Thats why I like IraqVeterans videos! A lot of other youtube 'gun people' are either all flash and no substance, or tacticool armchair commandos. I want info in a well presented manner without any gimmicks or bias. Thats why I like these guys videos. I also like Hickoks vids, but his tend to have less information. Theyre still good because he is fun to watch!
Wow them IO rivets are horrid! That thing will rattle loose in no time! Those are swell neck rivets they used but didn't bother to dimple the holes before riveting. Very shotty!!! Dimpled holes is essentially what locks the whole thing together. This is why some horribly built ak's end up having loose rivets and whatnot. Sheet I build a better ak in my sleep lol. also rivets actually take very little force to squeeze and require NO HEAT. I've heard of using heat but never seen it nore is it even necessary. and that sight post DAYUM!!!
My first AK was an I.O. and it had issues. Sent it in and they sent me a new rifle. Constantly had failure to fire with different ammo due to light primer strikes. I sold it and got an Arsenal SLR107-36. Never looked back. Not a single problem and gun looks flawless. You get what you pay for, with the exception of a WASR. You can find pretty good WASR's if you look in person.
My Saiga came canted as hell. Gunsmith had it a week and was still only able to correct it half way. When buy these guns, buy them local! Don't shop online, you never know what you're going to get.
No two AK47 manufacturers seem to follow the same specs - and the directions that come with accessories prove it. Phrases like "Some fitting" or "filing" are everywhere. Measure before you buy. I bought a WASR Underfolder, and the nice thing about them is everything everyone else makes (like Tapco and UTG) fits just fine with no modifications. Tri-Rail topcovers (Much more stable than side mounts) and railed handguards slip right on. It's all good.
Its absolute shit. Never seen a rifle that badly made. Not to mention that all the important parts are cast, which is inferior to the forged and machined parts every acceptable AK uses.
Definitely not true A boy and his rifle. The ONLY combloc-built rifle that has cast parts are the Polish WBP's but they are PROPERLY heat treated. Other than those rifles, all other com bloc AK's are made with forged parts
I was wondering what the hell that crud was that was coming out of the front sight base when I got my C39V2 home. I literally thought it was bird shit.
Saiga is a company that sells AK variants coming out of Russia. Sometimes it can imply "Saiga-12" meaning a 12gauge shotgun based on the AK action produced by Saiga. Saiga rifles come with a montecarlo stock, and the finest Saiga-to-standard AK conversions come from Arsenal, Las Vegas.
Agreed, AK is by default, a cheaply made mass-produced weapon, but...on the other side of that coin, there are well-built AK's and not-so-well built AK's (as this video attests to), and, like anything, you get what you pay for.
Excellent video! These are little things that are hard to pick up on just seeing pictures of guns and handling them very briefly at gun shows. I'll keep these in mind if I'm ever in the market for an AK. Thanks again, man!
I've have a inter ordinance ak that I picked up for $400. But before I purchased it at a gumshoe I thoroughly inspected it with the tips you gave me and I looked pretty good. I've put 3 full spam cans worth of ammo and has never malfunctioned. I like it because the stock is an rpk style and it fits me well because I'm tall and have long arms
My Poly Tech and Arsenal are my go to guns. My Wasr,Yugo & Polish are my range toys. I've never had any issues with any of the Ak's or Rpk's I've owned. Like iraqvet says you just got to know what your looking for. I picked my Wasr out of 5 and put over 10000rds threw it without any issues.
+RevolutionV12 not true actually, thety're meant to be stamped, i recently changed my mind from wanting a milled receiver to wanting a stamped because as he said, they're designed to be somewhat loose, to be able to operate in any condition. the rifles are meant to flex, just go look at a high speed video, and that's why milled can actually fail, by cracking.
Anthony Trifoglio thats just people who are trying to make up for cognitive dissonance. The AR15 is made out of aluminium which is weaker than steel yet does just fine with milled receiver. The flex of the gun is a design fault but never corrected because it doesnt really matter for the Russian Army at the ranges the gun is ment to be used at.
+RevolutionV12 Bs. Almost all the milled aks american made are garbage. The c39v2 is a slight improvement. Got probably 40k rounds through most of my import stamped and the milled aks lasted til about 15-20k. Call it a bunch of lemons maybe.. The mechanism can be made well or it can be made shittily with poor quality control. This ranges from weak points in the metal, uneven nitride coating etc. The difference is that most companies that sell american milled aks ... have really shiitty quality control and the ars have a ton more competition and have high quality control.
The SGL-20 is a converted Russian Saiga. Arsenal also provides other AKs made on Bulgarian Parts. The company is inherently Bulgarian and produces mil-grade weapons locally, it also has representatives in the USA, where they sell semi-auto variants of the mil-grade guns.
Arsenal Bulgarian made AK is the best, hands down. It was confirmed even by Russians on many occasions also by soldiers. I know this because I've seen Serbian soldiers during the war in Yugoslavia praising the Arsenal made AKs. I live in this region (Balkans), I've been in the army, I used AKs, I've spoken with many military officers and all confirmed that Bulgarian AKs even surpass Russian AKs in some aspects.
jizast oh really? were you part of the Russian army to confirm this ? ill put my vepr against any Bulgarian and hands down same if not better quality .
@Porch Joe Go with the AK47. Cheaper and more powerful ammo. AR15 was developed for pinpoint accuracy one shot kills. AK47 is a better 'doomsday' gun, much more reliable in extreme conditions including long periods of not cleaning your gun.
I just picked myself up an I.O. AK about two days ago. Fortunately, it has NONE of the problems listed in this. To anyone looking to buy any AK, really... I highly recommend it. I suggest even more highly doing it in the next 2 days... just in case.
