I don’t understand this thread.
Lol, that makes two of us.
Part from the increased cost of magazines i can’t think of many other reasons not to own a 5.45 AK. I know that I love mine.
If you want a rifle, look at what Atlantic Firearms has to offer. They have a couple of nice SLR series side folders that will be hard to beat for the price, as well as a couple of Kreb’s customs in 5.45.
Tapco 5.45 mags are cheap and work well for range duty, but you’ll want some steel reinforced mags for serious use. Circle 10’s and 21’s can but found for pretty decent prices if you look around. It’s likely that Magpul will also be releasing a 5.45 mag in the near future, so there’s always that to look forward to.
You can probably still find some cans of 7n6 if you look around, but I’ve always just shot new commerical ammo and not worried about it. My local Academy usually stocks their re-brand version of Tula, and prices are comparable to 7.62x39.
I have two SGL 31’s, a ton of Golden Tiger 5.45 and several Bulgy mags I’ve got over the last couple years.
Love 'em. Fun to shoot and a great HD option
There are a buch of Bulgy 74’s out there on GB and even something like a SAR 2 or WASR 2 is an option
Ammo is still cheap
All Eastern Bloc mags are good to go. Beware however, there are “commercial” copies of polymer mags coming in from Bulgaria note these ARE NOT the mil-spec ((10)) and ((21)) mags.
Here is what they look like:
http://www.cdnnsports.com/magazines/545x39-30rd-black-bulgarian.html#.VNiWynwtHIU
I’ve picked up these in black and brown for range training mags but not for serious use. I’d take these over the Tapco and ProMags any day for that purpose.
It may seem strange to veteran 5.45 Kalashmen, but I don’t believe I’ve ever encountered a rifle that seems - taken together with its bayonet, ammunition, and ammunition storage devices - as a system as prepared for the End of Days as the 5.45mm AK is, even when compared to the original 7.62x39 models.
This didn’t really occur to me until I cut open my first spam can of 36 magazines worth of 5.45 ammo and started tearing open the paper-wrapped packets of cartridges. There’s just something different about tearing open one of those packets and dumping it out on the ground or on a table, plucking the paper debris from the pile of cartridges and simply loading the magazine until there are no cartridges left, vice pulling loose 5.56, 7.62x39, or 308 from a dry box or pulling cartridges from a 20-round box.
And then there’s the deceptively small form factor of each 1080-round spam can. And I bet you can use the paper packets the cartridges are wrapped in as kindling to start a fire in a survival situation…
That’s one artful way to describe the AK74 lol.
Glad you’re liking the rifle!
As a Cold War Kid, I can tell you there is just something nostalgic about an AKS-74 w/ wood furniture and bakelite mags.
Plus, the can itself can be useful, even the lid.
I was born just a few years before the Berlin Wall fell and there’s still something that just clicks for me about the AKS-74 dressed up with laminated wood. Maybe its just that I watched Red Dawn and GoldenEye too many times as a kid.
Also: Seems that the Russians did use a brown color of Bakelite for pistol grips on the AK-74/AKS-74 (and late production AKMs/AKMS’s). Although the lighter color of the East German bakelite magazines vice Bulgarian or Russian bakelite does make it look odd (to my eye). And the handguard is a closer match to those used by the Soviets rather than the Bulgarians, so I feel less bad about things not matching. Not that things are going to match very well on it, anyway, what with the chopped barrel and such.
I really need to shoot mine more often…
FYI 5.45 and 7.62 are basically the same price 19~21 cents. combine that with nearly all the cheap 5.45 being banned 7n6, it is a no brainer! 7.62 all the way! inevitably 7n6 is going to dry up and you’ll be SOL while im at walmart paying $5.47 for a 20 round box of tula. i think the ak 47 is a better value, but if ammo density and rounds to weight ratio are important to you, i get that. just consider that you will not find 5.45 at most local stores. this always represents a no-go for me.
There’s still tons of civilian 5.45 on the market and will continue to be imported. 5.45 has less recoil, more controllable, and more accurate.
Yes good points, i edited my post a bit. feels like youre over paying though, especially compared to the past pricing. i guess that was my primary point, that and local availability.
ill show myself out lol
My local Academy usually has their in-house brand of 5.45 well stocked, and as mentioned about it’s right around the same price as 7.62x39. If all you have near you is a Walmart however, you aren’t likely going to find it. As with most calibers however, your best bet is to buy in bulk online. One nice thing is that during the last major firearms panic, I could still find 5.45 on the shelf at Academy, while all the 5.56 and 7.62x39 would disappear instantly.
I too am considering a 74. What has got me thinking is 1. ammo cheaper than 5.56mm, 2. Manual of Arms (47,M, 74), 3. Weight (If I have to pack it I can carry more ammo initially and later if things were really bad I could keep my gear and accessories and just pick up a 47, mags, and Ammo. 4. Recoil (for my wife) I have an AR or two I want this to still be a gun she can handle for weight and recoil. I have no problem with 7.62 and if I can find a good 7.62 I will reconsider a 74. 74’s just seem to be easier to find at a better price.
IMHO, for a fighting rifle, 5.45>7.62. Lighter, lower recoil, flatter shooting - pretty much everything that makes the 5.56 a better fighting cartridge than 7.62x39. I also find AK-74 mags to be marginally but noticeably easier to rock-and-lock than 7.62 AK mags. Plus the aforementioned battle-readiness of the complete weapon system. Not that 5.45x39 does much that 5.56 doesn’t do better - except work reliably in AKs and be dirt cheap.
That being said, 7.62 has better options for defensive ammo, is a better choice for the hills and woods for dealing with four-legged critters and punching through light brush, and for use in an automobile for defeating intermediate barriers (especially in combination with the much more common for-7.62-than-5.45 20-round box mags). Plus ammo is available at the local Wal-mart and the AK world of America is your oyster with the 7.62.
So, in event of tribal warfare, Red Dawn, or apocalypse up to and including your standard zombie apocalypse: 5.45.
In event of going up into the hills for fun and adventure, defending the homestead, rocking a carbine for automotive defense, EMP, or a zombie apocalypse that involves armored wolf zombies: 7.62x39.
(And yes, I’m aware that a lot of those are silly.) If we ever get good quality defensive ammo for 5.45, I’d gladly swap the 7.62 for the 5.45 for general defensive use.
I still can’t figure this thread out… but here are some lovely '74’s:
“7.62x39mm turning cover into concealment since 1943.” -Templar
For serious use I keep on hand Hornady SST in both 5.45 and 7.62. Lot more options for 7.62x39 in this arena to include Winchester’s Super-X (or Hog Special) SP and their PDX1 HP.