Ok - love the forums input...

AK-47 - Used to be cheap now not so much, ammo is fairly cheap, runs like a tank, but the "better" versions are 1K-2K / hard for me to even come close to justifying some of those prices

AK-74 - haven't had any experience with but ammo appears to be cheap as well - can anybody give me info about this caliber? I'm assuming the platform is just as rugged as the other?

MK47 - runs from 12-1600 so the price can be prohibitive as well - caliber is cheap platform is nice being AR compatible with parts...have been told they function very well on cheap steel cased ammo, the platform an adaptability is great with common rails and such

What are talks thoughrs? Am I just being a snob not picking up a 4-500 AK?

I used to like the 74 platform because it was VERY cheap. Then they banned most ammo from import about a year ago and the price for ammo nearly doubled. Not as much ammo selection as the 7.62x39 but for plinking and blasting it's a lot of fun.

Fix the threads title - you have AK47 listed twice

JBI Armory took my milled MAK90 Sporter to its intended form (in my opinion) while keeping it 922r compliant. Its probably the best no BS rifle I have.

Ive owned a couple of expensive Arsenals, a couple WASRs, and Yugo. The high-end, expensive AK is overrated to me. I still have the Yugo simply because it has my trust engraved on it. Otherwise, if I were in the market for an AK Id probably just get a WASR, swap the furniture out and shoot the crap out of it. I'll spend my money on nice bolt guns and shotguns over a high-end AK anyday

Heck, I like my SKS's better than the AK's I've had in the past. Same round, less expensive platform, never had any issues with them.

Just my .

It was all fine-and-dandy when SKS sold for under $100 and AKM were less than 350. I converted a Saiga that cost about $475 + an additional $75 in parts of my choosing. In some ways, I may wish I would have kept it. However, I got a cash offer at the gun range that blew my mind.

I'll likely not own another 7.62x39. To me, it is a marginal round at best; much like the .223. I am much more interested about rounds like the 6.8.

Does JBI Provide the parts kit or do you have to do that?

I am shooting 7.62x39 on the AR platform and loving it. No problem cycling the cheap ammo and is accurate with the cheap stuff too.

I have had a few sks's and always enjoyed shooting them.

I think he does provide parts on some builds.

Just be forewarned that you'll be in for a long, long wait for little to no communication in between. Ive used him twice and each time "couple of weeks" was more like 6-7 months. I probably look elsewhere for my next AK work

Either an AK47 or an AR 7.63x39. They will be about the same price $600-900.

I used to be an AR-15 guy but after shooting the ak47 I find myself liking it better. 7.62x39 is a good round, I've killed pigs with it so far. If you go the AK route you can't go wrong with a wasr10. I have a c39v2 and a absolutely love it. Small percent of owners have had some issues with soft metal in the bolt and carrier but mine is fine. I'd also check out DDI and PSA (whenever they release the gen 2). Stay far far away from the RAS47 as it failed Rob Ski's 5000 round test.

I wouldn't bother with the MK. Over-built(needlessly heavy) and with no bho feature it's a pain to run multiple mags quickly. It's modular as far as furniture and possibly triggers, otherwise it's a proprietary gun.

Cheap AK47? WASR is the best least expensive option. Look for newer production. Ammo is cheap and AK aftermarket is great.

5.45x39 round is fantastic and cheap. People will always remember the glory days but reality is it's still cheap relative to other rounds and a lot of fun to shoot. It's flat shooting with negligible recoil. And 74's are just like 47's in terms of heir robust design and function.

Arsenal makes great AKs. DDI is the gold standard for American built AKs. They've got an all American manufactured version coming out in August.

Personally, I am saving up for a DDI ak47 with magpul furniture. Really like how that magpul stuff feels compared to the wood furniture.