Wow I knew to look for some things when buying my wasr-10 but never heard of theses.... good thing my Romanian 1964 ak variant has none of these problems. Nor has it EVER jammed. Not even with shitty Romanian and Korean mags. =)
Great info. I have a WASR in 5.45. Bought three of them at the same time a couple years ago. Had to send everyone of them back at least once for different issues. One of them went back 3 times. In the end they did fix the problem but it is a real pain to have to keep shipping a gun back. It runs good now though and is OK for what it is... an AK. It's not a piece of furniture and never will be. Functionally, I'd put it up against an Arsenal or Saiga any day of the week.
There is and difference in Arsenal builds. If you want and excellent AK , buy Bulgarian made Arsenal gun , they are build as a gun should be. The US Arsenal subsidiary has some quality issues , but they made them more cheaper. Bulgarian made guns are more expensive but the quality is outstanding.
i just bought myself a saiga ,and built it myself keeping it 922r compliant!this way you get to know your ak47 inside and out!great video by the way!i`ve looked at io on their website;but never knew this about them,so thank you for showing me something new!american made!i`d hate to put that out there after seeing that kind of quality.
I bought a Yugo m70ab2 imported from Zastava Arms. It's a paratrooper under-folder that I am really happy with. This thing is amazing to say the least, it pulverizes things in its way. Learned how to tear it apart within a few minutes clean it, oil it up and put it back together. It's surprising how fast you can tear one down and put it back together again. I hear that there is an executive order banning the sale of any further Ak-47 coming in to the country; that what is in factories and on shelves is it. Might want to think about some insurance and get a parts kit......
Trying to find an AK for $1000 or under that is quality is making my head spin. I may just say F it and save up for an Arsenal SAM7SF. The M70 N-pap I can find for a little over $600 but I assume you get what you pay for. DDI in the mix too just tough to know. I need the gun to last me for a long time and be dependable to defend my life and liberty if need be one day.
I like the WASR but can't find them in stock anywhere. The newer WASR's. I think I'm gonna go for the stamped Hungarian DDI. It's 899.99 on a couple sites and is in stock. Read some great things about it. AKOU loved it and it took some abuse and kept on firing.
I just found a new WASR on the shelf two weeks ago. They're around, just not in great numbers. The one I picked up was made in 2015 and is great quality. Short of the shitty wood that century puts on them. I already have the Magpul furniture on it.
I have an ITM Arms, I was in Moss on Saturday 3/16/2013, a side trip going home from Florida. It came out to be 218 miles not the 300 I was guessing. Anyway my complaint with my AK was the bottom of the butt stock was was so high on my shoulder once I acquired the sights that the recoil would push the stock over my shoulder. The young guy showed me a rubber butt pad that enlarges the size of the butt, feels like it will work. Also the 2 5-rounds mags Barry found for me are great.Nice meeting you
I saw that the Inter Ordnance AK you have was made in NC. That was a few years back. They've since moved to Florida and really stepped up their game in their new manufacturing facility.
This Is why I got an updated AKM. (VSKA THUNDER RANCH) Is made from S7 steel instead of stamped sheet metal. Has upgraded tronion, bolt carrier, mag release, rivets, grip, stock, iron sights and the list goes on. I'd highly recommend the thunder ranch version.
Yugoslavian Npap not very good quality in my opinion..However Yugoslavian Opap absolutely!! I've got an Opap with Rpk reciever 1.5 in thickness and it's a beast! M92 pap not bad as I've only ran under 5000 rounds but no issues as of yet.. Good luck
Love your channel. The word you are trying to say is “workmanship.” Your difficulty with the word is that you are trying to say “worksmanship.” Just a friendly help. Love the channel. Thanks for all these great videos.
Perfect video. Now I have a better idea on what to look for when shopping for a ak. Another thing I'm noticing is that it would be a better idea to buy a rifle at a local shop to have a thorough inspection in person instead of shopping blindly online. And some times they don't offer refunds or return so that's a lot more riskier. Again great video.
I can vouch for Century Arms a little bit. I bought one of their AKMS underfolder AKs a few years ago and it has been 99.99% reliable. I had one failure to fire (ammo related, TulAmmo) and one failure to load (magazine related, ATI 40 round steel magazine has less than optimal fit) out of probably 1,000 rounds fired. From the factory, the sights were a tiny bit canted but usable. I had them tweaked at a local gun store and found out that the rear sight block was pinned a little crooked. I had an Ultimak rail installed and slapped an old AimPoint on it. It runs fine and is accurate enough.
I got a Romanian WASR AK, mine is built good with no slop and shoots great, I went through 3 AK''s before I found this one. The prices have been going up again. This one now sells for $669 plus shipping and about $25 for the shipment to ffl. so it comes out to a few dollars over $700.
If you want stamped then go with the WASR but if youre looking for the real deal top of the line milled receiver AK47 in its true form then Arsenal SAM7R is the only way to go the action is so smooth its unbelievable
I have a WASR10/63, couldn't be happier with it. None of the problems associated with CAI guns, so maybe I lucked out, but lately most of the WASRs I've seen have been coming from the Cugir factory, and they seem to be solid. I can hit the 8" gong @ 200 yards with open sights maybe 25% of the time, which is good enough for me. I think it's more my accuracy vs that of the rifle. For $475, I couldn't be happier.
This video is 6 years old I doubt he will ever see your comments. The I.O. Ak he shows in this for was one made in North Carolina. The ones that are made in Florida now are a lot better now. They are getting great reviews.
Jeff Copeland I'm aware. I bought a ras47 in 2015. Build quality is superb! And to respond to your statement, people in 2016 are still watching and still reading comments... considering you responded to my comment.
