Which one? I currently have an SKS. I want to spend under $1k, and have something easy/inexpensive to shoot, accurate to 100+ yards, and be reliable.

Try the search option, you may find your answer there...

Aks seen to have come up some. You can get a really nice AR for $8-900 right now with some savvy shopping.
Brass cased 223 can be had in bulk for around $.30 a round right now. x39 is still less expensive to shoot and didn't go nearly as crazy during the last scare.

the Ar is easy to get parts for and to up grade, Pittman's here in jay has a nice AR with flat top for 599 plus tax call in . just my 5 cents jj

Oh dear...

What's a "really nice" AR? What manufacturers to avoid? I'm new to these types of guns, as my rifles have always been bolt action hunting rifles.

The ruger ar 556 is a very nice starter imho

Its a buyers market in the AR world right now. If we just didn't have a little rugrat I'd be all over every decent one I see. Heres one for sale on the forum that would be mine already if I still lived out that way.. http://gulfcoastgunforum.com/showthread.php?29704-PSA-AR-15-F-S-*Gulf-Breeze*

aknavy said:

What's a "really nice" AR? What manufacturers to avoid? I'm new to these types of guns, as my rifles have always been bolt action hunting rifles.

Click to expand...

Something with magpul or equivalent grip/stock, a step above the standard "mil spec" trigger, free float handguard (keymod or m-lok), Nickel boron BCG, sights, CHF barrel.

You'll have to do some mix and matching to get all of those features in one rifle but it can be done pretty easily right now.

Black Friday is coming up. Seems like from then until about the end of January someone is running a pretty good sale.

Just get a WASR-10 AK. Not pretty, but it just works. Cheap ammo, and if it gets a little scratch on it, who cares. There is a reason AK's are in use all over the world.

Now, before I start getting bashed all over this forum, I also have a Colt 6920 with Magpul furniture with an EOTech sitting on top. Now that one I would rather not get scratched. Ammo cost more. Much more accurate.

Simple solution.....get one of each.

You can get one of each with $1k if you look in the right places! Colt LE 6920s have dropped to the $800 range in today's AR market

Or get an AR chambered in 762x39. If you don't like it just buy a 556 upper and sell the ak upper!

You have pretty much ticked off all the boxes with the rifle you already have. Reliable? Check. Accurate to 100+? Check. Cheap to shoot? Check. The only thing that you cant really do is mount a scope to it in any sort of reliable, non-questionable fashion.

I did - I just want two. If I ever need to use it, I want to have two - one for me, one for the wife or backup. I don't really envision having to use it for it's designated purpose, but just in case....

I really like my Yugo Zastava NPAP AK Style Rifle, 7.62x39. They are like a nicely made AK and mine is really fun to shoot. It will put all 30 rounds on a paper plate at 100 yards without a scope. That's not great, but it will definitely keep the neighborhood kids off the lawn. My personal opinion is that everyone should own one AK style rifle if for no other reason than to honor the memory of Mikhail Kalashnikov.

My AR has got a lot of fancy add-ons including a Geissele 2 Stage trigger, but an ordinary barrel and a cheap low-power scope. It's slightly more accurate than the AK, but not by a lot. The main problem is that it's no fun to shoot. The ergonomics of the AR are just plain primitive. It's possible to make it more accurate with a better barrel and scope, but why? It would still be about as inspiring as a toaster.

For accuracy I use one of my bolt guns. For fun I shoot my target 22LR or my AK. I really only have the AR because every family should have at least one along with a huge pile of cheap ammo, but it doesn't get used very often.

Having to pick between the three, easy...AR.
Easiest to mod, pimp, or upgrade by far.
And now that prices are most reasonable (just to piss off Killary) $499 will buy one.

Downside, it's still a poodle shooter, 5.56/.223

AK & SKS just aren't accurate enough for my tastes, however a PSL or SVD or Izmash Tiger is!!!
And you get to use 7.62x54r out of the PSL & Tiger...7.62/.308 out of the SVD (Dragunov).

Nifty options there...and legal to hunt with in most states

Caliber: ARs & AKs come in common calibers. Import steel case ammo is cheaper but you get what you pay for and there should be not problems at 100 yards. The gove has banned a popular import 7N6 5.54X39. It was a good round and very cheap, rifles chamber for it and relying on import stuff will be going on a restricted diet I think. So if you shoot a lot or plan to stock pile some cost could be a factor. If your inclined, you can check standard balistics charts, vids galore on shooting balistics gel to car doors. So pic a caliber you like.

There are hundreds of firearm reviews AK vs AR, 223 vs 5.56 vs 7.62 X39. Some are nothing more then infomercials others are unbiased but represent one sample firearm. You could go to specific AR or AK Forums and look for info on the specific MFG and Model your considering. There you have many hands on users to get a warm and fuzzy or hell no information. Put the time in and odds are you will pick the correct one for you.

Know up front that the vast majority of U.S. MFG AKs are made with some used parts. I don't know any MFR ARs that have used parts. Gas piston (GP) guns run cooler and cleaner receivers than gas impingment(GI) systems. If you don't shoot much it does not matter. On avarage GI guns are a bit more accurate than GP guns but it really depends on the quality of the guns involved. You can get a folding stock on GP guns but many are not rigid. Optics mounting favors the AR. AKs generally have looser tolerances for better reliability in adverse conditions but a good AR will not have reliability problems under normal use.

I think the SKS is a work horse but hate the mag well conversion to dog eared mags.

If you decide ot get a AK, youtube How to buy a AK. It will tell you all the pitfalls of bad mag well cuts, bad front sight posts, improper rivets, receiver divots to reduce mag wobble, bad safety levers, key holing and a bunch more. This is why I highly recommend the purchase of a AK be made in person so YOU can inspect it before you buy.

All ARs are not the same if you want an erector set to build on. I think the Ruger has some different internals. Some don't have brass deflectors, bolt fwd assist, some carring handles aren't removable, some don't have rear sights but have the large post sight up front, stocks vary qiute a bit as do barrel twist rates to stabilize bullet weight. You can get a AR with a bayonet lug but not a AK.

I always pass on anything with a home built 80% receiver that joe main street put his name and a # on it to sell. They are built under a Law for personal use unless the person has a lic to MFG. I don't know the legality but I'm not interested.

All IMHO, No expert, just a player. The hunt can be as enjoyably as the kill.

How about the best of several designs....Daewoo DR200 which is the post ban version of the preban South Korean AR100 rifle or there was a carbine also AR110.

or or these are pretty handy also. SKS-D or M, Detachable mag version of the sks in a Tapco stock.

76251, What are the two rifles in the first pic?
Thanks

Daewoos.

If you're interested in a mash up of the platforms, check out the XCR.