If Arsenal AK's are the best, which one to get?

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jakerz

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Buy a vepr...Arsenals are just overpriced AK's that people buy because they are overpriced...

I don't agree with this statement. A Vepr is going to run you close, if not exactly, to the same price as an Arsenal. And the SLR (Bulgarian) line from Arsenal is top notch. Not taking anything away from Vepr, but the Arsenal is not overpriced, especially when compared to the Vepr, and you are getting a quality firearm.
 

10Seconds

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I guess I am not a purist. I have owned and shot many of the AK variants. I do own a Bulgarian Arsenal underfolder, which I love, but at $650, was my most expensive AK. Every other one I have bought was less. I have have very few problems with any of them.

I would not by an Arsenal at the current prices. I think you can get every bit as good AK from one of the other builders. Right now you can get Century's Yugo's for $399, which is a heck of a deal. Just pay for the features you want. Its really hard to get a bad AK unless you get one that is very poorly put together, which is actually becoming less common than it used to be.
 

Fredkrueger100

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I guess I am not a purist. I have owned and shot many of the AK variants. I do own a Bulgarian Arsenal underfolder, which I love, but at $650, was my most expensive AK. Every other one I have bought was less. I have have very few problems with any of them.

I would not by an Arsenal at the current prices. I think you can get every bit as good AK from one of the other builders. Right now you can get Century's Yugo's for $399, which is a heck of a deal. Just pay for the features you want. Its really hard to get a bad AK unless you get one that is very poorly put together, which is actually becoming less common than it used to be.
I have had my eye on a couple of different ak's on buds gun shop that are century models. I am just not very familiar with ak's. I mean I know how to use and break one down and put it back together but I don't know jack about the different companies that make them. I have read comments that century isn't any good. So who knows. But I do know this, their price is much better than arsenal's. I just can't see arsenal's being that much better. But I do like the compensator on the arsenal's. I would want one of those if I got a century. I like the Century pap, it comes with the underfolding stock. It is a plain black ak. Which I am not getting it for its looks. It will be a range/self-defense gun. Not a display piece. So any ideas about what to get would be greatly appreciated.
 

english kanigit

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What are your specific needs and requirements, in other words what do you need the gun to do specifically? By this I mean approximate ranges of engagement as well as barrier issues if any. Those considerations will be the primary factors in determining which caliber you need of the three commonly offered for the Kalashnikov platform; 5.56x45, 5.45X39 or 7.62x39. Keep in mind that you don't just need the gun but also sufficient ammunition to shoot, magazines to support the system (remember, mags are a consumable item) and ancillary gear to go with it.

Ek
 

cjjtulsa

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I was curious as to what caliber would be better to get. 5.44 or 7.62? They are both pretty cheap but didn't know.

Depends. 7.62x39 has plenty of ammo and several ammo choices, magazines are everywhere, and it is a good defense round. The 5.45 is cheap (not as cheap as it was a year or so ago), but limited in supply and variety. Mags are sometimes cheap and plentiful, and sometimes expensive and harder to find. It's also a good round for defense, but if I was going that route, I'd buy the ever-loving hell out of surplus 7n6 while you can find it at just over 16¢ a round, and pile up a mountain of spam cans of it. Sooner or later, this stuff will start to dry up, and/or the prices will rise. Remember that the surplus is corrosive, so you have to be diligent about cleaning, whereas most 7.62 today is non-corrosive "animal" brands. Right now, there are mags to be had for the '74, but they can be twice what 7.62x39 mags cost. Buy what you think you'll need, pick up more when you find a deal, and run with it.
 

english kanigit

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cjjtulsa is spot on.

Additionally, in the scales of economics sense there are far, far more guns in 7.62x39 in country vs. 5.45. If some sort of ban on importation of ammo, mags, parts , etc ever does happen 7.62 would have the most support from domestic manufacturers. Heck, there's already one reputable magazine manufacturer for 7.62 mags, US Palm and Magpul is soon to become the second.

Ek
 

riper1

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I've got a saiga SGL-20 that I traded for a 2nd gen glock 19 a holster and 4 or 5 mags, the AK was NIB (that was the trade he was looking for) it has run perfectly for me, I put a slide fire stock on it when they first came out, its a blast to shoot you can single-burst or full auto, its my first AK-47 this is my rifle and i love it
 

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