Ak47 Checklist

I am looking at picking one up in the near future. However I am unfamiliar with the platform and do not know anyone who has one, that could walk me through what to look for.

I have been searching on here and other ak sites but have not had any luck in finding a checklist of things to make sure the rifle is good to go.

I rember there being a safety checklist for 1911 talking about ten or twelve things to keep a look out for when buying a used one.

Ifanyone can help me with this that would be great. I am headed to a local show and I am sure there will be some and may have a good deal. Thanks for any help you all can be.

I know canted sights are a big problem for some AK rifles, mag wobble, stock wobble, cant think of much else

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Originally Posted by wareagleky

r I am unfamiliar with the platform and do not know anyone who has one, that could walk me through what to look for.
I have been searching on here and other ak sites but have not had any luck in finding a checklist of things to make sure the rifle is good to go.
Thanks for any help you all can be.

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First - Decide what Kind of AK you want and how much you are
willing to spend.

There are several Companies that offer a good warranty and
customer service for their products - and MANY that DO NOT!

I would recommend looking at a basic stamped receiver AK
with a fixed stock ,( maybe with a standard combloc scope mount
already installed) in 7.62x39 caliber.

This will definitely cost you about $600 nib at current prices.

I recommend you visit this website.... Avtomats in Action!

It is entertaining - Informative - and presented by REAL AK Experts. :wave:

How much do you want to know? There are a few of us AK practitioners here on the forum. I only have one, and I lucked into that. I've done plenty of research before and after, but some here will have some better and possibly some quick checks for the gun show venue. I suggest doing a search here in the forums for previously discussed AK-47 topics. Not many probably, but informative nonetheless.

http://www.ak47.net/forums/forum.html?b=4&f=74

As long as the sights and gas-block are not canted, the bolt assembly moves freely, the mags lock in and don't have excessive wobble, and the gas-piston is properly installed (with a little play), you'll probably be just fine. They AK is a pretty simple platform, not really too much to worry about.

Ramrod & KenpoTex- both of you provided me an introduction to the AK earlier this year when I was asking question. Each of you in your own way adds value to this forum.

Anyway, a couple of thoughts and a few AK resources for wareagleky. As you have probably found out the AK is a different animal and comes complete with its own alphabet of eastern european countries, languages and terminology. Finding someone who knows the AK and a gun store that has quality ones to compare and educate you on is a difficult undertaking. On top of this with the current political environment the availability of quality AK's seem to be diminishing as the prices go up. I am by no means an expert but after having researched, purchased and run thousands of rounds through my three AK's, I have a few of the basics and some common sense pounded into my head.

There are a few AK sites out there. I learned quite a bit about AK's on Warrior Talk Forums - Powered by vBulletin. They are all about the fighting rifle. If you go to the site spend some time on the Kalashnikov rifle discussion and reference section. In particular read the 9/18 thread by Motorhead on his purchase of a certified WASR AK ( great detail and pics ). This will help you if you elect to go the route of picking out an AK from a local source.

You can certainly narrow your search down by budget considerations. The high end AK's over $1,000 are Krebs, Rifle Dynamics and Arsenal. These are considered by many as the top tier. Arsenal - out of Las Vegas also has AK's in the $700 + range. Vector and Lancaster make good mid price AK's but they are getting harder to find. Several threads on WarriorTalk give very good marks to the Arizona Response Systems AK's and as pointed out in the WASR review above, those by Henderson Defense seem good to go. You can get a feel for prices on Gunbroker. I am also certain you can find a solid AK out there at a gunshow or local gunshop in the $400-$500 range, which gets back to your question of what to look for - again the Motorhead review would be a good checklist. In summary, spend some time on WT, check out Gunbroker for prices, have a budget in mind and buy some ammo now.

Thank you for all the help. I appreciate all who have helped and some other resources to go and read more on.

On a topic I am hoping to find something in the $400-$600 range for this. I do not have a battle rifle in my collection. Thought an Ak would be a good start. And like I said and JrHawk pointed out "As you have probably found out the AK is a different animal and comes complete with its own alphabet of eastern european countries, languages and terminology. Finding someone who knows the AK and a gun store that has quality ones to compare and educate you on is a difficult undertaking."

Again thank you and if anyone has anything else to add or places to read more i would certainly appreciate it.

You could buy a Yugoslavian made AK variant. I don't own one, but have handled them in gun stores, and have heard nothing but good things about them. I only have one, which is a Century Arms Romanian GP WASR10. Some say it's a hit or miss when it comes to getting a Romanian WASR10 in good shape (no canted parts, excess mag wobble, etc). Mine didn't come with any canted parts, but it does have a little bit of magazine wobble, which isn't a big deal to me. I've put close to 6K rounds through it, and only experienced two mis fires.

Yep WASRs seem to be hit or miss. I think the Centurys are the ones to check for canted sites and gas tube. Others?

The WASRs also do not have the "dimple" on either side of the mag-well. These dimples help stabilize the magazine.

My only AK is a Century Yugo underfolder which has been rock solid. Eats anything and I trust my life to it.

This is a Romanian AK site but it is a great tutorial that IMHO will apply to almost all AKs out there. And if you feel like start messing with your AK, you can use it as guide.

Romanian Kalashnikov Rifles

I even went ahead and saved the whole site in PDF in the event it disappears some day.

My advice is - Don't jump into the AK thing without doing the research. You WILL regret it. papa

A lot of AKs will dent the brass as they eject them. Something you may want to be aware of if you're a reloader.

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Originally Posted by Fast Cloud

A lot of AKs will dent the brass as they eject them. Something you may want to be aware of if you're a reloader.

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IMHO, if you're reloading 7.62x39 you've got enough time on your hands to get a second job or take up the bagpipes. :gah: :wink:

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Originally Posted by Fast Cloud

A lot of AKs will dent the brass as they eject them. Something you may want to be aware of if you're a reloader.

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Good point FC....however, most 7.62 and virtually all 5.45 ammo is Berdan primed ammo and for the most part non-reloadable unless you have a specialized depriming device.

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Originally Posted by gun papa

My advice is - Don't jump into the AK thing without doing the research. You WILL regret it. papa

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After researching the pros & cons, I jumped into the "dark side" this past September and haven't looked back. It's my primary long gun platform and will remain so indefinately. My only regret is that I didn't buy two or three more and bunch more mags and ammo.

My Romanian AKM GP-75 shoots accurately enough (Minute Of Man) out to 250+ meters with Commie ammo, is rarely cleaned (just to test its reliability), never misfires, a circus monkey could field strip it, and it looks like the kind of weapon that makes the gun-grabbers wake up in a cold sweat.

A lot of the AK inaccuracy mythology can be dispelled by using match grade ammo. Bench rest groups of 2-3" out to 100 meters for starters. If that doesn't work for you, you might want to to stop punching paper at the square range, get off the X, and start practicing combat tactics.

With a basic 2-point sling, a pair of coupled 30-round magazines, and a sneaky bag with 4 more magazines, it makes the average Joe an Army of One at the typical battle distances of sub-100 yds. BTW, if you're "defending" your home beyond 100 yards, the local prosecutor might find your case . . . well, let's say "tempting".

If you believe in a fair fight with the bad guys--don't buy an AK. If you plan to win and can think for yourself . . . give the AK platform a try. :image035: