Does anyone shoot an AK?

Jessie

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I'm thinking about it since the ammo is still so cheap.
I know its no target gun, but its still one I could afford to shoot a lot.
Waste of money or worth the small investment?
 
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Yes lots!

What do you want out of it? What do you want it for?

If you don't sight it in and use bad ammo you'll get bad results. Property sighted I can keep a solid 3 moa off hand all day and hit targets out to 350 -400 yards.

It's a battle rifle. As long as you don't expect sniper rifle accuracy and except center of mass hits you'll do fine.
 
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Ak's

I have been shooting, building, training with and instructing the AK platform since the early 70's.....I have shot tens of thousands of rounds thru several dozen different Chinese, Russian, Egyptian, Romanian, Yugo's, etc. and home built AK's.
As Arik pointed out, they are intended for battle, not precision target work.....they are extremely functional under adverse conditions, accurate enough for their intended purpose, and extremely versatile as far as how they can be configured.
I have them in the 7.62x39, 5.45x39 and the 223....I have carried them in harm's way and trained other's to do so. I have a couple that are my "go to" rifles if I have the need. The AK is one of the true "classics" in the combat rifle world and will be on the scene for years to come. The AK will serve you well.
 
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I love my ar chambered in 7.62x39, made by bushmaster. It has been priblem free for the years I have owned and it more accurate than either aks or skses. I have heard about bolt action rugers but have never seen or shot one. Fun round
 
I've never been to combat with one but I have been shooting them for years. Most countries of manufacturing, in 7.62 and 5.45. Have a few that are my "go to". In a SHTF I wouldn't leave home without one
 
I'm thinking about it since the ammo is still so cheap.
I know its no target gun, but its still one I could afford to shoot a lot.
Waste of money or worth the small investment?

Jessie,

I will address each of your questions.

Yes. 7.62x39 ammo is relatively inexpensive and is readily available. You can stock up cheaply. The cheap Wolf and Tula ammo is reliable, consistent and accurate for plinking.

A good AK surprises most folks on how accurate it is. I agree with Arik that out to 350 yards you can hit a 12" x 12" target over 50% of the time but I cannot do it off hand. I need a wobbly bench.

Is it a waste of money? I think it all depends on what you want. Anyone who is interested in semi-auto battle rifles should try an AK-47 at least once.The world of AK rifles is as diverse as the realm of various revolver makers and their configurations. You will have a lot of decisions to make if you decide to look for an AK-47. There are a bajillion different "parts guns" out there with various imported parts on a U.S. receiver and you want to be careful about the reputation of the maker if you choose a parts gun. I prefer Chinese pre-ban AK-47's to all others but a pre-ban one is relatively expensive. You can get the same 1.5 mm receiver and quality build in a post-ban Chinese MAK-90 for a lot less but it has a sportster stock that some people don't think are very cool. Quality beats cool. European AK-47's, all original, are generally very good. I like the Bulgarian AK's and Arsenal in the U.S. basically builds the Bulgarian AK and it's a good product. Egyptian AK's (Maadi) are supposed to be good but I did not like the one I had.

Good Luck,
John
Scoundrel and Ne'er-Do-Well in Training
 
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During the frenzy of 2013, I divested myself of both AR rifles and every round of .223/5.56 I owned. I kept both Kalashnikovs, and have never looked back. The AK platform is reliable like no other, and is globally universal. The 7.62x39 caliber is extremely versatile, and still can be had in bulk for a reasonable price. An added bonus is whatever an AK eats, an SKS will digest also.

Worth mentioning is the cost differential of ammo ...

At the 2013 peak, .223/5.56 hit a high of ~ $1.50/round, with a steady $1/round dominating the market for months, when ammo could be found. x39 peaked at ~$350/case, up from an average of $250/case pre-panic. Though supplies have been restored, and prices have moderated from a year ago, x39 is still more cost effective than .223/5.56.
 
I have a much maligned WASR. I enjoy shooting it as much as any rifle I own. The Tapco trigger is great, the chrome lined barrel is accurate and easy to clean, and it will fire and cycle any ammo I've found marked 7.62x39.

Current production ammo can still be had for less than a quarter a round. That isn't much more than 22lr these days. I see no downside to owning one.
 
I have AK pattern rifles in 5.56, 5.45X39, and 7.62X39.
They are fun to shoot, reasonably accurate, and simple to maintain.
Go for it! You won't regret it.
 
I have one AK and two SK's. Love shooting both and they are great rifles.
 
Although a commie design, what's not to like? They're capable (depending on build), most are affordable and ammo is comparatively inexpensive.
Politics aside, I think they're great and we all should have one.
And if you're so inclined in burning through ammo, get a bump fire stock (surefire or fostech) plus someone to help load mags, and have at it. :)
 
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I also have a couple of SKSs. a standard and a paratrooper. I believe the SKS is a better made rifle than an AK, the Ak just looks and feels better to me.

My AK and one of my SK's are Romanian, my other SK is Very cherry Russian.
I met a gentleman at my gun range who claimed to have worked as an engineer in the Romanian factory where my rifles came from. He examined my rifles a claimed that I had two very good examples. He proceeded to assist me in sighting in my AK. He knew the tricks of the trade. Very hard to understand speaking very broken English but I listened closely and learned a lot that day!
 
Back when we could legally own them here in CT I found that the best one I had was a Bulgarian made one. Shot the heck out of it and never had a problem. The Chinese & Romainian ones worked as well but did not have the quality of the Bulgarian. Glad that you are in a state that can buy them, we cannot buy Aks or Ar15s anymore.
 
I liked mine. Wish I could have brought it back.
Bob

The guy on the left has on of the most popular Tabuk rifles to come out of that war. The guy in the middle has a lovely used Chicom .....Although the pic is hard to tell and I'm going off of the front sight. ..

I got one from Iraq!! Romanian RPK used by contractors (security guards). They were built as semi auto and a batch of RPK, WASR and night vision optics just came in from import
 
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