So I had the chance to shoot an AK-47 today and...

[Guest glocklocker19]

...HOLY SMOKES! I am now convinced I want one!!!! 

What an amazing rifle... I can see why they are so popular, it had less recoil than my AR which kind of surprised me, especially considering I was shooting 7.62x54 vs. 5.56. What an amazing rifle... I shall start looking around for one. 

 

Any suggestions on what to look for and what to avoid? I admittedly don't know a whole lot about them. 

[RichardR]

If it was a 47, it was chambered in x39mm, not 54mm

[Guest glocklocker19]

If it was a 47, it was chambered in x39mm, not 54mm

 

Hmm ok... maybe it wasn't a 47 then? I'm pretty sure it the ammo we were shooting was 54mm, but can't remember honestly... whatever it was it was pretty nice! I may be getting it confused with the Mosin we were shooting as well... 

[Spots]

If it was a 7.62 x 54 and looked like a long barreled ak then it was a psl.

sent from the backwoods

[austin7.62]

It wasn't a PSL I'm guessing.

Was it a ak74 style in 5.45x39mm?

If so welcome to the dark side!!! Mwahahahahaha

[Guest glocklocker19]

My ignorance is definitely shining through here guys! I don't know exactly what it was that I was shooting, a nice chap at the range let me have a go at it after we talked about it and I can't remember all of the details.

 

The piston action on this rifle was nothing short of amazing though... I was so impressed with it!

[Hershmeister]

I've got a couple for sale on the trader :)

[Daniel]

Mosin-Nagant fires the 7.62x54r. An AKM which is the pattern rifle you most likely fired uses the 7.62x39mm round. Im surprised your AR has less recoil as I cant fire my Saiga AK without leaving a bruise in the shape of my buttstock pad.

[willis68]

I've got a couple for sale on the trader :)

Hershmeister,

You are the man, I absolutely love the side folder AK47 I bought from you!

[willis68]

...HOLY SMOKES! I am now convinced I want one!!!! 
What an amazing rifle... I can see why they are so popular, it had less recoil than my AR which kind of surprised me, especially considering I was shooting 7.62x54 vs. 5.56. What an amazing rifle... I shall start looking around for one. 
 
Any suggestions on what to look for and what to avoid? I admittedly don't know a whole lot about them.

Buy one from Herhsmeister, you will thank me later!

[austin7.62]

An ak in 5.45 has less recoil IMO than an ar. The muzzle brake does a good job.

[Mike.357]

My AK variant is the last long gun I would ever sell.   Yeah Rommie's get a bad rep but someway somehow I got a tack driver.   Heck even OS can hit with it all day long.

Curious if you had a 47, or 74 or what.  But the design is flawless either way.  They are worth no more than 5 bills,  don't overpay.  

[austin7.62]

My arsenal is worth the 10 bills I paid :)

[Mike.357]

I hope it shoots better than my Romanian Austin.  I have shot Ruskies and Yugo's  and I would not trade mine for any of them.   No way am I paying a grand for an AK, even if it is from Hersh.  ;)

[UncleJak]

My AK variant is the last long gun I would ever sell. Yeah Rommie's get a bad rep but someway somehow I got a tack driver. Heck even OS can hit with it all day long.
Curious if you had a 47, or 74 or what. But the design is flawless either way. They are worth no more than 5 bills, don't overpay.

mine too!
I had a buddy introduce me to aks several years ago and convinced me I needed one. I bought one and love it!

sent barefoot from the hills of Tennessee

[Mike.357]

Nice UJ.  I love shooting mine.  I am so happy I spent all my ammo money on 7.63X39 before all the stupidness happened.  I rarely go the range without it tagging along.  And the fact that OS hits with it only reinforces how good of a rifle it is.  I am pretty sure with some practice at long range it would hit all day long out to 1K yards.

[Clod Stomper]

Just curious...  have you fired an AR-style rifle?

 

:stir:

[Mike.357]

I have shot 'em. They go bang, a projectile goes down range and a casing ejects from the chamber. 

 

Give me an AK over an AR any day.

[austin7.62]

I have shot 'em. They go bang, a projectile goes down range and a casing ejects from the chamber. 

 

Give me an AK over an AR any day.

Amen, bro.

[austin7.62]

I hope it shoots better than my Romanian Austin.  I have shot Ruskies and Yugo's  and I would not trade mine for any of them.   No way am I paying a grand for an AK, even if it is from Hersh.   ;)

Yeah it does! It's milled though man. Shoot one of them, you won't go back to stamped.

 

I must say I have never shot an AK I didn't like. Now ARs on the other hand... ;)

[austin7.62]

Mike,

One day come down to John Sevier and you can shooter er!

[Hershmeister]

I hope it shoots better than my Romanian Austin. I have shot Ruskies and Yugo's and I would not trade mine for any of them. No way am I paying a grand for an AK, even if it is from Hersh. ;)

You haven't seen my latest prices then ;). Well under a grand - I'll let willis68's comments speak for themselves.

There are three categories of AK rifles

1) Saigas

Pros - built in Russia!
Cons - no threaded muzzle, need to be "converted" and won't take AK mags without a bullet guide mod, need to make 922 compliant if converting

2) Current imports :

Romy WASR

Pro - cheapest AK around
Con - erratic workmanship, no bayo lug, no muzzle threads, relying on century to properly open up mag well

IO AKs

Pro - not much more than WASR
Con - basic AK - don't expect anything beyond a basic wood stock

Various Yugos

Pro - yugo beefiness
Con - hard to find wood stocks nowadays

Arsenal

Pro - good rep
Com - expensive

3) custom AKs

Pro - wider range of AK countries, styles and types to choose from. Can get a numbers matching gun, better quality vs century monkeys

Con - more expensive

[Mike.357]

Yeah it does! It's milled though man. Shoot one of them, you won't go back to stamped.

 

I must say I have never shot an AK I didn't like. Now ARs on the other hand... ;)

 

 

I am not sure what paying an extra 500 beans for a milled receiver gets me.   Shot milled AK's and never noticed any difference.

 

And I agree, I love shooting any AK,  AR's meh....

[EMB145]

I have two SHTF rifles. First being a Ruger 10/22 and next is the WASR 10. I might just be lucky, but I have never had a single problem out of my WASR. I don't understand why they get such a negative reputation. Again, I might have just gotten lucky with mine, but it would be the last rifle I ever part with intentionally. I'm itching for a good AK74 to add to the mix.:)

[gregintenn]

Yeah it does! It's milled though man. Shoot one of them, you won't go back to stamped.

 

I must say I have never shot an AK I didn't like. Now ARs on the other hand... ;)

What difference do you feel between a milled receiver and a stamped receiver when firing the rifles?

 

 

 

I bought a WASR on a lark a few years back. I thought my kids would get a kick out of shooting it. I didn't have any interest in one personally. After shooting it, I became quite the fan.

 

I also bought an AR a while back. After shooting it, I'm not that impressed. It doesn't fit me correctly, the adjustable stock pulls your whiskers, and it just feels cold and uncomfortable to carry or shoot.

Edited June 30, 2013 by gregintenn