What really exacerbates the problem with the 5.45 upper in my eyes is the supply of corrosive surplus ammo. I would really hate to clean direct gas impingement system after running several hundred rounds of corrosive ammo. The AK is far simpler to care for in this instance, i would think without argument.
Same here in that the decision is already made. I have my AK battery and ammo. I know the gun. Time is short. But I realize the shortcomings of the platform, and like you I'd like to play with a piston gun, a 74, heck maybe even one of those Century G3 knock-offs. But as for now things like food, fuel and water occupy most of my time and funds.
i went with the Saiga 5.45x39 rifle. in the process of collecting the parts to make it 922 compliant. gun was 360 w/tax from my ffl. I'll post pics when i get the compliance stuff done.
Why do you have to make it 922 compliant? That should be the importer's job unless you're adding foreign parts. In that case you'd have to add another US part (IIRC).
the saiga as it comes .. has not a single american part on it. so, if i want to put on say a hicap mag, a cool muzzle break, or add a pistol grip, then it is no longer considered a sporting rifle as imported and then the 922 compliance comes in to place. as long as i keep it in stock form i'm fine. but i might want to get higher cap mags (30-45 rds) as opposed to the 10 rd it comes with. so then the 922 dance.
Right, now I get it. So it comes in like an old SKS. Some AKs are made compliant by the importer and the only time you have to worry about it is if you decide to put a US part on it. I'm surprised Saiga didn't work that out. This is just one more piece of evidence that my theory is coming true. That is that we're quickly approaching the day when people just throw their hands up and start doing whatever they feel like doing. Freakin' ridiculous.
i'm thinking that in it's current form as a sporting rifle, i can change the fire control group, gas piston/op rod, etc. with US made parts. I'd be fine. but, adding a large mag, flash hider, bayo lug, pistol grip would no longer make it eligible to be imported UNLESS it has no more than 10 foreign parts. there is good and bad, bad :: going to the range with an unmoded saiga with a 45 rd bulgarian mag :: you are gonna be in big trouble with da feds. the good, if you want more 'black rifle features'. you gots to buy parts made by hard working 'AMERICANS' in the good ol' US of A. and more people keep working for now, i'm going to stay in stock form until i can afford to get conversion kit together. anyway, i prefer 12 gauge for SD/HD this was just an inexpensive way for me to get into a centerfire system for low dollars (shooting costs like 11.5 cents per trigger pull )
Never heard of anyone getting into trouble. Not advising what to do. Just saying. From what I've heard, they use this as an "add on" offense. IOW, they catch you with a stolen gun, for which you have plausible deniability because you bought it from a legit dealer and they look for things like this to throw you in the slammer anyway. Remember their motto: Always Think Forfeiture.
Picked up an AK-74 this past week... need some range time to wring her out... looking for a good location to get some cheap ammo...
I personally have 2 reservations on the AK 74/5.45x39 round. YMMV 1 I drop the AR/M16's because of the 5.56/223 round, not because of the AR/M16 itself. However if I wanted to go to a "mouse gun" I would go back to the AR/M16. 2 Till Hornady announced their loading of the 5.45 with their V-max bullet, there was NO local production of that round. I have yet to see the Hornady rounds on the shelve around my location. So if you get one, you had better stack the surplus ammo deep. I have several friend that have them just so they can practice with cheaper ammo. If it works for you, I'm happy for you. Personally I prefer the 7.62x39 round. I freely admit that the inexpensive Russian ammo has accuracy issues. However I've shot Lapua, and Winchester ammo with much better results. I have some loads from a company call "Precision" that loads the V-Max bullet, that will shoot a touching clover leaf at 50 yards from my SKS. Bottom line, make yourself happy.
I considered the 74, but chose instead to get the Saiga .223 and do the conversion (922 compliant) to what is effectively an AK 101...actually chambered for 5.56 NATO, but able to use .223 Rem. As far as the caliber wars, I will only say the one thing I always say that was the deal maker for me... One day in 1969 I was shot 5 times with 7.62...damn near killed me. However, if I had been shot with 5.56 from the same range in the same places, #4 and #5 would have been irrelevant because I would have already been dead. I realize that others have good reasons to disagree, and if I did not live in a heavily wooded area where extreme long range shots are rarer than honest politicians, I might reconsider...but that particular personal experience plus the weight/max load factor is hard to overcome in my little brain.
Thanks... appreciate the heads up... I have 250 rnds of the Hornady v max and i'm impressed with it... Picked up a case 2160 rnds Soviet from a gun show for $200.00 will stock another case and then replenish as i shoot....
I have one, it yaws and the 5.56 fragments. Back in the day, we had fragmentation and they didn't. The effectiveness of the M193's fragmentation under 300m was well established in Vietnam; they had a need and filled it with the AK-74. It is more accurate than the average 7.62x39 AK and less accurate than a 5.56 AK. Same as any SCHV round either will ruin your day within their effective envelope. As the Afghans had never seen the effects of SCHV so the poison bullet was born.
