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reliable assault rifle for 500$ or less

42K views 44 replies 31 participants last post by  AutoFan 
#1 ·
looking for a tactical assault rifle that is both reliable and and has a good clean look and also accurate any advice is appreciated

thank you :embarassed:
 
#3 ·
sorry first post i didnt mean fully auto shouldve been more spec. i already have a kel tec su16c im just lookin for another 556-223 or 22lr semiauto rifle with a clean look and 500 flat not being max price.
but thank you u did clear up a nother question for me and ill clarify better next time thanks again
 
#4 · (Edited)
There are some Ak's out there that are great shooters and very dependable. Stay away from the Wasr's. Some (not all) had canted gas ports and sights. 7.62x39 is very controllable and is available. As much as any ammo is right now.
Mini 14s are good and have great after market add ons available. 5.56 can also be found fairly easily.
Saiga builds an excellent weapon and it is available in 7.62x39, 223 and 7.62x51(308).
Keep your eyes open and these can be found for 500-600 dollars.
Welcome to the forum. Glad you joined in with us. Lots of good info here!!!
 
#6 ·
Welcome to the forum Kel Tec 223.

Based on your forum handle, I assume you own one? What's wrong with it? Why not continue to use it and save for a good AK-47 or AR-15?

Also, tactical is a bad word to some. So that's probably why you got a little flack. Let it roll off your back.
 
#7 ·
Since you already have a Keltec, I have one too, I would use it as a trade, or sell it outright, or put it in the back of the gun safe never to see the light of day again. I use mine for riding around on the floorboard of the truck when I'm at the Ranch. It's purpose is to shoot coyotes, or at least scare them off, and digest Wolf ammo, and any other crappy ammo I might have.

Now, with all that said, save your money and get a real AR. Your expirience with the Keltec may be different than mine, but I have found the Keltec to be a "jamamatic" of the first order. Sig is making an M4 version of their rifle in .22LR that is due out later this year if you want a .22LR. There is also an H&K MP5 "clone" on the market in .22LR. Again, that would be near your price range.

Personally I would save my money and look to buy a real AR in the next year or so. I think, bear in mind this is just my opinion, the price of AR's has reached it's peak for now and I look to see the prices come down a little bit in the near future. They won't go down to what they were, but they won't be as high as they have recently been either.

Lot's of people ran out and bought an over-priced AR recently. With the economy the way it is, I look to see some decent AR's for sale by guys and gals out of work and trying to pay their bills.

I hope that helps. Welcome to the site and have fun.
Biker
 
#20 ·
I was say it's accurate enough for it's intended purpose... I can easily hit dinner plates at 100 yards standing with my stock Saiga wt iron sights, that's about the size of a human's head.
 
#10 ·
How do you feel about 9MM, .40 or .45?

Beretta makes a kick A$$ new one called the CX4. Mine is in 9MM and is ultra reliable. No FTF / FTF / FTE issues at all. It will use the same pistol ammo you may already have. I purchased mine along with a Beretta 92FS and they both use the same 15rd magazine. Kinda nice to have around and to be able to use a very common ammo these days. They are right at $650.00
 
#11 ·
Welcome...

to the forum!!

I've shot a friends SU-16 "charlie" and found it to be a pretty reliable rifle. He liked the fact that the handguards double as a bipod, and that it folded into itself for easy transport.

Having said that, I think that you should continue to save your $$ until you have double the figure you quote, as finding a decent tacticle rifle in that price range is doubtful at this time.
 
#14 ·
Look into the SKS. It is more accurate then the AK, there are aftermarket stocks and such available for it, and you can find one for less then 300$. Also the mini-14 is a good choice but it will cost you a little more. AR's will be above your price range and AK's are junk in semi-auto IMO.
 
#16 ·
I guess some people do like the "old" wooden look. I imagine the op probably doesnt since he called it a "tactical" rifle but who knows. I hate the old wooden look myself. Gimme more black rifles to piss off 2a nazis lol!
 
