There's going to be this new guy signing up here...

[Zoff12]

He's the son of a friend of mine. He spoke with me at the Dojo last night and is super interested in the AK family of firearms. I invited him here to learn. This young man is one of the most responsible little guys I have ever met. He is a top notch Boy Scout and seriously involved in the community. When he signs up... would you guys give him a big welcome? Not sure of his screen name yet but it will probably have something to do with the the Order of the Arrow. Thanks!

[mrkalashnikov]

Just warn him to steer clear of the RH, & everything should be cool. :wink:

[Dan Morris]

You got it.
Dan

[Charliebravo]

If he's a good kid, then why on earth would you direct him our way?:dizzy:

[O.S.O.K.]

We try and treat everybody well and welcome them. Some say some awkward things and get slammed by some members and I really think we should hold back on that crap until the new member has posted a few times.... some are "nervous" when they first start posting...

[shooter161]

Hey guys! My name is James and I plan on buying an AK but have no idea which one. I am here to learn about them so i can make a good choice!

[O.S.O.K.]

:welcome:

And you don't sound nervous... good!

Maybe a few questions to help us get started in helping you....

Before I ask though, I'm guessing that the "answer" will be a nice Romanian WASR or a Saiga... but let's find out.

What is the primary use of the AK? Target shooting/plinking, hunting?

What caliber are you interested in? 7.62x39 is the original chambering and most common.

How much $$ do you want to spend?

Let's start with those and go from there. :)

[Schuetzenman]

Hey guys! My name is James and I plan on buying an AK but have no idea which one. I am here to learn about them so i can make a good choice!

Welcome to Gunsnet.net! O.S.O.K has a good start in helping you by asking those questions.

[Warthogg]

Hey guys! My name is James and I plan on buying an AK but have no idea which one. I am here to learn about them so i can make a good choice!

Welcome !! Good to have you with us. :thumbsup:



Wart

[imanaknut]

Hey guys! My name is James and I plan on buying an AK but have no idea which one. I am here to learn about them so i can make a good choice!

Welcome to the group !!! :welcome:

And there is a lot to learn about the AK/AKM/AK-47 rifles.

[shooter161]

Thanks for the Welcome! I plan on using this rifle for hunting turkey/target shooting.
I prefer the original 7.62x39mm or the 5.45x39mm. I would like to spend $700 or less because i am saving money for various items

[ltorlo64]

Welcome to the group. Good luck on the AK search.

[btcave]

Welcome. $700 or less is a reasonable price range. The AK guru's will show you the ropes.

[FunkyPertwee]

Does your $700 include the price of magazines and ammunition which you'll need from the get-go?

[TheMrMitch]

Welcome. Lotta knowlege here.

[Bluntforce]

Welcome. The good news is it is very hard to buy the "wrong" AK.

[az_paul]

Hello from Arizona and Welcome Aboard! Good crew here, with plenty of experience and knowledge.

[Gunreference1]

James, welcome to The Guns Network! Hope to see more posts from you.

Steve

[Dan Morris]

Welcome to the group, there are a lot of good folks here. They are not gonna steer ya wrong.
Dan

[TEN-32]

Welcome aboard. You might want to peruse the classifieds. You might find exactly what you're looking for.

[Cypher]

Welcome to the forum.

This site has several models of the Saiga rifle on sale with standard hunting type stock and pistol grip.
http://www.classicarms.us/Saiga.htm

Some of the peope on the board here have bought from this site and are happy wiht the price. I am thinking about getting one at some point.

I used to own a Saiga and currently own a WASR. I sold the Saiga to a friend that didn't have any rifle at the time and then bought the WASR later, I wish I would have kept the Saiga and modified it with a pistol grip and normal Mags. IMO the Saiga is one of the best AK-47 type rifles you can buy and is produce in the same factory that makes the Kalashnikov rifles in Russian so it's one of the most authentic AK's you can buy.

[shooter161]

Thanks for the welcome! When I am looking for one, does it matter if the magazine is loose and wiggly? I heard that it isn't good if the mag is loose. Is this true?

[Richard Simmons]

Welcome aboard from a fellow Virginian.

[old Grump]

Thanks for the welcome! When I am looking for one, does it matter if the magazine is loose and wiggly? I heard that it isn't good if the mag is loose. Is this true?Oh what a straight line, I was bout ready to get myself banned for the first thing that popped into my head. Instead I will just say Welcome to the site

[Solidus-snake]

Thanks for the welcome! When I am looking for one, does it matter if the magazine is loose and wiggly? I heard that it isn't good if the mag is loose. Is this true?

