AK Question

[stash]

If one wanted to buy a AK for home/personal defense, what would your recommendation be, i.e., the AK47 or AK74? I guess it comes down to the lighter, faster bullet v. heavier slower bullet and if both types of ammo are readily available. I have been leaning toward the AK47 (Arsenal) for awhile, but saw a show last night on The Military Channel that has me now thinking of the 74 instead.

Thanks for any opinions, Stan

[Sputz]

Get both. The 74 is a great gun, shoots accurate and has nice recoil. If you shoot surplus it is really cheap to shoot. I put the collapsible m4 stock on mine with a mi-red dot combo which made it easier for me to shoot. My ak-47 with its nice orange/red finish was to pretty to change and feels great when I shoot it but its recoil feels more like a thump and isn't as accurate in my opinion.

Sputz

[cajunautoxer]

The 5.45 round does some brutal damage inside the body

[stash]

Yep cajun - that's what they showed on The Military Channel last night. Apparently the bullet tumbles real good.

Stan

[Vic]

In the bit of research I did when deciding between the same two calibers, I came to understand that the 5.45 "poison bullet" thing depends on some conditions. The most important is the build specifications of the actual projectile. Some projectiles have a hollow cavity under the nose of the metal jacket. When the projectile impacts the target, the hollow cone bends and causes the tumbling. The projectiles are still technically full metal jacketed because the hollow cavity is on the inside, underneath the copper jacket.

Not all 5.45 projectiles are constructed this way. You might find in your own tests, if your projectiles are not constructed this way, that the terminal performance does not match your expectations. Additionally, some 7.62 projectiles ARE constructed this way. If you get the right projectiles, you can get the same behavior out of a 7.62x39.

However, in a home defense situation, you are not bound by the wartime agreements banning hollowpoints. Just load your rifle with hollowpoint or soft-nose ammo.

[Ameer]

I like the 7.62x39mm better but I got to admit the 5.45 prices are very tempting.

[JeepGuy79]

my personal favorite is ak47 with some good oldschool norinco AP bullets. Goes through car doors like butter thru bone and any tissue. I love the 74 too. I just like the 47 better.

Keep in mind most of the cheap 74 ammo is corrosive. If you care.

[CC Italian]

There is a reason why the AK-47 was and is so successful. I still remember the first time I shot one when I was a kid! How can you argue against a 123 grain plus bullet with a .312 diameter round that comes in a highly affordable package, parts are cheap, the ammo is cheap, they are reliable. They are great as far as I am concerned! Most of the people I know have all gone to the .223 for all the reasons we all know but I just love that big diameter round for close quarter defense. One more for the 47!

As for the 5.45X39 vs 7.62X39. My cousin did three tours in Iraq and two in Afghanistan and he adamantly recommends the 7.62X39 for home defense. He said it served the Iraqi military forces they worked with great and used it with great success for close quarter combat!

[CC Italian]

The only reasons I can think of to go with the 74 is cost of ammo and I have not shot the 74 5.45 but I assume the recoil is a lot lighter. Also, I never notice but can you get 5.45 at wally world or locally? I don’t look for it so I don’t know. I assume recoil is similar to the .223, light. This is the reason why so many love the .223. My 4 foot 10inch fiancée can shoot it rapid fire with good groupings. I think the 7.62X39 is a little intimidating to rifle novices and some smaller women.

My fathers 7.62X39 collects dust now(I always shoot it) that he has a .223. He is getting a little long in the tooth and shooting more then 20 rounds of that makes his shoulder ache the next day.

Edit: Being that you where in the Corps between 61-66 I am sure you are no stranger to .30 caliber rifles and the .223. One of my school teachers in high school was in at that time and he was in from the late 50s until the beginning of Vietnam and he said he went from the M1, then the m14 and finally they were phasing in the m16 when he left. That is a lot of change in a short time!

[stash]

Thanks for the good info guys. Looks like the 47 for me.

CC - when I went in it was the M1 and about 6 mos before I went overseas we transitioned to the M14. Boy change is hard. I loved that M1 and did not like the M14 but it did not make any difference because overseas it was a handgun (Smith 38 sp if you can believe it) and shotguns. When I came back I had about 3 months left and did not get issued a gun. Again, the M1 was a little heavy but I really liked it.

[74novaman]

Honestly you can't go wrong with either round.

For now, surplus 5.45 is cheaper.

5.45 is also lighter recoiling, and you could argue its the more accurate round.

7.62 is still pretty cheap, and it penetrates barriers better.

Either one is more than capable for Home Defense purposes.

[AdioSS]

where are yall finding the best prices on surplus ammo?

[stash]

I also would like to know about the surplus ammo. Quick question - does the finish the East Europeans put on the steel casing mess up the innards on a 47? By the way I should pick up my new 47 Sat.

[Vic]

If you are talking about the lacquer finish, I've never experienced any issues with it. Almost all AK rounds (and many other types) have the same lacquer finish (most Mosin rounds, for example). The only ones off the top of my head I can think of that DON'T have this lacquer are the Silver Bear and Golden Bear. Those are still steel cased, but have zinc or brass finishes respectively, rather than lacquer finishes.

I have never purchased or used actual surplus ammo, but I have used Monarch, Tula, and Ulyanovsk many, many times with no problems at all. It has all been current production, so it isn't technically "surplus". The Monarch (from Academy) tends to have less of the "cat pee" smell than the others, but it is still there to some extent. Shooting outdoors greatly diminishes the scent, but the first two times I fired my newest AK, I sighted it in at an indoor range. Thankfully, there wasn't anyone in the next few stalls to share the scent.

I tend to buy the spam cans every so often, just to store some ammo. My plinking ammo tends to be the Monarch from Academy just because, considering shipping when mail-ordering lots of ammo, the retail cost at Academy is almost the same. A bulk order from CTD or SG or somewhere else like that tends to work out to around $4.60 or so per 20-round box, not including shipping. The Monarch is $4.99 off the shelf at Academy. Close enough.

I do keep a few magazines loaded with soft-point at home.

My current AK is an Arsenal SGL-21. The sights (the front sight post) were not adjusted really at all when it arrived, so get an AK sight tool that does both windage and elevation (I ordered mine from Sportsman's Guide, I think, and it was about $12 or so) and be ready to do some adjusting. The sight was not at all canted or any other real issue, it just wasn't adjusted at the factory. It's like they just screwed in the post and sent it out with no further adjusting.

I also highly recommend the Hogue grip for the AK. It is a great improvement in both comfort and felt recoil for the grip hand. My SGL-21 is the 73 model with the OD Green finish. The Hogue grip comes in this color (among other colors) and it even matched the shade. I don't remember how much it cost, but it seems like it was $35 or so. I really like it and I'm glad I got it.

I have several of the Tapco 30-round magazines. Tapco gets a bad rap, deservedly or not, about some of their products, but other than a bit of grinding on the lugs of the magazine, they fit and work perfectly for me. I buzzed the lugs on the top-front and top-rear of the magazine using a bench grinder, just to round them off a bit. They were very tight and stiff right out of the box. I'm sure this rounding would happen over time with use anyway, so I don't think any damage was done. They have worked fine ever since, and it has been a while.

[stash]

Vic - thanks for all that good info. Stan