So I went to the Bullet Hole tonight with my Fiancee. I just got my first Mosin Nagant 91/30 and she showed a lot of interest in shooting it.

 

We moved the target all the way back and she stepped up for the first shot...it was dead center in the shoot n' C target! :clap: So now she is hooked. Are the M44's lighter? She complained that it was a little too heavy for her to be comfortable. We are also going to be investing in a recoil pad! :oops:

 

We also shot the little Jennings J-22, which is still very accurate but did have a few jams, a Mossberg 500a and an M1. Running out of ammo for the M1 so I am considering trading it for an AR... not sure yet.

and she didnt complain of the dislocated shoulder?

M44's are smaller but not that much lighter due to the chunk of steel hanging on the right side(bayonet) You can look

for an M38 or a 91/59 which is a cut down 91/30 neither have the bayonet or mount and are a tad lighter. If she would like

a military surplus bolt action there are always Mausers that can be had cheaply and they do have some shorter carbines, and

the action on them will leave the MN in the dust.

and she didnt complain of the dislocated shoulder?

 

Haha...we both did.

 

Hodgie, Thanks for the info. Will look into it.

 

I don't know the guy's name at the Bullet Hole but he was really nice to both of us. He showed her a new AR and discussed some pistol options for her.

 

I really like the new ARs! I have been looking at the WASR AK-47s as well on Gunbroker. Anybody have any experience with them? Wait...are AKs on the banned list? :?

AK's are banned here, WASR's are not since they are not stamped AK on the receiver.

I have owned several of them and still have one, check out www.classicarms.us before over paying on

gunbroker. Wasrs are the cheapest of the AK clones they work well but can be a bit unrefined but it's nothing

some garage tinkering cannot resolve.

and she didnt complain of the dislocated shoulder?

 

Haha...we both did.

 

Hodgie, Thanks for the info. Will look into it.

 

I don't know the guy's name at the Bullet Hole but he was really nice to both of us. He showed her a new AR and discussed some pistol options for her.

 

I really like the new ARs! I have been looking at the WASR AK-47s as well on Gunbroker. Anybody have any experience with them? Wait...are AKs on the banned list? :?

 

 

It all depends on what you want.. if you want a good functioning high quality AK.. get a Saiga and take the time to build it.. i have had several Saigas and have NEVER experienced a single malfunction...

Saiga's are excellent but costly when converting the right way and not the easiest of tasks for a 1st timer.

That being said I have never seen any AK variant fail whether it was a WASR or a Lancaster arms they all

seem to run the same. Some will have tighter tolerances to a point, better barrels, and FCG groups.

 

For a fairly cheap plinker ready to use out of the box the wasr is really the way to go.

there are some easy low cost mods that can be done to it if needed to tune it and change the appearance but

over all they are decent shooters.

 

If you want to invest a few more $$ then check out the MAK-90's best AK made in my honest opinion no one

else can tough the brass FCG the Chinese use.

Saiga's are excellent but costly when converting the right way and not the easiest of tasks for a 1st timer.

That being said I have never seen any AK variant fail whether it was a WASR or a Lancaster arms they all

seem to run the same. Some will have tighter tolerances to a point, better barrels, and FCG groups.

 

For a fairly cheap plinker ready to use out of the box the wasr is really the way to go.

there are some easy low cost mods that can be done to it if needed to tune it and change the appearance but

over all they are decent shooters.

 

If you want to invest a few more $$ then check out the MAK-90's best AK made in my honest opinion no one

else can tough the brass FCG the Chinese use.

 

 

whats a WASR? $500-$600? i sold my Saiga for $650 to someone on this forum... you can get a Saiga for around $400 and do the conversion for $100-$200...

 

You are right.. the building DOES require a little work.. but let me say this.. i completed my first conversion with some simple tools around the house and a dremel.. this was the first rifle i ever purchased.. and the first gun i EVER worked on.. i just read up on it online and did it.. took me a couple nights to finish it.. ZERO problems.. i have done several since then and can do them start to finish in a couple hours.. the up side to building your own is SIMPLE.. you can hand select all the parts you want and be finished with something tailored specifically to your needs.. the other plus is at the end of the experience you know the rifle inside and out...

 

i have never personally fired a Chinese AK variant.. but from what i have read i would not put its quality ahead of a Russian AK.. not trying to have a pissing match.. but the FCG i used in my Saiga is SCARY smooth... I am VERY pleased with it..

WASRs are like $375 now I believe.

WASR=$359.00 for the last 2 months.

Saiga=$339.00 for the last 2 months in all cal's except for .308

Local NJ firearm prices are way off base compared to anywhere else in the country.

 

My milled MAK-90 cost me $450.00 a the Vally Forge gun show in September, The dealer did not

know what he had could have went for much more, but stamped variants are out there for $400-450.00 right now.

 

K-VAR has professionally converted Saiga's between $500.00 and 600.00 which is excellent.

