what to look for when AK shopping

[tgallmey]

I was wondering what should I be looking for in a AK my budget will be $600. What I mean by that is whats "canting" and other flaws in the rifle

 

[snapping turtle]

If you are lucky and find one of thses. Pre ban aks. Look in the crowd at the gun shows and do your research. Lots of good guns getting sold as the rush is over and the economy is not moving in a good direction.

Take your time looking. If you want to get together for a few mags or drums you can fire mine. There were lots of good old pre ban aks's imported. Not all of them are milled recievers but stamped like mine. They are available. Heck you are already getting ready to spend 600 add a few more dollars and a used pre ban is in price range.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

A "cant" is an angle that's not "true", if you will.

For instance, you want the front sight post to be perfectly vertical (which is a redundant phrase...). If it's not vertical, it's "canted" to one side or another.

For $600 bones, you can find a right decent AK-pattern rifle!

The major importer player in the AK-market is and has been "Century Arms Inc.", also called just Century, or CAI.

They import upteen brazilian parts kits into their place, add a few US-made parts, then build rifles to send to distributors (etc) to sell retail.

Due to the sheer quantity of builds they do, quality of their product can be SERIOUSLY lacking. Quality can also be 100% acceptable.

If you think you might want an AK rifle in 5.45x39, don't buy any Century product as their track record of building them with incorrect barrels is very widely known. Unless you're able to shoot the rifle beforehand, don't buy a 5.45-chambered rifle built by Century.

Otherwise, pay attention to the front sight post/boss. Also where the gas tube shoots off the barrel right in front of the top handguard. This should also be straight and not canted. One more thing would be to check for "mag wobble". A little play is OK. Some rifles will feed & function just fine with a fair amount of wobble. But if I were still shopping, the less wobble the more better.

Now I can sit back and hope other more experienced AK folks will chime in. hehe

-J-

ETA:

What you can't make out in jmarriot's second picture is the word "Polytech" and "Beijing". If you can find a Polytech AK rifle in your budget... Buy it. They're some of the BEST....and rarely are they $600.

 

[LS!&*DUBB]

Canting is where the front sight in off a few degrees from perpendicular. It's most common on some WASR rifles. Hold the rifle looking down the sights while keeping the plane of the rear sight horizontal. It can be difficult to see but the front sight will appear tilted one way or the other. When the front sight is pressed on the barrel two holes are drilled through the side of the sight and part of the barrel. Then pins are driven in to fix the sight to the barrel. It is fixable but does require some work. Another flaw to look for is barrel wear at the muzzle end. If the lands are worn down to nothing the barrel has seen a lot of use. This is common on private sale kit built rifles that have non-chrome lined barrels. Many com-bloc nations used corrosive ammo and the troops were less than stellar at maintaining these rifles.

 

[smokingman]

First thing I would check would be as you said for canting.That is when the gas port is tilted to either side or the front sight is tilted(part of the gas port system).You want the front sight to be dead center.

Next check the mag well.You do not want a ton of wobble when you insert a magazine,some is ok though.Look for very rough cuts around the trigger guard as well.

Cycle it.If you pull it all the way back and release it with full force it should close all the way.If you have to push it there is a problem and you should pass on it.

 

[snapping turtle]

No the Poly's are a little more than what he is wanting to spend. I do think a good old pre ban aks could be found for say 700-750. I have standing offers on mine if I want to sell it. ( i saw my pic and replaced it as it has to much flash) I got mine for less than the cost of a 10-22. It changed my mind of black evil rifles all together. I now even have a sks and an ar something I never thought I would want until i picked up a polytech.
I think the standard conversion stuff out now is of far less quality than some of the real non conversion pre bans. It might cost lots of gun show admissions to find a good one and most likely the best place to stand is first thing everyday at the entrance to the show and watch what comes in. It has worked for me well in the past.

Some of the bigger shows (Yes my dear there are bigger shows than the 1500) like the national gun day in louisville KY or the Ohio gun collectors show will have pre bans somewhere but price is often high if they have a table. If it is straped to a walker's back it could not be a bad time to ask what they have. Once again you have to do the research to know what it really is. Going on 21 years since the ban so they are getting a little harder to find but not impossible.

 

[tgallmey]

how do I tell if the rifle is pre ban will they all be polytech or beijing?

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Polytech is a "brand" made in Beijing.

Pre-Ban refers to guns that were imported into their present condition before the "Assault Weapons Ban" of several years ago.

Rifles imported after that have been assembled from kits here in the US with US-sourced parts.

Generally considered to be better quality to have a gun that was imported "whole" rather than one that was dismantled overseas, shipped in as parts, and then re-built with a combo of old + new parts.

As far as how to tell the difference just by looking? Personally, I don't have a clue, other than SOME brands, like Polytech, weren't allowed to be imported any more due to the AWB. By default, a Polytech will be "pre-ban".

-J-

 

[snapping turtle]

Chinese AK47 ak 47 w/ spike bayonet not ak74 ar15 : Semi-auto at GunBroker.com

AK-47.net: Pre-ban or Post-Ban More Than Just a Date

Pre & Post Ban Chinese AK47 Rifle Overview

I think one of the easiest way would be if it has the muzzlebrake with thread not welded and has a folding stock. Then again no always so. Norinco Mitchel, poly action arms IMI and gaili are preban for sure. There are most likely more I can;t remember.

 

[dom1104]

Frankly, cant you just pony up some extra scratch and get something decent?

K-Var Corp. ™

geez. some people are just cheap.

 

[03A3]

dom, what's not "decent" about a Polytech or a nice Norinco?
Are you basing your statement on real firsthand experiance?
Just curious.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Some people don't have your kind of money, eveidently, dom.

 

[dom1104]

Nothing wrong with a Polytech, but I would sooner save up another 2 or 300 to avoid having to worry about anything Century.

All day, every day, people come in with a pre-set idea in their head, and for the sake of a hundred bucks, walk out with something sub-par, when they could have truly had a nice rifle.

2... hundred... dollars.

We ALL have 200 dollars.

If I had... 10 cents for everyone who comes into the gun shop, who talks about "Oh I cant afford a Smith & Wesson, so I just stick with my NINE TAURUS GUNS..."

Doesnt it make sense to have SEVEN quality guns as opposed to NINE cheap-os?

Sorry, just a pet peeve.

The OP was asking how to avoid the common pitfalls of buying cheap guns, and my answer to him is "Dont buy cheap guns."

 

[03A3]

dom I have to say that you have a point and that I agree with you.
As I have heard it said "Why buy a gun that is surrounded with question marks?"

Still the best of the best is unattainable for many people.

I have one of the dreaded Century Wasr's that I got for cheap. It had obvious problems when I first looked at it, but I knew that I could easily correct them with very liitle extra $ involved.

The OP really needs to look at a lot of different guns, talk to as many knowledgeable people he can and then make a decision. This will take time but in the end he will be better off for it.