Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles Any good AKs for $600 and under?

Any ideas??? These things seem to cost as much as an AR15 these days.

I'd buy a VZ-58 before most AK's today.

No but Chris Butler at AK-USA can make you a good one for about $850 or you can just buy one from Arsenal for about the same. No free lunch anymore on anything.

I'm not real familiar with today's market, but it does seem like the .Gov has made them expensive beyond all reason, what with importation rules on barrels, parts etc. I would not want to pay $600 for a crappy old AK either. You can't make one nice enough to be worth that kind of money.

I have been pricing this out but to my eye, a MIni-30 with a Promag Sparta stock would be a better weapon, IMHO

Not me.

Nothing w/Century on it. I lucked into a xcllent SLR95 last year for $600. Just pure luck in finding it.

If I had to have a 7.62x39 I'd get one of the new SIG 556 carbines in that caliber that uses AK mags. It's a SIG, it won't choke.

I saw those! I wondered if the barrels were bare steel or melonite?

I have been leery of SIG products for a while now, are these any good?

The sig 7.62 rifles are a joke.

Find a used Arsenal AK or just keep an eye out for a deal. With upgraded sights, the AK is the best fighting carbine made (coming from the owner of almost a dozen ARs).

can we have your personal review? What happened when you shot the SIG 7.62 x 39 rifle?

You can get a Smith and Wesson M&P Sport for that if you look around.I sure like mine and have less than $700 wrapped up in it as it is.



Jayco

quote=greentimber]The sig 7.62 rifles are a joke.

Find a used Arsenal AK or just keep an eye out for a deal. With upgraded sights, the AK is the best fighting carbine made (coming from the owner of almost a dozen ARs). [/quote]

Wow, are you saying you would pick a AK based rifle over a
Sig 7.62mm rifle ?

Provided they are in the same price range, I would pick the
Sig hands-downn to anything AK (with the possible exception
of a Mitchel Imported Yugoslav AK variant, or a VZ made Czech
based AK variant).

Most AK variants can't shoot for [bleep] in terms of accuracy when
compared to the AR desiged weapons,however, they do tend to be
more reliable out the box vs. a AR...but then again, a AR rifle
is so much more versitle vs. a AK based design, look at how many
caliber choices you have with just a pull of 2 pins w/ a AR design...

JMHO.

I am curious how the sport shoots.

My son and I both have one and not one failure or jam yet with about every ammo made including the real cheap stuff.It groups well as is a charm to site in...Very accurate...Unlike some,it is ready to shoot right out of the box with sites on both ends and easy adjustments...

I have yet to shoot any reloads in mine yet but will be soon..Looking for a good 62 grain TSX load that should be easy.We will see.

For about $600 it is a keeper and Smith and Wesson isn't a bad thing either with a lifetime warranty.

Jayco

Is it a 5.56 chamber if so 62 grain TSX and about 26.5 grains of TAC or Varget. If its a 223 chamber you will need to back down a bit from the above I think 24 grains is max with TAC in a 223. That's OK the last deer I shot with a 62 grain TSX was shot with 24 grains of TAC. Killed him just fine.

OK I have it from TOP MEN in the industry that the SIG rifles are a JOKE. I withdraw my questions.

If the budget must be held you can have a reliable and very effective AK for 600 or less.

Look over every Romanian WASR you come across. Find one with a very straight (vertically) front sight tower and gas block. Remove the bolt carrier and check the piston for straightness to the bolt carrier. Century welded these in place where they are supposed to be properly pinned but this can be fixed at home later if you desire. If possible test fit a few european steel magazines in the rifle looking for and proper fit. Too loose cannot be fixed.

Tapco trigger components are preferred and the gun may have them. Look for the name cast into the trigger. Trigger group may also be easily replace later.

Try to pay no more than 450 for the rifle.

When you get the rifle home take a file, dremel, 320 grit sandpaper or other abrasive tool of your choice and remove every sharp edge that offends you. Pay special attention around the trigger guard, safety, charging handle and magazine catch as these are the most commonly touched.

You can touch up with cold blue, spray paint the whole deal or just go with the Road Warrior look.

These rifles will never win the beauty contest compared to Russian or Bulgarians but they will run right beside them.

You can stop at the purchase price investment or make a MAJOR performance upgrade by adding an Ultimak forward rail and small red dot sight. That is the single largest speed and accuracy enhancement I have found. I have used this sight setup at training classes and have at the very least kept pace with AR users in speed and accuracy at fighting/hunting distances.

The other accuracy secret to the AK is ammo. Go for Barnaul produced ammuntion. Labeled in the US as Brown Bear, Silver Bear, Golden Bear, or at Academy Sports as Monarch. Reliably 2moa and often better for three shots. This gives you a system with a conservative effective range of 300 yards on silhouette targets.

The less expensive AK's don't have the bullet guide in the bottom of the receiver directly below the chamber like a true AK does.

so the arsenal rifles have this bullet guide? they are said to be the best.