This is a discussion on DO You Get What You Pay For With The AK-47? within the Defensive Rifles & Shotgun Discussion forums, part of the Related Topics category; My question isnt if they are worth it, I know they are a great gun, but the price can range from $275.00 - $1800.00, I ...
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My question isnt if they are worth it, I know they are a great gun, but the price can range from $275.00 - $1800.00, I am sure there are lots of fancy options, but as for reliability and quality meterials what, if anything, am I not getting on a yugo or saiga that I am getting for something two or three times the price?
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now i am not going to pay $1,800 for an ak47. come to think about it i am not going to pay anything over $200.00 for one. i would save up my money and get a ar15. in the long run you would be much better off. yes, i have a ak47. got it in the early 80's. but i like my several different colt ar15 1000 times better than my one ak47.
if you got to have one get the lowest price that you can find. to me they all seen to be made the same with no brand better than the other. i known this statement will make some mad. you can dress it up later on if the need comes around. nothing wrong with having an ak47 around the house.
An armed man is a citizen. An unarmed man is a subject.
Red State State of Mind
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I plan on getting something like an ar15 in the next year or so...but a cheap AK is something that I can bring in under the wifes radar hehe...I dont plan on spending less than 1500 for an ar with a few add ons...that one has to be "discussed" lol.
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I think there are two basic varieties that truly justify a difference in price. That is, some have milled receivers and some have stamped. Where they were made and the quality of the wood can affect price too, but I don't know that you get a better AK from one country or wood over another. All of them are ridiculously reliable and equally fun to shoot.
That said, it's not likely that my life would ever depend on an AK and it isn't a rifle to compete with, so I would buy the cheapest one I could find.
Whatever doesn't kill you postpones the inevitable.
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I have heard many times people talking about an AK as a SHTF weapon...I dont like to get any gun I couldnt use in a defensive situation..which is proably why I generally dont buy cheap...however this rule seems to be overlooked when talking about AK's from what I see...is it just me?
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The reason I think some people see it as a good SHTF weapon is that it is likely to be the weapon of the enemy so ammo will be plentiful. The other reason is that you can bury it in your backyard and dig it up 10 years later and it will still shoot. Still another reason is that you can pick one up so cheap that it is nothing to buy two - one to shoot and one to bury in the backyard.
I don't base my gun purchases on the proverbial SHTF scenario, so the above is just based on what I have been told by others considerably more paranoid than me.
Last edited by lowflyer; January 7th, 2007 at 04:57 PM.
Yes, it is worth it, but only to a certain price point. There are some complete POS's out there for about $200. There are decent ones at that price too. For a good solid AK made with quality materials is going to be in the $500 range. Anything more than that is for a collector, or some one who really likes AK's.
More importantly than price, learn about each make. Find the one that has the features you want. The main difference in AK's is the materials used in it. A lot of times you can find a top notch AK, say a Bulgarian SLR at the price of a Yugo. People tend to not look at the quality of the build, only at price. A lot think an AK is a AK. We all know that there are a lot of makers of the 1911, some are worth nothing, and others are worth a good amount of cash. Do a little looking around and educate yourself on the build qualities.
For your needs a yugo may suit you fine, or if its going to be your mail shtf rifle, I would want a little more quality.
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Okay, time for a personal anecdote:
I have a stamped POS Chinese MAK-90 that I bought in the early nineties for about $200 that was stolen from me in Florida. It was recovered by police after being submerged in salt water for over a month. I cleaned it a little, removed the rust, and tens of thousands of rounds later, it is a little uglier, but it still shoots just as well as it ever did. I have a buddy that bought a milled, non-issued Russian one at the same time for more than twice the $$. I could never tell a difference in anything but looks. His was much nicer than mine, but they both functioned identically and were equally accurate in my hands. Mine has never malfunctioned; not once; ever. I don't know for sure, but I don't think his has either.
Do you get what you pay for? I suppose it depends on what you are after. Personally, I think all AKs are the same just like I think all 5-pound sledge hammers are the same. YMMV :shrug:
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The only AK I would be hesitant to buy is the WASR without the side dimples. You'll see them at gun shows for about $320. These guns were originally desigend for a single-stack mag, and have been basically dremmeled out to accept the dual mags.
I have one of the SAR (no "W") guns that was imported during the assault ban. Though it has no flash hider or bayonet, it is dead-reliable.
If I were to buy an AK today, I would probably go for the $450 or so Yugo M70 underfolder. If my budget was more like $700, I'd look hard at one of the Arsenal Inc. guns. For any more $$, you're paying for collectability and rarity, not fit or function.
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I was thinking about Saiga, and I havent actually heard anything bad about them, they also seem to be plentiful and cheap. I am still a little hesitant because of the price, and even at twice the price its not too bad..
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$300 - GP WASR 10. Everything an AK was designed to be, everything else is blasphemy, and expensive for nothing.
Don't argue, you know it's true. The original AK was cheap, reliable, and ugly. The WASR 10 is the epitome of those things.
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
- Edmund Burke
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Saigas are nice because they are a true Russian AK in a sporter configuration. The original AK is just under the surface, and conversion back to military configuration is fairly straight forward. If you can find a Saiga conversion done by someone who knows what they're doing, it would be a good choice indeed. I think the hardest part is making a bullet guide so that it can use regular non-saiga AK mags.Originally Posted by jlstorm
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Same here - I have an SAR, and although it suits me just fine, if I were going to buy an AK over again I would go with the Yugo M70 as well. They are built like a tank - best 'bang for the buck' on current batch of AK's, IMO.
The only problem with the Saigas is that depending on the model magazines can be hard to find and very expensive. Otherwise they are very good for what they cost.
George
Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe. Albert Einstein
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Cheap guns can be their cost because of how mass-produced they can be - just like my love of military surplus. Some of the most reliable firearms that have stood up to the worst possible conditions are those which are no longer made. The AK happens to be one that is still currently in production, just a big revision from the 1947 design (and arguably, the German's 1944 design).
Obviously, this does not apply to most cheap firearms. They are cheap because of the metals used, difficulty of use and cleaning (read: poor design), or some other reason.
Just remember - cheap doesn't neccesarily mean they are junk. Sometimes expensive can mean complicated. Some people may argue that the Mosin Nagant is the easiest rifle to battlefield strip, others would argue the AK... SKS... it really comes down to an opinion on the matter. I have never stripped or cleaned an AR or anything from the Stoner family - but I can't imagine it is easier than those rifles listed above
I'm sure this isn't what you were getting at exactly, but meh... Just IMO....
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