AK-47 brands

[chiboxer]

Perhaps this has been asked and answered for before, but I am looking for a new AK-47. What brands or manufacturers are considered "good" or reliable brands. I recently handled a WASR-10 at Dunham's Sports and was not particularly impressed by the quality or workmanship of their product. Any help here would be appreciated.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Sarge45]

Many good reports on the Yugo M70. Chinese Mak's are very good quality too.

[SIXTO]

If you want a good quality AK, look for a Bulgarian built such as the ones sold under Arsenal brand search for SLR-100 series.

The cheap Romanians etc will do the trick but compared side by side piece by piece, they don't hold a candle to the heavier built, milled receiver of a Bulgarian gun.

[cphilip]

Second the Arsenal Bulgaria guns ... And might add Norinco to that as a close second.

But there are numerous builders doing fine jobs on Demilled Kit guns of various country sources.

[JrHawk]

Having recently been down this road on AK's its a whole new world. With the high demand there are a number of builders throwing parts together. As with anything else, it also depends on your budget. Vector makes a good firearm in the mid to upper $500 range. Arsenal is a good builder and overall has a good reputation - I recently picked up an Arsenal 107 F. These will run you around $800. For the top notch builders look to Krebs Custom and Rifle Dynamics. Long wait times on the build and over a grand in price. WASR's are entry level and if the parts and assembly are done right its a very reliable rifle. Those with more knowledge than I have on this subject tend to be cautious on the parts kit these are built on and many are sending their WASR's into Jim Fuller at Rifle Dynamics for a WASR package ( think of this as a tune up/reliability functionality update).

[Ram Rod]

I'll third the Bulgarian Arsenal models. If you can find one, get one of the earlier milled receiver models like the SLR-95.

[B52]

I got a CIA GP1975 for $450 and added a few more items. Don't laugh the reflex sight's price is worth 2 times more than the rifle. The AK is pretty accurate and the parker finish is nice. I forgot to mention, it has been flawless so far 2000+ rounds of Wolf, Brown Bear, and Romanian FMJ/HP ammo. I did have to invest in a sight tool $7.00 when I was using iron sights.

[cphilip]

This "was" and SA-93 from Arsenal Bulgaria that was transformed into a compliant clone of a Type III.... these were milled receiver guns and they are superb shooters.

[J_Plum]

Why not convert a Saiga?

It'll cost the same, and in the end you'll have a brand new as-close-to-Russian-military-grade-AK as one could have in the US. All you need is a drill and a dremel.

If it helps in your decision, they're built at the Izzy plant.

[Ram Rod]

Nice rifle cphilip! Don't hear much about the 93's or the 96's anymore. The 95's are the last ones I've seen of the older Bulgarian Arsenal clan. They dried up in a hurry I guess. I've seen SLR-95's on GunsAmerica every so often. The milled receiver rifles available must be a very small percentage. Don't these rifles come with a Steyr barrel? I thought I'd heard that before. Nice, accurate, good shooters for sure.

http://www.arsenalinc.com/about.htm
http://www.arsenalinc.com/milled.htm

Arsenal milled receivers begin as a 9-lb chrome steel hot forging that is CNC machined into a 2-lb receiver, which is then heat treated for hardness and toughness. Arsenal is the last remaining original manufacturer to use this costly technique, used since the early 1950s. We believe the resulting strength, rigidity and accuracy are well worth the extra effort.

[SIXTO]

I have a 95, and havent seen one for sale since right around '02.

[sgtD]

I agree with everything posted thus far.

I think it depends on how much you want to spend and what your plans for the rifle are.

Some are more collectable, some would be better for accuracy, etc.

For a plinker to play with, the WASR is hard to beat I guess. If you plan on trusting your life to it, you should probably have it upgraded as suggested earlier, or you can do the work your self if capable, or buy a better AK.

I have a MAK-90 and it is a well built rifle, not like an Arsenal or even a Yugo, but still well built.

If you have any dreams of a zombie attack in which you are required to fire multiple rounds at a rapid rate, I suggest that you get an AK with a heavy barrel, becuase the thin barrels heat up much quicker.

I know the MAK has a much heavier barrel than the WASR that I have and there are probably other well made guns on the market that have heavier barrels too, but my knowldge of this aspect is limited to the two types I own.
The drawback with a MAk is that you can only buy them pre-owned and you never know if some idiot has mistreated it.

[Ram Rod]

GunsAmerica - AK-47 Rifles (and copies) - Guns For Sale & Gun Auctions B"H

(1 Image)

ARSENAL SLR95 SLR-1 (GA Number: 916981525) Classified Ad
AK-47 Rifles (and copies) > Full Stock
USED SEMI AUTOMATIC RIFLE, 7.62X39, ARSENAL SLR 95 AK 47 TYPE, MILLED RECEIVER, SYNTHETHIC FOREND AND SAW STYLE GRIP, MATTE BLACK FINISH, FIXED TUBE S ...(read more)
Seller: SPTOP (FFL Dealer) $1,099.99 [View]

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[chiboxer]

Wow! Thanks for the help guys this was exactly the kind of information I was looking for, thanks again.

[KenpoTex]

Jim Fuller (Rifle Dynamics) builds, by far, the best AKs I've ever handled. However, as was previously stated, you're going to wait (and pay) for it.

Really it is hard to go wrong with any of them, even WASRs. All manufacturers, including the "big dogs" like Arsenal, turn out lemons occasionally. However, the majority of the rifles out there will run just fine.

If you want something that you can just buy and feel pretty confident that it will work (and not pay an arm and leg for), I'd look for a Yugo.