mike_f

Not sure what you mean exactly. I am not aware of any significant amounts of AK-type rifles designed to be semi-auto only that were military issue used by any country. If you get a US-legal semi-auto AK rifle it won't be a rifle "actually issued and used by the military". Are you only interested in Soviet/Russian AK's or would one from another Warsaw Pact country that manufactured their own rifles be OK? Are you looking for a true milled receiver AK-47, or would a stamped receiver AKM type be OK? I guess another question would be are you only interested in 7.62x39 or would a 5.45x39 AK-74 type rifle work? Most of the Russian AK-type rifles in the US are the conventially stocked Saigas. Great rifles for the price, but they take a lot of work to make them look like a "normal" AK. There are Russian AK-47 and AKM parts kits that have been imported into the US and built into functional rifles using US-made or other AK receivers that are semi-auto. There have been many Chinese milled receiver AK-47 type rifles imported. If an AKM from another Warsaw Pact country would be OK, you might consider a Hungarian FEG rifle or an older Romanian SAR-1. They are semi-auto versions of their respective country's AKM-type military rifles (a SAR-1 would be the cheapest). There are many stamped semi-auto AKM-type receiver Chinese rifles in the US too that were made at PLA weapons plants. Semi-auto Bulgarian milled AK-47 types rifles have been sold by Arsenal (they make the Bulgarian military AKs), although the most accurate copy of an AK-47 would be their "Classic" that goes for anout $2K these days. If an AK-74 type rifle would do, Arsenal has sold SLR-105 rifles in the past that are basically semi-auto versions of a Bulgarian AK-74 (they're pretty expensive these days too since they're out of production). Arsenal has also recently started importing "Legion" rifles from Izhmash in Russia that are fixed-stock semi-auto versions of a Russian AK-74. You might also consider a "kit build" rifle built with a US-made receiver (NDS are best) and an AK parts kit. There are several established US builders that make great rifles. There are many possibilities depending on what type of rifle you want, how accurate a copy you want, and how much you want to spend.

I have used these AK gunsmiths with great results: http://www.inrangec2.com/ http://www.ak-103.com/home.html http://www.marshall-arms.com/ http://www.pieceofhistoryfirearms.com/ As others have already mentioned, the good AK smiths are booked months or years in advance. You might start with an email inquiry and see who has the earliest opening.

I saw this video posted on the AK Forum and thought it gave a pretty good discussion of single point vs. 2 point slings.

The Intrac or Pars imports have a good reputation. The last versions assembled by Century with a mix of Chinese parts don't have as good a reputation.

I've used Orion Arms a couple of times with good results. http://www.orion-arms.com/new/ You have to ship to them via UPS. I used the UPS store (old Mailboxes, Etc. store).

The 68Forums is a good place to read up on the latest developments with the 6.8 SPC cartridge. http://68forums.com/forums.php There are a lot of rifle & upper reviews along with reports on ammo performance.

When you said a foot I was going to suggest that you unfold it. Seriously, my advice is to leave it the way it is for a while. I think about everyone initially thinks AK stocks are too short. I know I did. But after I got used to it I actually came to prefer it.

I usually received them in the mail in about a week. I dropped them off with his admin assistant all filled out in duplicate. The only info required is his signature, title, & address. I also leave a stamped self-addressed envelope with the forms. He signs the forms and his admin assistant drops them in the mail to me. Alternately you could go back and pick them up I guess. The mail worked fine for me and unless you work downtown it's a pain going to his office.

I don't know his personal views, but in the last couple of years Serpas has signed 3 Form 1's for me. Quick turnaround, no problems. TN has a law that requires him to sign if you're a law abiding citizen. You can also get your fingerprint cards completed down the hall from his office for a small fee.

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone. I was looking at their schedule and didn't see any classes in TN in the near future. I still want to get my wife and son to the pistol class. Did you see any they offering in TN?

Hello everyone, my name is Mike and I was referred to this site by tnroadrunner. I have been shooting one thing or another for about 30 years (wow that makes me feel old). These days my main interest is semi-auto rifles. I like them all, but have a particular fondness for the AK platform.