Help with the AK-47

[Chris_Werner]

Gentlemen:
I have finally decided to buy an AK, but I need help from more experienced members of the forum. When looking at all the different manufacturers and options, I am a little over-whelmed. Bulgarian, Romanian, Egyptian, Norenco, Russian, etc.,etc.?!!!
In your opinion, what is the best manufacturer of semi-auto AKs today? Why do you think so?
I am looking for a quality built gun that is easy to maintain and not tempermental or hard to find parts and accessories for.
I am looking in the approximate $500.00 price range.
Any advice or feedback would be much appreciated.
Chris Werner

[Gary Cain]

Hi Chris,

If you want the best made ever then it would probably be the Yugoslav made ones from Zastava. I have had almost every maker of AK and that was by far the nicest. Price is about twice what you want to spend though. In your price range the Hungarian or the Bulgarian are very nice. The closest to the real Russian AK though is the Maadi AK from Egypt. They aren't the nicest looking but they look just like the VN era rifles. I am speaking of the ones imported back around 1985-87. I don't remember the importer though. Once again though the price jumps up to the 1200-1400 level.


Gary

Gentlemen:
I have finally decided to buy an AK, but I need help from more experienced members of the forum. When looking at all the different manufacturers and options, I am a little over-whelmed. Bulgarian, Romanian, Egyptian, Norenco, Russian, etc.,etc.?!!!
In your opinion, what is the best manufacturer of semi-auto AKs today? Why do you think so?
I am looking for a quality built gun that is easy to maintain and not tempermental or hard to find parts and accessories for.
I am looking in the approximate $500.00 price range.
Any advice or feedback would be much appreciated.
Chris Werner

[bodes]

And I believe Norinco are about the lowest in terms of quality.....They are made in China and would personally be my last choice.....Bodes

[Gene]

There are others, like Vector Arms that are sought after. I like the milled receiver Bulgarian models and like the looks of the Yugo, too bad they don't have chrome lined barrels to handle all the corrosive ammo out there (not a big deal if you clean your guns immediately after shooting them)

[Bob Hritz]

I have put thousands of rounds through my Norinco and have never had any malfunction, even though I sadly neglect the maintainence, only cleaning the bore. I have never cleaned the gas piston or internals and I would bet I could outshoot any crap M-16/AR-15 clone in terms of rounds fired without cleaning, oil, or maintainence.

Dollar for dollar, the Norinco works fine and the rifles are made in the same factory with the same materials as those of the Red Chinese Army. A billion people can't be wrong!

Bob Hritz

[Gary Cain]

Bob,

Everything you say is true....but I wouldn't own one of those POS unless it was all there was .



Gary

I have put thousands of rounds through my Norinco and have never had any malfunction, even though I sadly neglect the maintainence, only cleaning the bore. I have never cleaned the gas piston or internals and I would bet I could outshoot any crap M-16/AR-15 clone in terms of rounds fired without cleaning, oil, or maintainence.

Dollar for dollar, the Norinco works fine and the rifles are made in the same factory with the same materials as those of the Red Chinese Army. A billion people can't be wrong!

Bob Hritz

[Svt40]

Build your own.

[Bill in VA]

Steyr was the original importer of the Maadi AKs. Post-ban Maadis were imported by Intrac and someone else (can't remember off the top of my head) but the Steyr and Intrac Maadis are about as close as you can get to real Soviet AK, short of an amnesty-registered Soviet AK. The Maadis to avoid are the ones assembled by Century Arms several years back (Maadi MISRs, both in the narrow 10 round and full capacity configurations), using a mixture of Maadi and Chinese parts. Quality control on these was severely lacking on the majority of them. As far as Norincos, there were a number of the Chinese AKs imported prior to the 1989 and 1994 ban, as well as an even larger number of post-ban Chinese AKs. Polytech, B West, and Kengs imported them in pre-ban cinfiguration (bayonet lug, slant break on a thread muzzle.) Anyways, all of the Chinese AKs that I have seen and fired have been good rifles in terms of fit and finish. (Most of the Chinese AKs have a blued finish, as opposed to the painted finish of the Egyptian Maadis and Romanian WASRs.) FWIW, of the three AKs I currently have, my Norinco MAK90 has the smoothest trigger pull of them all. Romanian WUMs and WASRs aren't bad for the money, but if you're a purist, the WASRs integral scope mount may not be to your liking. I cana't speak for the current crop of no-ban AKs that everyone seems to be churning out these days. Of the most desirable to the least desirable, the Steyr Maadis and pre-ban Polytechs seem to be at the top, followed by the pre-ban Norincos. Aresnal and Vector apparently seem to make some nice ones too, these days. But getting back to your question, there's absolutely nothing wrong with the Norinco AKs and they can be found for around $350 -400 in my neck of the woods. Likewise, the Romanian WASRs also fit your price criteria and are decent rifles. That said, you really won't go wrong with any AK. They're not match-grade rifles by any stretch of the imagination, but they are ultra-reliable (even when grossly neglected.) About the only problem I've ever had with any of my AKs is some don't care much for HP ammuniton, but they've all always digested hardball without fail.
My .02