I got my M70 NPAP for 725 after tax with none of the problems he listed. Only problem I have with mine is the handguard is made of shitty wood, it wobbles if i shift my grip. I gotta replace it with something better, good god its bad.
You should do an update video about these guns because a lot of people have been buying these guns for sometime and that does give manufacturers a chance to improve their build qualities. I've seen loads of videos from consumers this year and CAI guns are alot better.
I got one and the reviews kinda worried me but I think a lot of it is hype and that century is IMPROVING. No harm in giving an American AK a chance. If I really like it, I may eventually send it to rifle dynamics to get pimped out
I love my RAS I only had one issue within the first few hundred rounds and im not sure if it was the ammo or just breaking it in the bolt would get stuck closed and i had to slam the handle against something to get it to release. Other than that this thing is amazing I really love the barell on it comes already threaded and is very acurrate almost twice as acurrate as my zastava pap. Really only a minor gripe the handguard gets hot and the stock is kind of uncomfortable because of the metal plate but thats opinions and easily changed if you want to.
My RAS hasnt had any issues i replaced the wood stock and wood foregrips for polymer. It takes the heat from the forgrip which means no more accidently burning the side of your palm.
There are two Arsenals. Arsenal of Bulgaria makes Bulgarian AKs. Arsenal of Las Vegas makes US made AKs with some Bulgarian parts, imports and sells Bulgarian made AKs from Arsenal of Bulgaria, and imports Saigas and returns them to AK standards.
Love my Arsenal. Everything is so perfect. There was a little surface rust on the rear sight though, but nothing that can't easily be resolved. I highly recommend Arsenal.
If you can still find them, pick up a AA polish underfolder. I just bought one the other day from atlantic firearms. Nodack spud reciever, g2 trigger, no canted sights, chromelined barrel, and nice wood. These polish underfolder kits are drying up wuick but if you can find one with a chromelined barrel, your a lucky sob like me.
What I was saying originally is there is a law that requires US manuf. to swap out a trivial number of parts for US parts to make it more expensive to build. In general all used firearms must be De-Militarized upon importation which means the receiver must be destroyed. A few years back they added just for AK's that the most expensive part, the barrel, must be destroyed. Also imports direct from Russia have specific rules just for them. None of this makes anyone safer. It only helps Colt.
@TexasDistortion i am not a veteran nor do i serve in any armed force. but i talked to a friend who got back from multiple tours. we started to talk gun. to him everything had to meet standards. The firearm had to have knock down power, affordability, sturdiness (ruggedness), it had to be tactical (or easily maneuverable), and above all RELIABILITY. The ak happens to meet all those requirements. (accuracy was surprising to me not that high on the list.)
Really appreciate the info... as I've begun to consider an AK and a little apprehensive about the many makers of them. This info REALLY is a great starting point. Thank You for posting this.
My first AK was a WASR10. It was actually well made for the money. Put thousands of rounds through it no failure. The 2nd AK I have owned was an Arsenal SLR-95. The trigger was polished and amazingly smooth. It was an amazing AK. Now I currently own an Arsenal SLR-107 and it exceeds my expectation of what an AK should be.
Kind of off topic, but I still have a soft spot for my SKS. It's a real tackdriver compared to my AK. It's ridden around in my hay feeding truck for years and has yet to fail me. Yeah, I know, small fixed mag bla bla bla...... ten rounds is plenty for banging away at coyotes and turtles. I always liked how quickly I could dump out the rounds too. Sorry to waste everyone's time talking. This was a good video to watch. I learned a couple of things.
Outstanding video! I now feel very comfortable in choosing between different AK variants, and I now know what to look for. Thanks guys. keep up the good work!
I am an AR guy, but I have been wanting to buy my first AK soon. Great info man thanks alot, most of the other videos just talk about Rusian is better than Polish, which are better than Romanian, Yugo's etc. I would love a Saiga build.
president excellent rifle AK quality perfict alot of fun shooting there great excited everyshoot perfict fantastic have nice day karon deha ^^^>>>>>/////
Nice video, good job taking a hard and detailed look into each manufacturers rifle. I almost purchased an IO Inc. AK out of impulse but my better judgment told me to do my research first, thankfully you made a video and now i know what to look for. The one i looked at was MUCH better than this, it didnt have all that crap on the front sight and wasnt nearly as crapped out as the one you showed.
I absolutely love your channel brother ! Definitely in my top 5 Right along with (no particular order) Nutnfancy , Hickok45 , Late Boy Scout, Scooch, 22 Plinkster. Moss Pawn and Gun Show Sure miss your bearded buddy.
you should do a part 2 with the centurion 39 and m+m m10, my friend got the m10 and after only 53 rounds the gun started to fall apart. When he got the gun he notices the safety lever was bent upwards and the dust cover was bent downwards, so the safety could not be engaged with out some elbow grease. Also again after only 53 rounds the trigger mechanism was falling out, the safety lever actually worked it way out of the gun. And the hogue pistol grip fell out. I ought a centurion 39 and sofar have loved it. Ive only put 100 rounds through it so far but no considerable hickups, the sights were perfect on mine and everything works great.
There are many parts. There are hundreds of thousands of cold war AK's sitting in ex soviet armories collecting dust. You as an individual can by single part sets for around $100-120. The companies like CAI import bulk deals by going over there so they get 50 at a time for about the cost of $50 a piece. That is way cheaper than manufacturing the parts here. So for them it cost that plus $80 for the barrel and about $20-30 for a receiver flat and rails. Their parts cost ~$150
The first gun he showed was an Inter Ordinance, A.K.A., an I.O. inc. gun. I would argue that you don't want to spend a dime on an AK that you can't inspect yourself outside of one made by a reputable builder such as Arsenal. I've been burned by a century build before but if I could find one that looks decent like a WASR 10/63 or a Romy G-series, I wouldn't have a problem spending $400 on it.
