As the title suggests, we are going to take a closer look at 10 AK Variants that You Should Own. I'm breaking this article up into a two part series, we will look at 5 AK Variants in each article. The list could be a lot longer, but having just 10 AK variants on your Gun Store Shopping List is probably easier for all of us to explain to our significant other, than having 25+ AK's on the list! There are many list like this available at different forums, blogs, and websites around the internet. However, this list is not a Top 10 of the Most Sought After, Most Coveted, or Most Expensive AK's on the market. This is a list of the 10 AK's that you Must Own because of their reliability, dependability, accuracy, and overall badassness! Believe it or not, the AK and it's variants are the most widely used military rifles in the world (sorry AR fanatics). The reason for this is because it has been adopted for service by more than 45 countries and it's seen use in every military conflict since the 1940's. Impressive for a single weapon platform, as there isn't another weapon in the world that can say the same for itself. Without further ado, here are the 10 AK Variants You Should Own!
The Romanian gun manufacturer, Cugir Arms Factory, builds the WASR-10 as part of agreement between Century International Arms, a US based Weapons Manufacturer and Importer, for sale in the US. The WASR was already being manufactured by Cugir in Romania when Century negotiated a contract to import WASR-10's into the US, in order to fulfill the United States high demand for AK style rifles. WASR's are built in Romania in a single stack configuration, and shipped to the US without a barrel and the standard wood furniture. Once in the US, Century stamps the receiver with their import marks, converts the receivers to accept the standard AK double stack magazine, installs their RAK-1 Enhanced Trigger Group set, and a US Made chrome lined 1:10 Twist Barrel. You can pick up one of these classic AKM style WASR-10's with one Steel Mil-Surp 30rd mag for about $650 from any reputable gun dealer.
Another AK imported by Century, the M70 N-PAP was originally manufactured by Zastava for use by Yugoslavian troops and law enforcement. After the breakup of Yugoslavia the country was split into 6 different countries, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, and Macedonia. The modern day M70 N-PAP is still manufactured by Zastava which is now located in Serbia and is still issued to Serbian troops and law enforcement. The N-PAP is your basic AK-47, it comes standard with wood furniture, the slant style muzzle brake, and Cold Hammer Forged barrel with a 1:10 twist rate. The big difference between this AK and the others is the bolt carrier group is Hard Chromed for added durability and lubricity. This is by far one of the most reliable and accurate AK's listed thus far. I personally own one and have never had a single FTF, FTE, or other type of malfunction. I do have one recommendation for anyone who purchases an M70 N-PAP though, replace the muzzle device with a high quality brake. The AK-74 style .30 caliber brake is by far the most common choice and it does a fantastic job of taming the recoil dynamics and calming the notorious cheek slap that the N-PAP is known for. Any aftermarket parts built for the Yugo M70 are interchangeable with this rifle as it is built to spec, identical to the Yugo M70s. These can be bought for about $650.
This Polish legacy has had it's share of fans and haters over the past couple of decades. When I first saw this rifle it was at the Ozark Armory in Springdale, Arkansas. It sat on the counter in their tactical section, priced at $750 and came with two 30rd Bakelite Mags. Now there is a lot of information on the internet about this rifle and some of it is non-sense while some of it is true. As you know I only post facts here so you can rest assured everything you read about this rifle at my blog is the truth. First, if you had purchased one of these when I first saw it, 8 to 10 years ago, you would have bought an AK that was notorious for key holing. This flaw was quickly traced to the US Made barrels that Century was putting on these rifles when they started importing them a couple decades ago. Century sourced a replacement barrel about 6 years ago that was of better quality, after making hundreds of warranty repairs to these guns. So, if you find a Polish Tantal that was imported and assembled by Century, the first thing I would do is take it to the range and see if it has the key holing issue, if so, change your barrel out with the best barrel money can buy and you'll have an amazing rifle. The best option for a barrel would be the original Polish made barrel than can often be found in the parts kits on Gun Broker but there are a few US manufacturers producing high quality replacement barrels for the Tantal. Secondly, when this rifle was being produced and issued to Polish military and law enforcement it came in a black color with bakelite furniture and bakelite or steel mags. The Tantal's floating around on the market that were imported and assembled by Century were parkerized a silvery gray color. If you pick up a gray parkerized Tantal then you definitely have one that was brought into the US by Century. However, now that these have been in the states for almost two decades, several custom shops have started building these correctly and finishing them in an all Black Moly Resin coating just like they were originally finished in Poland. Nowadays if you can even find one of these, it will set you back $1000 - $1200.
