Which to buy - AR or AK

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I don't have any personal experience with arizona response systems, but I've read nothing but good things about them over at THR.org

Aimsurplus.com is out of about everything right now, but you might want to check in a few weeks, they have good prices.

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Wow, those are some very pretty toys on the ARS website.

Here's Classic Arms: http://www.classicarms.us/


http://www.ak-47rifles.com/index.asp

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I have owned and shot both ARs and AKs for over two decades - they are both fine rifles in their own right. Please allow me to suggest a far different line of thinking.

Camouflage

If you are seen by police or military from a distance wearing tactical trousers and a black parka...would they think any differently of you if you were carrying an AR or AK? I bet they would!

They all shoot ARs - they are used to seeing ARs - a "professional" looking man carrying an AR would not draw the same attention as one carrying an AK.

If there were police or military patrols in your neighborhood and for whatever reason you were forced to fire your weapon - we can assume that the shot would be heard. ARs and AKs have distinctive sounds. I can only guess if shots were being fired by "good guys" an AR would not draw the same attention as the sound signature of the AK would.

You are in a situation again where you are required to shoot and run - empty shells are all over. If I were a LEO or military and I found 5.56 brass I would not necessarily know if they were from another officer, or you. If I found AK brass I would know it was not from one of my guys.

If things really get bad and how much AK ammo would you expect to find in a police armory or maybe WalMart? There may be some...but I am guessing law enforcement and military stock much more 5.56 comapred to 7.62x39.

In about ten seconds I can swap my ARs 16" CQB upper for a precision 24" upper complete with Krieger barrel, chambered for 80 grain match rounds, and high $$$ optics package - if you are within 600 yards I will share pain and frustration with you in less than a second.

Parts are a dime a dozen - everyone has spare AR parts.

Don't get me wrong - the AR is a mouse gun - chambered in 5.56x45 it is quite weak - but I still have no desire to soak up a round from it regardless of range. Yes, it has a terrible direct impingement gas system - but it has proven itself and issues have been worked out decades age.

Yes, I feel the AR is the best choice for many reasons.

And stepping up to a .308 bolt gun after that - don't waste your time - you will only gain a few hundred yards, if that, over the 5.56x45. Step up to a .338 Lapua Magnum bolt gun and as the song goes..."let's get physical, physical..."

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vt357 wrote:

I have a Saiga that I converted to the AK configuration. I am currently looking for an AR rifle. I have wanted one for a long time and the current political climate is telling me to buy now or never buy. So I say buy both! :lol:

One big thing to consider is ammo availability. The Wolf 7.62x39 is roughly half the price of the Federal .223 that most people like to shoot. So in the short term it may be more affordable to stock up on AK rounds. But the thing that is really making me nervous is that almost all of the 7.62 comes from Russia. It wouldn't take more than a stroke of the pen for Obama to sign an executive order banning all weapon imports from Russia just like Clinton did with China. Most .223 is made here stateside. Just something to think about.

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I have a saiga and plan on doing the same thing. How knowledgable are you about the conversion?

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Word of advice: If you DO get an SKS, stay away from the Yugoslavian models. I had a lot of problems with one a while back, and many others have expressed the same problems, usually failures to cycle.

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Parts are a dime a dozen - everyone has spare AR parts.

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I have plenty of AK parts.... but the likelihood of actually ever needing to use any of them is very small.

You can get a decent AK starting around 300 or so. Look at Classic Arms http://www.classicarms.us and Southern Ohio Gun. If you want an AK action with .223 ammo, look at a Galil (around $600).

I like the AR but if I had to choose for extended ops in a situation where opportunities for cleaning and maintenance would be limited, I'd pick the AK every time.

Most of the Yugo SKS models have built in grenade launchers... if the gas selector is not set correctly it will not cycle.

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Two is One, and One is None... So do both...

I myself am currently building my own. 16in M4gery flat top upper kit from Del-Ton. 1/9 twist chrome lined for cleaning ease. Waiting on a custom lower from JCWeaponry here in WA.

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Does anyone know about the availability (existence) of left-handed ARs?

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Yes, Stag makes left-handed uppers.

I'm waiting on delivery of another kit from Del-Ton as well. I've been very happy with the quality of lowers from www.essentialarms.com - both they and DelTon have proved to have very good customer service.

