Milled AK's

[Guest AK4ME]

Who makes milled AK's now? Whats the best one?

I don't think I have ever saw a milled semi-auto in person, I'd kind of like to add one to the collection.

Thanks in advance.

[Guest sling]

Arsenal out of Bulgaria.

Probably the best damn AK you can buy. Be prepared to fork out some change though.

http://www.arsenalinc.com/about.htm

[Guest AK4ME]

I guess now I know why they are rarely seen at gun shows and such. One milled rifle for the price of two Yugo underfolders.

I had no idea they were that expensive. May put that one on the back burner for a while.

Thanks for the info.

[Guest sling]

I've had a few of them and i've put together quite a few. They're a heck of a gun. But, 800 bucks for an AK?

Seriously. Spend that kind of money on an AR.

[Smith]

I guess now I know why they are rarely seen at gun shows and such. One milled rifle for the price of two Yugo underfolders.

I had no idea they were that expensive. May put that one on the back burner for a while.

Thanks for the info.

They are so expensive because no one wants to make them. The original milled AK came out in '47 and by '59 they had switched to the AKM. Keep in mind Russians don't change often, "better is the enemy of good enough". The reason? the milled ones break, are heavy, and are inferior to the AKM. if you want a shooter get a AKM, if you are looking for a collector piece go ahead and drop the dime in the milled. Just don't shoot it much.

[Guest grimel]

Milled AK's are fine. Just hard to find aftermarket stocks.

If you really want a milled AK to fill out your collection, send me a PM. I have a Bulgarian I'm thinking about modifying that hasn't been shot more than a 100rds. It would be easier to buy a Saiga and modify it.

[Guest sling]

They are so expensive because no one wants to make them. The original milled AK came out in '47 and by '59 they had switched to the AKM. Keep in mind Russians don't change often, "better is the enemy of good enough". The reason? the milled ones break, are heavy, and are inferior to the AKM. if you want a shooter get a AKM, if you are looking for a collector piece go ahead and drop the dime in the milled. Just don't shoot it much.

The Russians changed to stamp recievers to save money... Russia does this with everything.

Granted, milled recievers are heavier than stamped.. but its the exact opposite as far as quality. I've never ever heard of a milled AK "breaking."

Not trying to be an ass but please provide some sort of proof of this happending frequently and i'll be glad to take back my statement.

[Guest Loki]

Ak's are heavy anyway. I prefer the AKM, because it's lighter. I've never heard of a milled one breaking either. But it's damned hard to find stocks for them.

[fizik]

sorry for the idiocy, but how do you tell the difference just looking at one? is it possible, or is it based on manufacturer and year or something?

[Mausermeister]

sorry for the idiocy, but how do you tell the difference just looking at one? is it possible, or is it based on manufacturer and year or something?

No rivets.

[Smith]

sorry for the idiocy, but how do you tell the difference just looking at one? is it possible, or is it based on manufacturer and year or something?

they will also have a rectangle indention toward the front of the receiver.

[Smith]

The Russians changed to stamp recievers to save money... Russia does this with everything.

Granted, milled recievers are heavier than stamped.. but its the exact opposite as far as quality. I've never ever heard of a milled AK "breaking."

Not trying to be an ass but please provide some sort of proof of this happending frequently and i'll be glad to take back my statement.

They switched to milled to save money. They went to using the SKS tooling that they already had until they could get the bugs worked out of the stamped tooling. The milled receivers tend to stress fracture in the front trunion/barrel junction due to its rigidity. The stamped recievers have some give which eliminate the stess, thus more reliable while sacrificing a little accuracy.

[fizik]

ah, that makes sense. i guess i've never seen one then. cool, sorry bout the hijack there.

[Guest gcrookston]

my experience with Milled AK type rifles is limited the Chicom stuff that was coming in in the 1980's when I had my FFL. They were heavier, they were brittle and prone to cracking at the front, where the barrel trunion merged with the receiver. I think the Russians did away with them in 1959 for a reasion, and the Chinese followed shortly there after, both utilizing the stamped steel receivers, realizing those forged and machined receivers are "limited" (I call them POS).

Nathan, I don't think any accuracy was lost by adopting the stamped receivers over the milled. Keep in mind the 7.62x39 is on par with our 30-30. Not the best round to judge accuracy by. And these AK's were designed and imparted to the masses intending no or little schooling in the martial arts bestowing only a spray and pray attitude on those Yankee war-mongers.

Edited August 2, 2008 by gcrookston