I have a wasr 10/63, everything seemed pretty damn good, rivets all looked to be in good shape, my tapco mags have no wobble, I do have a 40 round mag that wobbles but just ever so slightly, trigger replaced with the G2... Barrel was canted just slightly to the left, but it has been compensated for, still very accurate. After a few hundred rounds the rivet holding in the mag release fell out. Easy to fix, but just some of the things to look for. Still a great gun overall, if you know what to look for you wont be disappointed. Inspect the gun top to bottom inside and out and you will find you a great buy.
Best review I have seen about the AK variants yet. I was hoping to see a Zastava PAP review bc that is the one i have been looking at getting, but otherwise Very helpful. Thanks
After a year of research I decided on an Arsenal AK 47 and am very, very pleased with my Arsenal. Well made gun, that just wont quit! In my humble opinion, save your hard earned cash and buy the Arsenal, "buy once, cry once".
Some good advice >>> A good AK is always built with forged trunnions , bolts and carriers . IO's and most century's are built with cheap cast parts ---the guts of the rifle . It goes beyond just poor workmanship. I would say -- if you buy Century , buy a WASR. Good internals and you can always change the crappy soft Century furniture. Keep in mind the forged internals,, not just looks . If its 100% American , it has sub-standard parts ( the important ones ) . Polish , Russian , Romanian,Bulgarian, and all imports ( rifles that use these critical parts ) are superior --no question about it . Looks like the WASR IS the budget AK from Century , the only one I would even consider from Century.
the rivet in the receiver that looks like it was pushed in too far is supposed to be like that. the dimple is put there on purpose. you can see it even on the Arsenal.
The older Arsenals were commonly made with a Saiga receiver. They switched to their stamped receivers coming out of Bulgaria. Quality is still the same as even Kalashnikov himself stated before he died that the best non-Russian AKs were in his mind from Bulgaria. Might want to update that at some point.
"I'm not bashing inner ordnance guns". Dude you didn't have to ..... After seeing everything you showed me I'm NOT buying an inner ordnance AK lol
This is one of the best videos I've seen on youtube. One of the few actually educational and content filled videos.
Thats why I like IraqVeterans videos! A lot of other youtube 'gun people' are either all flash and no substance, or tacticool armchair commandos. I want info in a well presented manner without any gimmicks or bias. Thats why I like these guys videos. I also like Hickoks vids, but his tend to have less information. Theyre still good because he is fun to watch!
Wasr10 AK47...best investment I've ever made. Bought it for $400 back in the day, and still shooting like a champ
Picking mine up tomorrow...can't wait.
I have 3 wasr 10s. Love them all.
Selling for 1grand today in 2020.
This is an outstanding video. You can easily see the shoty IO workmanship.
Wow them IO rivets are horrid! That thing will rattle loose in no time! Those are swell neck rivets they used but didn't bother to dimple the holes before riveting. Very shotty!!! Dimpled holes is essentially what locks the whole thing together. This is why some horribly built ak's end up having loose rivets and whatnot. Sheet I build a better ak in my sleep lol. also rivets actually take very little force to squeeze and require NO HEAT. I've heard of using heat but never seen it nore is it even necessary. and that sight post DAYUM!!!
You mean "shoddy".
The very best AKs are the ones from the Izhmash factory
FjodorOfficial izhmash factory , can i buy online
4 year old video but still one of if not the best and informative buying guides out there. Thanks
13 years now
My first AK was an I.O. and it had issues. Sent it in and they sent me a new rifle. Constantly had failure to fire with different ammo due to light primer strikes. I sold it and got an Arsenal SLR107-36. Never looked back. Not a single problem and gun looks flawless. You get what you pay for, with the exception of a WASR. You can find pretty good WASR's if you look in person.
Same with my io , I got an sgl-21 and it shuts in the io sporter
When I buy I new gun I should not have to worry about whether my barrel is straight or not.
IO rifles look like pure trash.
They are!
My Saiga came canted as hell. Gunsmith had it a week and was still only able to correct it half way. When buy these guns, buy them local! Don't shop online, you never know what you're going to get.
very good point !!
aguynamedmike77 Usually if you don't accept it at your FFL they can return it. That's what grabagun does.
No two AK47 manufacturers seem to follow the same specs - and the directions that come with accessories prove it. Phrases like "Some fitting" or "filing" are everywhere. Measure before you buy. I bought a WASR Underfolder, and the nice thing about them is everything everyone else makes (like Tapco and UTG) fits just fine with no modifications. Tri-Rail topcovers (Much more stable than side mounts) and railed handguards slip right on. It's all good.
My early WASR is still a beauty, everything is good on it, the rivets, the mag well, the sights, best AK for the money at the time.
Same here, she's a runner. No jams, the only issue I had was the well was too tight! A little crocus paper along the edge cleared it up.
Never had a jam, and surprisingly the mag well is good to.
Man, this channel has come a long way. Keep up the good work, boys. 2A
He might not be wanting to 'downplay' Inter-ordnance, but honestly, that looks like a shit rifle
Its absolute shit. Never seen a rifle that badly made. Not to mention that all the important parts are cast, which is inferior to the forged and machined parts every acceptable AK uses.
+RevolutionV12 I hate to tell you this dirty little secret, but almost every AK these days has cast parts. Even the Russians.
A boy and his rifle. not true
Definitely not true A boy and his rifle. The ONLY combloc-built rifle that has cast parts are the Polish WBP's but they are PROPERLY heat treated. Other than those rifles, all other com bloc AK's are made with forged parts
Manufactured in Monroe NC which is a shithole of a town so not surprising.