[Chris_Werner]

Thank you so much for all your kind advice, guys!
Sounds like I need a used pre-ban, which shouldn't be too much of a problem to find out here.
This is going to be a knock around/varmint plinking type gun. We live on 40 acres, and have our share of varmints, namely coyotes. I used to have a nice HK-93, which I traded for a Ruger Red Label 12 g over and under. That is a quail and pheasant getter, for sure, but not much help with the chicken raiders. . Heym-Mausers in 30-06 with a Weaver 3-9x work a little better.
Chris Werner

[bodes]

I have put thousands of rounds through my Norinco and have never had any malfunction, even though I sadly neglect the maintainence, only cleaning the bore. I have never cleaned the gas piston or internals and I would bet I could outshoot any crap M-16/AR-15 clone in terms of rounds fired without cleaning, oil, or maintainence.

Dollar for dollar, the Norinco works fine and the rifles are made in the same factory with the same materials as those of the Red Chinese Army. A billion people can't be wrong!

Bob Hritz

Bob, That may very well be.....But I believe it's all relative.....The gent who upgrades to a Yugo car after owning a horse, thinks he's died and gone to heaven.....Then he jumps into his neighbors' Cadillac and his thoughts change....IF I was looking for something that was inexpensive and one I cared very little about keeping forever, perhaps a Norinco would suffice.....But I'm just saying, it wouldn't be my first choice.....Bodes

[Roy Queen]

Recently, I purchased one of the Yugoslavian M70 underfolders that Century Arms had built on a new receiver. I'm very pleased with the quality, and the performance of this rifle. In the past, I've owned a Polytech, Maadi, and the Romanian models, and if I were to grade the best out of the ones I've owned it would be:

1. Polytech AK
2. M70 underfolder
3. Maadi
4. Romanian AKs

For accuracy, I prefer the SKS carbine hands down.

[C.O.Sargent]

I own a couple of Norincos have no problems but my AK of choice is myAMD-65 CA.

[Bob Hritz]

I just look at firearms as tools and have carried and used firearms, all my life.

If I can hit the target at which I am aiming, the firearm is fine.

I fawn over my family, not firearms.

Now for collecting firearms, the story is completely different. There are those works of art that are sought by different vectors of collector.

However, I doubt that the AK-47, although the finest (most successful) assault rifle in the world, would ever be thought of as a work of art.

BTW, my old Norinco is pre-ban. Gave my son a Polytech because he liked the folding bayonet. The only thing I want for mine is a red phenol resin stock, forearms, and pistol grip. Does anyone sell these replacement parts for pre-ban AK's.

Bob Hritz

PS: If I had to keep just one pee-wee .223, it would still be a Ruger Mini-14. Never failed in any conditions and completely indestructible inside and out.

[Chris_Werner]

[/quote]
PS: If I had to keep just one pee-wee .223, it would still be a Ruger Mini-14. Never failed in any conditions and completely indestructible inside and out.[/quote]

Now there is a Coyote getter!!! I think every farmer or rancher I know out here owns or has owned one of them. The Kansas Highway Patrol used to carry them until they "upgraded."

[flashider]

Don't buy a Norinco(chinese)
Perforation of barrel in misalignement.....So sight misalignement
If you cut a barrel in the middle....is an horror!!!
Zastava is the best!