HOLY CRAP ~~~ I just bought my very first AK-47
- Thread starter nitesite
- Start date
Congratulations nitesite.
What kind did you get? The thing with AK's, is a lot like any other gun. You have fanboys of certain country origins Romania, Bulgaria, Yugo, etc. Or if US made, fanboys or detractors of whatever brand there as well.
I personally like AK's. The only thing I don't like about them is the mag changes are slow(er). I never mastered the quick mag change method for AK's LOL
I like the downrange energy of the cartridge. Their reliability. And don't believe anyone that says that AK's can't be accurate. Most will shoot just as accurately as any other 30 caliber cartridge does if you do your part.
What kind did you get? The thing with AK's, is a lot like any other gun. You have fanboys of certain country origins Romania, Bulgaria, Yugo, etc. Or if US made, fanboys or detractors of whatever brand there as well.
I personally like AK's. The only thing I don't like about them is the mag changes are slow(er). I never mastered the quick mag change method for AK's LOL
I like the downrange energy of the cartridge. Their reliability. And don't believe anyone that says that AK's can't be accurate. Most will shoot just as accurately as any other 30 caliber cartridge does if you do your part.
I had a Thompson for a while. I traded something plus $100 boot for it.
Sold it for $350, which was still low in the early 90's, but was still more than I had in it. I only sold it to buy some baby clothes and a baby crib, which he only slept it one whole time and hated it.
One of only 2 guns I regret selling.
Auto Ordnance are good guns, but heavy as heck. Easily north of 10lbs loaded with a stick mag. I'm sure a drum would be even more heavy until you started emptying it out, it would get lighter as you go
Sold it for $350, which was still low in the early 90's, but was still more than I had in it. I only sold it to buy some baby clothes and a baby crib, which he only slept it one whole time and hated it.
One of only 2 guns I regret selling.
Auto Ordnance are good guns, but heavy as heck. Easily north of 10lbs loaded with a stick mag. I'm sure a drum would be even more heavy until you started emptying it out, it would get lighter as you go
cmcdonald
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Nicely done sir!
Pics or it didn't happen. Yeah...I'm on your ass again. It's totally your fault though.
cmcdonald
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We can't own an AK in Canada unless...wait for it...unless it's a Valmet Hunter which is virtually unobtanium here.
But, because our laws are so carefully and thoughtfully written we can own these and take 'em anywhere......make sense to you??? Good you're as confused as the rest of us then!
"Chicom" Type 81 LMG (Semi-Auto)
The Type 81's are pretty reasonably priced (that is for Canada) considering all the 7.62 goodness you get. One drawback is the neutered magazine capacity. If you can find a pistol magazine (don't ask...it doesn't make sense) in 7.62 you can get 10rds in legally otherwise you're limited to 5.
But, because our laws are so carefully and thoughtfully written we can own these and take 'em anywhere......make sense to you??? Good you're as confused as the rest of us then!
"Chicom" Type 81 LMG (Semi-Auto)
The Type 81's are pretty reasonably priced (that is for Canada) considering all the 7.62 goodness you get. One drawback is the neutered magazine capacity. If you can find a pistol magazine (don't ask...it doesn't make sense) in 7.62 you can get 10rds in legally otherwise you're limited to 5.
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cmcdonald
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YEAH!! WHAT HE SAID!!!
I waffled between the Zastava M70 and a Century BFT. My LGS dealer I have trusted for 25-years and he convinced me to go with the Century because it had no surplus parts, is all new, was American made and has a lifetime warranty. And he bought one himself several months ago. I guess Century has upped their game and the bad rap they had was deserved then but today not so much. And I like that the one I bought accepts any mil-spec AK part. The Zastava has some proprietary stuff in it and it costs more.
I looked it over really well and it seems fine.
So that is what I got.
Used Romanian and Polish battlefield pickups kinda interest me but as a first AK I think this will be just fine.
I looked it over really well and it seems fine.
So that is what I got.
Used Romanian and Polish battlefield pickups kinda interest me but as a first AK I think this will be just fine.
That will be just fine.
There is a guy named Rob Ski who has a youtube/patreon channel that does a lot of torture tests. A lot of stuff no sane person would do to their personal guns but since he makes money off of trying to destroy them, he doesn't hold back much. He has different videos in stages of 1000 round series, but I'll link the final one below since it recaps everything if you are curious what all the gun held up to.
The VSKA century survived a 5000 round torture test well.
I also have owned a few rommy's and a zastava as well. The zastava is really nice. I did swap hammers to one that wasn't hardened too much because the tapco US made 922 BS hammers were mushrooming the tail of the bolt carrier out too much because it was actually "too hard" so I put a US muzzle attachment and used a surplus bulgarian hammer to keep the us parts count valid and the carrier tail seems to be doing fine now.
There is a guy named Rob Ski who has a youtube/patreon channel that does a lot of torture tests. A lot of stuff no sane person would do to their personal guns but since he makes money off of trying to destroy them, he doesn't hold back much. He has different videos in stages of 1000 round series, but I'll link the final one below since it recaps everything if you are curious what all the gun held up to.
