Looking to buy an Ak. What do I need to know?

[Gingerbeardman]

It's so interesting to watch the value shift on what, when I started paying attention, was the unwanted stepchild rifle for those who couldn't afford the hallowed AR.

There's an adaptor for slant cut to straight cut ak receiver.

@IUKalash429 should've been here by now, he knows this topic.

 

[WillH]

Like the title says. I'm looking get into AKs. Want to go with 7.62x39, fixed or side folder stock. What should I look for? Any brands to avoid or recommend?

Do some research on trunnions. I'm by no means an expert, but I believe you're supposed to avoid cast trunnions, which I think is unfortunately what a lot of American made Ak's use.

 

[maceace]

Stay away from american made ak's for your first ak.

That being said, every factory knows how to make a lemon here and there, so a proper inspection before buying an AK will be helpful, lots of good videos on what to check on youtube.

Mak90 is a good choice and they can regularly be found under $1500 built like a tank, stamped or milled available, milled being slightly higher priced but a better shooter overall.
Drawbacks
May have a thumbhole stock. They also may have a slant cut receiver (some stamped mak's in one year of production had it) and all milled receiver MAK's have a slant cut receiver making it somewhat tricky to get a regular ak stock, however you can buy aftermarket adapters or stocks which will fit.
They are not threaded for muzzle device nor do they have a bayo lug as they were post ban guns.

The Zastava ZPAP twins the m70 and m90 are probably the best choice for the price in this market they are around $1000 and are good to go out the box. Built like a tank, 1.5mm receiver, smooth and accurate. The M70 is your standard 7.62x39 the M90 is the 5.56 version with the adjustable gas block.
Drawbacks
They do not fit standard akm furniture and do not have a bayo lug.

WASR 10, 10/63 great budget guns and the new production ones are much better built then the older versions.
Drawbacks
Again, older ones had canted sights and poor finish, some of them were cali/nj models with no bayo lug or threaded barrel.
Also be careful as century makes their own "american" WASRS which are straight garbage.

The Polish Radom guns are good to go but are from a commercial company and not a state owned military arsenal, and they also tend to be a little harder to get these days and the price keeps creeping up.

The Arsenal Bulgaria ak's are out of your price range these days sadly unless you can find a used one, the only one I would stay away from is the slr107r, the rest for the most part are good to go.

The slant cut vepr sporters may be within your price range in excellent to like new condition, but you would have to convert them to a full ak installing a bullet guide and fitting pistolgrip and stock etc. They are a heavy barrel/receiver version of the standard russian ak, and good to go out of the box. Again, drawbacks are the furniture and slant cut receiver as well as no bayo lug, and may or may not have threaded barrel.

Unconverted saigas can be found if you keep a close eye on the ar15 and akfiles web pages in your price range. Drawback, again unconverted so you would have to do at least a bullet guide stock/pistol grip conversion and will not have a bayo lug and threaded barrel.

Lots of other used excellent AK's available, and if I was you I would do lots of research before buying as prices are very high when compared to the market of rest of the guns such as ar15's and handguns/shotguns.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

At Christmas Eve dinner conversation SOMEHOW turned to guns , couple of buddies have WBPs. Maybe check one of those out too.

Here is Bill Trotter of Springdale, AR again, better known as "Mishaco" as you tube.

 

[IUKalash429]

It's so interesting to watch the value shift on what, when I started paying attention, was the unwanted stepchild rifle for those who couldn't afford the hallowed AR.

There's an adaptor for slant cut to straight cut ak receiver.

@IUKalash429 should've been here by now, he knows this topic.

I've been traveling and living in airports for the past few days. Sorry for my delay and merry Christmas to everyone!

@Mr. Habib lots of good info already provided - I don't have much to add. There are a few good established threads on here worth reading for AK noobs: https://www.indianagunowners.com/threads/new-to-aks-looking-for-guidance.522850/

Obligatory "imports > domestics" statement. I would avoid any American AK for your first one. In your price range I'd look at a quality Polish or Romanian factory build, or a quality import kit build from Atlantic. I'd be wary of any used gun, especially one that seems priced to good to be true, unless you trust the seller and know exactly what to look for.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

I've been traveling and living in airports for the past few days. Sorry for my delay and merry Christmas to everyone!

