BTW, pass over that AK you've been eyeballing and get a Norinco AK, if you don't mind paying a bit more for quality. The Norincos have chrome lined barrels and the receivers are a bit thicker and sturdier. This makes for more longevity and accuracy, respectively. The disadvantages are that most Norincos have a thumbhole stock. It doesn't bother me, but if it bothers you, just replace it with another stock (Be careful here! Refer to my P.S. note below). Another disadvantage is that they are no longer imported due to the ban on Chinese made guns.
Get an AK and enjoy it. You never have to worry about a castle nut coming loose because you did not stake it vs lock-titing it. You never have to worry about cheap dirty surplus ammo causing it to foul and jam. The AK doesn't have as much accuracy at far distances, but since when will any self-defense situation be more than 100-200 yards, anyways? When hunting, animals love cover, so in thick cover, you'll never have to shoot further than 100-200 yards, either. You'll probably never be able to enjoy the 300-600 yard practical range of an AR, but you will be able to enjoy the reliability and simplicity of an AK. Just be sure to get a REAL AK. I got a .22 cal Armscor AK made in the Philippines and the thing stinks. It needs 6 different size screwdrivers to take it apart for cleaning. The Armscor is the worst gun I've ever bought. If I can only have one rifle on an alien planet, I'd depend on the real 7.62x39 cal AK-47.
Whatever you choose, buy it and enjoy it.
Have fun
P.S. before buying one, be sure to read this buyers' guide: http://www.ak47world.com/rifles.html , http://www.ak47world.com/info.html . It could save your life to read these buying guides. Remember, the only thing Koresh/Waco or Ruby Ridge guy (I forget which one) was being arrested for on his warrant that could be proved was that he bought a sawed off shotgun. He was ignorant of the law. Never buy a Bubba'ed gun without consulting your lawyer. Better yet, never Bubba a gun (modify it out of original specs). Bubbing a gun will decrease the collector's value of a collectible gun. I once saw a dufus start to tear the plastic bag around a MINT Norinco AK-47 so that he could buy some new plastic furniture for it at a gun show. My eyes and the eyes of the doorman at the gunshow grew really wide. We stopped him from tearing the bag and I offered him $700 for it. The gun show doorman offered him $800 for it. Bubba happily sold it since he only bought it for $350. If he modified it, the price of the gun would've only been about $300.