#17 ·
If you are willing to consider a .22LR, I recommend the Ruger 10/22 with an aftermarket stock and 30 round magazine. Add a red dot scope and a sling, and you have a fairly 'tactical', cheap to shoot, fun gun.
 
#18 ·
Purchase the AR in sections, slowly and you can probably et it pretty close to$600-$700 without all that much work, as long as you are patient. Granted that it is a bit more than you want to pay, but the cost would be spread out somewhat.

That way you have two rifles, that use the same ammunition, same magazines, and some of the same parts.

Also you end up saving money by not purchasing different ammunition and mags. With current prices you could easily cover the distance between what you want to pay, and my suggestion.
 
#26 ·
You can hardly even buy a new AR15 lower receiver for that price... if I saw something like this I would be looking for filled down serial numbers and any evidence it was stollen or used in a crime.
 
#22 ·
Sounds like a joke to me. Unless maybe they're stolen? Nah, still too cheap.

I would save up more money and buy a better quality gun, or sell a gun to help pay the difference. The AK-74 ammo is very cheap. $150/1000 vs. $400+/1000 for .223/5.56 - so it might be a good choice if you don't have a lot of money to work with. The magazines for the AK-74 are more expensive though - about $25 a piece at best.

The Mini-14 is probably your best option if you have to keep the budget down - AK prices are the highest they've ever been, but you can still get AR15s for reasonable prices if you shop around.

Austin
 
#27 ·
WASR-10 AK's are not the prettiest examples of the gunmakers art, but the darn things will function just like any AK should. I'm sure there are examples where the 'cant' issue is functional, but I've never seen one where it was more than mere cosmetic, and in most the problem does not exist. Ammo, extra magazines, and repair parts are fairly easy to find. These guns will work every time you pull the triger, even under the worst possible conditions, with any ammo, dispite never being cleaned, even in the hands of the most backward of peasants.

However, the price of these guns is now at or above the $500 limit. Either you have to find a really good deal on a WASR, or you should go for an SKS. The SKS uses the same round as the AK, but loads a 10-round magazine from stripper clips. This is only slightly slower loading than the AK, and you can carry more ammo in stripper clips than you can in magazines for the AK. While a selective fire AK has the advantage, in semi-auto format the AK and SKS are pretty equal.

The Saigas are good guns too, but magazines will cost you a fortune if you like lots of them, and who doesn't. You can modify the Saiga to take standard AK mags, but do you want to?
 
#29 ·
WASR-10 AK's are not the prettiest examples of the gunmakers art, but the darn things will function just like any AK should. I'm sure there are examples where the 'cant' issue is functional, but I've never seen one where it was more than mere cosmetic, and in most the problem does not exist. Ammo, extra magazines, and repair parts are fairly easy to find. These guns will work every time you pull the triger, even under the worst possible conditions, with any ammo, dispite never being cleaned, even in the hands of the most backward of peasants.
I've also got a WASR-10, with a Tapco side folder and Galil(sp) style fore stock. Out of the box I did an elevation adjustment and was making 3 inch groups with it at 100yds, I think there's a lot of unfounded bad rumors about this rifle. I paid $600 for mine a month ago, then picked up 4 metal Bulgarian 30rd mags for $20 each, and some Russian Bear ammo for $7 per 20rds. I don't think you can touch a .223 for that price, I'm as happy with it as a pig in...mud! For me it's the perfect HD rifle in my price range.
 
#33 ·
J&G sales has a decent sized line of Romanian AK's for anywhere from $490 to $600. As far as I can tell they're all in stock.
 
#35 ·
Assault rifle? You want a machine gun? No problem if you have a class III ticket.

Please don't call semi-automatic rifles, assault rifles, That is exactly what the anti-gunners call them. Assault rifles have a full auto select switch.
 
#37 ·
This is exactly what I thought of when I read the OP. I'm surprised there have been so many replies and noone said anything about it.
 
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