Arsenal is a manufacturer/importer of some of the higher end AK variants. These are the AK's that the AK purists and the collectors are looking for. However, they do make and sell some really good AK's that aren't priced too high. The SLR-107 is one of those. This particular rifle also comes in two other versions, the SLR-106 and SLR-105 which fire the 5.45x39 and 5.56x45 rounds. Other than the chambering all three SLR AK's are identical. The SLR-107 is built on a Bulgarian Stamped receiver and features Arsenal's Bulgarian made Cold Hammer Forged barrel with a 1:10 twist rate. It ships in a few different variations, the most common features the all black polymer furniture with a folding buttstock, but it can also be had with a Midwest Industries quad rail handguard, or with Desert Sand polymer furniture. One notable difference between this AK-47 and most AK-47's is the muzzle brake. Instead of the basic slant brake, Arsenal equips the SLR models with an AK-74 style .30 caliber brake which drastically reduces recoil and muzzle rise. There is no cheek slap when firing an Arsenal AK! You can purchase one of these fine AK's for about $1200.
Another Bulgarian AK from Arsenal the SAM7 differs from the SLR models in that it is built on a Milled Bulgarian receiver and comes with a Chrome Lined Cold Hammer Forged barrel with a 1:10 twist rate and removable four port muzzle brake. NATO black polymer furniture and a Bulgarian Waffle Mag come standard. Other than the features mentioned there aren't any real differences between the SLR-107 and the SAM7 except the receivers. Many prefer the added durability and weight that milled receivers add to the platform. Similar to the AR platform it has been found that milled receivers increase stability and accuracy. That's as much as will say on the subject, I don't need to turn this into a lengthy debate on the differences of milled and stamped receivers. Another great Arsenal AK that cane be had for about $1200.
10. Romanian WASR-10 - 7.62x39mm
9. Century RAS-47 - 7.62x39mm
Century International Arms manufacturers this gun 100% in America. It's almost identical to the WASR-10, as it's an AKM clone, except it's American made! These come standard with maple wood furniture, chrome-moly 1:10 twist barrel, with Century's RAK-1 Enhanced Trigger group, all on a 1/16" stamped receiver. These are a good alternative for anyone wanting a WASR/AKM style AK-47 but prefers American made products. The price is what makes this a better alternative to the WASR-10, you can pick up an RAS-47 with one Magpul 30rd AK mag for $625 from you local gun store.
