[Jake J.]

A little background about myself. I'm an 18 year old college student and have mild cerebral palsy which effects my legs. I have always enjoyed firearms and shooting in general but, have never had a firearm of my own. My parents are anti-gun and do not own a single firearm. Due to the election and numerous other current events, my mom has made a complete 180 and said she didn't mind if I bought a few firearms. She even talked about buying one for herself!:thumb: Dad thinks we're both crazy

Although I plan on building a well rounded collection very soon, the first rifle I want to purchase is an AK. I feel like I don't have a lot of time to wait around so I better jump on it now as this will be my main SHTF rifle.

Budget-around $600 for the rifle, that way I'll have dough left over for mags, ammo etc.
Preference- At least somewhat lightweight, I'm about 5'7 125 with CP as mentioned above also, I kinda like poly black furniture...Ideas/accessories to add to lighten weight and possibly recoil and/or muzzle climb would be fantastic.

I am a complete noob to AK's. I have browsed a few websites, but don't know what will suit my needs. The Saiga (7.62x39) at classic arms caught my eye, but I have read mixed opinions about them. I am open to any and all suggestions, the Saiga is by no means my first choice, just caught my eye. ANY suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated. I will try to chat with a neighbor who is a gun enthusiast to actually get my hands on something, but I am currently at college. FWIW I plan on purchasing the rifle online and having it shipped to a FFL then pay the transfer fee. Sorry to write a book, just wanted to cover everything.

THANKS IN ADVANCE!

PS Pics of your AK's are always cool

 

[skifast]

I have two converted Saigas in 7.62x39. They are great guns. I have posted pictures in other threads, and am wary about doing it again. The ammo and mags definitely add weight as they would with any high cap rifle. If it is an issue, consider poly mags and 10 or 20 rounders.

 

[Brother Buck]

The Saigas are nice but you might have to convert them to take hi caps and doing so you need to have all the right US made parts or you get into it with the Batmen.
Doing the conversion is sort of a no brainer if you are tool handy.
Otherwise you could get a Yugo or Romanian AK depending on what state you live in and what gun stores are willing to work with you if they don't have them.
I would seriously recommend going to a gun store and handling them to make sure they are suitable for your size though I can't imagine them not being. The various Asian military that use them aren't exactly giants and it doesn't seem from your statements the CP is going to stand in your way in much of anything you want.
Bravo.
A loaded AK is about 10 or 11 lbs, they aren't that heavy.
I would not recommend a folding stock for someone just into shooting with a rifle.
A full synthetic would be a good choice.
Be quick.
The incoming Messiah will be cutting sales off, get lots of mags and ammo.

Are you in California?

 

[Nomad 2nd]

www.warriortalk.com

 

[Grinnan Barrett]

Buy the gun set up like you want it. A new synthetic stock in black poylmer will run you over $100 plus shipping. If you can buy one in the area in which you live it is better. Look at the gun for fit and finish. Be sure the front site is centerd on near centered and not canted to one side or the other since this could be an indication of a bad barrel. test the trigger to see how it pulls. If you can get to a range try to rent one or borrow one to shoot. See how it fits you.

Most of the AKs we have on the market now are part foreign and part AMerican manufacture. They are taking kits from Poland, Rumania, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Yugoslavia to make up new guns. Most are from new guns. The most common gun on the market right now is the Rumanian gun. It will have wooden stocks on it most of the time. The one real draw back to the wooden stock set is the pin in the front grip. It will burn you when the barrel heats up. Go with the Poly stock in black, green or tan.

Go and pick up a copy of the SHotGun News at the news stand. It will give you some idea of what you may be looking at in AKs and other guns. Best wishes. Larry

 

[Pointblank]

ak info

I have a Century YUGO, folding stock. I changed out the grip, the muzzle break, dust cover, with front quad rail.

When I purchased mine I didn't know much about the different types of AK's.

The most common types, which are the 2 you will probably run into first are:

Romanian- Which is the most common of all the AK's with the most easily attachable goodies. These come with all wood furniture, BUT its very very easy to change out parts. (grips, stocks, quad rails, muzzle break)

Yugo-(Yugoslavian) Its built out of a little thicker sheet metal and feels more solid when compared side by side with the Romainian. Most Yugo's come with underfolding stocks. I wanted to put a collapsible stock on mine, but its not possible.

There are some really well built ones out there, and they can be pricey. There are a lot of members here that know much more than I could even pretend to know. Try the "search" option and you'll be up for days reading all the post about AK's on this site.

Another option would be the Ruger 10/22. You can get a very nice rifle with 5/10/15/25/30/50 round mags. I pick mine up tomorrow.

Hope this helps.

Pointblank.

and here are some pics of my Yugo. I added stuff to it along the way, so the pics will change

 

[test]

http://www.ak47review.com/gear/Gear_Review_Detail.php?g=gear1149198548

This may help you out I like the Polish Beryl 96 in Nato and the SLR 93 in 7.62.

