Kalashnikov no. 3: 5.56 or another 7.62?

[MountainRaven]

As much as I hate to ask about such things, I have been unable to resolve the issue by myself and therefore wish to seek some advice on this subject, to try and get some more objective perspectives on this issue.

I have two Kalashnikovs, both in 7.62mm. One is a trunk/truck gun built from an AMD kit with some modest improvements (Fuller rear sight mod, painted FS, flashhider) and the other is an Arsenal SGL that I have East Germanified and wish to keep as a 'traditional' AK.

I would like to add a third, as a thoroughly modern fighting rifle (Ultimak, Krebs safety, T-1, white light, US Palm grip) that I can eventually modify to have an integrated FSB/gas block, with the barrel chopped and threaded to 14.5 inches with permattached flashhider. It will start life as an Arsenal SLR... but I'm not sure which caliber to select for it.

What I've been able to work out thus far:

7.62x39mm: The original AK caliber. I already have two rifles in this caliber, plenty of ammo, and a few mags (need more, can get more). But while foreign ammo is cheap and cheerful, good defensive ammo is proving difficult to find in quantity. And while this cartridge costs 2/3s of what 5.56mm does (for the cheap stuff), it's all foreign-made, with the American-made 7.62mm being expensive enough that I frankly could not support my shooting habits.

5.45x39mm: While this is an excellent cartridge for the Kalashnikov system, I have been unable to find magazines for it of late, and it goes without saying that it is extremely cheap... all of the ammunition (or nearly all of it) is imported. The cartridge, IMHO, is not as good as either the 5.56 or the 7.62, losing out to both cartridges in terms of both local availability and terminal and intermediate (and in the case of the 5.56mm, external) ballistics. I only mention this here to keep someone from explaining it later.

5.56x45mm: I have lots of this, too. No mags. But it is a caliber that every one of my friends and family who has a gun, has at least one weapon in this caliber. Magazines I can find, readily enough, even if they cost more than the magazines I use for my 7.62s. Right now, Arsenal has their 5.56mm rifles in stock with the metal side-folder (my preference, having used underfolders, and Hungarian, EGerman/Romanian/Polish, ACE, and AK-100-series poly side folders), where if I were to buy the same rifle in 7.62mm, I would have to settle for one of the C/CR models. And, of course, being made here, in quantity, even though it is not the least expensive cartridge I can buy, it is still (relatively) affordable. I understand that Kalashnikovs in 5.56mm are not, as a rule, as reliable as those in 7.62 or 5.45. This is a concern, but a modest one, compared to ammunition availability and ballistics.

So, for my situation: Two 7.62mm Kalashnikovs, wanting a third, with my chief concern being logistics, what would you recommend?

(Also: I'm not asking about an AR-15. Please do not bring it up.)

Thanks!

[TriumphRat675]

If you want a fighting rifle and your primary concern is logistics, 7.62x39 all the way.

7.62 v. 5.45: 5.45 isn't exactly a superstar re: terminal effectiveness; 7.62 can be very effective with the right loads. Also you would have to buy a whole new set of magazines.

7.62 v. 5.56: cheaper ammo than 5.56; see above about mags.

There's a lot to be said for not crapping up your storage space with unnecessary magazines.

[96 SS]

As above:
If you you already have 7.62 - stick with it.

Leave ballistics out of it.

[SPQR476]

As above:
If you you already have 7.62 - stick with it.

Leave ballistics out of it.

Stay with 7.62. I like my 5.45 guns for some things, but if all I had were my 7.62s, I'd be fine with that.

I've never met a 5.56 AK that I liked.

[MountainRaven]

Gentlemen, thank you for your input. I appreciate it very much.

Now I just need to wait for the SLR107-24 or SGL21-84 to show up somewhere... or else go with an SLR107-64....

[Arik]

I keep my ARs in 556 and AKs in 762/545

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

[halmbarte]

I'm going to be contrary and report I really liked my SLR106FR in 5.56. In a couple thousand rounds I had 1 malfunction when some dubious ammo I was getting rid of had a cartridge stub.

The only reason I sold it (and got a SLR107FR) was that 5.56 ammo was 2x + the cost of 7.62x39.

H

[Arik]

For me its all about keeping parts and accessories down to a minimum. I have a G19 and 17 and while I have a few G19 mags most of them are for the G17 because they'll one mag will work in both. Same for my AKs The mags for the 5.45 and 5.56 are close enough that I dont want to start labeling them and separating them. I could change the followers in some of the 5.45 mags to 5.56 followers and the mag will work in a 5.56 AK but then I gotta keep track of which are changed and which are not. If I already had a 5.56AK I wouldnt have bought the 5.45.

This way ALL the steel mags go to AK47 and ALL the Bakelite/Polymer mags to the AK74. Any 5.56 ammo goes in a completely different AR mag

[Aries144]

I've been shooting an SLR-106FR (5.56) for about 4.5 years and have found it to be reliable and accurate. I've found reliability problems with AKs in this caliber to stem from factory build issues (which in every case I've observed have been correctable) and damaged magazines.

The recoil, with AK-74 type brake, has a distinctly softer impulse with less movement off target than my midlength 16" BCM AR. Accuracy is comparable at roughly 2.5 MOA using 55gr Prvi Partisan ammunition.

I have found magazine changes with this rifle to be less fumble prone than with other AKs. There's something in the configuration of the magazine well area that prevents the over insertion issues that I've experienced with other AKs. Simply shove the top front of the magazine in the magwell and rotate to the rear. The reduced curvature of the magazine seems easier to work with as well.

My loaded slr-106, with TWS rail, Aimpoint R1, Ultimak, and Surefire G2 is just under (within an ounce) the loaded weight of an identically equipped SCAR16s.

The magazines are currently running around $32 per and the parts unique to the SLR-106 (the magazines, bolt, and barrel) have gone through periods of unavailability. The bolt and barrel shouldn't need replacement until into the 20,000 round range though.

The advantages of another AK in 7.62x39 appear to be commonality of spare parts and magazines with what you already have and better application in an SBR format- you avoid the expense of spare parts and magazines unique to another caliber AK. If it were my decision, since you already have two 7.62x39 AKs, I'd make the next an SBR.

The advantages of a 5.56 AK are a (likely) general increase in accuracy, availability of match ammunition, less recoil/sight picture disturbance during shooting, and lighter loaded weight.

[Icopy1]

I had the same decision to make a while back. I chose the 5.56 SLR106U from Arsenal (the "Krinkov"). My thought process was the availability of ammo. I already have a lot of it, my friends have a lot of it, my local stores have a lot of it.