AK47's - Who makes the best one and why?

TrashcanDan said:
1- 7.62, because of practical availability
2- no preference
3- Rifle
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Based on this, I would recommend either a WBP Fox, Zastava ZPAP M70, or a Century WASR-10. The guns are ranked in terms of fit and finish in that order. The WASR is the easiest to accessorize, the WBP is pretty easy to accessorize, and the ZPAP only accepts Yugo-pattern furniture.

If it were my money, I'd get a WBP... but I already own a Zastava ZPAP M70 lol

Best AK 47 Rifle - AtlanticFirearms.com

ZPAPM70 AK47 1.5mm Black Polymer For Sale-Zastava Arms - AtlanticFirearms.com

Zastava Arms ZPAPM70 Side Folder Rifle - AtlanticFirearms.com

Zastava M70 for SALE - AtlanticFirearms.com
 
A WASR is a very frequent "starter AK" for a reason.

It's a fine gun because it cheaply does exactly what this design was meant to do: fire to POA every single time, within the limitations of the sight radius and the long-stroke system. You can upgrade once the WASR teaches you what you're looking for in the "features" department.
 
C. Stockwell said:
Based on this, I would recommend either a WBP Fox, Zastava ZPAP M70, or a Century WASR-10. The guns are ranked in terms of fit and finish in that order. The WASR is the easiest to accessorize, the WBP is pretty easy to accessorize, and the ZPAP only accepts Yugo-pattern furniture.

If it were my money, I'd get a WBP... but I already own a Zastava ZPAP M70 lol

Best AK 47 Rifle - AtlanticFirearms.com

ZPAPM70 AK47 1.5mm Black Polymer For Sale-Zastava Arms - AtlanticFirearms.com

Zastava Arms ZPAPM70 Side Folder Rifle - AtlanticFirearms.com

Zastava M70 for SALE - AtlanticFirearms.com
Click to expand...

Fantastic selection. Narrows it down to what I'm looking for.
Thank you.
 
TrashcanDan said:
Fantastic selection. Narrows it down to what I'm looking for.
Thank you.
Click to expand...
I was gonna offer to let you try my WASR or my WBP but given you're in TN that would be a hell of a road trip.

I also have a 5.56 Arsenal and a 5.45 Bulgarian 1988 (10) kit build for good measure. AKs are A-OK.
 
Classic Milled Mini Jack - WBP Poland 7.62x39 Pistol w/ Milled Receiver

These are new. I like how WBP is expanding. They've begun selling 5.45 kits into the US, which previously was unthinkable because everyone assumed Polish manufacturers had no interest in 5.45, and now WBP is getting into milled guns. I expect that if the past is any indication of the future, WBP will export milled rifles soon.

Not something I'd buy, but I'm glad to see someone challenge Arsenal's position as the only manufacturer of milled AKs available these days to us.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I bought all the Chicoms that the fair store in auburn had left the day they closed. I took one out of the box and started shooting it. I thought because they came from China that they would wear out but 30plus years later I’m still shooting it. All the other are still in the boxes. So I’d have to go chinese, they are over gassed thou so the one I use has a adjustable gas piston in it
 
Maxfairbank said:
There are 7 Chinese AK variants. How is google supposed to know the variants you shot and enjoyed?
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Dude you just deleted your original question to me about a post I made almost 10 years ago, presumably because you realized it was a dumb question due to your lack of reading comprehension. Now you're trying to make me look dumb by pretending you didn't ask the dumb-ass question to begin with? Lets not waste much more time on this one.
 
45collector said:
All I know is my MAK90 is an excellent shooter. A lot of folks will say the Chinese made some of the nicest AK variants out there. I'd have to agree with them as I've owned two and they both ran/run like silky-ass buttered goodness. Years ago a friend had a, what I believe was a Century-built WASR that had the worst trigger slap I've ever felt on any firearm. The fit and finish was shit. It ran though, and from what I remember the accuracy was about what you'd expect.
Click to expand...

This was my original post from 9/14/2012 by the way. I am not really sure what fairbanks was trying to ask me regarding what I've shot in the past but just to circle back, I still hold the belief that out of all the basic-ass AK flavors out there, the Norinco's are pretty high up there in quality. ;)
 
45collector said:
This was my original post from 9/14/2012 by the way. I am not really sure what fairbanks was trying to ask me regarding what I've shot in the past but just to circle back, I still hold the belief that out of all the basic-ass AK flavors out there, the Norinco's are pretty high up there in quality. ;)
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45collector said:
Dude you just deleted your original question to me about a post I made almost 10 years ago, presumably because you realized it was a dumb question due to your lack of reading comprehension. Now you're trying to make me look dumb by pretending you didn't ask the dumb-ass question to begin with? Lets not waste much more time on this one.
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Yeah it posted twice, i agree lets not waste anymore time on this. Thanks for your help and respectful dialogue.
 
Boris said:
no need to dedicate entire thread to this: Flintoid ... because he is an illegitimate son of Michael Kalashnikov, duh! </thread>

seriously though, the best AK is the one that you make yourself, because you got no one else to blame for "suck" and you can make it any way you like it.
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Stamped or milled?
 
flintoid said:
As KMS alluded to earlier, some of the post-94 "Egyptian" (use this term loosely to describe them) AKMs in the sporterized form were assembled from disassembled chinese AKs.

A huge import of Chinese AKs were in warehouses when Bush Sr. ****ed the gun import industry. As a result of this unfavorable situation, they were all demilled into parts kits. Some were built onto Maadi receivers (I think an importer ordered a bunch or some shit) and thus, you get the miserable red headed bastard child of a Chinese and an Egyptian.

Talk about f'd, eh? Well, the reason why they sucked is that the assemblers were numb nuts. All the barrel components were pressed on by US gun smiths who don't know their head from their ass, or just didn't care. I'm guessing a shitty finish was put on the receiver post build, hence the gritty feeling.

Also- chinese barrel components are meant to go on Chinese Milled or stamped rifles - their barrel journal profiles are one in the same. Milled AK barrel components are designed for a slightly beefier journals. So they had to sleeve the components in order to fit the egyptian barrels (if they used them, which I believe they did... otherwise they'd have had to modify the chinese barrel trunnions to fit maadi AKM receivers - receiver sheet metal thickness is different between chicoms stamped AKs and AKMs.) This would make the sight and gas blocks look weird as hell. I know most MISRs are Chicom trunnioned barrels in Egyptian receivers... they have the Chinese rivet pattern as well as the oblong Maadi magazine dimple, as can be seen here:

misr90rifle5om.jpg


Classic Chicom rivet pattern, signature Maadi oblong mag dimple. Signature deep Egyptian spot welds. Mind. Is. Blown.

SAM-7's are nice. Milled AKs run pretty damn smooth, that's for sure.
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Reading this entire thread has my head spinning at how much knowledge is swimming around in some NES noggins. Excellent that you all are willing to share what you know.
 

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