I have been an AR rifle fan all my life, I started out thinking a Mini 30 would be a reasonable compromise however I don’t know about the long term reliability and durability of the Mini 30. I think I would like to try an AK and don’t mind spending some money but want something that is nice and more accurate than the usual AK. I plan on putting a scope mount on it and a 1-4 power rifle scope. The Krebs rifles look over priced for what they are but I like their scope mount.
Any suggestions? What type of accuracy can you get with a decent AK rifle?
The 7.62x39mm rifles, by and large, won’t be as accurate as a 5.56x45mm, mainly because 1) the cartridge design doesn’t really allow for it, and 2) the vast majority of ammo is mass produced in Russia/former Warsaw Pact countries and is made to go bang, not slice the X.
5.45x39mm AK’s tend to shoot a wee bit better than their 7.62x39mm brothers, the cartridge is softer recoiling, and flatter shooting.
5.56x45mm AK’s can shoot about as accurately as their M4 counterparts, shooting iron sights or with a comparable RDS. We’re talking shooting on the move or from informal shooting positions, not benched, where an AR will still carry the day because of it’s design.
Shooting on the move or off hand, I get the same hits using my Arsenal Inc. SLR-106FR and an Aimpoint T-1 that I do with my Colt 6920.
They’re different animals, accept them for what they are.
If you’re looking at using a 1-4x optic and want the 7.62x39mm, then I’d go with an Arsenal Inc. SGL-21 or SLR-107, and either find a BP-02 Russian scope mount, which brings the optic fairly low to the top of the dust cover, or try the new Texas Dogleg, or when 96SS starts up production of his side scope mount with M1913 rails, go with that.
I used a Texas Weapons Systems dogleg cover for the rail, a PEPR mount and a CMR 1-4x scope.
My base rifle is a SLR-107 that Rifle Dynamics tweaked for me, but an SGL would work just as well for your purposes. I prefer the SLR for the folding stock, but the SGLs are solid rifles too.
The AK-103 that Chris Butler builds is what I think I am going to buy. His price is reasonable. Its a Saiga conversion like the Krebs and Red Jacket. Thanks for the tips on the optics mounts!