Good reading, RimfireCentral has been very informative as well.
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Thompson Center makes a good 10/22 that has a lot of things already done for accuracy. If you are looking at buying one.
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Have a Thompson Center single shot in 7mm mag its a tack driver for sure. One shot one kill.

Its a beautiful rifle just like this one. I always wanted a Contender for handgun hunting but never got that one done.


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Got a couple of IWI products last week.
TS12 and Galil Ace 556

The gold gun is a Desert Eagle 50 from Magnum Research. Bought it for my very first employee who retired this past Friday. He is moving to the western slope. Real Gun Guy.
He had tears in his eyes when he opened the box. He reloads most of his ammo and when he was leaving he said "Now I need to go buy dies for 50 AE". I guess he will be shootin' it.
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Just got an email from Windham Weaponry with a tracking #.

I guess in the current climate, getting an AR for under $1000 is decent deal.
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So if I was looking for an AR 15.....what’s the average I would spend?
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Any AK shooters here? What are they like to shoot/maintain? Know anything about Century Arms VSKA? Thoughts on 7.62?
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I bought a Smith & Wesson M&P 15 Sport II with the MLOK handguard and red dot sight for $829. My understanding is that a year or two ago it would have been a hundred or more cheaper. From what I've seen you can get the Smith & Wesson, Ruger 556, or Springfield Saint all for a similar price point in the budget category, maybe anywhere between 700-900 depending on the retailer and what specs it comes with.
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Unless the quality has drastically improved, I would stay away from Century Arms. I've had my AK for many years, and at the time I bought it CA was fairly notorious for problems. Perhaps they've improved; I'm not a big AK fan, so I don't keep up on them.

My AK is an International Ordinance (IO) Sporter. I paid about $500 for it, perhaps seven or eight years ago. It's a decent rifle, I've never had any issues with it, and I trust it. Still, it sits in the back of my safe, and I rarely shot it. I enjoy my other rifles far more. I got a shit ton of cheap Russian ammo for it. It is basically an apocalypse gun.

My buddy picked up a high quality AK a couple of years ago, but I can't remember the brand. I know he paid well over $1,000 for it, though.
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That’s the input I was after. Thanks man.
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I actually checked the Buds website to see if I could remember the brand of the high end AK my buddy purchased.

Every AK they sell is currently out of stock.

As far as the ballistics of the 7.62x39 versus .556, I really couldn't tell you which is better; I'd say our combat vets like RandallFlagg would be the ones to ask, since they're familiar with the business end of them. The 7.62x39 is a fatter bullet and makes bigger holes. The shell sizes are similar.

Generally, AKs are considered to be less accurate but more reliable. They have a far less complicated firing system and are easier to maintain and work on. There's a reason they're the most widely used rifle in the world.

You can also buy an AR chambered in 7.62x39, but for me, since the whole idea of having an AK in the first place is reliability and cheap ammo, I wouldn't want an AR that shoots those rounds, since cheap ammo shoots dirty and will gum up an AR platform gun quicker. So you'd need to get higher quality ammo for it, which pretty much defeats my intended purpose.

That's about all I've got.
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I'm a huge fan of the 10/22 platform. There's so much cheap versatility. High capacity mags are super cheap. Ammo is cheap(er). You can even staight up convert it to a bullpup design if you want...

https://americanshootingjournal.com/...10-22-bullpup/

Even if you don't like the Bullpup design, there's a ton of 10/22 stuff available.....
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ARs will blow away an AK in fun factor.

I pull my AKs out once maybe twice a year to put smiles on a visiting friend’s face. They usually shoot a half mag, nod their head and ask for another mag of AR.

Easy to breakdown, clean, etc.

Shitty recoil, subpar ballistics. If you want to drop an optic on them it’s a lot more complicated, and I still question the stability/repeatability of the mounting platform .

ARs are superior in every way except for penetration. There is a reason the Russians went to the AK-74 (5.45x39) in the middle of the Cold War.
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To each their own, but I strongly prefer my AK's over my AR's. AK's very rarely jam and take a lot more abuse. Both are great guns, but if I had to grab just one gun in a SHTF situation, it would be an AK.
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Thanks Frazod! I'm more than happy to give my $.02 (although keep in mind that it's only one mans opinion).

I look at the AR versus the AK from sort of a tactical point of view. First, nothing wrong with either of them. I've used them both and, you guessed it - they both kill.

When I first arrived in country in Viet Nam - I was first issued a M14. 7.62. However AK ammunition has different dimensions than 7.62 NATO - the AK is slightly smaller - but basically the same. Humping the A Shau Valley I found out fairly quickly that heavier is NEVER better when you are carrying a battle load of Ammo. God forbid that you are in a situation where it "might" be necessary to carry 150-250 7.62 rounds...they ARE heavy.

When we were issued new TOE - I got a brand spanking new M16 (what we call the AR-15 now). At first, I hated the piece of excrement. Couldn't stand it. The DoD had a problem right off the bat with ammo (for some inane reason). Anyway, they got it figured and SURPRISE!! They worked like a champ after that. Now for the opinion:

For CQB - there is none better than the 5.56 and, for some (at least me) distances of say 300-350 yards.I found that, thankfully, I could carry nearly double the amount of ammo with the 16. And believe me, more ammo is ALWAYS a good thing. They are effective weapons for killing. For anything longer at distance, I would prefer the AK round (7.62). 400 - 600 yards (with a good scope). But both do their intended function and they both do it well. I suppose that you can't necessarily make a "bad" choice. It, as always, comes down to personal prefrence.

There you go....... (whew!)
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