A buddy in Facebook sent me a link to this ad/raffle:
Unless you can prove that your AK is from Soviet manufacturing and was the first one that enter Czechoslovakia to crush the “Prague Spring”, no AK is worth that much.
I am not a hater of AKs. Old reader know I have clone that served me through more than one post hurricane period, and I have sung the praises of it but because I got it for $350, (FFL fee included) and it is a darn good rifle at that prince: Hard hitting round, reasonably accurate at suburban distances and almost impossible to mess up. It is heavy, hard to reload under pressure, iron sights suck to high heaven and it is usually nor smoothly finished. But again, it is worth the $350-$400 range price. And I don’t care who manufactured it or if it hasa milled receiver instead of a stamped one and the metal parts were massaged with vodka by a virgin maiden form the Urals: $1,000 for an AK is simply crazy. It is more a question of “collectability” than performance.
On the other side of the equation, this was captured today from Palmetto State Armory’s site:
Not even having to assemble the lower, just put both parts together and you have a complete AR15 rifle for under $350. That means you get to use the remaining $651.02 in magazines, ammo and a bit of basic training. A lighter, modern and more ergonomic rifle that used to be available only at twice that price.
Dogs and cats sleeping together… the sign of the End of Times. I tell you.
You do know that you are breaking the hearts of those of us who are unfortunate inmates of the 2A-less states, with those pictures and prices, do you? And for a new one!
???
The day of cheep AKs is long gone with the ATFs current import rules. It isn’t a cheap gun to make compared to the CNC fest that ARs are now, a CNC setup might be cheaper these days to make milled AKs than paying for labor to correctly rivet stamped recievers. As is a good ak goes for around 800 new, hell even SKS are reaching 500-600 for beat up shooters now. The poor mans rifle is now the AR.
Don’t forget human sacrifice and mass hysteria.
I see your point *but* that is not an AK, that is an RPK.
I know I know, walks like a duck and all that but the RPK is like an AK on steroids. It’s sturdier, it’s milled (not stamped) and much more gun in every aspect.
It could still argue if it’s worth a thousand bucks, tho. Maybe it was hand assembled by nubile maidens on a pacific island?
“…it’s milled (not stamped)…”
I do believe you are wrong about that.
https://www.classicfirearms.com/century-jra-m72b1-rpk-rifle-762×39/
Oops, yeah. It’s still stamped but from 50% thicker material.
I mixed them up with some other civilian manufacter that uses milled receivers.
But nevertheless, the RPK is more expoensive then the AK one – but that’s still a high price 😀
“There is no $1000 AK, there is only Zuul.”
😉
For the purpose of a raffle they can say it’s worth whatever they want. Much like the MSRP for automobiles, the price people are actually willing to pay may vary.
Yeah, a grand is the current going rate for new AK’s these days.
The days of the $350 Century are long behind.
https://palmettostatearmory.com/psak-47-gf3-forged-moe-rifle-od-green.html
$530 for a PSA AK.
“Hurr durr I’ll have you know I got an original NiB AK hand delivered and autographed by Mikael Kalashnikov himself 35 years ago for eight dollars.”
Times change, Boomer.