Looking for a "AK variant" Saiga/WASR10/Vepr, thoughts, advice, suggestions?

[cutterOne 0]

Hey all,

 

So, after last weeks election my wife turned to me and said "you know the pres has got his eyes on banning guns, I know you've wanted some kind of AK, maybe you should get one now just in case" Then she follows up with "I'll pay for it as a christmas present".

 

So, I've narrowed down my search to either a Vepr, Wasr 10, or saiga. Any thoughts, advice, suggestions, on where to get one of these? things to look for?

 

Sorry if this is a total noob question, but admittedly my knowledge on this particular subject is limited at best.

 

Thanks :-)

[blksheep 466]

I have had my wasr 10 for over 7 years now. It has been extremely reliable with no sight cant or failure to ejects. If you can inspect it before you buy it it's not a bad pickup.

[Pew Pew Plates 358]

Opinions are like a-holes, everybody has one. So my bulk of info below is going to be opinion free

 

My opinion though, is WASR-10. Grab and go. Its a military spec AK variant out of the box (unlike the other two) and ready to go.

 

Why no other considerations? You can buy any AK and have it modified to be NJ legal. It opens up your options much broader. I am affiliated with JET Agent LLC (forum vendor here) and we modifty and transfer rifles all the time. Then you can get fun stuff like RPKs, AMD-65s, AK-74s etc.

 

 

Vepr:

Pros:

1.5mm receiver. Adds weight, lessens recoil, theoretically adds accuracy and strength (negligable)

High quality build

 

Cons:

Not in "military" configuration out of the box

Expensive

Not a simple conversion to mil-spec

Not possible to authentically make a clone of any military varient except RPK due to receiver design (not an issue for most people)

 

Saiga:

Pros:

Cheap

Good quality

 

Cons:

Must convert for it to be useful

Converting makes a cheap rifle not cheap anymore

full conversion to make it mil-spec (not just pistol grip) exceeds cost of an already built rifle, plus takes your time and energy

Must have basic hand tools and basic mechanical abilities (not really a con, more of a requirement)

 

WASR-10:

Pros:

Mil-spec out of the box, full blown proper AKM ready to rock

Good quality

Requires no work

 

Cons:

Older ones have spotty QC issues.

[vladtepes 1,060]

a 556 AK so that when bans on the importation of ammunition is achieved through excessive control or taxation you are left with a gun chambered in one of the single most common rounds on US soil..

 

sure there is a ton of 7.62x39 here already.... but do you really want to count on a predominately imported round....

 

 

my experience has been that some WASR AKs are good.. reliable.. and work well.. while as Glenn pointed out.. some are complete garbage.... my experience with Saigas has been that every one that I have ever had hands on worked well...

 

but at the end of the day it really is dependent on what you want...

[Leth 8]

I love my WASR 10. Not a single problem in over six years.

Great fun!

[DevsAdvocate 112]

How much are you willing to spend? Arsenals can be a bit pricey, but WASR-10s are not too bad. The issue is finding a dealer in NJ who will transfer and convert one for you. PK90 and JETAgent usually do that kind of work.

[cutterOne 0]

Guys,

 

Thanks for all the advice. Right now I'm looking at buying a WASR 10. Price is not a problem, I'm more concerned about having it be reliable and good-to-go out of the box.

 

Glenn, is this something I can get through JETAgent?? I'm only an hour away and like the idea of giving my money to a fellow reenactor :-)

[JETagent 1]

PM incoming!

[Maksim 1,504]

Get a high quality AK, vepr, arsenal, etc. Wasr is bottom of the ladder but will be good enough for most. Better yet find a used Robinson arms vepr.

 

 

 

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2

[rightisright 3]

Are the newer WASR s better than the ones Century was cranking out a few years ago? I know those were a crap shoot.

 

Price is not a problem, I'm more concerned about having it be reliable and good-to-go out of the box.

 

If price isn't an issue, you can do a LOT better than a WASR.

[Pew Pew Plates 358]

They seem to have greatly improved now, with nothing being problematic except their old legacy lol

[cutterOne 0]

BIG PROPS to Glennp/JetAgent!!

 

Just placed my order for a Zastava PAP Gen II in 7.62 with the side rail scope mount and scope.

 

Now it's just a waiting game for it to come in and get that call from Glenn saying "come get it" :-)

[RecessedFilter 222]

I hear those Yugo's are nice, good luck with it!

[mrejda 1]

I think they are technically Serbian at this point. :science:

Anyhoo, cutterOne: I should have the same rifle back from Jet and over at Easton sometime next week if you'd like to get a sneak peek - PM if you're interested.

[RubberBullets 65]

BIG PROPS to Glennp/JetAgent!!

 

Just placed my order for a Zastava PAP Gen II in 7.62 with the side rail scope mount and scope.

 

Now it's just a waiting game for it to come in and get that call from Glenn saying "come get it" :-)

 

Congrats. What it set you back (ballpark) if you dont mind me asking? I want to open up to a 7.62 and i like the pics i see from the pap

[JETagent 1]

Classic firearms has them for $650 with free shipping. They are the side rail model too (not dust cover rail which sucks). They also carry the single stack with dust cover rail but I dont know why anybody would chose to go that route given the other option...lol

[vladtepes 1,060]

BIG PROPS to Glennp/JetAgent!!

 

Just placed my order for a Zastava PAP Gen II in 7.62 with the side rail scope mount and scope.

 

Now it's just a waiting game for it to come in and get that call from Glenn saying "come get it" :-)

 

 

do they still come with that one piece stock and that angle cut rear that doesn't accept the regular AK furniture?

[JETagent 1]

Nope

[cutterOne 0]

Thanks guys,

 

Yeah, Classic Firearms has them for $650. and free shipping. I got the rifle, and the scope mount/scope (3x9) package for $720. And yes, they are Serbian made.

 

Now I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas...lol

[Moto102 7]

I got my vepr from kvar and rtsp did the transfer. I can't say enough good things about this rifle . When I picked up my vepr at rtsp there was a guy in the range with an arsenal. I shot them back to back and was extremely happy that I chose the vepr. It feels much more solid and was also more accurate. If you don't mind the little extra weight I'd say go with the vepr it doesn't disappoint

[vladtepes 1,060]

Nope

 

so they accept regular AK furniture now? cool

[RecessedFilter 222]

It also depends on what kind of shooting you're going to do.

 

If you want to bench shoot or just plink, then a VEPR is fine. But for any sort of defense training, a VEPR is heavy and 'fancy' and not really meant for that.

 

There are much more options out there also, other than WASR's and Saiga's. I'm not sure why everyone always thinks that's it, but Interarms puts together some nice kits and even IO Inc and many more.