AK differences?????

[jworm1420]

ok can someone clarify the differences: stamped:milled, yugo, AK74, WASR10????? I am looking to get an AK but dont know wnything about them and have seen and heard of a ton of different types and so forth can someone break down the differences and what the best is???? I know its kind of a broad question but any clarification would be appreciated... Thanks guys

 

[snapping turtle]

Milled requires much more machine time to produce. Lots of metal removed to make a milled ak. Some think they are the cats meow. I think they are heavier and a little more expensive. When i bought mine the milled ones had not been imported from china yet.

Stamped recievers are just the stamped out and rivited together. This process requires less machine time and less extra materal waste. It became to way to crank them out by the millions.(making the infamous) Back in the day I got mine they were not much respected in the gun stores. Ammo was cheap very cheap. I picked mine out and got a very good deal. They were new to the USA imported from China by kengs. The black gun market was not as popular as it is today and the other 15 of the 20 the LGS ordered sat in the shop for a long time before selling off. sks's were under 75 dollars at Kmart. Old jap war rifle were under 50 at mart. Full auto was still available new, and the milled polytech had not yet been imported. So I got mine some time ago.

As far as which is better I personally see no real advantage of the milled over the stamped other than in collectors value. I have other collector guns an AK is a workhorse gun ment to be run hard and put away wet.

Most likely you will get a couple of answers as to the best. To me the Polytech Legend is one of the top 3 and it is milled. A true russian, Vector might also rate right up at the top. The best in everyones eye are milled since they are rather rare and not stamped out by the millions.

Everyone is going to have a favorite. My fav is a stardard polytech folder. Not a ton of flash. I should have bought all the other 15 when I purchased mine.

Save your money, look for used ones as the new compliant ones are not true AKS, nothing other than a select fire to me is a true AK.

If you look hard enough you can find one for a good deal still but you will not find them at 1985 prices, Thise days are gone thanks to the import ban. Shop around and find a pre import ban AK. If you want to shoot mine just PM me and bring over some ammo.

 

[jworm1420]

ok thanks for the info, but let me ask you another question, i agree they are workhorse rifles and are built to shoot not to look at. IS ther a difference in reliabilty in terms of pre ban/post ban, milled/stamped? Im under the impression AKs shoot pretty much no matter what dirty, muddy, wet etc. I am actually thinkn of getting one in terms of a SHTF rifle. what in your opinion do you think a good price is for one? Im probly gna try n get one at the next 1500, and dont wanna be completely in the dark about it when shopping around for one. Basically i want to be able to identify a good deal if I find one. Once again i know its kind of a broad question but i value the opinion of those who know more about them than I. Thanks again.

 

[the1kidd03]

you'll be able to find a lot of good information from this poster...he also has his own section in the site advertiser section

https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...nnel/237823-ar_reliability_demonstration.html


AKs have really shot up sky high in price recently...at this point $500 is a good deal...last year 400 would have been a good deal and you'll be lucky to find anything less than 550....prices only go up from there

 

[PapaScout]

AK-47 shoots a hefty round. AK-74 shoots a lighter round similar to an AR. Yugo has a longer gas tube making it non-standard for custom work, but is a solid gun. Yugo barrels are not chromed so not as resilient to corrosion. Romanian WASR's are generally the low end, but run like a raped ape anyway as long as it shoots straight. Milled vs. stamped already covered.

Buy an AK with dimples on the receiver above the mag and you're good. Buy lots of ammo and shoot it.

 

[the1kidd03]

Before you buy, i would monitor gunbroker.com and check out Bradis and Plainfield Shooting Supplies....

You'll RARELY find cheaper places than these on firearms

 

[snapping turtle]

I got mine long ago. Just over 200 dollars. 2 30 rounders and a 75 rounder. I would think this rifle is over 800 now well used. I do want any others so I personally don;t follow what they are going for now.

Gunbroker is your friend. Talk to shooter521 from bradis, I am sure they get in the bottom and middle teir of AK's and he would be the man to tell you of which new kit rifles are better than others. I am also sure he could order in one of the pro built kit guns from a gunmaker that would be as nice as any pre ban. I think even the Wasr are over 500. I think mine shoots very well for an ak. No rattle of the mags and a very tight group. I do not shoot the folder as well as my marlin 30-30 but that has to do with the stock and check weld. I think the originals will shoot better than a parts kit. Both will run fine.

If it is a SHTF rifle then about eny of them will fill that roll. The post ban ones were basically kits imported into the US and then rebuilt. I like mine made by the factory workers of the PRC. I mean they got no bread and water if the gun did not work right.

 

[popsmoke]

Milled requires much more machine time to produce. Lots of metal removed to make a milled ak. Some think they are the cats meow. I think they are heavier and a little more expensive.

I also think it increases the weapon's attrition. One of the best things about an AK or variant is it's ability to flex and move when needed. When you go with a milled version, you lose that.

