Ar-15 vs aks-47

[bouncer50]

I have a couple of each. I myself like the Ak better i like the folding stocks it make for a nice compact weapon compare to the AR. My Ranger friend who serve in Nam told me they both had good stopping power. He did tell me the Ak work better in the Jungle with the rain and mud of course the rusting. He said the Ar bullet would deflect off of small branches. He said in full auto the Ar was better to control then the AK. Just my opinion i like the 30 cal compare to the 22 cal. If i had to go to war i would take the AK. Dont get me wrong the AR is also a great rifle.

[sawinredneck]

That's why I bought an AR-10!
I always liked the AR platform but never considered the .223/5.56 much more than a "varmit" cartridge.
Loved the AK's virtual indestructibilty, but I bought into the accuracy myth that the AR is better. Which it is, but not in the realm that I'll ever be able to notice! I finally found an odd SKS back in the '90's that I decided to keep, wish I'd have bought a truckload of the $150 AK's and $60 sardine cans of ammo back then!
Both are fine rifles, both have pluses and minuses, you just have to figure out which one suits your needs better.

[curator]

Been there, done that. The Ak was not encountered all that often in the early 'Nam years, '66 & 67. More likely to see SKS. Nonetheless, the 7.62X39 round had greater penetration and 'brush busting" capacity but it lacked the accuracy of the M-16 and 5.56 NATO round. The original 55 grain slugs in the M16 were not great "man-stoppers" and had a tendency to have the rim rip off during extraction which took the rifle out of commission until cleared. Using a ram-rod after each shot went out with the War Between the States a century earlier. The AKs we did run up against worked no matter what but shot high on full auto (thank goodness!) and had a distinctive sound. The V.C. never seemed to have much ammo. The M16 was controllable on full auto assuming it didn't jam and you could carry a LOT of ammo. Now, an M16 that took 7.62X39 ammo would have been quite the ticket. Considering the III Corps area fire fights I saw, the .300 Blackout with 220 grain subsonic bullets would have been just right too.

[jmort]

If you consider ball ammo then yes
One good hit from a 55 grain PSP or 60 grain Partition and you dead. That is all you need. One good hit.
AR will easily kill deer and hog with the right bullet. Partition 22 Caliber 60 Grain Bullet (50ct)

Legendary 22 Partition 60 Grain Spitzer Bullet
Watch some "torture tests" AK v. AR15
You will be surprised
Get what makes sense to you

[tunnug]

This will sum it up for you;

AK vs. AR vs. Mosin Nagant
Written by Head of the old Headsbunker.com, also known as "Ezra Coli" on the various message boards.

There's an ever present, unending debate over which is best, ARs or AKs, raging across the internet and in gun shops every day sending bile and bitter insults spewing both ways. This debate has turned fathers against sons, best friends against one another, and........well you get the point. The author is of the opinion that there are of course pros and cons to each family of rifle, and I refuse to engage in what is "best". As one who loves them all, especially the AK and AR series, I thought I'd pass on some of the knowledge I have gained over the years concerning these wildly different weapons. As a bonus, I'll toss in my knowledge of another favorite family of weapons at the Bunker, just because they are very popular these days and I often ramble about them. So, here, for the aid of those hammering one another in the debate, is some unbiased, non-slanted, untainted raw knowledge about the AK, the AR, and the Mosin Nagant.

Stuff you know if you have an AK	Stuff you know if you have an AR	Stuff you know if you have a Mosin Nagant
It works though you have never cleaned it. Ever.	You have $9 per ounce special non-detergent synthetic Teflon infused oil for cleaning.	It was last cleaned in Berlin in 1945.
You are able to hit the broad side of a barn from inside.	You are able to hit the broad side of a barn from 600 meters.	You can hit the farm from two counties over.
Cheap mags are fun to buy.	Cheap mags melt.	What's a mag?
Your safety can be heard from 300 meters away.	You can silently flip off the safety with your finger on the trigger.	What's a safety?
Your rifle comes with a cheap nylon sling.	Your rifle has a 9 point stealth tactical suspension system.	You rifle has dog collars.
Your bayonet makes a good wire cutter.	Your bayonet is actually a pretty good steak knife.	Your bayonet is longer than your leg.
You can put a .30" hole through 12" of oak, if you can hit it.	You can put one hole in a paper target at 100 meters with 30 rounds.	You can knock down everyone else's target with the shock wave of your bullet going downrange.
When out of ammo your rifle will nominally pass as a club.	When out of ammo, your rifle makes a great wiffle bat.	When out of ammo, your rifle makes a supreme war club, pike, boat oar, tent pole, or firewood.
Recoil is manageable, even fun.	What's recoil?	Recoil is often used to relocate shoulders thrown out by the previous shot.
Your sight adjustment goes to "10", and you've never bothered moving it.	Your sight adjustment is incremented in fractions of minute of angle.	Your sight adjustment goes to 12 miles and you've actually tried it.
Your rifle can be used by any two bit nation's most illiterate conscripts to fight elite forces worldwide.	Your rifle is used by elite forces worldwide to fight two bit nations' most illiterate conscripts.	Your rifle has fought against itself and won every time.
Your rifle won some revolutions.	Your rifle won the Cold War.	Your rifle won a pole vault event.
You paid $350.	You paid $900.	You paid $59.95.
You buy cheap ammo by the case.	You lovingly reload precision crafted rounds one by one.	You dig your ammo out of a farmer's field in Ukraine and it works just fine.
You can intimidate your foe with the bayonet mounted.	You foes laugh when you mount your bayonet.	You can bayonet your foe on the other side of the river without leaving the comfort of your hole.
Service life, 50 years.	Service life, 40 years.	Service life, 100 years, and counting.
It's easier to buy a new rifle when you want to change cartridge sizes.	You can change cartridge sizes with the push of a couple of pins and a new upper.	You believe no real man would dare risk the ridicule of his friends by suggesting there is anything but 7.62x54r.
You can repair your rifle with a big hammer and a swift kick.	You can repair your rifle by taking it to a certified gunsmith, it's under warranty!	If your rifle breaks, you buy a new one.
You consider it a badge of honor when you get your handguards to burst into flames.	You consider it a badge of honor when you shoot a sub-MOA 5 shot group.	You consider it a badge of honor when you cycle 5 rounds without the aid of a 2x4.
After a long day the range you relax by watching "Red Dawn".	After a long day at the range you relax by watching "Blackhawk Down".	After a long day at the range you relax by visiting the chiropractor.
After cleaning your rifle you have a strong urge for a stiff shot of Vodka.	After cleaning your rifle you have a strong urge for hotdogs and apple pie.	After cleaning your rifle you have a strong urge for shishkabob.
You can accessorize you rifle with a new muzzle brake or a nice stock set.	Your rifle's accessories are eight times more valuable than your rifle.	Your rifle's accessory is a small tin can with a funny lid, but it's buried under an apartment building somewhere in Budapest.
Your rifle's finish is varnish and paint.	Your rifle's finish is Teflon and high tech polymers.	Your rifle's finish is low grade shellac, cosmoline and Olga's toe nails.
Your wife tolerates your autographed framed picture of Mikhail Kalashnikov.	Your wife tolerates your autographed framed picture of Eugene Stoner.	You're not sure there WERE cameras to photograph Sergei Mosin.
Late at night you sometimes have to fight the urge to hold your rifle over your head and shout "Wolverines!"	Late at night you sometimes have to fight the urge to clear your house, slicing the pie from room to room.	Late at night, you sometimes have to fight the urge to dig a fighting trench in the the yard to sleep in.
There you have it. In the end, it is clear to any open minded inquirer that the Mosin Nagant is the most superior weapon of all time, but the AR and the AK come out as a draw when compared side by side.

