My '15 Wasr-10 is a solid reliable straight shooter. I like it very much and some days shoot it better than my fancy built AR. Nice choice, I hope it serves you well.

I'm very happy with my Arsenal and would highly recommend them. The left side thumb safety is really nice and the folding stock is rock solid.

I seem to recall that the RAS47's had multiple issues with powdered metal bolts and other issues so it is advisable to stay away from them. IMHO.

My first choice would be a VEPR FM (which I have) and my second choice would be a Polish WBP (I'm looking to get soon).

The Russian Molot VEPR is THE rifle to buy right now. About 1000 dollars for a nice one that takes standard AK mags and has a standard AK stock.

Yes it's expensive, but it's a limited availability item. In 10 or 15 years when they are almost certainly be unavailable, can you say collector item? Worth perhaps $2000 to $2500?

A real deal Russian gun, made on a Russian machine gun receiver, in a real Russian arms factory.

A WASR 10, will always be a WASR 10(about as collectible as used condoms). A Russian Molot on the other hand...

quote:

Originally posted by alteon180e:
to ponder the jump to DDI

DDI was bought by Palmetto State Armory.

VEPRs have a solid rep but I love my Norincos.
Still see them used for $800-850.

quote:

Originally posted by bubbatime:
The Russian Molot VEPR is THE rifle to buy right now. About 1000 dollars for a nice one that takes standard AK mags and has a standard AK stock.

I just ordered one last night.

Guys, I'm all for the VEPRs - I'd love to have both the FM-11 and the 5.45 version they've been talking about. But leave room in the market for entry-level purchasers to buy entry-level AKs. $1,000 is a lot of money to begin with, and it's one hell of a lot of money if all someone wants to do is indulge their curiosity a little bit.

Vepr will only go up in value. Same with a Norinco. Cant say that about a Wasr.

My 2cents... Spend a few hundred more and get a very good quality AK so that you won't have any doubts or second thoughts. Get an Arsenal or go for the Vepr. I wouldn't want a half baked product to taint your experience with AKs. Go for a product that you'll be proud to own for the long haul.

It just depends on what your standards are. Do you want an AK that doesn't have a chrome lined barrel? Do you need it? Probably not. Is the chrome lined barrel original to military produced AKs? Yes.

Arsenals (especially milled) and Veprs have amazingly strong receivers and have a reputation for being put together well. They will laugh at environmental stress and operator neglect. Just about everything else that is factory new and readily available on the primary market today is imitation crab meat. Not to say that the latter won't work and satisfy your needs. However, they are not consistent with a true "military grade" AK.

I don't think you can get spare parts for the Vepr. Especially replacement springs and recoil spring rods. Will you need them? Probably not. However, you can get them for the Arsenals.

I just bought one of the new Arsenal SLR107R's.....only $150 more than a WASR.

I don't need the BEST AK out there. I find it interesting that you can get good quality AR's now for between 5-800 bucks, but not a great AK for under a 1000? To me the AK is a play rifle, a toy that I will use at the range. I know some will say it's the be all end all SHTF rifle, but I'm much more inclined to take my AR if anything ever goes "down". Who knows maybe that will change once I shoot the AK more though.

The Arsenals seem like nice rifles, but I am actually looking forward to the look of the WASR as I like the wood furniture (even crappy as it may be). Again, perhaps I'll wish that I had gone Arsenal or VEPR in the future, time will tell, but for now, I have a WASR inbound and I'm excited.

quote:

Originally posted by LincolnSixEcho:
To me the AK is a play rifle, a toy that I will use at the range. I know some will say it's the be all end all SHTF rifle,

If your AK is to be a "play rifle" get any AK.
Just like if an AR is to be a "Play Rifle" get a $500-$800 AR!
Shit, Mil-Spec isn't the end all be all , Christ it's a minimum standard for military contracts.
So if you're just gonna play with it go get anything & enjoy.
But the AK had a reliability reputation that was Earned , for good reason, over decades of use on the battlefield.
Bottom line "Profit only" driven crap assembled Importers have been systematically destroying the AKs rep by offering shit rifles at a cheap price point.
Some would argue the same for the AR.
Which is odd, as we Americans , with a bit of understanding, seem to realize the difference between a crap AR & a solid Mil-spec or better rifle.
But when it comes to AKs so many don't know the difference. They buy a cheap Non-MilSpec AK and Bitch when the non-forged trunnions crack.
Call the AK a piece of shit when a non-milspec part on a cheap AK fails or continually causes a stoppage.
No, you don't have to spend over $1,000 for an AK.
But if you think for a second that you're going to drop $500-700 & get a mil-spec rifle that you can do mag dump after mag dump with zero issue and has been assembled by folks with quality as the primary motivation, you are kidding yourself.

If a person pays $500 for an AK & has issues down the road Do Not trash the AK rifle as a whole.
Understand you bought something that looks like an AK but was marketed to a price point.
No different than an inexpensive AR.

YMMV

Check out the AK thread on AR15.com about the rental place in Vegas. Wasrs hold up extremely well to heavy use. The newer ones are gtg and I trust mine as completely as I do my BCM ARs.

quote:

Originally posted by LincolnSixEcho:
I don't need the BEST AK out there. I find it interesting that you can get good quality AR's now for between 5-800 bucks, but not a great AK for under a 1000? To me the AK is a play rifle, a toy that I will use at the range. I know some will say it's the be all end all SHTF rifle, but I'm much more inclined to take my AR if anything ever goes "down". Who knows maybe that will change once I shoot the AK more though.

The Arsenals seem like nice rifles, but I am actually looking forward to the look of the WASR as I like the wood furniture (even crappy as it may be). Again, perhaps I'll wish that I had gone Arsenal or VEPR in the future, time will tell, but for now, I have a WASR inbound and I'm excited.

Congrats!

Here's one of mine. Nothing nice, ( Polish milled 1960 w/IWD furiture )

quote:

If your AK is to be a "play rifle" get any AK...Bottom line "Profit only" driven crap assembled Importers have been systematically destroying the AKs rep by offering shit rifles at a cheap price point.

Even there, though, there are grades and tiers. Picking something like the WASR (or, I still think, an NPAP) will get you around a whole bunch of halfassery from the drunken gun monkeys at Century and the God-only-knows-what at IO. A Zastava or WASR that you've lived with long enough for the rifle to be a known entity should make a perfectly solid defensive rifle.

Here is my 1965 Norinco, 'Triangle 66', Chinese Type 56. It is an M22 export version AK47 and fully transferrable. Most of the serial numbers are matching. She shoots fine, but like all AKs, the stock is too short, accuracy is wanting, and she kicks like a mule on full auto. That said, she always goes bang when her trigger is squeezed.

quote:

Originally posted by MG34_Dan:
Here is my 1965 Norinco, 'Triangle 66', Chinese Type 56.

Show off.