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What is the best AK47 for the money and which ones to stay away from ??
Thanks

Is the one in your gun safe. For me I love my cia 74 and my interarms 47 and think both are the best bang for the buck I got. Interarms is a solid build from a texas shop and comes with lifetime warranty. My build happens to be a polish and looks as good as it shoots.

Sputz

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just got one of these.

I've had an Arsenal SGL21 for about a year. Its been flawless so far. They're imported from Russia in a sporting configuration and then re-arsenaled in Las Vegas to make them as close to mil-spec AKs as possible while still being compliant w/ U.S. law. They're pricier than most AKs out there ($750-$850). But being a quality new production gun, you don't have to worry about some of the problems that can plague AKs made from parts kits.

That said, if you do some research and learn what to look for in a well-made AK build, you should be able to find a great one that will run like a top for $300-$500 somewhere.

If you're looking for the "best quality" AK out there, I'd say a Polytech would be at the top. Also the Bulgarian milled ones the Arsenal makes are really good. But these are all really expensive and probably more collector's items than shooters.

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don't know if this is the "best".

According to more serious AK people than me, the AMD-65 is the best value around in the AK world rigth now for a low budget starter. I picked mine up for $440 from Bud's, and I have been very pleased with it.

I handled one of the AMD's in Bud's but I couldn't get over the lack of a cheek weld. I think they make risers for it but I haven't seen one.

I picked up one of these though to try out a specimen of the AK variety. It cost way too much for an AK if you ask me, but I like it a lot!

Folder locks up so tight you wouldn't even think it folds unless you saw it.

Its really hard to quantify "best" in an AK.

A few general points you should know: They're not as modular as ARs. If you think you want an underfolder, you better order it that way. Side folders can be added to fixed stock guns, but in most cases they'll either require you to cut the tang (not a big deal if you never plan on going back to a fixed stock) or stick out a little funny.

Since AKs are made by a lot of different builders, countries and companies, there are a lot of variants out there.

The biggest thing you need to decide is caliber. The traditional AK-47 caliber is 7.62x39. Its an intermediate cartridge that a lot of people compare to the 30-30. It has more penetration than most intermediate calibers, and its still fairly cheap to buy. I like it.

The other Russian caliber is 5.45x39. This is the Russian AK-74 caliber. Its faster and lighter. Recoil on the '74s is softer as well. The only slight concern is that no US company is producing it (as far as I know) and so if ammo import is ever banned, the '74s might see the ammo supply dry up fast. But for now its pretty cheap to stock up on, so that's the counter argument for it. Plus I'm sure if there was a demand for domesticly made 5.45x39 for whatever reason, someone would step up and do so. I'ts just pointless right now because its cheaper to import it.

The last "big" option is the traditional AR-15 caliber 5.56x45. Nothing wrong with an AK in this chambering, but magazines are a little more expensive/harder to come by.

If you have some general firearms/tool knowledge, I highly recommend buying a Saiga. They're Russian AKs made for import. With a few parts, you can restore them to their proper AK form. Here's a website about the conversion: http://www.cross-conn.com/Saiga_Conversion/

You can still get them with that style handguard, but if I was doing another conversion I'd start with this: http://centerfiresystems.com/SAI-762IZ332.aspx so all you have to do is add a muzzle device, stock, fcg and pistol grip.

The AMD-65 that others mentioned are a darn good deal right now. http://centerfiresystems.com/AKAGUN-AMD.aspx

The Romanian WASR-10 is commonly considered your "entry level" AK. They're not badly priced, and the people I know who have one are very fond of it. http://centerfiresystems.com/AKAGUN20.aspx

Here's an underfolder option: http://centerfiresystems.com/AKAGUNUF.aspx

Fixed stock '74 style: http://centerfiresystems.com/akagun-bul-wd.aspx

Folding stock '74: http://www.atlanticfirearms.com/index.p ... Itemid=763


I'm sure I left some stuff out that I'll remember later, but just wanted to throw up some more options as well. I didn't include Arsenals because someone already mentioned them, not because I have anything against them. They're nice guns.


Good luck on your search!