@Mr. Habib lots of good info already provided - I don't have much to add. There are a few good established threads on here worth reading for AK noobs: https://www.indianagunowners.com/threads/new-to-aks-looking-for-guidance.522850/

Obligatory "imports > domestics" statement. I would avoid any American AK for your first one. In your price range I'd look at a quality Polish or Romanian factory build, or a quality import kit build from Atlantic. I'd be wary of any used gun, especially one that seems priced to good to be true, unless you trust the seller and know exactly what to look for.

I'd just buy a Yugo, ZA. I have two of them, ALG triggers, and call it all good.

The ZPAP is chrome lined, on the chunky side, but OK, I'm cool with them.

Lighter I would go WBP. May get one in 2023.

Of course, I have also been waiting since October for a Galil.

 

[IUKalash429]

I'd just buy a Yugo, ZA. I have two of them, ALG triggers, and call it all good.

The ZPAP is chrome lined, on the chunky side, but OK, I'm cool with them.

Lighter I would go WBP. May get one in 2023.

Of course, I have also been waiting since October for a Galil.

I also have a couple Zastava USA guns including one of the new ZPAPs - bought it from a member here. It's fine enough, but it had to go back for warranty work due to crap rivets, and even after a trip back to ZUSA it still has a pretty gnarly canted sight. It zeroes, but the windage is pushed almost all the way.

Personally I haven't been a giant fan of Zastava USA's customer service and general jerk ass attitude to folks even remotely critical of some pretty questionable and well documented QC issues.

That said, I'd still easily take one over an older PSA, a Riley, or any IO abomination. And I'm an Arsenal fanboy, so at least ZUSA replies.

 

[maceace]

I also have a couple Zastava USA guns including one of the new ZPAPs - bought it from a member here. It's fine enough, but it had to go back for warranty work due to crap rivets, and even after a trip back to ZUSA it still has a pretty gnarly canted sight. It zeroes, but the windage is pushed almost all the way.

Personally I haven't been a giant fan of Zastava USA's customer service and general jerk ass attitude to folks even remotely critical of some pretty questionable and well documented QC issues.

That said, I'd still easily take one over an older PSA, a Riley, or any IO abomination. And I'm an Arsenal fanboy, so at least ZUSA replies.

Any factory can put out a lemon here and there, you should read up on all the lemons Arsenal has made over the years, and that's not even mentioning the slr107r mash up guns...
I have an old school Arsenal slr95 (my second AK ever) from the early 2000
s, with the front sight windage pinned to the left and still cant get it to better then 2 inches from POA. It's buried in my safe waiting it's turn to properly look it over and figure out wtf is going on.
Proper inspection is the key if you want to get a decent AK.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Any factory can put out a lemon here and there, you should read up on all the lemons Arsenal has made over the years, and that's not even mentioning the slr107r mash up guns...
I have an old school Arsenal slr95 (my second AK ever) from the early 2000
s, with the front sight windage pinned to the left and still cant get it to better then 2 inches from POA. It's buried in my safe waiting it's turn to properly look it over and figure out wtf is going on.
Proper inspection is the key if you want to get a decent AK.

I had same problem with my Bulgarian SLR-95 until Mike at the The Firing Line in OK fixed it.

Man, that was frustrating, lol.

 

[IUKalash429]

Any factory can put out a lemon here and there, you should read up on all the lemons Arsenal has made over the years, and that's not even mentioning the slr107r mash up guns...

I'm well aware. And I actively discourage new folks from considering 107Rs. It's also one of the reasons I stated this in my original reply regarding the Arsenal OP found:

I'd be wary of any used gun, especially one that seems priced to good to be true, unless you trust the seller and know exactly what to look for.

My point is, there have been quite a few lemons that ZUSA has put out. Lots of reports with photos of **** poor rivets, questionable metallurgy, cracked parts, poor QC, and more, not to mention some downright a-hole responses to owners from a few ZUSA douchebag employees. You're on the Files - you've probably come across some of this. Have you read up on some of this customer "service," telling folks to pound sand but in far more insulting and inflammatory terms?

