Over dinner last night my wife and I where talking about military rifles. I want to start collecting Russian rifles and this was the best way to explain why I chose Russian over American rifles.
First off to be a little politically correct here I love bikes, have owned bikes, and have many friends/family that ride.
The Russians make some great rifles but it's not really fair to compare them to American made rifles. The American rifles are the prom queen where the Russian rifle are the biker b---h, both will the job done just there own way. That idea isn't mine I have read it in other places.
AK74- Out of the biker family this might be the one that cleans up the best. I have never fired this weapon but all the research I can find says it's as good as the AK47 and the round (5.45x39) does more damage then the American 5.56. They are a little harder to find as people that pick them up don't normally sell them. As soon as I can find the right deal I'm getting one of these
AK47-This is the full blow b---h she will kick you all day and you will beg for more. They almost always go bang, you don't need a huge amount of knowledge to maintain the rifle. I know it will never be as accurate as the AR platform but I can't hit bull eyes at 300-500 yards anyway, the rifle will out shoot me every day. But you can hit a man at 300 yards with a little practice. The 7.62x39 round is heavier then the 5.56 so it will be less accurate but it does have more mass so you will get a "better" wound.
SKS- you get a little more accurate then the AK but smaller magazine. The rifle was designed to shoot the 7.62x54 round so it will handle the smaller 7.62x39 without any problem. It could be the most rugged semi auto around.
Mosin Nagant- This is the older(ugly) sister of the AK47. She will kick you like a mule until you can't take anymore. IMHO the best value rifle you will find. For less then $120 you get a rifle that will hit man size targets at 500 yards (again not by me both others that can shoot well). Ammo is $0.20 a round so not going to find much cheaper then that. $250 you have a bolt action rifle and 440 rounds of ammo shipped to your door. The round 7.62x54r was designed to compare to the 30-06 and it does that just fine. Where a 30-06 round will cost $0.80-1.20 each. Pretty much any big game in North America will go down with this rifle.
It needs to be said the surplus ammo is corrosive so you will have to clean your rifles after you shoot to keep them in good shape. But for me that's not a problem as I clean mine after a day at the range anyway. And with the price of surplus ammo you can get all the above rounds for less the $0.50 each.
The Russian rifle prices are going up pretty quick at least in my area. Last year stores sold the mosin for $79 now they are $99, Ak47 where $400 now they are $550+, SKS was $225 now they are $350+ and the AK74 I can't find locally. It looks like I'm not the only one seeing the value of the Russian rifles.
Don't think I don't love the American rifles I own a AR15 that I wouldn't sell for anything. It shoots great and will do anything I want it to. But I am looking for the most bang for the buck and the Russian stuff is where I find that. But with the pricing going up it is just a matter of time before the AK47 is the price of a AR15 and I would pick the AR at that price.
To recap I love my Russian firearms and I will be buying more.
First off to be a little politically correct here I love bikes, have owned bikes, and have many friends/family that ride.
The Russians make some great rifles but it's not really fair to compare them to American made rifles. The American rifles are the prom queen where the Russian rifle are the biker b---h, both will the job done just there own way. That idea isn't mine I have read it in other places.
AK74- Out of the biker family this might be the one that cleans up the best. I have never fired this weapon but all the research I can find says it's as good as the AK47 and the round (5.45x39) does more damage then the American 5.56. They are a little harder to find as people that pick them up don't normally sell them. As soon as I can find the right deal I'm getting one of these
AK47-This is the full blow b---h she will kick you all day and you will beg for more. They almost always go bang, you don't need a huge amount of knowledge to maintain the rifle. I know it will never be as accurate as the AR platform but I can't hit bull eyes at 300-500 yards anyway, the rifle will out shoot me every day. But you can hit a man at 300 yards with a little practice. The 7.62x39 round is heavier then the 5.56 so it will be less accurate but it does have more mass so you will get a "better" wound.
SKS- you get a little more accurate then the AK but smaller magazine. The rifle was designed to shoot the 7.62x54 round so it will handle the smaller 7.62x39 without any problem. It could be the most rugged semi auto around.
Mosin Nagant- This is the older(ugly) sister of the AK47. She will kick you like a mule until you can't take anymore. IMHO the best value rifle you will find. For less then $120 you get a rifle that will hit man size targets at 500 yards (again not by me both others that can shoot well). Ammo is $0.20 a round so not going to find much cheaper then that. $250 you have a bolt action rifle and 440 rounds of ammo shipped to your door. The round 7.62x54r was designed to compare to the 30-06 and it does that just fine. Where a 30-06 round will cost $0.80-1.20 each. Pretty much any big game in North America will go down with this rifle.
It needs to be said the surplus ammo is corrosive so you will have to clean your rifles after you shoot to keep them in good shape. But for me that's not a problem as I clean mine after a day at the range anyway. And with the price of surplus ammo you can get all the above rounds for less the $0.50 each.
The Russian rifle prices are going up pretty quick at least in my area. Last year stores sold the mosin for $79 now they are $99, Ak47 where $400 now they are $550+, SKS was $225 now they are $350+ and the AK74 I can't find locally. It looks like I'm not the only one seeing the value of the Russian rifles.
Don't think I don't love the American rifles I own a AR15 that I wouldn't sell for anything. It shoots great and will do anything I want it to. But I am looking for the most bang for the buck and the Russian stuff is where I find that. But with the pricing going up it is just a matter of time before the AK47 is the price of a AR15 and I would pick the AR at that price.
To recap I love my Russian firearms and I will be buying more.
