I am looking into the possibility of purchasing an AK-47 after the holidays. My problem is that I am a resident of the P.R.K. (Peoples Republik of Kaliforniastan.)
My legal options (beyond moving) seem to be an AK like this…
or an conventional pistol gripped AK with a bullet button and a 10 round magazine.
I do not have a whole lot of experience with AK’s.
I would like to hear a few opinions on which option you would prefer and why if you were in my shoes.
I would likely outfit it with a rail, so I can mount something along the lines of an Aimpoint T-1 and a light.
You can also use a detachable mag and a monsterman grip on the pistol grip. It’d be a lot more AK-y. You can do an ultimak on the front if you want the light and dot, even on a stock Saiga.
If I were limited to only 10 rounds, I would want something in .308.
The Saiga offering in .308 isn’t bad, they’re a blast to shoot and they’ll eat everything. That being said, if .308 was desired a FAL would probably be the route I’d go.
For an AK, I’d just throw one of those Solar Tactical wrap around jobs on the pistol grip and retain full funtionality. Bullet button guns are safe queens until I can move out of CA.
I am not looking to mount a
-grenade launcher
-bayonet
-vertical fore grip (only use as hand stop anyway and can use a LaRue hand stop without running afoul of the authorities.)
Are the only features that I am missing out on with a rifle stock a flash suppressor and pistol grip?
Yessir. Most AKs don’t have flash suppressors anyhow. Put the Solar Tactical wrap on the pistol grip and the rifle becomes “featureless”, but is still instantly reconfigurable for use out of state. Retains the ability to use standard AK mags.
Wouldn’t the rifle stock on the Saiga handle better than the wrapped pistol grip? Trying to manipulate a rifle without the full use of your thumb (which I believe to be the strongest digit) seems awkward in concept.
My current work situation keeps me in California. I do not anticipate any out of state moves in the near future. If that became a reality, investing in a new rifle or modifying my existing rifle is too easy in the big picture.
I know Arsenal AK’s are the big deal. What is the rep on the Saigas?
AKs really lend themselves to a “featureless” configuration moreso than a bullet button one, due to the fact that they generally have fixed stock and muzzle brakes (as opposed to flash hiders), and the mag release is more difficult to function in a maglock setup vs an AR-type mag release.
Better picture of the pistol grip wrap setup.
A Saiga is just an Arsenal that hasn’t been tinkered with yet. Some of Arsenal’s stuff is from Bulgaria (the milled rifles mainly), but the majority of the stamped rifles are just Saigas that Arsenal did some work on.
They’re both good. I have a Saiga that I did work on to turn it into a 103, before K-var had their version of it. They’d be almost identical (aside from the older features of mine), except mine has the reinforcement plate on the pistol grip (Arsenal leaves that off), my paint is probably better and the brake is chrome-lined. Then again, I had to do all that work myself.
sgtjosh as i’m sure you know make sure to check with calguns.net before you buy to make sure your chosen AK is not on the ban list by name. If I remember correctly SLR’s are banned by name while SGL’s are not on the KA assault weapon list.
I have decided that I am not interested in a Monsterman or Solar Tactical grip wraps. I think being able to use your strongest digit is too valuable in manipulating a weapon.
I guess what it boils down to is…
Is having a pistol grip (as opposed to a rifle stock) worth having a bullet button type fixed magazine?
Keep in mind I only plan to add a rail to mount a T-1 and light (no other “features.”) I will be sticking with a fixed stock.
