Help me choose between the AR-15 & AK-47

[dsol]

I was torn between the two myself. I did not own a single round of 5.56. I sold my FAL and was trying to decide. I have about 1500 rounds of 7.62x39 and an SKS, so thought about an AK for ammo commonality, but a case of the ammo is the old Norinco steel core and a lot of the other is new Norma brass case reloadable. I would still need to get a couple cases of steel case blasting/practice fodder because I would not want to shoot all that up.

So I ended up going with an AR built on a Palmetto Arms lower. Traded some of my FAL magazines for AR mags. Working on trading a couple thousand Lake City surplus .308 off for 5.56 and I should be good to go. Molycoated the BCG and will run it with some light oil, so hopefully it will be reliable and easier to keep clean. Mounted my Aimpoint 5000 2x and just need to find me a decent set of backup sights, some more magazines and practice time. My brother wants one and a couple of my friends already have AR's but nobody had an FAL, so there was no common platform.

Maybe I will get or build a scout style rifle sometime, so I am keeping some of my .308 stash, but it will no longer be my main "go to" round. The great point of an AR is that you can swap out the upper and change calibers so easily. I want one in 300 blackout next and suppress it.

 

[Clay]

AK.

Duh!

 

[TwinTurbo]

Get both.

Right, just like with chocolate/vanilla and blonde/brunette. You need both...at the same time.

 

[Psode27]

I love AK's, however as said numerous times above, AK's are outrageous right now. Its a good time to buy an AR right now, and you have your pic of many different calibers. eventually youll want both!

 

[roadrunner681]

One thing I don't like about my AR is that it is a pain to clean. The carbon really gets baked onto the bolt. I am thinking about getting a piston system AR. Maybe an Adams Arms.

That's why I like the ak I don't mind the carbon but I normally soaked the parts for my ar when I had it in cleaner for while cause of all the carbon in the bolt the ak is nice the dirt is kept away from the action not that it's hard to clean anyways I'm left handed so the ak is Easier for me to use and with the insane violent extraction the brass never seems to hit me only thing that sucks is finding the brass in the woods is hard

 

[indyguy333]

I have an AR15, AK47, and an AK74 (no thats not a typo, model 1974). The AK74 is by far my favorite -- the 5.45x39mm round was developed by the Soviets after they studied the 5.56 NATO and is arguably better. Has delightfully light recoil and quite accurate, with gruesome terminal ballistics due to the bullets design. Plus all the reliability of the AK platform.

The AK74 is in use by the Russian armed forces today -- they did away with the AK47 a long time ago. The main market for new AK47s are American consumers who don't know any better.

Any one is a good choice, they are all excellent rifles. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Route 45]

I have an AR15, AK47, and an AK74 (no thats not a typo, model 1974). The AK74 is by far my favorite -- the 5.45x39mm round was developed by the Soviets after they studied the 5.56 NATO and is arguably better. Has delightfully light recoil and quite accurate, with gruesome terminal ballistics due to the bullets design. Plus all the reliability of the AK platform.

The AK74 is in use by the Russian armed forces today -- they did away with the AK47 a long time ago. The main market for new AK47s are American consumers who don't know any better.

Any one is a good choice, they are all excellent rifles. Just my 2 cents.

I was under the impression that cheap AK-74 ammo (5.45) is no longer available, or is now the same cost as 5.56 or 7.62x39. Is that the case? I seem to remember a ban on surplus steel core stuff, which was very cheap and made AK-74 rifles attractive. I'm sure that an AK-74 is a sweet shooter, but if the ammo price is the same, I'd rather have the AK-47 with it's .30 caliber bullet, and save my little bullets for an AR.

 

[JettaKnight]

There's always modern variants chambered in 5.56.

