Which AK Caliber?

[LOKNLOD]

I think an AK purchase is looming on the horizon for me.

There is a ton of good info posted about AKs on here lately, but I'm interested to hear more detailed thoughts on which caliber you prefer for AKs. Ballistic performance, ammo availability (current and future), quality mag availability, commonality with other stuff you've got, perhaps your preferred platform is only available in one caliber or the other.

What did you pick, and why -- and if you where buying another, what would you pick, and why?

[fivepointoh]

My first AK which I just got was a Lancaster AKM RS...7.62X39

W/ that said I'm gonna build my 2nd which is gonna be a Polish Tantal in 5.45X39


My first question is what kind of budget do you have?

I would go w/ something in the 5.45 caliber...virtually no recoil and ammo is cheap as shit right now. Look up Century Arms as they're selling 5.45 ammo for $119 until March 31st!

[AR-15A3]

+1 5.45X39 mm

It's better to get both, but get the 5.45 first.

I already have three pre ban PolyTech 7.62X39 and I'm going to get an Arsenal 5.45 for sure.

I've been using my first 7.62 AK since '88, no FTF at all, but I have no problem with it's recoil, I'm used to my Benelli M1 Super 90 shotgun and M1 Garand, but I won't mind something with lesser recoil.

There are other good 5.45 AKs available, I picked the Arsenal because it's one of the good ones and I live near their factory.

[miserai]

id go for a 5.45. ive had one for a few years now and i like it alot.

[TOrrock]

This is an excerpt from my "stuck" post up top about buying an AK.

"There are three main cailibers available in AK's.....

The original caliber is the 7.62x39mm, roughly equivalent to a .30-30 WCF in power. This is a "pure" assault rifle round, with a tapered case designed to make it easy to get into and out of a chamber quickly and easily. It is also the least accurate of the cartridges available for an AK, but it's by far the most prevalent cailber.

The 5.45x39mm was introduced in 1974 with the AK-74, it was the Soviet's attempt at the lightweight rifle/caliber concept. They saw the M16 being used in Vietnam and they wanted a round that was similar. The 5.45mm has less recoil and greater accuracy than the 7.62x39mm round, and is a lot of fun to shoot. The rounds also weigh less.

AK's can now also be had in 5.56x45mm. You know all about that round, but what's important to remember with AK's in this caliber is there were never any attempts to standardize parts or magazines among AK producing countries....they were always export rifles and the Warsaw Pact fell before they were widely available. If you get a rifle in this caliber, stock up on magazines and parts specific to the rifle you have. You can find Bulgarian, Chinese and Romanian stamped 5.56mm AK's, and milled receiver Bulgarian AK's, which are being issued in Columbia and are replacing other AK's in Bulgarian service now that Bulgaria is a junior member of NATO."



I own AK's in all of the three main cartidges. I'll tell you that I usually recommend a 7.62x39mm rifle for a first AK, as all foreign military magazines will interchange with any rifle in that caliber, ammo is available, and rifles chambered in this cartridge tend to be the most reliable.

The 5.45x39mm is one of my favorite calibers to shoot; it's light recoil, flat trajectory, and better accuracy are all major improvements to the 7.62x39mm.

RIGHT NOW, ammo is cheap, but the ammuniton that is so cheap right now is surplus from Russia, Bulgaria, and Poland. Good stuff, but it's corrosive, and you need to undertstand that you need to care for your rifle very soon after use (meaning don't throw it back in the safe and come back in a month to clean it).

Surplus can also dry up very quickly, what's cheap today is expensive and hard to get tomorrow. Russian commercial ammo is available from Wolf and sometimes Barnaul. If a ban on Russian ammo came down, we're going to be SOL. That's what happened in 1994 with a ban on Chinese ammo, and fortunately the Russians were there to take up the slack on cheap 7.62x39mm.

US manufacturers make 7.62x39mm. It's not "cheap", but it is available if we need id.

I love my SLR-106FR in 5.56mm. It's accurate, and I've never had any issues what so ever with it. But as I said in the "stuck" post, 5.56mm AK's were NEVER standardized and so every country uses a different mag system.

Some things to think about. Again, I'd recommend a quality built 7.62x39mm AK for your first.

Hope that helped.

[Shihan]

The Wolf in 5.45 isnt corrosive is it? I saw it for around 140 per 1000

[TOrrock]

The Wolf in 5.45 isnt corrosive is it? I saw it for around 140 per 1000

No, the commercial Russian stuff isn't corrosive.

[LOKNLOD]

Hope that helped.

That's just what I was hoping for, thanks -- you should add that caliber info to the sticky. I've got an SKS and some 7.62 stashed away, and in conjunction with the ammo situation I don't think it's worth the trouble to introduce another caliber. I do like the 5.45 in theory so maybe if it get hooked that'll be next :D

[Line Rider]

+1 Templar

If I had the money I would buy an Arsenal Inc. in 5.56mm and about 20 to 25 Bulg. mags. I did say "IF".....

I'm looking at one of the Romainians as a second gun. They're cheap and use Warsaw pact mags that are about $12 each. I'm also looking at LOTS of ammo.