I don’t own an AK, and this “seems” legit for the price but would appreciate the input of AK Yoda’s as to whether this is a decent choice. Honestly, I don’t plan to shoot it or add to it much, just want something decent to shoot recreationally now & then.
I like that it has a new stamped receiver, new barrel and otherwise surplus Hungarian FEG parts.
That said, I don’t know what I don’t know here … I’ve never even fired an AK.
I agree that NPAP is a good rifle. Personally I would stay away from an under folder on my first ak. Go with the M70, it’s a good rifle at a good price.
It kinda depends on why you want the AK. If you want it to be a practical rifle, a fixed stock is better for shooting. If you want it to be ‘representative of the breed’, well that right there is it.
FWIW, I would strongly recommend that you stay away from any AKs built from surplus parts. Especially those built by either Century Arms or Inter Ordnance (IO Inc), or anything else manufactured by either of those companies.
OTOH, Century Arms does import a fair number of AKs that are built overseas, such as the Yugo Zastava rifles that are OK. If you really want to get a GTG rifle, just go ahead and save a little longer and buy the basic Arsenal rifle. It will serve you much better, and for much longer.
The primary downside to the Century built Hungarian AK is that the barrel is of lower quality than are found on most AK’s. I’d also recommend going with the Zastava rifle. The barrels are of good quality, but they are not chrome lined. As the owner of several Zastava AK’s and several Arsenal AK’s, I can tell you that the quality of the Arsenal AK’s is not better than the Zastava AK’s. The Arsenal configurations are cooler, which is what you end up paying more for.
Those folding stocks look cool but are brutal on your cheek. It’s not just “no real cheek weld” more of the fact that it’s a narrow piece of metal hitting your teeth/cheek bone. Samson used to make a bolt on cheek weld for the underfolders, don’t know if they still do.
Yes Yugos do have proprietary parts but they’re popular enough that there are plenty of aftermarket parts. However, if you already had something in mind look to see if it exists for the yugo before actually buying the rifle
I went ahead and hit ‘buy’ button on the Yugo Zastava M70 NPAP Gen II … seems to check out from all the reviews I’ve seen, including Hickok45 who’s opinions I’ve come to trust
Classic Firearms has them at $549, net cost of $499 after Century’s rebate. $20 to ship.
All I plan for it is an optic mount and an RDS, and a simple two point sling
Any recommendations for a solid optic mount are appreciated
Thanks, never heard of them., and yes, indeed it comes with a side receiver mount. Could you show me which one you’re using? Thanks Brother. https://rsregulate.com/products/
I’d recently picked up a gently used WASR for $500, and have been really impressed by it. The AK platform makes a very strong argument for itself through use. Really nice rifle.
Post back pics and notes on the trueness of the receiver, trunion, and sights. I’d be interested in the quality of the furniture, and generally how well put together the rifle is. For the price you paid, if everything is lined up, you got a steal.
I’m curious as to the actual, real-use differences between a chrome lined hammer forged barrel and the Zastava arms hammer forged. From my understanding, a chrome lined barrel really shows its value on high-volume, high-rate firing schedules. As a semi-only shooter, will we really push the rifle hard enough for the lining to matter? If the barrel lasts 10,000+ rounds without keyholing, you’ve just spent $2000+ in ammo through a $500 rifle, and that’s being conservative on the life span.
Wondering about your 10,000 rounds without keyholing comment. I’ve got a few from the mid 90s that have probably seen 30,000 rounds without a hint of keyholing. The groups might be a little wider than when they were new but that’s to be expected.
One thing about chrome lined, it should be better for corrosion resistance if you shoot corrosive ammo. Aston salt spray testing results will say for sure, not going to investigate tonight, but something to ponder.