Most of the ZPAP guns are fine, but I've really been put off more lately by ZUSA as a company, as well as the insufferable ZUSA circle jerk over on Reddit. That's all I'm saying.

 

[maceace]

I'm well aware. And I actively discourage new folks from considering 107Rs. It's also one of the reasons I stated this in my original reply regarding the Arsenal OP found:



My point is, there have been quite a few lemons that ZUSA has put out. Lots of reports with photos of **** poor rivets, questionable metallurgy, cracked parts, poor QC, and more, not to mention some downright a-hole responses to owners from a few ZUSA douchebag employees. You're on the Files - you've probably come across some of this. Have you read up on some of this customer "service," telling folks to pound sand but in far more insulting and inflammatory terms?

Most of the ZPAP guns are fine, but I've really been put off more lately by ZUSA as a company, as well as the insufferable ZUSA circle jerk over on Reddit. That's all I'm saying.

I am not hyping up zastava products but sounds like you have a little bit of a grudge against them.

You are right I'm a member on ak files and there has been a few (mostly early imports) with incompletely pressed rivets, which were warrantied by zastava without any issues. Most of these were aesthetic only as the rifles were good to go in regards to function. Most of the AK owners are previous AR owners and not used to the crude AK fit and finish which is why there was so many complaints. Same thing goes for canted sights and such not only for zastava ak's but all other AK's in general.

There has been an occasional broken part here and there, but if you do your research there is lots of horror stories about AK's of all manufacture. This is valid for all of the industry, whether it be AK's, AR's pistols, shotguns, and even in general any product that's mass manufactured.

In regards to their customer service, I have not had any personal experience, and when the zpaps first came their customer service was OK, not sure about it these days...

In any case, any gun and ESPECIALLY an AK needs to get looked over before buying it whether new or used.

 

[kBk wz. 1970]

In 2022, WASR for around sub $900. Spend the rest on some mags and ammo if you’re wanting to get into AKs. Shoot it to see if it’s for you. If not, you have some equity to trade/sell.

 

[maceace]

This statement is inherently false. FB Radom is Polish Military Armory.

FB Radom: Poland’s Military Arsenal

FB Radom of Poland is one of the original factories to make the AK, and three of their Beryl models are still being imported into the U.S.

gundigest.com

The post below was wrong and I deleted it see post #38...

 

[kickbacked]

It’s wild to think when I turned 18 I went and bought a Romanian ak for $300 and everyone called them trash in the ak community. Now they’re recommended and an 18 year old buying an ak must be reported to the police.

 

[maceace]

Are they not producing Poland’s GROT rifle?
I know they are not producing AKs for Poland’s military, but I’d bet a donut to a dollar they produce for Poland’s military. I could be wrong…

I apologize you are correct the FB Radom is the MILITARY supplier for the Polish Army. In my original post I f'ed up and confused WBP whose AK's I was referring to with FB Radom, who makes the Grot and the beryl/mini beryl so my posts above were incorrect...

 

[maceace]

It’s wild to think when I turned 18 I went and bought a Romanian ak for $300 and everyone called them trash in the ak community. Now they’re recommended and an 18 year old buying an ak must be reported to the police.

My first AK was a Romanian SAR-1, the second a SAR-2, $299.99, and $279.99 each respectively they were considered junk then, now they are considered high quality starters and selling in the $1200 range, how time changes...

 

[kBk wz. 1970]

I apologize you are correct the FB Radom is the MILITARY supplier for the Polish Army. In my original post I f'ed up and confused WBP whose AK's I was referring to with FB Radom, who makes the Grot and the beryl/mini beryl so my posts above were incorrect...

Pioneer started a Psyop mission…

 

[T4rdV4rk]

ZPAP
Galil

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Bartocci with Galil ACE (and it did not burn his hands, go figure)

 

[Bighoss91]

I have always built my own from kits but my brother was asking about the quality of PSA's kit builds for his first ak. He is looking at their Romania md63 based gf5 with the alg trigger and fn barrel. I haven't seen one in person or heard much about them yet and was wondering if anyone had any info.