AK 101

Discussion in 'Firearms' started by monkeyman, Nov 21, 2005.


  1. monkeyman

    monkeyman Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    Okay, Ive been hanging around all you evil assault weapon wielding folks to long and am starting to get some interest in the AKs, but wanted to find out a few things to know how useful one would be to me in general for something more than a relay cool safe queen and occasional range toy. As I get a little info I'm sure I'll just have more questions but here are a few of my basics.
    1-How much do spare mags run? Ballpark for mid capacity reliable mags, between 20 and 50 round capacity.

    2-Can you get 10 round mags for them and if so whats a ball park on them? Around here you cant hunt with anything that holds more than 10 in the mag and 1 in the hole.

    3-What kind of groups can you expect from them at say 100 yards assuming you feed them average off the shelf ammo and have a decent barrel?

    4-How hard is it to mount a scope to one? My eyes aren't as good as they used to be and I have a hard time seeing the irons well enough to be satisfactory (to me) on accuracy with them any more, I get embarrassed if I lay groups over 4 inches at 100 yards or so.

    5-How picky are they on the ammo they eat?

    6-How delicate are they as far as jamming and malfunctions? I know they are military proven but lots of military proven guns as I understand still jam if not cleaned well enough or often enough especially.

    7-What's the starting price on receivers? I know you can sometimes get the kits as low as $100 or so but what do the receivers run and how much difference is there between them?

    I'm sure I'll have more questions as I look around more but that would at least get me started on knowing what to look at and for.
     
  2. monkeyman

    monkeyman Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    Ok thought of a couple more already.

    -How hard are they to assemble with minimal tools?

    -Do you have to do the forms for the reciever?
     
  3. magnus392

    magnus392 Field Marshall Mags Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    Alrighty...AK's are quite simply IMO the most rugged, most reliable modern firearm.

    I will answer your questions as you listed them:

    1. Mags go down to $5 on sale, up to $100+ for drums. Average 30rnd mag price about $10ea

    2. Yes you can get 5-10 round mags...ball park $5-10ea.

    3. Really depends on the gun...4'' groups shouldn't be out of the question at 100yards.

    4. If you buy a commercially built gun they ussually come with side mount scope rails. Putting a scope or red-dot on is as easy as slipping into your slippers.

    5. That is funny....I wouldn't use Boxer primed ammo the firing pin can puncture the primer and spew hot gas back and the bolt.

    6. My Wasr-10 has over 1k down range and no jams...no cleaning. I have gotten AK's so hot I would hose them down before I put them in my car to keep them from melting carpet. That gun had over 1k down range no jams.

    7. Commercial 100% receivers will start at about $60 for anything decent. I use the Armory USA receivers almost exclusively. This is the part that is considered the firearm and this requires a yellow sheet. Romanian kits start at about $80-90, Polish Underfolders are in the $200 range, Yugo kits...Fixed stock $80-90 (be very carefull MOST are junk bores and barrels), Yugo UF's $120-140 (same thing), Krink Kits $400+ RPK/RPD kits $500+, Bulgarian (5.45) 74 kits $225+, Polish Tantal kits (5.45) $180+

    Depends on your definition of hard, and what kinds of tools you have.
     
  4. monkeyman

    monkeyman Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    I have the basic hand tools, screw drivers, hammers, a couple of punches, pliars, files, wrenches, a crappy vice, a cheap drill...most of the stuff I would need to fix a truck if I have to but no air tools or presses and stuff like that.
    So for an AK the gun being able to hole 4 inch groups at 100 yards is considered pretty good (for what the gun can do Im talking bench work)?
    Thanks for the info.
     
  5. E.L.

    E.L. Moderator of Lead Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    You will need a press, and air is really the only way to go when you are trying to knock out the barrel pins. I can't imagine doing it without the air hammer, actually during the big build we couldn't. We had to have it. I hope you have a dremel, and lots of wheels too. Lots of grinding will save your @$$ on drill bits. Magnus is the man though, follow his guidance to a "T". It would be nice to set up a "SM Only" build one day. This time, it would be more organized. Smaller group, and more hands on.
     