 

[jworm1420]

All very good things for me to take into account when deciding to buy and i appreciate all the different things you guys have said. I honestly have bought all my firearms from bradis so i plan on goin there tomorow to look around and ask abunch of questions. I appreciate it guys, and any other things i should consider feel free to let me know in this post and/or PM me. Thanks again guys.

 

[jworm1420]

One more question, how can i identify if the reciever is stamped or milled???? Is there something i can look for to easily identify it with????? Thanks guys.

 

[TheWabbit]

One more question, how can i identify if the reciever is stamped or milled???? Is there something i can look for to easily identify it with????? Thanks guys.

It is pretty easy. Milled is from a solid block of steel. Stamped is folded over steel. Stamped is thinner. The tang on the milled receiver is usually at an angle rather than straight off the receiver. You can also see the rivet heads on the stamped receiver.

First two images are milled, last two are stamped.

 

[jworm1420]

I assume when you sy "tang" you mean the the metal tab like piece coming from the back of the reciever???

 

[TheWabbit]

I assume when you sy "tang" you mean the the metal tab like piece coming from the back of the reciever???

Yes. There will be either 1 or 2 of them on a fixed stock, depending on the AK type (or if someone cut the bottom one off (shudder). Obviously under and side folders will have a different type of rear trunnion.

 

[jworm1420]

Thank you for the info, much appreciated.

 

[tradertator]

As already explained, you have 2 flavors of AK to choose from, 47 or 74. 47 being the much more common choice.

Milled vs Stamped has already been covered. Personally, I see no advantage to a milled other than novelty.

Most of them are built with de-milled part kits. Not a bad way to go. Personally, I like the SGL series from Arsenal. They are brand new rifles from the Saiga factory in Russia, that are imported in a "sporter" configuration. Arsenal then un-neuters them, restoring all the scary looking features that got banned from importation. About as close to authentic as you can get for a new, off the shelf rifle.

As already stated, pre-bans are great but very expensive. If you are looking for a workhorse, it might not be a good value. I try to stay away from anything Century gets their hands on, as it seems they can screw anything up.

 

[cookchs]

ok can someone clarify the differences: stamped:milled, yugo, AK74, WASR10????? I am looking to get an AK but dont know wnything about them and have seen and heard of a ton of different types and so forth can someone break down the differences and what the best is???? I know its kind of a broad question but any clarification would be appreciated... Thanks guys

New to AK research, so I am interested in why the Yugo version? It was my understanding that other than the Russian version. Bulgaria was the next best in terms of quality. Of course I may have been miss informed.

 

[tradertator]

Russian, Bulgarian, and Chinese are often considered "creme de la creme" in the world of AK's. Nothing wrong with a Yugo though, especially since almost all the ammo you will find is non corrosive. Just check the bore out prior to purchase, since they aren't chrome lined.

 

[windellmc]

Yugo's should use a 1.5mm thick receiver instead of the standard 1.0mm. I am not sure if the trunnion is the heavier RPK version or not. You also have to watch as some Yugos were built with surplus barrels and those sometimes look like the inside of a sewer pipe. Most of what is available now uses a new barrel though.

Arsenal sells SGL (Russian) and SLR (Bulgarian) rifles which are the closest you can buy to a current production AK. They have chrome lined barrels and many of them have the side folding polymer stock. Expect to pay around $1k for a side folder and around $900 for a fixed stock.

Wasrs are made in Romania and those produced in the last couple of years seem to be better built than those previously. They mostly use a new hammer forged, chrome lined barrel and run $500-600. The wood is kind of ugly one them but you can fix that pretty easily. To me they look like you would expect an AK to look. The one I have is pretty accurate, but I looked at it and made sure everything was straight before I bought it.

There are 3 caliber choices for an AK. 7.62x39 (AK-47/AKm), 5.45x39 (AK-74), and 5.56/.223. Walmart carries 7.62x39 and .223 for $5 a box. Right now you can get corrosive surplus 5.45x39 ammo for an AK74 for pretty cheap (~$165/1k) but it has gone out of stock here and there and that caliber is hard to find other than the surplus. There is non-corrosive ammo available and it costs about the same as AK47 (7.62x39) ammo if you can find it.

Good reliable military grade 7.62x39 steel mags (stick to European, Chinese, or Russian, Korean are junk and have been known to split in half) can be had for $15-20 each, 5.45 polymers with metal feed lips are running closer to $35, as are .223 mags. There are all polymer US and Bulgarian mags available for $15-20 in all calibers but the lugs can break off and feed lip durability can vary. For range use they are fine but for an emergency situation you want military grade magazines which means steel feed lips and lugs.

Two years ago I would have said to get the AK-74 because ammo was $120/1k rounds and good mags were $10-15. Now the cheap ammo is getting scarce and getting close to commercial ammo in price and magazines are hard to find and expensive. The 74 shoots nice although if you want low recoil the .223 version might be a better choice at this point due to ammo availability. The 7.62 is probably the best combination of low price and ammo/mag availability.

 

[IamLegend]

Pretty good basic info in this thread. Been doing some research as im looking for my first AK as well so I appreciate it.