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tappedandtagged
5 May 2017, 17:08
My 10th wedding anniversary is coming up and the wife wants to get me something special. I have three ARs and several shotguns, handguns and a few nice hunting rifles But, I've never had an AK, so... I asked her to get me an AK.

Seeig as this is something that I'm going to have for a while, I don't want a cheaply made one with canted sights or reliability issues. I reached out to the one guy I know personally that has a decent AK collection. He said to look at Arsenal (which I had been). He also suggested Palmetto State Armory's PSAK Liberty (with machined front trunion). The price difference is only $100, but the PSA has a lifetime warranty whereas Arsenal is only 1 year. The Arsenal I'm looking at is the stamped SLR, imported from Bulgaria and made 922r compliant. The PSA is all US made from what I understand.

I looked at Krebs, but can't stomach the money. I'd like to keep it at or just below $1,000. Any and all suggestions and thoughts are welcome.
Aragorn
5 May 2017, 17:48
My dad built an AK from a PSA kit and said he wasn't at all impressed with the quality of the components. I know he has a VEPR and an OPAP, which were probably the basis of his comparison.
tappedandtagged
5 May 2017, 21:25
Well that's not what I wanted to hear. Leaning toward the Arsenal all the more now...
VIPER 237
6 May 2017, 11:35
I'd take a seriously look at the Molot Vepr FM-AK47-11, for sub $1k I don't think there is a finer AK variant on the market.
Axlnut
8 May 2017, 00:03
I'd take a seriously look at the Molot Vepr FM-AK47-11, for sub $1k I don't think there is a finer AK variant on the market.

While very well built (as is any VEPR) they are heavy, lack some "normal" AK features (like a cleaning rod) and take non-standard (RPK) furniture. I currently have 3 VEPRs including a FM-11.

If I had to buy one AK tomorrow to dip my toes in the platform, it would be an Arsenal SLR-107-11. It's about as standard AKM as you can get.
tappedandtagged
8 May 2017, 10:54
While very well built (as is any VEPR) they are heavy, lack some "normal" AK features (like a cleaning rod) and take non-standard (RPK) furniture. I currently have 3 VEPRs including a FM-11.

If I had to buy one AK tomorrow to dip my toes in the platform, it would be an Arsenal SLR-107-11. It's about as standard AKM as you can get.

After much consideration, I ordered the SLR107-11 from Copper Custom. Seems I was jist in tome, as they're out of stock now (everywhere but a few overpriced on GunBroker).

Hopefully I will enjoy it.