Welcome to the boards! Lots of info here! Any AK questions you have that need a quick answering send me a PM. I check on here bout every few hours all day and would be happy to answer any questions you have as quickly as I can.

Now as for the question at hand, no magazine wobble is not a bad thing and you would be hard pressed to find many AK variants that dont do this. So if you handle a AK and the magazine wobbles side to side some, dont worry about it its fine.

[videodon]

Welcome!...
Get some!!!
:)

[slamfire51]

Glad to have you aboard.

Lots of info here, and NO, there are no dumb questions.
Questions=knowledge.

Pull up a chair and enjoy!!

[Zoff12]

Hey, James! Glad you are here. Listen to these guys. They know their stuff and won't tell you wrong. I trust their advice better than my own on the AK's. That's why I sent you here. I am in the minority here being an AR (INCOMING!!!!) guy but still love the AK. Now... talk your Dad into joining here. Cheers!

[O.S.O.K.]

James the mags can move a bit when inserted as long as they are seated properly and it feeds, you are good to go. If they are snug, that's OK too.

For hunting, you will probably want to install some kind of an optic but not necessarily. Turkey hunting in particular is usually a pretty close-in affair. But if you do want an optic, a good red-dot would be great for that. You can easily and quickly see the point of impact in any light - and it's easier to keep both eyes open to keep track of the tom.

I am thinking that you may very well be happy with the Saiga. They are offered in both calibers that you mention but the mags for the standard 7.62x39 are much easier to come by.

They come standard with a side rail and are very reasonably priced in their standard sporter configuration. At $299 to your dealer, that leave a lot of cash for optics and ammo.

I also recommend http://www.classicarms.us

I mention the Saiga over the Romanian WASR because of your stated use in hunting. The Saigas tend to be more accurate than the WASR by about 30% roughly IMHO.

Classic Arms offers the converted model at $450 - which is probably the very best deal going for a quality AK right now.

http://www.classicarms.us/images/Saiga-Ak.jpg

For an optics mount, I would suggest this: (from our new sponsor, Midwest Industries - see banner ad at top)

http://www.midwestindustriesinc.com/images/products/aksm.gif

Look how low that mount places the scope - that is outstanding!

For mags, you have all kinds of options - many of our sponsors also sell mags. The Saigas take standard AK mags but my personal favorites are the polymer Bulgarian mags which fit snuggly, are rugged and function 100% in all of my AK's.

Now, much of this is my opinion, so other's can post up more ideas that will work for you.

[FunkyPertwee]

Here is something else to consider:

For around $700 you can have a registered short barreled Draco, which is pretty much a 7.62 AK with an 11" barrel.

:naughty:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Da1r_quLMA

[Schuetzenman]

Thanks for the welcome! When I am looking for one, does it matter if the magazine is loose and wiggly? I heard that it isn't good if the mag is loose. Is this true?

No quite the contrary, perfect fitting mags are difficult to get in and out. That = slow and that = bad! I am always amazed at the wiggly mag is bad myth with AK weapons. I don't know who started it but I'd like to find them and do this :buttwhip: and this :club:to them for promoting such nonsense.

[Gunner1558]

Welcome aboard 161, always like to see new young people interested in hunting and shooting!

[shooter161]

@FunkyPertWeeoo nice I will look into these :D... btw 1 question, What is the effective range of one?

[Alpha_Male]

Welcome aboard! I'm new myself and so far this place is pretty cool.

I hate to say it but your going to have a hard time finding a QUALITY AK47 for less than $700 or less. My advice to you is to save up an extra $60 and buy an Arsenal SGL-21. The lowest I found mine at is budsgunshop.com for around $759 SHIPPED. It comes with all new manufactured parts from a Saiga 7,62x39 sporting rifle from russia. Effective range is 500m. Arsenal then converts it for 922r compliance and it ends up looking like the picture below.

http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/m577/RNS915/2011-08-17151353.jpg

The great thing about these rifles compared to say a WASR is you don't have to worry about getting a rifle with canted sights, rivets that weren't properly worked, and a receiver that was over machined to accept high cap magazines. They are pricey but you get what you pay for. You also don't have the issue of accessories not fitting properly like some WASR's do whether it's a scope side mount, hand guards or stock. They are top tier rifles and nothing really does compare to their accuracy, fit and finish, and build quality. Click the link below to check out my review of the accessories I've put on it so far.

http://www.gunsnet.net/showthread.php?13977-Review-Of-Aftermarket-Furniture-amp-Trigger-On-Arsenal-SGL-21

And this is the weight of everything minus the bipod and a full 30rnd mag

http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/m577/RNS915/DSC02171.jpg

[l921428x]

Welcome to this site, Enjoy.