Quick glance at an AK, what to look for?

This is my first time crossing over to the dark side, I am usually over on the AR side. So my dads buddy wants me to go look at an AK on his behalf while he is out of town. He wants me to make the deal for him on weather or not he should buy. Being in the military I have played with many of them, shot too many rounds through them, and am fully aware of how to disassemble the ugly weapon... . So I am very aquanted with how to operate the weapon. My question is what are some key things to look for when purchasing one of these? All this guy wants out of the thing is to have a firearms for all around usage. Nothing special involved, not much moding is going to be done to it, and its not gonna be a tack driver. Any help fellas?

If it was me, I would field strip it to look down the bore with a penlight. I would be looking to see what shape the bore is in and if there is any pitting at the ends. If it is nice and shiney then awesome. I would have a mag to insert to see how much wobble there it and there will probably be some but not too much. I would just check overall fitting of parts like rear stock to receiver end. I would check the receiver to see who made it and the shape of the rivets. I wouild stay away from a screw build if I was you. I would check to see if the front sight was canted off to the side. Check the finish and see if you can find rust. Final say is to take it to the range and see how it groups but you will probably have to buy it to do that. Some AK are built from kits and vary in quality from the builder/condition of the kit and some AK's come from a manufacturer and again vary in quality. Usually you get what you pay for.

Just my .02

Just tell him to buy one of the SGL21s at KVAR.

Everyone has their favorite AK guns just like AR guns. It's all about your expectations. You can buy a budget AK and take your chances. I prefer the (1.)Saiga AK guns and then (2.)new to fairly new surplus kit built by one of the builders that are tops in the business. Get a good kit and send it off to Rifle dynamics(http://www.rifledynamics.com/) or Red Stick Firearms (http://www.redstick-firearms.com/firearms2/firearms.html) The days of the cheap Ak kits are all but gone, but you can get a few good deals on kits here and there on the EE on the various AK forums. You have to decide if you want the the 7.62 or the 5.45 caliber. I only own the 7.62 AK guns for the heavier bullet, and to use for hunting deer and hogs. A folding stock makes the AK compact and easier to carry discretely. Of course, it's your call. This is the way I do it.

+1....At K-VARs current special going on,it can't be beat!

AK (as well as AR-15) prices have slid way down from the post-election frenzy. I think the assault rifle market has pretty much saturated. Ammo is still too high and too scarce but getting better. Over Columbus Day (Oct 12 & 13) a chain sporting goods store near me was selling WASR-10 high caps with one 30 rnd mag for $449 plus local tax - down from $629. Their non-sale price is now $479, IIRC. Also, IIRC, Classic Arms has a WASR-10 package deal for $389 (of course, not incl shipping, dealer fee, and local tax).

Don't pay too much.

Best of luck.

Not legal advice, MHO, YMMV, etc.

Arsenal is overpriced for what you get. (Good Rifle Sure, just not worth the buck dished out)
Century is hacked together crap.

Find a Good reputable builder that is Fair priced.
Plenty of Good AK producers out, that have a Fair Price on the Rifle.

For the OP;

Field strip the gun and look at the bore (you know what a good bore should look like) look for obvious wear on the parts, rust and bubba-smith jobs).

With he gun back together check the alignment of the gas block, FSB and RSB all in relation to the axis of the bore. This is a visual inspection and if you stare at it for more than 5 minutes without detecting a problem it is probably OK.

Look at the front site drum. Is it adjusted to a left or right extreme? this could indicate a canted base or misaligned barrel and leave you no room for further adjustment. Is there a factory witness mark? If so, has the site been adjusted away from it in an extreme way.

Work the action. If the internals look pretty unused there may be a little hang time on the return to battery but this should have dissappeared if the gun has any noticeable wear.

Check the piston. Is there a little wobble in it (a good thing IMHO). If no wobble, does it look bent? Is it com-bloc original or a US made compliance part (original install is better -again, MHO)

Is the handguard and gas tube secure without excessive wobble?

Does the gun have the correct number of US mad compliance parts to be legal?

Perform the safety function test with th safety on and off. Make sure the hammer does not follow the bolt home when the trigger is held to the rear.

Judge overall fit and finish. Make sure nothing looks excessively out of whack.

Make sure magazines lock into place without excessive wobble.

Who is the maker? Is it a kit build? What receiver? pre/post/no ban? - These are all questions that will affect value.



These are all things I am typing off the top of my mind. GOOD LUCK!!!

nevermind

Make sure you check the gas tube, gas block and barrel for corrosion and pitting, Especially on the Yugo's.
Cant for the front sight, especially on the WASR.
Make sure the safety works, the trigger, sear and hammer work correctly on the homebuilds especially.

Ugly weapon???

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