Went to a pawn shop today and they had an Arsenal ak 5.56x45, price seemed fair. Never really gave much thought to an ak in 5.56 but I have been thinking it over. I wanted to know what mag availability is like, from searching I think you can only use the Circle 10 that kvar sells, is this right? Kvars website shows them in stock Id just buy quite a few up front to last me. Also I have read that of the ak calibers 5.56 is the least reliable feeding, dont know how true that is. And spare parts if something breaks? I do allready have a KBI hungarian in 7.62. Thanks
What would the 5.56mm AK be for? Novelty? Serious use? etc?
If I want an AK, it’s because of the 7.62x39mm, not 5.56mm.
Because if you’re going to worry about something like mag availability or spare parts, you’d better be looking for a 5.56mm AR15.
Although, I’m not really sure what major parts break in any AK other than wearing out springs, which is typical in any weapons system.
Yugoslavia, China and Russia also produce magazines for 5.56 AKs, although they are all more rare (in the case of the Russians, much more rare) than the Circle 10 waffle mags. While an AK in the original caliber of 7.62x39 is going to be the most reliable, plenty of people run slr106s and don’t have any problems with them, personally, if I had extra cash and found a good enough deal on one, I’d pick it up. the biggest problem in my mind is that compared to other AKs, the cost of magazines is a bit higher.
5.56mm AK’s suffer from the fall of the Warsaw Pact, meaning, they came out late enough that there was no standardization among the countries producing them for export.
The Bulgarian 5.56mm AK’s are some of the more successful.
Yes, you will take a theoretical hit on reliability because the cartridge lacks the taper of the 7.62x39mm or the 5.45x39mm.
I have a SLR-106FR that I’ve brought into the 21st Century with the help of Larry Vickers and Jay Cunningham…there’s a stuck thread up in the Kalashnikov knowledge thread up top.
Stick with the Arsenal Bulgaria Circle 10 magazines.
Thanks for the replies. Ill check out the stuck ak thread.
Standardization is what kills the 5.56 AKs for me, I have a conex container of 7.62 mags. 
And I hate to admit it, but since I had an AK in 7.62 and 5.45 I just had to have one in 5.56!
Is it wrong??
Nope.
I have a Yugo UF M90A in 5.56 and I love the thing but mag availability was/is an issue so I am fitting one of the Saiga AR mag adapters for it even though this wep isn’t a goto for me.
It’s a nice looking good shooting AK…
I recently picked up an Arsenal SLR-106F (5.56) used. Whoever owned it previously obviously knew what they were doing with it, and obviously sank a lot of funding into it. (I’ll post pics on the appropriate thread when I get around to taking a decent shot with an actual camera other than the one on my phone.)
I like mine a bunch…mag selection is an issue of sorts, but my go to long gun is my BCM upper/Defensive Edge lower. The AK is because I want a nice example of one, and with 7.62 prices higher than they once were, I actually don’t mind that it eats the same thing as my AR. Makes the logistics a little easier in my mind, but to each his own.
And since I know it rubs so many people the wrong way here, I thought I’d throw in that I finally took the AK to the range yesterday and put 40 FLAWLESS rounds through it. :lol: (I would have done more, but I was with my wife and her cousin)
Polish Army uses “AK” in 5.56. It’s called Beryl (basically much evolved Tantal, in 5.56 instead of 5.45) and made by FB Radom. Factory just presented adapters that allow use STANAG magazine (and other M16/M4 compatible like P-Mag) with it. FB Radom is making civilian version named Radom Sport.
Some pictures here:
http://www.altair.com.pl/start-5017
(note: cheeck pieces on stock are hand made prototypes - do not laught too much).
In meantime work on new system (MSBS) is ongoing.
1st gen working protoypes (design proof):
http://www.altair.com.pl/start-4569
Ergonomy dmonstration prototypes (non working):