8. Zastava M70 N-PAP - 7.62x39mm
Another AK imported by Century, the M70 N-PAP was originally manufactured by Zastava for use by Yugoslavian troops and law enforcement. After the breakup of Yugoslavia the country was split into 6 different countries, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, and Macedonia. The modern day M70 N-PAP is still manufactured by Zastava which is now located in Serbia and is still issued to Serbian troops and law enforcement. The N-PAP is your basic AK-47, it comes standard with wood furniture, the slant style muzzle brake, and Cold Hammer Forged barrel with a 1:10 twist rate. The big difference between this AK and the others is the bolt carrier group is Hard Chromed for added durability and lubricity. This is by far one of the most reliable and accurate AK's listed thus far. I personally own one and have never had a single FTF, FTE, or other type of malfunction. I do have one recommendation for anyone who purchases an M70 N-PAP though, replace the muzzle device with a high quality brake. The AK-74 style .30 caliber brake is by far the most common choice and it does a fantastic job of taming the recoil dynamics and calming the notorious cheek slap that the N-PAP is known for. Any aftermarket parts built for the Yugo M70 are interchangeable with this rifle as it is built to spec, identical to the Yugo M70s. These can be bought for about $650.7. Polish Tantal - 5.45x39mm
This Polish legacy has had it's share of fans and haters over the past couple of decades. When I first saw this rifle it was at the Ozark Armory in Springdale, Arkansas. It sat on the counter in their tactical section, priced at $750 and came with two 30rd Bakelite Mags. Now there is a lot of information on the internet about this rifle and some of it is non-sense while some of it is true. As you know I only post facts here so you can rest assured everything you read about this rifle at my blog is the truth. First, if you had purchased one of these when I first saw it, 8 to 10 years ago, you would have bought an AK that was notorious for key holing. This flaw was quickly traced to the US Made barrels that Century was putting on these rifles when they started importing them a couple decades ago. Century sourced a replacement barrel about 6 years ago that was of better quality, after making hundreds of warranty repairs to these guns. So, if you find a Polish Tantal that was imported and assembled by Century, the first thing I would do is take it to the range and see if it has the key holing issue, if so, change your barrel out with the best barrel money can buy and you'll have an amazing rifle. The best option for a barrel would be the original Polish made barrel than can often be found in the parts kits on Gun Broker but there are a few US manufacturers producing high quality replacement barrels for the Tantal. Secondly, when this rifle was being produced and issued to Polish military and law enforcement it came in a black color with bakelite furniture and bakelite or steel mags. The Tantal's floating around on the market that were imported and assembled by Century were parkerized a silvery gray color. If you pick up a gray parkerized Tantal then you definitely have one that was brought into the US by Century. However, now that these have been in the states for almost two decades, several custom shops have started building these correctly and finishing them in an all Black Moly Resin coating just like they were originally finished in Poland. Nowadays if you can even find one of these, it will set you back $1000 - $1200.6. Arsenal SLR-107 - 7.62x39mm
Arsenal is a manufacturer/importer of some of the higher end AK variants. These are the AK's that the AK purists and the collectors are looking for. However, they do make and sell some really good AK's that aren't priced too high. The SLR-107 is one of those. This particular rifle also comes in two other versions, the SLR-106 and SLR-105 which fire the 5.45x39 and 5.56x45 rounds. Other than the chambering all three SLR AK's are identical. The SLR-107 is built on a Bulgarian Stamped receiver and features Arsenal's Bulgarian made Cold Hammer Forged barrel with a 1:10 twist rate. It ships in a few different variations, the most common features the all black polymer furniture with a folding buttstock, but it can also be had with a Midwest Industries quad rail handguard, or with Desert Sand polymer furniture. One notable difference between this AK-47 and most AK-47's is the muzzle brake. Instead of the basic slant brake, Arsenal equips the SLR models with an AK-74 style .30 caliber brake which drastically reduces recoil and muzzle rise. There is no cheek slap when firing an Arsenal AK! You can purchase one of these fine AK's for about $1200.5. Arsenal SAM7 - 7.62x39mm
Another Bulgarian AK from Arsenal the SAM7 differs from the SLR models in that it is built on a Milled Bulgarian receiver and comes with a Chrome Lined Cold Hammer Forged barrel with a 1:10 twist rate and removable four port muzzle brake. NATO black polymer furniture and a Bulgarian Waffle Mag come standard. Other than the features mentioned there aren't any real differences between the SLR-107 and the SAM7 except the receivers. Many prefer the added durability and weight that milled receivers add to the platform. Similar to the AR platform it has been found that milled receivers increase stability and accuracy. That's as much as will say on the subject, I don't need to turn this into a lengthy debate on the differences of milled and stamped receivers. Another great Arsenal AK that cane be had for about $1200.
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