I like the honesty in your video's. You always have an interest hook in them. Keep making them and I will keep watching.
I was wondering what the hell that crud was that was coming out of the front sight base when I got my C39V2 home. I literally thought it was bird shit.
What an eye-opener! I'm glad these manufacturers quality, especially Century Arms, has improved over the past 6 years. Excellent overview sir.
Step 1. Watch "ak operating union" on UA-cam lol
AGREED!!
do they accept the ca wasr 10
@@goodnightcharly5135 Absolutely. They tout the WASR as one of the best AKs at any cost, let alone entry level price ranges.
Saiga is a company that sells AK variants coming out of Russia.
Sometimes it can imply "Saiga-12" meaning a 12gauge shotgun based on the AK action produced by Saiga. Saiga rifles come with a montecarlo stock, and the finest Saiga-to-standard AK conversions come from Arsenal, Las Vegas.
interordnance should be ashamed
They are. They fired everyone and moved to Florida. Supposedly their quality has been improved
+jcodym13 lolololol no it hadn't got better.
Morrison Well, they technically did get better, but their guns are still shite.
Agreed, AK is by default, a cheaply made mass-produced weapon, but...on the other side of that coin, there are well-built AK's and not-so-well built AK's (as this video attests to), and, like anything, you get what you pay for.
Imediately seen the dimpling on the IO rivet, great example
Excellent video! These are little things that are hard to pick up on just seeing pictures of guns and handling them very briefly at gun shows. I'll keep these in mind if I'm ever in the market for an AK. Thanks again, man!
I've have a inter ordinance ak that I picked up for $400. But before I purchased it at a gumshoe I thoroughly inspected it with the tips you gave me and I looked pretty good. I've put 3 full spam cans worth of ammo and has never malfunctioned. I like it because the stock is an rpk style and it fits me well because I'm tall and have long arms
My Poly Tech and Arsenal are my go to guns. My Wasr,Yugo & Polish are my range toys. I've never had any issues with any of the Ak's or Rpk's I've owned. Like iraqvet says you just got to know what your looking for. I picked my Wasr out of 5 and put over 10000rds threw it without any issues.
Never shot a gun in my life but now I know what to look for if I buy an inordinance AK.
I have seen other vids on purchasing Aks but this is by far the best I have seen.
I feel like its real easy to buy a crappy ak rifle
You might be right
Thats why you should buy milled, less things to go wrong with.
+RevolutionV12 not true actually, thety're meant to be stamped, i recently changed my mind from wanting a milled receiver to wanting a stamped because as he said, they're designed to be somewhat loose, to be able to operate in any condition. the rifles are meant to flex, just go look at a high speed video, and that's why milled can actually fail, by cracking.
Anthony Trifoglio thats just people who are trying to make up for cognitive dissonance. The AR15 is made out of aluminium which is weaker than steel yet does just fine with milled receiver. The flex of the gun is a design fault but never corrected because it doesnt really matter for the Russian Army at the ranges the gun is ment to be used at.
+RevolutionV12 Bs. Almost all the milled aks american made are garbage. The c39v2 is a slight improvement. Got probably 40k rounds through most of my import stamped and the milled aks lasted til about 15-20k. Call it a bunch of lemons maybe..
The mechanism can be made well or it can be made shittily with poor quality control. This ranges from weak points in the metal, uneven nitride coating etc. The difference is that most companies that sell american milled aks ... have really shiitty quality control and the ars have a ton more competition and have high quality control.
The SGL-20 is a converted Russian Saiga. Arsenal also provides other AKs made on Bulgarian Parts. The company is inherently Bulgarian and produces mil-grade weapons locally, it also has representatives in the USA, where they sell semi-auto variants of the mil-grade guns.
Arsenal Bulgarian made AK is the best, hands down. It was confirmed even by Russians on many occasions also by soldiers. I know this because I've seen Serbian soldiers during the war in Yugoslavia praising the Arsenal made AKs. I live in this region (Balkans), I've been in the army, I used AKs, I've spoken with many military officers and all confirmed that Bulgarian AKs even surpass Russian AKs in some aspects.
jizast oh really? were you part of the Russian army to confirm this ? ill put my vepr against any Bulgarian and hands down same if not better quality .
jizast so are AR’s better than AK’s. I’m looking to buy my first rifle and I don’t know which one to buy
@Porch Joe Go with the AK47. Cheaper and more powerful ammo. AR15 was developed for pinpoint accuracy one shot kills. AK47 is a better 'doomsday' gun, much more reliable in extreme conditions including long periods of not cleaning your gun.
Bordiga Armchair what’s bullshit about it? AK’s are more reliable and you can go a very long time without cleaning it.
Matt Barkley the one shot kill part is bull shit .556 is not gonna one shot anyone besides a head shot
I just picked myself up an I.O. AK about two days ago.
Fortunately, it has NONE of the problems listed in this.
To anyone looking to buy any AK, really... I highly recommend it. I suggest even more highly doing it in the next 2 days... just in case.
Wow I knew to look for some things when buying my wasr-10 but never heard of theses.... good thing my Romanian 1964 ak variant has none of these problems. Nor has it EVER jammed. Not even with shitty Romanian and Korean mags.
=)
Great info. I have a WASR in 5.45. Bought three of them at the same time a couple years ago. Had to send everyone of them back at least once for different issues. One of them went back 3 times. In the end they did fix the problem but it is a real pain to have to keep shipping a gun back. It runs good now though and is OK for what it is... an AK. It's not a piece of furniture and never will be. Functionally, I'd put it up against an Arsenal or Saiga any day of the week.