 

[Jake J.]

The Saigas are nice but you might have to convert them to take hi caps and doing so you need to have all the right US made parts or you get into it with the Batmen.
Doing the conversion is sort of a no brainer if you are tool handy.
Otherwise you could get a Yugo or Romanian AK depending on what state you live in and what gun stores are willing to work with you if they don't have them.
I would seriously recommend going to a gun store and handling them to make sure they are suitable for your size though I can't imagine them not being. The various Asian military that use them aren't exactly giants and it doesn't seem from your statements the CP is going to stand in your way in much of anything you want.
Bravo.
A loaded AK is about 10 or 11 lbs, they aren't that heavy.
I would not recommend a folding stock for someone just into shooting with a rifle.
A full synthetic would be a good choice.
Be quick.
The incoming Messiah will be cutting sales off, get lots of mags and ammo.

Are you in California?

the Saiga I was looking at on http://classicarms.us/ appears to already be converted and compliant...then again I am a noob and there is a strong possibility I am wrong. I would rather pay the money and have someone else convert it, I'd probably screw it up. BTW I live in Ohio. Thanks Brother Buck!

 

[Jake J.]

I have a Century YUGO, folding stock. I changed out the grip, the muzzle break, dust cover, with front quad rail.

When I purchased mine I didn't know much about the different types of AK's.

The most common types, which are the 2 you will probably run into first are:

Romanian- Which is the most common of all the AK's with the most easily attachable goodies. These come with all wood furniture, BUT its very very easy to change out parts. (grips, stocks, quad rails, muzzle break)

Yugo-(Yugoslavian) Its built out of a little thicker sheet metal and feels more solid when compared side by side with the Romainian. Most Yugo's come with underfolding stocks. I wanted to put a collapsible stock on mine, but its not possible.

There are some really well built ones out there, and they can be pricey. There are a lot of members here that know much more than I could even pretend to know. Try the "search" option and you'll be up for days reading all the post about AK's on this site.

Another option would be the Ruger 10/22. You can get a very nice rifle with 5/10/15/25/30/50 round mags. I pick mine up tomorrow.

Hope this helps.

Pointblank.

and here are some pics of my Yugo. I added stuff to it along the way, so the pics will change

Thanks for such a thorough explanation! A Ruger 10/22 is next on my list after the AK. I'm thinking black synthetic/stainless?: Love the underfolder, thanks for sharing the pics!

 

[TMHonfire]

 

[Coastie Kyle]

I always say go Romanian. They are a bit less expensive and in my opinion you get more for the buck. Everyone has an opinion so the more research you do on your own the better. By the way the guy in that video has no idea what he is talking about. I have owned a few WASR's and non of them were "junk", or canted. It happens, but this guy makes all of them out to be crap and thats not true. My buddies Arsenal ($900 AK) has mag wobble too. But you can really do anything you want to most AK's. And it really is easy, you just need "mild" mechanical and tool skills. Heres a link to a great page setup for Romanian rifles at the bottom. But I would recremend you get the rifle in person to give it a good check (for canting) before you spend the money (the page I posted tells you what to look for). Good luck man. And good choice on the first rifle.

http://www.gunsnet.net/Linx310/index.shtml

 

[read_the_wall]

A Ruger 10/22 is next on my list after the AK. I'm thinking black synthetic/stainless? Love the underfolder, thanks for sharing the pics!


the underfolder gets in the way of hi cap mags...don't do it.....imo

 

[Coastie Kyle]

the underfolder gets in the way of hi cap mags...don't do it.....imo

I have a under folder too, and all hi cap mags work great, no trouble at all.

 

[read_the_wall]

what brand?

 

[Coastie Kyle]

what brand?

First a Vector, now a WASR 10/63. Both are great, but the Vector was defenatly a better gun. But cost's a bit more as well.

 

[Dwind]

you do get what you pay for, but if you practice basic gun care and maintenance, that WASR will do what it was intended to do- and serve you right. just because a design is capable of being used and abused doesnt mean you should.

IIRC the Vector can no longer be manufactured due to an end to the right Yugo Parts. kinda like the Mak 90

 

[macmonkey]

Jake - I own 2 AK's and they were the first guns that I owned. Both are WASR type and are pretty good rifles. Take my advice and DO NOT buy Century Arms AK-47. I owned one and had it back to the factory twice within the first month. Not only that one of the guys at the shop (where I bought it) told me that every century they sold (that he could recall) came back.

If you look around you can find an AK for $350 or even less. Go cheap and spend the extra loot on accessories pimping it out to your preference.

Good luck.

 

[Smith]

If you visit your local gun stores, some sell new AK's. Also visit gun shows. Each have AK's in the $300 range. I've never seen them for less.

 

[Herd Sniper]

Talk to the people at your local gun store. Tell them exactly what you want. I would suggest a SAR-1 with black polymer furniture (stock & foregrip) to meet your needs and likes. Should cost well under $500.00 so you can get some extra magazines and/or ammo.