 

[88E30M50]

I have both and I like both. They are different platorms and have a completely different feel from each other. For plinking, the AK is a lot of fun. For punching paper, the AR is more fun. The nice thing about an AR is that you can drop a .22lr conversion into them and be fine to shoot at a pistol caliber only range. If I had a decent sized piece of land to shoot on, I'd probably have kept the last AK I sold, but I don't and AKs are just not much fun to shoot if you are just shooting paper. My AKs are disappearing and more ARs are appearing largely due to the flexibility of the platform. It's not as easy to put an optic on an AK as it is an AR.

 

[indyguy333]

I was under the impression that cheap AK-74 ammo (5.45) is no longer available, or is now the same cost as 5.56 or 7.62x39. Is that the case? I seem to remember a ban on surplus steel core stuff, which was very cheap and made AK-74 rifles attractive. I'm sure that an AK-74 is a sweet shooter, but if the ammo price is the same, I'd rather have the AK-47 with it's .30 caliber bullet, and save my little bullets for an AR.

The ATF has banned the importation of steel core milsup ammo in 5.45x39mm -- you can still find it quite easily because a ton was imported before the import ban, its around 20 cents a round. I just picked up 1,080 rounds for $180 last week.

the 5.45x39mm is not well understood in the West, but the Russians have used it for much longer than they used the 7.62x39 round -- in fact, it is still their standard service caliber to this day. It is vastly superior to 7.62 and arguably to 5.56, but never got a fair shake in this country.

I'm an AK enthusiast and love 5.45 and 7.62, but I wouldn't pick 7.62 just because "the bullet is bigger" -- that doesn't mean the round is superior. And of course I shoot my fair share of 5.56, it's a great little round too, I just prefer 5.45 overall.

 

[REAL2ALL1]

it's a journey that begins with 1.

My vote is cheap AK. It won't let you down even with the dirtiest and crappiest ammo. 1000rds of 7.62 for 2 Hun isn't bad either. Since its your first rifle you're probably going to go cheap anyways. You'll have more fun with a $500 aK than you will with $600 low end AR that you cobbled together.

Eventually you'll start tuning the AK as you learn more like polishing the trigger, rails, carrier, and bolt. You may even weld a piece of metal onto the safety to make it easier to flick on and off. You may even repaint the whole thing with grill paint because "who gives a ****?!" You'll then want to add rails and such even though your new AK pals call you a douche.

At that point you'll want to buy an AR...a good one. Throw some high end glass on it. That way you can appreciate the accuracy, ergonomics, and the precision tight tolerances afford. Soon you'll miss the ol girl. Stacking little 22 sized holes in paper at 50 yards becomes a yawn fest until you have a failure. yikes.

Now you run back to the AK. You'll decide you need a really nice unmolested wood AK so you go out (to appease your pals) and buy a SAR or MAADi or Polytech or maybe even an underfolder even though they are difficult to shoot and harder to be accurate with (if any of you say "well actually I can hit blah blah..." I don't care and no you can't). You'll then tear down your original $500 grill painted ak with some tapco, UTG, or airsoft-almost magpul like something or other on it and start buying precision parts for it. ALG triggers, ultimak rails, good glass, dbals/peqs until you have the most reliable gun ever with the most precision parts made that shoots a round that's worth a ****.

Then you'll go back to the AR. You'll buy uppers out the wazoo like 458 and 300blk and apply the same accoutrements to them as you did the AK. Youll find your 300blk can do everything the 7.62 ak can do. You'll step back and realize that the only way you can tell the difference between your tactical AK and your 300blk AR is that one had mags that rock in and even then you're still not sure which one that is.

At at that point get a suppressor. Screw it onto your AK and shoot it without hearing protection... Before driving back to the salesman to kick him in the junk, put it on the 300blk. Now you'll understand the benefit of the round. Go to the range and with a friend and spare no expense because guns are about to get super cool. Shoot a couple thousand rounds in the tranquil quiet while having a conversation in library voices with your friend. Now go sell your body on Washington street to pay for that expensive ass ammo as rent's due and you make poor financial decisions. Once your debt is paid and your apeture elasticity has been restored, go back to the AK.

You are so awesome and hit the nail on the head. After reading your comment I just couldn't stop laughing and shaking my head up and down because it's all TRUE. Thank you very much for that much needed comment.