The only draw back is the cost of saiga mag's unless you convert it to except standard AK mag's

which requires a good deal of work having to alter the bullet guide.

 

US Navy seal teams and Rangers prefer to use Chinese AK's, some of which are milled. The stamped like the Yugo's have a thicker receiver then all others including Russians. The replacement triggers for AK's like tapco and Redstar are excellent I use some of them in my AK's but I am talking right from the factory or military spec, Chinese are known for their brass FCG's.

 

Again Saigas are great no doubt about it but, it's a sportster rifle built on a AK platform and only excepts saiga mag's unless its converted to take standard AK mag, very different from a military produced AK. If the OP went either way it would be a good choice as far as I am concerned it's nice to here and have options so my intent is not to have a pissing match just a discussion about options pro's and con's of all so a decision can be made for what best suits the buyer.

WASR=$359.00 for the last 2 months.

Saiga=$339.00 for the last 2 months in all cal's except for .308

Local NJ firearm prices are way off base compared to anywhere else in the country.

 

 

US Navy seal teams and Rangers prefer to use Chinese AK's, some of which are milled, the stamped like the Yugo's have a thicker receiver then all others including Russians. The replacement triggers for AK's like tapco and Redstar are excellent I use some of them in my AK's but I am talking right from the factory or military spec, Chinese are known for their brass FCG's.

 

Again Saigas are great no doubt about it but, it's a sportster rifle built on a AK platform and only excepts saiga mag's unless its converted to take standard AK mag. very different from a military produced AK. If the OP went either way it would be a good choice as far as I am concerned it's nice to here and have options so my intent is not to have a pissing match just a discussion about options pro's and con's.

 

the bullet guide needed to make a Saiga take an AK mag is about $20, but since we can not have "high capacity mags" in NJ its kind of a moot point... checking on GunBroker, A WASR looked to be about $400 and i know that Paul sells Saigas for about that much, so a Saiga would run you more, but is IMO a better gun, and even after taking about 10 minutes to google "wasr problem" and "saiga problem".. I stand by my opinion that the Saiga is better.. The end user experience for a wasr tends to be hit or miss.. so I would still stick with a Saiga.. the fit of all the parts was great and really have had ZERO issues with them.. and i actually enjoyed building out the rifle.. it was not hard at all..

 

and this is certainly no pissing match..

some of which are milled. The stamped like the Yugo's have a thicker receiver then all others including Russians.

 

 

it is my understanding that the milled ones are actually thicker.. they are also heavier.. Saigas are NOT milled.. I would actually not want a milled receiver in a semi-auto AK variant as it is more weight that is not really doing anything.. Russia switched to milled in an attempt to make a stronger more sturdy AK (think long sustained automatic fire), but i dont think that modern semi-automatic AK variants are really at risk of "twisting" or anything like that.. i have never heard of a saiga twisting or deforming even under heavy sustained fire..

The only countries to mill AK's were Russia and China they are fine rifles and there is little noticeable weight difference.

I agree with you we are not going to war with any of these AK's your saiga or mine so no need to be battle tested.

The Mak-90 I picked up was $200.00 less then they go for, so I jumped on that if it were stamped I would have passed from a collectors stand point it's a rare amazing find. The CZ VZ's are milled although not a direct AK clone they will out shoot every AK variant or clone out there but they are costly at around $800.00 +.

 

I have been eying up the new Saiga 5.4x39's but have been trying to rationalize adding another caliber to my collection

and another project to the never ending list.

The only countries to mill AK's were Russia and China they are fine rifles and there is little noticeable weight difference.

I agree with you we are not going to war with any of these AK's your saiga or mine so no need to be battle tested.

The Mak-90 I picked up was $200.00 less then they go for, so I jumped on that if it were stamped I would have passed from a collectors stand point it's a rare amazing find. The CZ VZ's are milled although not a direct AK clone they will out shoot every AK variant or clone out there but they are costly at around $800.00 +.

 

I have been eying up the new Saiga 5.4x39's but have been trying to rationalize adding another caliber to my collection

and another project to the never ending list.

 

 

i saw that also and passed.. its too much of an oddball round for me.. its bad enough having the 7.62x39...

Looks like I started an AK discussion.

 

I know nothing of AKs right now. When you mentioned some refining, what do you mean? Polishing some parts, deburring, etc?

Yes in most cases a new WASR will come from the importer which will be CAI with a tapco trigger (3lb pull) but if it does

not then you can polish the FCG up. Some times the rails needs to be smoothed a bit but it's not common. The

worst case is it will have a minor canted front site. None of the ones I have ever owned came like that but it

happens. It really does not effect accuracy but can be fixed rather easily. The wood is bare bones and can use

as refinishing after all the cosmoline is cleaned off. All in all it's pretty easy and common practice for all military

surplus rifles. What ever you choose in the AK line one thing is for sure you will have a blast shooting it.