Which are the major brands now for AKs?

Jayne

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The last AK I owned was a MAK90 back in the early 90s. It was one of those that got shipped back off-shore to have the bayonet lug chopped off an the thumbhole stock stuck on so they could bring it back in. It wasn't pretty but it ran just fine.

Now I see all sorts of actual brand names beyond "century". Who are the major AK players? What are the things to look for when selecting an AK these days? Is that too open ended of a question?
 
Imports or bust. - Arsenal SLR/SAM, SGL or Saiga, old SAR-1s, Intrac Maadi, new fime vepr, new wasr-10... yada yada yada. Just stay away from US made. There are some real nice kit builds out there too but the price seems high when you can get a factory rifle.

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There are makers and there are importers. Century is both. Arsenal, Molot, Zastava, Cugir,Norinco, Izhmash, PSA

Those are all mfg companies.

Best thing you can do is join one of the 2 biggest AK forums and read.
 
How do you define "bust"? Do they not work, or are not reliable, or not accurate, or have poor fit/finish, or ?

I remember my MAK90 was kinda plane jane and not terribly accurate but it was reliable as all get out.
 
How do you define "bust"? Do they not work, or are not reliable, or not accurate, or have poor fit/finish, or ?

I remember my MAK90 was kinda plane jane and not terribly accurate but it was reliable as all get out.
Many US made AKs used cast trunnions and even bolts. IO took it a step further and added a buffer to the recoil system that wasnt a part of the design.

The Norinco MAK90 was a derivitive of the Chinese type 56 which was a great AK. Most are still in service today.

Basically the further you get away from the original design, you sacrifice reliability and/or longevity which is the hallmark of an AK.

Purists will carry that into even modern improvements such as nitride treatment vs chrome lining. Even though a CHF nitrided barrel is both tougher and more accurate its not "correct" etc
 
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I see no reason not to buy a Molot or Saiga.....real Russian Ak's are the original and still best of the platform IMO.



Saiga conversion I built a while back
 
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I see no reason not to buy a Molot or Saiga.....real Russian Ak's are the original and still best of the platform IMO.



Saiga conversion I built a while back
If you are buying new, then Obamas still-existing sanctions will prevent you from buying either.

Then you go for a closely aligned former commbloc member of the EU, like Bulgarian, Romanian, etc. Arsenal is currently making great AKs with suspect finishes. The current WASR is a good Romanian action with CAIs usuals cheap furniture.

The best AKs made right now come out of Jim Fuller's shop Rifle Dynamics.
 
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The best AKs made right now come out of Jim Fuller's shop Rifle Dynamics.
I would have to call BS on that.

"Made right now" - I would have to ask you to elaborate. I'd rather buy an SLR107-11 or SGL21 or debanned MAK or SAR than any of his bullshit.


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I would have to call BS on that.

"Made right now" - I would have to ask you to elaborate. I'd rather buy an SLR107-11 or SGL21 or debanned MAK or SAR than any of his bullshit.


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Fit and finish. No rust leaking out from gas blocks or paint chipping or flaking on a RD gun.

Fwiw, the Arsenal SLR107-11 is a decent deal, but comparing it to a lightened, tuned, optics ready custom gun is a stretch.

Thats like comparing a Ruger 1911 to a Les Baer. And having to repaint the Ruger. After having to join a waiting list for both.

When you are paying over $1200 for an AK and getting basically a stock AK with a crappy finish, might as well pony up and get a custom one with a flawless finish and tuned action.

Of course now that Fuller has sold RF to his "group of friends" who knows
 
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^^^^^^^

They had some sick stuff for a while, but when they started selling c39v2's with the "smoothed edges" for $1600 I wrote them off completely.

For a SAR-1 at $600, or an SGL at $1k, I just don't see the ROI on a RD gun.
 
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The Riley Defense guns are new on the market and pretty cheap.

There's at least one person doing some extended testing on one over on the AK files, and it looks promising, but the jury is still out til some more data comes in.
 
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