romanian ak74

[crazycathed]

I saw a romanian ak 74 I was thinking of buying. the stock was sanded smooth but no finish to it. I cant remember the cartridge size. it seemed an odd one. the shop is asking $600 for it. is this a reasonable price? I know nothing about firearms .

[Cooter]

Are you talking about the WASR-2?
5.45x39 if I remember right. They were going for around $350 - $400 before the Obama scare. I wouldn't even bother with those WASR's expecially at $600, plus the stock is unfinished. The only 5.45 you can find is old mil-surplus, and mostly dirty corrosive crap. You can't find any reloadable brass either. My buddy just bought a WASR-3, and he can't find any mags that feed right except the one that came with it. Apparently, the factory just dremels the mag-catch to fit the one they give you, so any other kind, may or may not fit right. I don't know if the WASR-2's are the same, but I tend to stay away from any gun coming from Romania.

Save up a bit more and get a nice AR-15.

[NDS]

Are you talking about the WASR-2?
5.45x39 if I remember right. They were going for around $350 - $400 before the Obama scare. I wouldn't even bother with those WASR's expecially at $600, plus the stock is unfinished.

WASR AKs tend to work well but they are poorly finished. The days of $300 AKs of any caliber are most likely over...

The only 5.45 you can find is old mil-surplus, and mostly dirty corrosive crap. You can't find any reloadable brass either.

If my old you mean 1980s production, you're partly right. Wolf and Brown / Silver Bear commercial ammo of current manufacture is availble. Reloadable it's not, but the surplus is around $150 to $200 for a spam can of 1080 rounds. That's no more expensive than components to reload. Corrosive--I've left one uncleaned for a week and no signs of corrosion--but I live in Nevada and that may be due to the dry climate. Clean after every use of surplus ammo. Crap--it most definitely is not.

My buddy just bought a WASR-3, and he can't find any mags that feed right except the one that came with it. Apparently, the factory just dremels the mag-catch to fit the one they give you, so any other kind, may or may not fit right. I don't know if the WASR-2's are the same, but I tend to stay away from any gun coming from Romania.

I don't know about mags for a WASR-3, but crazycathed probably meant a WASR 2. I have a couple of dozen surplus magazines made my various former WARSAW Pact nations and they all work well.

Save up a bit more and get a nice AR-15.

That's always good advice but has nothing to do with the question.

[AZSATT]

Yes, the prices on all assault-style rifles as increased, and soon - when the ban comes - it won't matter too much. But when I think of my AK 74 (which was also made in Romania) with the bakelite mags and tough-as-nails dependability - I sincerely regret ever selling that thing.

Out of the box accuracy shooting with iron sights and hitting 300 meter iron plates (with little recoil) was always great fun.

$600 sounds steep, but if it's negotiable and still available, I know I'd have another one.

[Scarecrow]

I have a romanian AK-47. love it. built well. shoots great and very reliable. I paid 350 for it. 600 seems a bit on the high side to me.. but then again we've got BO in the white house. as far as romanian AK's I think they are great. personally I prefer the 7.62 than the 5.45 round though. easier to find and hits a lot harder.