for a saiga that has been converted. Good gun and you should find them under your price.

 

[ekim]

Find a Saiga as cheap as you can and convert it yourself, unless you need a popular name brand to make you think your gun will be better. An AK will never be a tack driver like the AR but it will serve you well if you use it as intended.

 

[Meangreen]

They all work fine. I have owned WASR's that are supposed to be the worst and never had a single problem with them and I have built my own that I still own and they work great. I really like the Zastava PAP rifle. It seems like a well built rifle and solid feel. Here are few sites:

Centerfire Systems, Inc. - Your Home For Ammo, Firearms, Magazines, and Gun Accessories

http://www.atlanticfirearms.com/

 

[wesley762]

Buy a WASR and spend the rest on Ammo. I and my cousion both have one and have performed great. He is put 1000's of rounds through his and shoots just as good as the day he bought it. I have put about 1000 rounds through mine and shoots just as strait. I think I have had 2 jams in 1000 rounds with steel cased ammo.

 

[Smitty901]

Others have put you on track. I wish to add. The draw of the AK in today's market has been cheap 7.62X39 ammo. Almost all of witch comes from foreign markets, either looted military supplies,military surplus or consumer product packaged the same as Military product. In the last several years more and more consumer product has also been showing up.
The current administration by their own admission is working on banning the import of most of this ammo. Should that happen the AK would go from a affordable weapon to fire to a very expensive one.
I am not trying to talk you out of an AK. If you find what you desire search and buy some reasonable ammo to stock pile.
They can be a lot of fun to shoot.

 

[Fuzzee]

You're going to get a few opinions no doubt. With an $800 budget an Arsenal Arms is out. I suggest you forget anything out by Century if your looking for a quality built rifle. One question to ask is AK47 that shoots 7.62x39mm or an AK74 that shoots 5.45x39mm. The 47 is the most widely used across the world and 7.62x39mm is more widely available in the states and cheaper than 5.45x39mm. Than there's the ballistic difference besides. You most likely want an AK47 so I'll just recommend one that's an excellent rifle for the money and bang for the buck. An M10. Built off a Romanian stamped receiver and parts with a chromelined barrel and different stock choices. With needed take it in the rear US parts compliance of course.

View the Specifications for the M10-762 AK 47 | MM-Industries.com

M+M Inc M10-762 AK-47 Semi-Auto 7.62mmX39mm 16.5" 30+1 Blk S $649.00 SHIPS FREE

 

[Scotty12]

If you can find a WASR 10/63 unfired with some ammo you might be okay. Check and make sure that front sight post isn't canted tho. Remember I said WITH ammo.

 

[wesley762]

Just got Cabela's mailer, $4.29 a box on sale this weekend for 7.62x39 this weekend, just a heads up.

 

[Smitty901]

You would not believe how much of it we destroyed.

 

[csi-tech]

I bought an N pap rifle. It is overbuilt, reliable and heavy. The O paps are even better. They are the budget minded choice these days. Mine shoots great and has been absolutely reliable. They do not have chrome lined barrels so you need to be sure to clean them from time to time but they tend to be more accurate. There is a very good chance I will buy an O pap or an M70AB2 (underfolder) next year. They are exceptional rifles and can be had for under $600.00. They also have a 1.5mm thick receiver where the WASR receiver is thinner at 1mm. They are all decent rifles but the Pap rifles are generally cheaper and better built than the WASR.

 

[jimb1972]

I have owned a Century Romanian and still own one AK I built from a parts kit. The Romanian was a good gun, I only replaced the factory trigger group with the Tapco double hook because I was experiencing some painful trigger slap. If you look the gun you are buying over well you can hardly go wrong with any brand of AK. I bought the Century just to have something to look at while I built mine and was happy with it once the trigger was replaced.

 

[sarge1967]

Others have put you on track. I wish to add. The draw of the AK in today's market has been cheap 7.62X39 ammo. Almost all of witch comes from foreign markets, either looted military supplies,military surplus or consumer product packaged the same as Military product. In the last several years more and more consumer product has also been showing up.
The current administration by their own admission is working on banning the import of most of this ammo. Should that happen the AK would go from a affordable weapon to fire to a very expensive one.
I am not trying to talk you out of an AK. If you find what you desire search and buy some reasonable ammo to stock pile.
They can be a lot of fun to shoot.

Well that was the very reason I wanted one. Cheap ammo. Now that I am learning this perhaps I will need to rethink it.

 

[paraquack]

Have you actually had the opportunity to try one on the firing line? That would be my first piece of advice.

 

[Smitty901]

Well that was the very reason I wanted one. Cheap ammo. Now that I am learning this perhaps I will need to rethink it.

We never know what will happen just something to keep in mind. We stocked up over time on 7.62X39 so not to worried about. He brought up doing it by Executive order .
The fun of shooting an AK is not going out and trying to punch holes in holes it is not that kind of weapon it is loading it up and burning up some ammo.
If you buy one pick up some ammo . But that applies to a lot of rounds. 5.56 62 gr is a round but pricy double what we use to pay.

 

[Smitty901]

This was a post Brady bill one. They had to change the stocks to comply with the bill. At that time you could buy them all day long and all the ammo you wanted. 10 cents a round bulk

 

[acidlittle]

The Norinco MAK 90 like the one pictured above, is the best AK for the budget minded person, I got mine for $450. I doubt you can find one that cheap right now. The drawbacks, you want to ask if the reciever is square cut or slanted. Square cut is deal. it doesn't have a threaded muzzle, and no bayonet lug. The trigger on this rifle is fantastic, the quality of it is also fantastic.
Norinco MAK90 : Semi Auto Rifles at GunBroker.com
Check it out. You can get replacement stocks from ironwooddesigns

 

[acidlittle]

I also have a yugo m70ab2 that is fantastic.

 

[sarge1967]

Have you actually had the opportunity to try one on the firing line? That would be my first piece of advice.

Oh I have fired several over the years. Just never paid much attention as to who made them. I honestly never thought of getting one until I saw what ammo runs for them. But it seems that may change. My .308 runs .75 cents a round to shoot. I thought this may be a better option.

 

[csi-tech]

I wanted a .308 based semi-auto rifle. I looked at the AR-10, The FN FAL and the HK 93 variants. The rifle and 1000 rounds was 2,500.00. Ugh. Settled for a Chinese type 53 and three spam cans of powerful 7.62x54R. I'm also going to add a 190.00 Russian M-44 to the pile and all told will be out a whopping $600.00. Even though it's bolt action, itch scratched.