  6. monkeyman

    monkeyman Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    As I understand it (and correct me if Im wrong cause I may WELL be), I think you can buy them disassembeled cant you? Would you need the air hammer and stuff to assemble it? Or dose it get a lot simpler if all you have to do is put it together and not haveing to tear it down first?
     
  7. E.L.

    E.L. Moderator of Lead Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    You would have to ask Mags about that, all of the kits I have seen you have to actually break them down before you rebuld them. You wouldn't have the air hammer to put it back together, that is where the press comes into play. It would be a lot simpler if you just had parts that you only had to put together. If me and mags can get together, we can post ours step by step, and maybe even get together one weeked (after Christmas) and build a couple and film it all. Maybe even the ol' Ghostrider could come over and join us for the mini-monkey-AK-build. OF course all of us will have to wear monkeysuits, of course Ghost would have to wear a sheet too.
     
  8. monkeyman

    monkeyman Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    I wasn't sure. I knew I had seen some advertised as 'parts kits' rather than the dummi guns but the pics on those may have just been kind of like an exploded diagram to show what came in the gun that was in tact, and knew the ones like Quig posted pics of were in pieces but he may have done that himself rather than haveing gotten them that way.
     
  9. melbo

    melbo Hunter Gatherer Administrator Founding Member

    Yeah, a "parts kit" or "kit" is usually aan AK that has been cut in half. That is part of the 'good deal'. Takes awhile to take them apart and judging from the dissasembly they did to the receiver... You wouldn't want them to grind your trunnion rivets out.. :eek:
     
  10. magnus392

    magnus392 Field Marshall Mags Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    www.maasguns.com has Romy kits with the barrel pin and barrel removed from the trunnion already.

    If you get a regular kit and it comes down to you not being able to drive the barrel pin out you can always drill it out and replace it. If you polish the crap out of the barrel and the pin it is pretty easy to drive them home with a hammer...Did that this wk;)
     
  11. E.L.

    E.L. Moderator of Lead Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    Sounds like Jerry made a good move there.
     
  12. magnus392

    magnus392 Field Marshall Mags Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    I think the rivets and stuff are removed too....You should be ready to build on that kit, only catch is the are $169. Jerry is a great guy and I do a pretty decent amount of business. I just have more time than money and break down my own. But for the tool challenged looking to build 1 or 2 this is the way to go.
     
  13. ghostrider

    ghostrider Resident Poltergeist Founding Member

    [gun]
     
  14. melbo

    melbo Hunter Gatherer Administrator Founding Member

    You have access to the needed tools to build one from a kit mm?
     
  15. monkeyman

    monkeyman Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    Well I have general hand tools and creativity, kind of like today, broke another maul handle after buying a replacement last week, so got tired of it and made a hedge handle for it from some stuff out of the brush pile. Like I say I have basic hand tools and am used to haveing to make due with what I have. The one thing I may have to get to work on them when I get a chance to pick one up is the puller, Im not sure if I still have one around or not. Files, punches, hammers (includeing the BFH), dremil tool, screw drivers, stuff like that I have and while the bench is crappy (may have to rebuild it) that its attached to I do have a vice. The main thing will be to find a kit and reciever in my price range and then figure it out on how to do the tear down and assembaly.
     
  16. E.L.

    E.L. Moderator of Lead Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    Without a press and/or a air hammer/ compressor, getting the barrel pins in and out will be difficult. Those things are a b****!
     
  17. melbo

    melbo Hunter Gatherer Administrator Founding Member

    yep
     
  18. magnus392

    magnus392 Field Marshall Mags Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    Ron made it look pretty easy, lol:) Him and that hammer where pretty cool!
     
  19. monkeyman

    monkeyman Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    Well have a vice and cheater pipe, figure could make up a jig so I could give it a place to go and have a cheater pipe on the vise to crank it down or other than that a punch and a 3 pound hammer or bigger. I figure I can generaly find a way to get things done even if its not the normal way. If worst comes to worst I could even drill a hole in a log so the pin has a place to go and align a punch with the wedge of my dads 26 ton splitter and push it out. :D Hell I've taken apart an entire wall before with a pocket knife and my boot. [afro] Then if nothing else works I could probably find a way to borrow my dads compressor and while I dont think he has an air hammer he has the air chissle with a punch that can go on it.
     
  20. E.L.

    E.L. Moderator of Lead Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    Very innovative, it just might work.
     
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