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IMHO....I have an AK, I love it, it shoots accurate enough to take down a human sized target at any distance you are likely to have to shoot someone, and the ammo is relatively cheap and plentiful. It is THE most reliable autoloading firearm available, inexpensive compared to an AR, and it just works, especially when you need it the most.

The AR platform looks good, but when I've actually fired an AR, I did not like how it felt in my hands, I did not like the caliber it fired (now, to be fair, that can be changed), and I certainly did not like the fact that it jammed several times while using it. And I most definitely did not like the price tag attached to it. Everything about an AR is $$$$$$. A toy for the rich kids, if you ask me. Again, IMHO. Would I turn one down if given to me? Of course not, but I'd probably end up selling it for the money and then take that and put it into more ammo or parts for my other weapons.

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I say get a M1A instead.

But I'm kinda biased there. A shame I can't find an affordable one...

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Anvil Arms has some good (and cheap) lowers. They seem to be on backorder atm though.

I'm waiting 'til next March/April to buy some rifles since there won't be any gun control legislation. Those people buying 20 rifles aren't doing it with spare cash. They are gonna have to feed themselves sometime and I'll pick up the rifles cheap

In addition. AKs (well made ones) are just as accurate as an AR. Many people say they are 'inaccurate' because of the (hilariously) short sight radius. Get a good optic and I bet you couldn't tell the difference between the AR15 and the AK. I sure don't have the skill to shoot an AR any better than an AK.

I'd also like to point out that while high quality AKs and ARs are both quite accurate, a low quality AK will function much better than a low quality AR.

Also while you can change uppers in an AR, the sight mount on an AK preserves the zero of the optics that are mounted so you can swap/remove/add optics quickly.

It may sound like I'm biased against ARs but not really. ARs have much better ergonomics. I'm probably gonna pick up whatever is for sale when people are dumping their 'investments' which probably means an AR or two.

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In contrast to the "get both!" idea, I'd suggest minimizing the number of different calibers ammo you need to stock. I'm not anti-AR, but I'm not particularly a fan either.

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RockyMtnScotsman wrote:

In contrast to the "get both!" idea, I'd suggest minimizing the number of different calibers ammo you need to stock. I'm not anti-AR, but I'm not particularly a fan either.

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Or, you know, just get a 7.62x39 Upper.

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kurtmax_0 wrote:

Also while you can change uppers in an AR, the sight mount on an AK preserves the zero of the optics that are mounted so you can swap/remove/add optics quickly.

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Have you never tried this with an AR? Sounds like you haven't. Get a quick release optics mount. You can pop it off, and back on in less than 20 seconds and it will hold zero within less than .5 MOA.

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AbNo wrote:

Word of advice: If you DO get an SKS, stay away from the Yugoslavian models. I had a lot of problems with one a while back, and many others have expressed the same problems, usually failures to cycle.

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They are good, serviceable guns if you know how to use them. But the bore and gas system are prone to rust with the lack of chrome in the barrels. They must be kept clean, and perhaps modified to work right, but they work fine if you do your part.

Still though, I agree that they aren't ideal for a first or only SKS. Norinco's probably offer the best value for the money.

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Consider this the end of the AK/AR debate: include a superior rifle. :lol:

AK vs. AR vs. Mosin Nagant
http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinHumor.htm

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AbNo wrote:

Consider this the end of the AK/AR debate: include a superior rifle. :lol:

AK vs. AR vs. Mosin Nagant
http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinHumor.htm

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That is f-u-n-n-y and in so many ways true I'm sure. :lol:

Yata hey

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I would go AK everytime unless i had $900 more in pocket change. You just have to know what you are looking at and what you are working with. There are AK guys and there are AR guys, its one of those never ending battles...like my 45 carries 7 rounds but my 9mm carries 16 or so...yeah but they are half the weight...blah blah. Look all i can say is if your 600 yards away and i have a scope on my AK to see your movement your not a real threat. Atleast i know when i pull the trigger i get a bang everytime. You just have to be careful what you buy in AK's. make sure there is no cant in the barrel and everything is copacetic. With my 4-8x POSP scope on my Wasr i feel pretty safe. Man! this has me wanting to order some reciever flats and build another AK

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Either is a great battle rifle, though I personally favor the AR. But again, both is best.

As for building an AR, if I can build one, ANYONE can build one.