Which AK is best to buy?Pre-ban or Semi-Auto & what is the difference??

Answer 1

Pre-ban will still be a semi-auto it was merely manufactured and or imported before the Assault Weapon Ban. The only way your rifle will not be semi-auto is if you obtain a Class III permit from the Government, full-auto weapons are also very pricey, I would not expect a full auto AK to be available for less than $1500, (if lucky). Select fire M-16 style rifles commonly retail at $6,000 to $8,000
You may legally add a trigger actuator to your semi-auto rifle and obtain low cost selective/full auto fire capability as the rifle still only fires with each pull of the trigger. The trigger actuator merely operates the trigger much faster than the human finger is capable of.
Pre-ban as of often considered of higher quality than post-ban
although if you locate the right manufacturers this may not prove true and in some cases may be reversed.
Many people regard Romanian AK's as the best outside of true Russian produced models, however if you obtain a Romanian AK of the incorrect Arsenal or assembly plant it may be considerably worse than one form another country.
Asian models are often considered the worst, although this may be unfounded.
WASR models are fairly well made and extremely low priced but you get what you pay for.

The most important aspect is whether you purchase a Milled or Stamped receiver. Milled receivers are more durable and accurate but also more expensive than those of stamped construction.
Whatever the model do not expect a 1 MOA rifle @ 100 yards, the AK design is inherently inaccurate, due to its low tolerance, but because of this the rifle is going to function even if half submerged in a mud puddle, its greatest virtue.

Answer 2

There is no "Pre-Ban" anymore unless you live in one of the communist states like NJ, NY and California among a few others.
They adopted their own 1994 Gun Ban laws before the sunset of the Clinton gun ban.

All Ak's will be semi-auto unless you possess a Class 3 tax stamp to own a Class 3 full auto gun? Some states allow them and others like the aforementioned ones do not. Any Class 3 gun will be $5K or more which puts them out of the hands of many law abiding citizens. :-(

I have an Arsenal USA underfolder model that is a nice one.

The first link below is the parent company that makes Arsenal USA and the second link is a forum with many experts in AK47's and also a list of several varients that are available. :-)

Answer 3

The Yugoslavian AK 47s are the highest quality AKs ever offered. They are the most improved, heaviest duty, and made with modern materials on modern machinery. All Romanian AKs were called WASR 10s. They held different magazines than all other AKs. The mag was single stack and only held 10 rd.s. They were disassembled and crudely punched out to accept normal 30 rd. AK mags. The one I seen looked like a botch job worst class!
The Yugo are like new and several features are different from the other country's manufacture, like a grenade launcher sight. (You can't get grenades, but it looks neat.) Nice Teak wood stock, bayonet lug, heavy duty 1.5mm thick RPK machine gun type receiver (semi-auto only).They cost a little more than the Romys but the higher quality is worth it. Century Arms International imports and modifies them to BATFE requirements (makes them permanently (?) semi-auto). Gun stores and gun shows usually have them. The Yugos are the best.
Russian & Chinese models are getting harder to find and nice ones are getting pricier$. Sometimes you can find them in pawn shops.
Full auto guns are very $$$$ and cost a lot to feed. You must buy a 'stamp', pass an intense background check, and maybe put up with govt. inspectors checking to see if you have it and properly stored.

Answer 4

All of them are semi-autos unless you purchase a tax stamped full auto. I had a chinese MAK-90 and liked it quite a bit. Most of my friends prefer the russian or Yugoslavian models.

Answer 5

http://www.ak-47.net/

AK-47 is a design, not a brand name. The people who manufacture guns based on the AK-47 design often differ in quality and durability.

Answer 6

I have a romanian that I have used for deer hunting for 4 years now. It is accurate and dependable, I haven't had any problems with it at all. It came with a 5 shot clip for legal hunting , and a 15 shot clip for rapid shooting. A variety of larger clips are available it you need more firepower.

Answer 7

Chinese MAK90 if you can find one. Despite information to the contrary in other answers, the best AK variant ever imported to the US.

Answer 8

Don't waste your time, all AK's now days are cheap *** copies, stick with the Black Rifle family. www.bushmaster.com

Answer 9

no more ban in the u.s. go to texas and buy new, open box, have fun....lol

Answer 10

Are you shooting up a school or a post office?