I am looking to picking up an AK with the purpose of it being a combat rifle and I am not familiar with the AK platform at all.
I did jump on board when the SKS were rolling out for bargain prices a long time ago. My SKS only had the modification of replacing the stock.....I sold the rice bowl and sandals that it came with. I remember shooting it with the standard FMJ 123g steel case ammo and getting groups of 4-6" at 100 yards over a rest and with standard "as it came" sights. For me it met my requirements for the purpose I bought it for and I was actually surprised that it did group that well. We had several SKS and our sons loved them for plinking and impressing their dates in high school.
I was at a LGS a while ago when I heard a worker from the back room come out with an AK in his arms, and mentioning to the owner who was talking to me about a pistol I was looking at, "This one has the barrel put on straight !!!" I thought that was an interesting comment and asked the owner about that being a factor. He was a Vet and said that it is something to consider when buying. I know that the quality of these arms is a big variable and it's always better to learn from someone else's experience.
It seems like a lot of the 7.62x39 ammo comes mainly in the FMJ and finding the solid point or HP ammo is more of a challenge. Does that ring true to your experience? Was most of the ammo used in the conflicts around the world with this format shot with mainly FMJ ammo?
I am not interested in turning an AK into a long distance shooter at all, just a combat rifle. I have other ARs in different calibers and make up that take care of the hunting, long distance work, and also combat formats, just want another option moving forward.
Any suggestions about model 74 vs. 47, manufacturers, ammo selection, importers, and retailers would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
I did jump on board when the SKS were rolling out for bargain prices a long time ago. My SKS only had the modification of replacing the stock.....I sold the rice bowl and sandals that it came with. I remember shooting it with the standard FMJ 123g steel case ammo and getting groups of 4-6" at 100 yards over a rest and with standard "as it came" sights. For me it met my requirements for the purpose I bought it for and I was actually surprised that it did group that well. We had several SKS and our sons loved them for plinking and impressing their dates in high school.
I was at a LGS a while ago when I heard a worker from the back room come out with an AK in his arms, and mentioning to the owner who was talking to me about a pistol I was looking at, "This one has the barrel put on straight !!!" I thought that was an interesting comment and asked the owner about that being a factor. He was a Vet and said that it is something to consider when buying. I know that the quality of these arms is a big variable and it's always better to learn from someone else's experience.
It seems like a lot of the 7.62x39 ammo comes mainly in the FMJ and finding the solid point or HP ammo is more of a challenge. Does that ring true to your experience? Was most of the ammo used in the conflicts around the world with this format shot with mainly FMJ ammo?
I am not interested in turning an AK into a long distance shooter at all, just a combat rifle. I have other ARs in different calibers and make up that take care of the hunting, long distance work, and also combat formats, just want another option moving forward.
Any suggestions about model 74 vs. 47, manufacturers, ammo selection, importers, and retailers would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