The VSKA century survived a 5000 round torture test well.
I also have owned a few rommy's and a zastava as well. The zastava is really nice. I did swap hammers to one that wasn't hardened too much because the tapco US made 922 BS hammers were mushrooming the tail of the bolt carrier out too much because it was actually "too hard" so I put a US muzzle attachment and used a surplus bulgarian hammer to keep the us parts count valid and the carrier tail seems to be doing fine now.
Nitesite, congrats. I've never owned a Century (American) made AK and like you and others stated the company had some quality issues on back. Glad (hopefully) that has all changed.
The AK market, like other things touched by our governemnt, has been screwed up for years. Wholesalers imported quality mil spec weapons from places like Romania and were forced to make them 922 compliant. And in some (actually most) cases the aftermarket parts they used were junk plus because of untrained installers, this caused 90% of the issues with these weapons. Many AK owners have been forced to redo their own guns.
And in some cases magazines vary from country to country and wholesalers here, during the 922 process, were actually trying to remanufacture wrong mags to fit the guns they were trying to sell. I have three slab side mags that some idiot tried to dremel to make work in a different AK. And they are now junk.
All this said, the AK is a great battle rifle that runs in all conditions. I've taken guns covered with mud/debris and washed them out with a water hose or dunked them in a creek and they are fully functional without any field stripping or additional cleaning. They run dry which is great in desert conditions and their components are absolutely simple to maintain.
Congrats on your first purchase. One is not enough. Hopefully you can find an old one manufactured in the eastern block. They are typically outstanding. I have a Romanian AK manufactured in 1970 and it runs like new. And still has the original bayonet!
Still some Russian ammo on the market that was imported before the recent governemnt ban. Good time to stock up despite higher prices. AKs love steel cased ammo. SGammo out of Oklahoma is a good source for Russian ammo.
Regards
The AK market, like other things touched by our governemnt, has been screwed up for years. Wholesalers imported quality mil spec weapons from places like Romania and were forced to make them 922 compliant. And in some (actually most) cases the aftermarket parts they used were junk plus because of untrained installers, this caused 90% of the issues with these weapons. Many AK owners have been forced to redo their own guns.
And in some cases magazines vary from country to country and wholesalers here, during the 922 process, were actually trying to remanufacture wrong mags to fit the guns they were trying to sell. I have three slab side mags that some idiot tried to dremel to make work in a different AK. And they are now junk.
All this said, the AK is a great battle rifle that runs in all conditions. I've taken guns covered with mud/debris and washed them out with a water hose or dunked them in a creek and they are fully functional without any field stripping or additional cleaning. They run dry which is great in desert conditions and their components are absolutely simple to maintain.
Congrats on your first purchase. One is not enough. Hopefully you can find an old one manufactured in the eastern block. They are typically outstanding. I have a Romanian AK manufactured in 1970 and it runs like new. And still has the original bayonet!
Still some Russian ammo on the market that was imported before the recent governemnt ban. Good time to stock up despite higher prices. AKs love steel cased ammo. SGammo out of Oklahoma is a good source for Russian ammo.
Regards
My oldest was a Romanian guard gun with 1981 date on the trunion.
All matching numbers.
Good gun for sure.
Of course it has US made receiver and semiauto trigger in it since that's the only way to import one to build back up from surplus parts, but I wouldn't hesitate to grab it.
yes, it was brought in before that bastard pres bush import restrictions and even has the original barrel. After it was built, didn't even have to adjust the sights on it LOL
All matching numbers.
Good gun for sure.
Of course it has US made receiver and semiauto trigger in it since that's the only way to import one to build back up from surplus parts, but I wouldn't hesitate to grab it.
yes, it was brought in before that bastard pres bush import restrictions and even has the original barrel. After it was built, didn't even have to adjust the sights on it LOL
Nitesite, there are typically two problems with many AKs. The most noticeable one is a canted front sight. While it is mostly cosmetic and the sight post can be adjusted to the far right or left there are a few screwed up installs that require repairs. This is most people's biggest gripe.
The unseen problem is the hammer face. After you've fired a few hundred rounds take a look at the hammer face and the bolt components for excessive and unusual wear. I've had to replace one aftermarket 922 hammer because the hammer face was cut a the wrong angle and was causing uneven wear. I'm not sure who Century is buying their hammers from today. But I'd take a look at it later on.
Hopefully, you won't see any of these issues with these new builds but something to be aware of if you ever buy an older AK.
Regards
The unseen problem is the hammer face. After you've fired a few hundred rounds take a look at the hammer face and the bolt components for excessive and unusual wear. I've had to replace one aftermarket 922 hammer because the hammer face was cut a the wrong angle and was causing uneven wear. I'm not sure who Century is buying their hammers from today. But I'd take a look at it later on.
Hopefully, you won't see any of these issues with these new builds but something to be aware of if you ever buy an older AK.
Regards
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