Looked like the Arsenal had rivet dents too.. Infact in the same area. Just saying
There is and difference in Arsenal builds. If you want and excellent AK , buy Bulgarian made Arsenal gun , they are build as a gun should be. The US Arsenal subsidiary has some quality issues , but they made them more cheaper. Bulgarian made guns are more expensive but the quality is outstanding.
i just bought myself a saiga ,and built it myself keeping it 922r compliant!this way you get to know your ak47 inside and out!great video by the way!i`ve looked at io on their website;but never knew this about them,so thank you for showing me something new!american made!i`d hate to put that out there after seeing that kind of quality.
That Inner Ordinance makes my WASR 10 look like work of art. Yikes.
I can't believe a company would let a rifle leave the factory looking like that. Then again, IO is pure junk.
I bought a Yugo m70ab2 imported from Zastava Arms. It's a paratrooper under-folder that I am really happy with. This thing is amazing to say the least, it pulverizes things in its way. Learned how to tear it apart within a few minutes clean it, oil it up and put it back together. It's surprising how fast you can tear one down and put it back together again. I hear that there is an executive order banning the sale of any further Ak-47 coming in to the country; that what is in factories and on shelves is it. Might want to think about some insurance and get a parts kit......
Trying to find an AK for $1000 or under that is quality is making my head spin. I may just say F it and save up for an Arsenal SAM7SF.
The M70 N-pap I can find for a little over $600 but I assume you get what you pay for. DDI in the mix too just tough to know. I need the gun to last me for a long time and be dependable to defend my life and liberty if need be one day.
I like the WASR but can't find them in stock anywhere. The newer WASR's. I think I'm gonna go for the stamped Hungarian DDI. It's 899.99 on a couple sites and is in stock. Read some great things about it. AKOU loved it and it took some abuse and kept on firing.
I just found a new WASR on the shelf two weeks ago. They're around, just not in great numbers. The one I picked up was made in 2015 and is great quality. Short of the shitty wood that century puts on them. I already have the Magpul furniture on it.
Mine from cabelas haven't gave me problems nor was made crappy. It only cost me $700
Vepr 7.62x39
Century RAS is a very well made gun for under $700
I have an ITM Arms, I was in Moss on Saturday 3/16/2013, a side trip going home from Florida. It came out to be 218 miles not the 300 I was guessing. Anyway my complaint with my AK was the bottom of the butt stock was was so high on my shoulder once I acquired the sights that the recoil would push the stock over my shoulder. The young guy showed me a rubber butt pad that enlarges the size of the butt, feels like it will work. Also the 2 5-rounds mags Barry found for me are great.Nice meeting you
Love my Saiga conversions. Best AK's I own.
I saw that the Inter Ordnance AK you have was made in NC. That was a few years back. They've since moved to Florida and really stepped up their game in their new manufacturing facility.
With a sako/valmet ak you can't go wrong 😊
Galil, Izimash AKs, Zastava. That's what to buy.
This Is why I got an updated AKM. (VSKA THUNDER RANCH) Is made from S7 steel instead of stamped sheet metal. Has upgraded tronion, bolt carrier, mag release, rivets, grip, stock, iron sights and the list goes on. I'd highly recommend the thunder ranch version.
@Iraqveteran8888 Hi, how bout commenting on Zastava PAP AK-s. From what I've seen they have high qulity?
I'm thinking about getting one, I've heard good things about them
+ryan mongoose The new PAPs have regular Warsaw style stocks now.
I hear they are high quality new import rifles. Also heard they dont always have chrome lining depending the model.
Yugoslavian Npap not very good quality in my opinion..However Yugoslavian Opap absolutely!! I've got an Opap with Rpk reciever 1.5 in thickness and it's a beast! M92 pap not bad as I've only ran under 5000 rounds but no issues as of yet.. Good luck
Love your channel. The word you are trying to say is “workmanship.” Your difficulty with the word is that you are trying to say “worksmanship.” Just a friendly help. Love the channel. Thanks for all these great videos.
Those rivets on that IO AK are horrendous 🤮
I have an Century Arms C39 V2 and I absolutely love it the build quality is amazing
Russian have the best ak
Perfect video. Now I have a better idea on what to look for when shopping for a ak. Another thing I'm noticing is that it would be a better idea to buy a rifle at a local shop to have a thorough inspection in person instead of shopping blindly online. And some times they don't offer refunds or return so that's a lot more riskier. Again great video.
Evil accessories lol, are we in California xD?
"Evil accessories" are banned from import into america. Its a stupid name, but technically its politically correct.
I can vouch for Century Arms a little bit. I bought one of their AKMS underfolder AKs a few years ago and it has been 99.99% reliable. I had one failure to fire (ammo related, TulAmmo) and one failure to load (magazine related, ATI 40 round steel magazine has less than optimal fit) out of probably 1,000 rounds fired. From the factory, the sights were a tiny bit canted but usable. I had them tweaked at a local gun store and found out that the rear sight block was pinned a little crooked. I had an Ultimak rail installed and slapped an old AimPoint on it. It runs fine and is accurate enough.
thank you, this was very helpful for a noob like me.
I got a Romanian WASR AK, mine is built good with no slop and shoots great, I went through 3 AK''s before I found this one. The prices have been going up again. This one now sells for $669 plus shipping and about $25 for the shipment to ffl. so it comes out to a few dollars over $700.
wasr 1063 baby wouldn't have it any other way.
Go team wasr !
Andrew Clark all day long
he'll ya wasr for sure!!
If you want stamped then go with the WASR but if youre looking for the real deal top of the line milled receiver AK47 in its true form then Arsenal SAM7R is the only way to go the action is so smooth its unbelievable
+Wayne Harris actually thinking about buying another wasr for a spare.
