So many AKs to choose from

I was considering getting another ak-47 but its hard to choose which one. I previously owned an I.O AK which preformed great but I ended up selling it to help pay for a bushmaster AR-15. Id really like to stay under the 500$ mark and have considered going with a romainian ak-47, BUT I have had several people say romanian aks are extremely low quality and when they heat up they tend to malfunction..A lot. I am now considering buying a century arms GP WASR-10 with 6 position collapsable stock for 430 bucks. I really need someones input on what to get...

If I were you I would look into the saiga's for $299 and spend a little bit more to configure it how you want. Its a great deal on a NEW RUSSIAN made ak type rifle and you can pick wich caliber you want whether it be .223,5.45,or 7.62. Great quality, and cheap!

Norinco.

Replied to your other ak thread

1985 4runner wrote:Norinco.

yep, the chinese Norinco is usually about the highest quality AK you can buy... The Poly Techs weren't too shabby either. The Romanian's are crap IMHO an the Saiga's are decent.

Actually I've been very surprised at the poor quality of most of the E. European stuff.

Also replied in other thread ... I also own a Norinco and very pleased with it ....

Saiga's are of very good quality, you just have to convert them over.

I would say spend the extra and get an Arsenal. I have one in 7.62x39mm and love it! If you are determined to get something under $500, I would say try a Century Arms AK. My shooting buddie had one in 5.45x39mm. We shot it a lot and worked very well. Last I looked, you could get one for about $450. FYI, the Arsenal to me is the end all to AKs. Worth every penny of the $720 I paid. Good Luck with your search.

I had a century ak-74 like Jbwonfire spoke of and it was a great little rifle! plus ammo is dirt cheap (for now). I sold it to a forum member to save for a 1911.

The Egyptian Maadi ARM is a great rifle for the money, and can be had for around $500.00 if you shop around. Built on Russian tooling, they are very, very close in fit and finish to a Rusian AKM.

Look for canted front sight towers and gas blocks, as you would on Romanian guns, but even that shouldn't deter you from a good deal, because it's a fairly easy fix. Drive out the pins, straighten the sight tower or gas block, then drill for slightly larger pins, install new pins and zero the rifle.

I had two Arsenal rifles, and both were horrible in terms of reliability, even though they looked really, really nice. I am terribly leery of their products now, and for the money, I'd rather buy preban Chinese rifles, which are great guns and hold their value very well.

MAK-90s can still be had in the $500.00 range, and can easily be converted to preban configuration with a little work. With these, you have to be sure to look for the straight cut receivers.

I think you should buy a nice rom g kit an let's all get together one weekend an build our own

1985 4runner wrote:Norinco.

Good luck finding a Norinco at a reasonable price.

Unfortunately the import of Norinco (chinese) firearms and ammunition was banned in 1993, except for sporting shotguns and shotgun ammunition. Clinton did this as a condition of giving China Most Favored Nation status. Then in 1996 "Operation Dragon Fire" intercepted the largest amount of fully automatic weapons ever seized. They were bound for Oakland CA gangs. Allegedly the Chinese had also offered to sell them surface to air missiles as well. The final "straw" was in 2003 when sanctions were imposed on the Chinese for selling missile technology to Iran. These sanctions even included the firearms not covered by the 1993 ban.
If you want to see what nice Norinco firearms are available cheap, see what Canadians can buy at www.marstar.ca. It will make you envious of the Canadians (almost).

AMD-65 (Hungarian).

T.....