Re: Suggestions on an AK

26
Bisbee wrote:
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http://www.classicfirearms.com/centurio ... klaminated
$550 Centurion milled AK-47

Hard to go wrong with this one too if one was looking to get into 7.62x39. Heck, it would cost $550 just to buy and put a bullet guide in a new Saiga sporter to use regular AK mags...

But compared to the Saiga, this Centurion does not have a com-bloc chrome-lined barrel. Neither does the VZ2008. Both get great reviews however and I've not met anyone who's ever actually worn out a barrel from shooting... so again, possibly a collectability factor rather than utility.

In fact, heard said that regular non-lined barrels are actually conducive to accuracy whereas chrome-lined helps increase longevity. Might be a factor if I regularly shot corrosive-primed surplus 7.62x39 and don't clean the rifle that same night.
That played a factor when I was looking for an sks. The norincos and Russians had the chrome lined and the Yugos did not. Considering I clean my rifle after every use, that shouldn't be an issue. Some of those centurions have chrome lined but they're not $550. http://www.atlanticfirearms.com/compone ... l?Itemid=0. Have you heard anything good on those M10's?
"If that's true -- if you don't know who I am -- then maybe your best course is to tread lightly."-Walter White

Re: Suggestions on an AK

27
Thought to add my thoughts regarding the practical difference between stamped and milled AK's. The issue of weight goes father than just the receiver. Many people imagine a milled receiver naturally makes that design a heavier AK over one with a stamped receiver. I owned a stamped Saiga and a milled Bulgarian at the same time...

Believe it or not, the difference is probably less than 1 lbs. though I can't say how much since I never weighed the two AK's when I owned both. But the similarity in (felt) weight between the Bulgarian and Saiga was surprising enough that I did some head scratching and examining. What I found was when both were stripped for cleaning down to the bare receiver, trunion/barrel, FCG and 'furniture', the Saiga felt significantly lighter than the Bulgarian. When the gas piston/carrier, bolt, spring were re-installed and both rifles able to fire, the Saiga mysteriously gained weight to feel almost the same as the Bulgarian. The dust cover made little difference.

Upon further inspection, I did notice the carrier and bolt was indeed visually heavier on the Saiga. Was that indeed the cause for the mysterious increase? -likely so but again I didn't have a scale to weigh them.

Now as to the supposed "accuracy" of a stiffer receiver/trunion design with the milled AK, I cannot confirm or deny that because I do not shoot AK's off the bench; only have the iron sights. I did experiment by firing both rifles side to side to feel the difference in character, compensated for their point of impact at 100 yards, and generally got to know the character of both rifles with time. I preferred the feel of the Bulgarian but cannot confirm it was any more accurate or predictable. (I found I could hit more consistently with the VZ58 and really liked the feel of that milled receiver design over both AK's...).

Now the biggest difference between the way the two AK's fired and felt was in the perceived recoil and the reason I chose to keep the milled design. The Saiga felt more violent, had more going on inside the receiver that transferred through the plastic furniture on both rifles (especially in a cheek-weld aim). I attribute that to the heavier bolt/carrier forced into motion. Moving weight naturally affects follow up shots (hence the focus of AR design for recoil absorption) and the Saiga certainly has more of that going on under the hood.

These are my experiences with both AK designs. It doesn't confirm or deny any theories about accuracy but it does inform me that there is more to the issue than the receiver that makes the Bulgarian unwieldy or more accurate than the Saiga.
"It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence. There is hope for a violent man to become non-violent. There is no such hope for the impotent." -Gandhi

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