AK47 accuracy

[MilitaryArms]

I own both stamped and machined AKs. I've seen no evidence a machined AK shoots more accurately than a stamped AK. Actually I've found them to be nearly identical in performance. The most accurate AKs I've shot we're actually stamped. The Saiga .308 will shoot 1" - 1.5" groups fairly consistently with match ammo. I've never found an out of the box AK to shoot better than the .308 Saigas.

The machined AKs tend to be about a pound heavier than their stamped counterparts and they're not always compatible with all the various AK accessories out there you might find yourself interested in.

It's something to consider.

 

[dross]

Just to add something - my cz carbine shoots 1.25" groups at100 yards with cheap Tula ammo, so it aint the ammo.

 

[Fordtough25]

Mine will hit a torso target at 320 yards one shot after the next if I do my part, good enough for me. I have not tried to get a nice little group, that's not what my AK is for.

 

[teddy12b]

What caliber is your AK? It was an SLR-95 in 7.62x39mm

Have you tried optics? I couldn't because the side wouldn't take a mount.

I've actually been considering an off the shelf saiga 308 for a long time now. I've heard the 16" barreled rifles are more accurate and with the match ammo I should be well under 2" at 100 yards. I'd love to get my hands on one to play along with, but that project is going to have to wait.

For the price though I don't think a saiga 308 could be beat. You get accuracy comparable to an M1A, reliability of an AK, power of a 308, and it's half the price. It's on my want list, but right now I've just got way too many things going on.

 

[bobzilla]

Here's my $.02.... if I'm trying to reach out consistently to 3-500 yards for head-shot type groupings and I'm using an AK.... I have the wrong tool for the job.

 

[Seaweed02]

Teddy12b

I've actually been considering an off the shelf saiga 308 for a long time now. I've heard the 16" barreled rifles are more accurate and with the match ammo I should be well under 2" at 100 yards. I'd love to get my hands on one to play along with, but that project is going to have to wait.

For the price though I don't think a saiga 308 could be beat. You get accuracy comparable to an M1A, reliability of an AK, power of a 308, and it's half the price. It's on my want list, but right now I've just got way too many things going on.

Teddy12b,
Can you put a wooden stock on one of those Saigas and make it look like a regular AK?

 

[vitamink]

Teddy12b,
Can you put a wooden stock on one of those Saigas and make it look like a regular AK?

yes

 

[Seaweed02]

Vitamink that is nice!!!!

yes

What a nice looking weapon. How accurate is that rifle? What caliber is it?

 

[MilitaryArms]

I've actually been considering an off the shelf saiga 308 for a long time now. I've heard the 16" barreled rifles are more accurate and with the match ammo I should be well under 2" at 100 yards. I'd love to get my hands on one to play along with, but that project is going to have to wait.

For the price though I don't think a saiga 308 could be beat. You get accuracy comparable to an M1A, reliability of an AK, power of a 308, and it's half the price. It's on my want list, but right now I've just got way too many things going on.

The Saiga .308's are extremely accurate. Check this video out. This is a Krebs Saiga conversion, however the barrel is a OEM barrel. Nothing has been done to "accurize" the rifle outside of the action being cleaned up, the rifle refinished and different furniture/rails installed.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cRJ07Rbwxg[/ame]

With optics that rifle will consistently shoot 1 MOA. With irons I could shoot 1.5"-2" including a 1" group I show in the video with irons. Silly accurate.

The 7.62x39's are the least accurate of the AK's, unfortunately. But the 5.45's and .308's shoot very well.

 

[iauffenberg]

most aks are good enough to take a body sized target out at 300 yards but some will be better or worse

 

[johntheplinker]

I put a mil dot scope on my Arsenal SGL21. Zeroed at 100m, shot it and measured bullet drop at 50, 150, and 200m. I was shooting headshots on a silhouette target at 200m over and over.

Have you tried optics?


Also, keep in mind the AKs iron sights aren't well suited for precision shooting. Many people struggle with them, especially those used to peep sights like those found on the AR. I've found the Krebs peep sight to improve my groups, I used one in the video (and the rifle was a 5.45x39).

Optics can help you shoot better too, assuming its the sights you're struggling with.

I can get 2" to 2.5" groups at 100 yards with any of my AK74s. With my 7.62x39 rifles I can get 3" - 3.5" groups with any of my 47s.

That's about average for most quality AKs, both 74 and 47. Some rifles do better and sometimes it's the shooter that does better. I'm by no means the best AK shot out there.

For those of you talking about 8-10+" groups at 100 yards, have you tried any sort of optics? With my Saiga, with the irons it was so bad I didn't even measure the groups. Threw a decent red dot on it, and I get consistent 2" groups with its favorite ammo, even getting close to 1" on occasion.

 

[NolaMan61]

I've got a WASR-10/63, pretty well put together piece. The longest I've measured was about 65-ish yards, and did about a 5in. group with 12 shots. Was able to hit a 16oz. soda bottle standing up, at around 50~ yards about 2 weeks ago.

AKM's are very accurate. Never really understood the argument by AR fanatics about shooting 3in. spreads, against my 5-7in. Target is getting hit... why do those few inches really matter...

 

[rwhitmore8]

Romanian, polish, it doesnt really matter. 9 out of 10 times the ak variant you buy comes with a 16 inch romanian barrel, or a new us made barrel which is the exact same thing. An ak is as accurate as the shooter. You shouldnt buy this gun to shoot 1000m competitions, nor should you buy an AR for that reason. They are designed for close to mid range combat. When your hiding behind a burnt car in the middle of the streets of fallujah taking fire from three different directions, the last thing on you mind should be m.o.a. or garbage like that. The ak is is the most reliable platform you can get in this category of gun hands down.

 

[jason867]

new US made barrels typically aren't chrome lined, like the Romanian ones are. I hear this usually helps accuracy, although at the ranges that these guns are used in, the difference is probably immeasurable.

 

[Cerberus]

I've got a WASR-10/63, pretty well put together piece. The longest I've measured was about 65-ish yards, and did about a 5in. group with 12 shots. Was able to hit a 16oz. soda bottle standing up, at around 50~ yards about 2 weeks ago.

AKM's are very accurate. Never really understood the argument by AR fanatics about shooting 3in. spreads, against my 5-7in. Target is getting hit... why do those few inches really matter...

5" group at 65 yds? So this is a 7 MOA rifle? If your groups follow this pattern, at 200 yds they will be 14", and at 300 21". This is where accuracy matters. An average human size target from the front is 10-12" across. This is why "those few inches" matter. A 3 MOA rifle will give better chances of putting metal to meat at extended ranges.

 

[Patriot3]

Look up nutnfancy on youtube and he put a tight group at 100 yards, some aks are "good enough" accurate while others arent. I agree with the above post on wasr's, they are a hit or miss buy.

 

[spearheadersarge]

Nutnfancy has a dust cover with a rear sight aperture on it. I forget the comany featured in the video but he was able to shoot some tight groups but he claims it changes the rifle's dis-assembly and costs around $130. If accuracy mattered that much, an AK would not be my first choice. Is it possible to have an MOA AK? Yes. Is it worth the extras and cost to make it possible? That's up to you. My AK isn't built for that and my money is earmarked for other projects! My AK is what it is, a fun gun to shoot and a capable personal defense weapon if need be.