I have a WASR10/63, couldn't be happier with it. None of the problems associated with CAI guns, so maybe I lucked out, but lately most of the WASRs I've seen have been coming from the Cugir factory, and they seem to be solid.
I can hit the 8" gong @ 200 yards with open sights maybe 25% of the time, which is good enough for me. I think it's more my accuracy vs that of the rifle. For $475, I couldn't be happier.
ERIC !!! WHAT'S THE FRICKIN PRICE $$ !!! ON THE GUNS"!!!!! everyone & I , WANT TO KNOW??WE CAN'T STRESS THAT ENOUGH"!! or close ballpark
Google answers lots of questions.
This video is 6 years old I doubt he will ever see your comments. The I.O. Ak he shows in this for was one made in North Carolina. The ones that are made in Florida now are a lot better now. They are getting great reviews.
Jeff Copeland I'm aware. I bought a ras47 in 2015. Build quality is superb! And to respond to your statement, people in 2016 are still watching and still reading comments... considering you responded to my comment.
I got my M70 NPAP for 725 after tax with none of the problems he listed. Only problem I have with mine is the handguard is made of shitty wood, it wobbles if i shift my grip. I gotta replace it with something better, good god its bad.
I got an AMD 65 from Classic Firearms for just over $500, including shipping and FFL transfer. It is not a chrome lined barrel, but neither is an NPAP
You should do an update video about these guns because a lot of people have been buying these guns for sometime and that does give manufacturers a chance to improve their build qualities. I've seen loads of videos from consumers this year and CAI guns are alot better.
I'm feeling a lot better about my RAS47 purchase now.
I got one and the reviews kinda worried me but I think a lot of it is hype and that century is IMPROVING. No harm in giving an American AK a chance. If I really like it, I may eventually send it to rifle dynamics to get pimped out
I love my RAS I only had one issue within the first few hundred rounds and im not sure if it was the ammo or just breaking it in the bolt would get stuck closed and i had to slam the handle against something to get it to release. Other than that this thing is amazing I really love the barell on it comes already threaded and is very acurrate almost twice as acurrate as my zastava pap.
Really only a minor gripe the handguard gets hot and the stock is kind of uncomfortable because of the metal plate but thats opinions and easily changed if you want to.
Stamatos TRUMP !!! 75 round tubs all around !!! Fortress America. !!! 😎
My RAS hasnt had any issues i replaced the wood stock and wood foregrips for polymer. It takes the heat from the forgrip which means no more accidently burning the side of your palm.
Lol. American AK. Would you buy a Russian AR?
There are two Arsenals. Arsenal of Bulgaria makes Bulgarian AKs. Arsenal of Las Vegas makes US made AKs with some Bulgarian parts, imports and sells Bulgarian made AKs from Arsenal of Bulgaria, and imports Saigas and returns them to AK standards.
Your gut was hanging over the edge of the table
lol
Love my Arsenal. Everything is so perfect. There was a little surface rust on the rear sight though, but nothing that can't easily be resolved. I highly recommend Arsenal.
Izmash AK?
Hey dude you make some nice videos. As some one who's just getting into guns videos like this are a godsend. Keep up the good work man!
RIP INTER ORDINANCE
If you can still find them, pick up a AA polish underfolder. I just bought one the other day from atlantic firearms. Nodack spud reciever, g2 trigger, no canted sights, chromelined barrel, and nice wood. These polish underfolder kits are drying up wuick but if you can find one with a chromelined barrel, your a lucky sob like me.
just buy Bulgarian , they are the best of the ak family
na finish is
What I was saying originally is there is a law that requires US manuf. to swap out a trivial number of parts for US parts to make it more expensive to build. In general all used firearms must be De-Militarized upon importation which means the receiver must be destroyed. A few years back they added just for AK's that the most expensive part, the barrel, must be destroyed. Also imports direct from Russia have specific rules just for them. None of this makes anyone safer. It only helps Colt.
I wouldn't sell that beat up ak47 to anyone. shame shame shame
@TexasDistortion i am not a veteran nor do i serve in any armed force. but i talked to a friend who got back from multiple tours. we started to talk gun. to him everything had to meet standards. The firearm had to have knock down power, affordability, sturdiness (ruggedness), it had to be tactical (or easily maneuverable), and above all RELIABILITY. The ak happens to meet all those requirements. (accuracy was surprising to me not that high on the list.)
My ears bleed when you say "kalashnikov". :)
Zumper Zumpster yeah I hate when people say Kalishnikov instead of KALASHNIKOV
Kalashnikov Ak47
Really appreciate the info... as I've begun to consider an AK and a little apprehensive about the many makers of them. This info REALLY is a great starting point. Thank You for posting this.
the saiga is a variant of the original ak47, can be configured in many calibers. manufactured in russia and imported with a few companies
My first AK was a WASR10. It was actually well made for the money. Put thousands of rounds through it no failure. The 2nd AK I have owned was an Arsenal SLR-95. The trigger was polished and amazingly smooth. It was an amazing AK. Now I currently own an Arsenal SLR-107 and it exceeds my expectation of what an AK should be.
I.O. is not as bad now as it was in previous years. the Hell Hound configuration is amazing.
Kind of off topic, but I still have a soft spot for my SKS. It's a real tackdriver compared to my AK. It's ridden around in my hay feeding truck for years and has yet to fail me. Yeah, I know, small fixed mag bla bla bla...... ten rounds is plenty for banging away at coyotes and turtles. I always liked how quickly I could dump out the rounds too. Sorry to waste everyone's time talking. This was a good video to watch. I learned a couple of things.