 

[never2big]

it's a journey that begins with 1.

My vote is cheap AK. It won't let you down even with the dirtiest and crappiest ammo. 1000rds of 7.62 for 2 Hun isn't bad either. Since its your first rifle you're probably going to go cheap anyways. You'll have more fun with a $500 aK than you will with $600 low end AR that you cobbled together.

Eventually you'll start tuning the AK as you learn more like polishing the trigger, rails, carrier, and bolt. You may even weld a piece of metal onto the safety to make it easier to flick on and off. You may even repaint the whole thing with grill paint because "who gives a ****?!" You'll then want to add rails and such even though your new AK pals call you a douche.

At that point you'll want to buy an AR...a good one. Throw some high end glass on it. That way you can appreciate the accuracy, ergonomics, and the precision tight tolerances afford. Soon you'll miss the ol girl. Stacking little 22 sized holes in paper at 50 yards becomes a yawn fest until you have a failure. yikes.

Now you run back to the AK. You'll decide you need a really nice unmolested wood AK so you go out (to appease your pals) and buy a SAR or MAADi or Polytech or maybe even an underfolder even though they are difficult to shoot and harder to be accurate with (if any of you say "well actually I can hit blah blah..." I don't care and no you can't). You'll then tear down your original $500 grill painted ak with some tapco, UTG, or airsoft-almost magpul like something or other on it and start buying precision parts for it. ALG triggers, ultimak rails, good glass, dbals/peqs until you have the most reliable gun ever with the most precision parts made that shoots a round that's worth a ****.

Then you'll go back to the AR. You'll buy uppers out the wazoo like 458 and 300blk and apply the same accoutrements to them as you did the AK. Youll find your 300blk can do everything the 7.62 ak can do. You'll step back and realize that the only way you can tell the difference between your tactical AK and your 300blk AR is that one had mags that rock in and even then you're still not sure which one that is.

At at that point get a suppressor. Screw it onto your AK and shoot it without hearing protection... Before driving back to the salesman to kick him in the junk, put it on the 300blk. Now you'll understand the benefit of the round. Go to the range and with a friend and spare no expense because guns are about to get super cool. Shoot a couple thousand rounds in the tranquil quiet while having a conversation in library voices with your friend. Now go sell your body on Washington street to pay for that expensive ass ammo as rent's due and you make poor financial decisions. Once your debt is paid and your apeture elasticity has been restored, go back to the AK.

This is great comment! Amussing and yet pretty true. I have both but if i had to choose just one i think i would say ar

 

[Cerberus]

Oh the stuff that I could write about each platform. Have had lots of time behind each since 1987 for one and 1988 for the other. I've actually fired many more AKs than I have ARs, but I've got thousands more rounds thru the AR. It all really boils down to one simple question. How far do you want the rifle to be capable of decent accuracy?

In closing I will say that the slight reliability advantage (very slight) you gain with one is not enough to give up the very real and easy accuracy capability you get with the other.

IMO, just keep saving and get a rifle that out performs both by a long shot, the M14 style.

 

[vitamink]

What'd you decide on swanny?

 

[sapper]

Ars are on the cheap side right now and aks are on the salty

 

[Expat]

Ars are on the cheap side right now and aks are on the salty

I have noticed that as well. Some of the AKs have come back down but WASRs are staying up as high... what's up with them?

 

[tradertator]

I have noticed that as well. Some of the AKs have come back down but WASRs are staying up as high... what's up with them?

I read somewhere on the Internet that the Romanian stuff isn't currently being imported due to a big military contract that they're filling. Whether there is any truth to that are not, I have no idea.

 

[Jager256]

AR is accurate, but not a lot of punch behind it. AK has a lot of power, but the accuracy is hard to control when you fire more than one round. If you want power and accuracy, I suggest a Thompson.

 

[THEFAT45]

I bought an ar15 and really wish I would have bought an ak47 first. Mostly based on ammo price and the fact that I don't normally shoot over 300 yards.