[Texas by God]

That was hilarious!
But the AR is my pick.

[sawinredneck]

Nice!!! That's a good one.

[dverna]

If, as stated, you go to war, look at the load out weight for both with one mag in the gun and 6 in a battle vest. Then add a basic kit on your back. I am old so weight matters. I am a good shot so accuracy matters. I have poor eyesight and like having good sights. The AR wins. Jmort makes some good points on bullets.

If you do not go to war, the AR is cheaper to shoot, more fun to shoot because it is more accurate and you can add a decent trigger. (BTW I bought 6000 Hornady 55 gr SP for about $425 delivered a few months ago). Brass is cheap and readily available...most is boxer primed.

The AK may be a better cast shooter as accuracy sucks anyway and bigger bullets are easier to cast. But if you catch the sales, jacketed .224 bullets are not too expensive (see above). Some are getting acceptable performance out of the .223 with cast...even exceeding the accuracy of an AK with jacketed. If the SHTF, I have a mold for a 65 gr bullet but hopefully I never use it. At 7 cents for a jacketed bullet that will shoot well, it is unlikely I would cast, GC and lube/coat bullets for the quantity I plan to use.

The AK may have been an economical choice 10 years ago but look at the current price of decent AR's.

[Larry Gibson]

I have 3 MNs, 2 ARs and an SKS ......no AK.......no intention of getting an AK......

I've been on the wrong end of AKs, shot many of them, repaired many and thrown many away......I've no fondness nor need for one. However, should anyone want to give me one......

Larry Gibson

[sawinredneck]

Hadn't even looked at AK prices since the election! Last October I was looking for something with a detachable mag, faster to load than my SKS, IMO. AK's were selling around $800, AR-15's were $600 (used) and up. I got my AR-10 at Academy for $739, on sale. That was a pretty easy decision. What are AK's selling for now days?

[DerekP Houston]

If, as stated, you go to war, look at the load out weight for both with one mag in the gun and 6 in a battle vest. Then add a basic kit on your back. I am old so weight matters. I am a good shot so accuracy matters. I have poor eyesight and like having good sights. The AR wins. Jmort makes some good points on bullets.

If you do not go to war, the AR is cheaper to shoot, more fun to shoot because it is more accurate and you can add a decent trigger. (BTW I bought 6000 Hornady 55 gr SP for about $425 delivered a few months ago). Brass is cheap and readily available...most is boxer primed.

The AK may be a better cast shooter as accuracy sucks anyway and bigger bullets are easier to cast. But if you catch the sales, jacketed .224 bullets are not too expensive (see above). Some are getting acceptable performance out of the .223 with cast...even exceeding the accuracy of an AK with jacketed. If the SHTF, I have a mold for a 65 gr bullet but hopefully I never use it. At 7 cents for a jacketed bullet that will shoot well, it is unlikely I would cast, GC and lube/coat bullets for the quantity I plan to use.

The AK may have been an economical choice 10 years ago but look at the current price of decent AR's.

With the AR market down to ~400 for a new gun, I can't see the appeal an import AK has anymore. That being said....of course I have 2 '47's and a '74 model in my safe, you never know!

[labradigger1]

AK goes bang every time.

[Artful]

[Artful]

[Artful]

[Artful]

[Artful]

[Artful]

[Artful]

[jmort]

From post #4

"Watch some "torture tests" AK v. AR15
You will be surprised"

As they said in the video "This myth has been going on way too long"

The AK fan boys ****-ume a whole lot