Im with you. I have an old norinco sks that has been a favorite for years.
James Newstead No shit. What kind of person fucking shoots turtles?
Outstanding video! I now feel very comfortable in choosing between different AK variants, and I now know what to look for. Thanks guys. keep up the good work!
I am an AR guy, but I have been wanting to buy my first AK soon. Great info man thanks alot, most of the other videos just talk about Rusian is better than Polish, which are better than Romanian, Yugo's etc. I would love a Saiga build.
president excellent rifle AK quality perfict alot of fun shooting there great excited everyshoot perfict fantastic have nice day karon deha ^^^>>>>>/////
Nice video, good job taking a hard and detailed look into each manufacturers rifle. I almost purchased an IO Inc. AK out of impulse but my better judgment told me to do my research first, thankfully you made a video and now i know what to look for. The one i looked at was MUCH better than this, it didnt have all that crap on the front sight and wasnt nearly as crapped out as the one you showed.
All very good info. Thanks for posting. I can never get enough info on any ak platform. Keep these vids coming.
I absolutely love your channel brother ! Definitely in my top 5 Right along with (no particular order) Nutnfancy , Hickok45 ,
Late Boy Scout, Scooch, 22 Plinkster. Moss Pawn and Gun Show Sure miss your bearded buddy.
you should do a part 2 with the centurion 39 and m+m m10, my friend got the m10 and after only 53 rounds the gun started to fall apart. When he got the gun he notices the safety lever was bent upwards and the dust cover was bent downwards, so the safety could not be engaged with out some elbow grease. Also again after only 53 rounds the trigger mechanism was falling out, the safety lever actually worked it way out of the gun. And the hogue pistol grip fell out. I ought a centurion 39 and sofar have loved it. Ive only put 100 rounds through it so far but no considerable hickups, the sights were perfect on mine and everything works great.
There are many parts. There are hundreds of thousands of cold war AK's sitting in ex soviet armories collecting dust. You as an individual can by single part sets for around $100-120. The companies like CAI import bulk deals by going over there so they get 50 at a time for about the cost of $50 a piece. That is way cheaper than manufacturing the parts here. So for them it cost that plus $80 for the barrel and about $20-30 for a receiver flat and rails. Their parts cost ~$150
thanks for this video, and your others. as a relatively new gun collector i and finding your videos incredibly helpful.
Watching this vid makes me appreciate my Norinco MAK90... I didn't realize there were rifles being sold of this quality as a new build.
Awesome vid man. If you have time one day could you do a vid on what to look for on buying an AR for us rookies? thanks bro!
Great video, that IO is a good example of a poor rifle.
Thanks for posting, this should help people when shopping !!
Video is old and here o am in 2023 learning awesome advice! Thank you for the video . Tons of things I would have never looked for .
The first gun he showed was an Inter Ordinance, A.K.A., an I.O. inc. gun. I would argue that you don't want to spend a dime on an AK that you can't inspect yourself outside of one made by a reputable builder such as Arsenal. I've been burned by a century build before but if I could find one that looks decent like a WASR 10/63 or a Romy G-series, I wouldn't have a problem spending $400 on it.
Thank you for the heads up. I'm new to gun shopping and this is a great insight.
I have a wasr 10/63, everything seemed pretty damn good, rivets all looked to be in good shape, my tapco mags have no wobble, I do have a 40 round mag that wobbles but just ever so slightly, trigger replaced with the G2... Barrel was canted just slightly to the left, but it has been compensated for, still very accurate. After a few hundred rounds the rivet holding in the mag release fell out. Easy to fix, but just some of the things to look for. Still a great gun overall, if you know what to look for you wont be disappointed. Inspect the gun top to bottom inside and out and you will find you a great buy.
One small correction. AK doesn't have loose "tolerances". It has large "CLEARANCES". The AKs have right tolerances where they are needed.
Nicely said 👍
@ERF420 THANK YOU!!! Arsenal is known as the gold standard of AK's today.
IO moved they're operations to Florida and did a complete restructuring ,and retooling, of their factory and it shows in their new rifles.
Best review I have seen about the AK variants yet. I was hoping to see a Zastava PAP review bc that is the one i have been looking at getting, but otherwise Very helpful. Thanks
Very informative video! Thanks for helping the non-professional folks out here know what to look for!
After a year of research I decided on an Arsenal AK 47 and am very, very pleased with my Arsenal. Well made gun, that just wont quit! In my humble opinion, save your hard earned cash and buy the Arsenal, "buy once, cry once".
Some good advice >>> A good AK is always built with forged trunnions , bolts and carriers . IO's and most century's are built with cheap cast parts ---the guts of the rifle . It goes beyond just poor workmanship. I would say -- if you buy Century , buy a WASR. Good internals and you can always change the crappy soft Century furniture. Keep in mind the forged internals,, not just looks . If its 100% American , it has sub-standard parts ( the important ones ) . Polish , Russian , Romanian,Bulgarian, and all imports ( rifles that use these critical parts ) are superior --no question about it . Looks like the WASR IS the budget AK from Century , the only one I would even consider from Century.
thank Eric I have found a I.O sporter and my local pawn shop now I can double check before full purchase.
the rivet in the receiver that looks like it was pushed in too far is supposed to be like that. the dimple is put there on purpose. you can see it even on the Arsenal.
The older Arsenals were commonly made with a Saiga receiver. They switched to their stamped receivers coming out of Bulgaria. Quality is still the same as even Kalashnikov himself stated before he died that the best non-Russian AKs were in his mind from Bulgaria. Might want to update that at some point.
I made the mistake of buying an I.o. Ak before research, the safety selector BROKE! Never even had a round through it