Outside of the Beryls, there's nothing interesting about a 556 AK. 545 has an incredible history, from Afghanistan to Ukraine. No one ever hid under their desk in school worries about dudes with 556 AKs storming the Fulda Gap.

Pretty much how I feel about 5.45 - it's the standard Russian AK caliber and has been for 50 years. There's just a pedigree there that an AK in 5.56 (and frankly, 7.62x39) doesn't have at this point. To me, there is nothing cooler than the AK-74M. It's just as synonymous with "assault rifle" as the M4 is.

Literally as we speak, one of the most intense wars in modern history is taking place in Eastern Ukraine and 5.45x39 is once again doing the lion's share of small arms killing on both sides.

It's just a legendary caliber that has way more interesting history than any other caliber AK in the last 50 years.

I'm also not a high volume shooter either though - I'm perfectly fine owning firearms in calibers that aren't as plentiful and accessible as others. It's not like 5.45 isn't around - there's still shit tons of it available, it's just not as cheap anymore.

I feel the same way about the reproduction STG-44 that PSA plans to bring to market - why the hell would you NOT want it in its original caliber? It's a legendary rifle in a legendary caliber - a caliber which helped change the world. There is nothing cooler than that - not even saving some money on ammo (if you decided to get one in 5.56 or 7.62x39).

To each their own - just how I feel about it personally.

And for the record, I'd love to have an AK-101 clone (specifically the one KUSA is building now) for fun, but I'm also not losing my shit over it like I will be when they finally introduce and sell their 74M clone - way cooler - way more historically significant.

5.56 is the way. Russian ammo is gone along with Chinese. 7.62x39 is very expensive now. 5.56 is still somewhat reasonable. No point in buying a rifle you can't afford the ammo for.

Historically, you are right.

But 5.56 AKs are really fun to shoot.  

I used to be a collector. Had a C&R license and everything. I ended up with too much crap I didn't even like shooting. I sold most of it and now I'm just a shooter. First and foremost I like guns that are fun to shoot.

Lol, times is tough, never thought my modest ammo fort would become a significant part of my net worth, my ammo has gone up more than gold almost over the last few years (and is vastly more useful). Think i'll sell the gold and hold on to the ammo though.

Some day my grandkids will be like "ooh Grandpa, what's that?" And i'll say "That my boy, is the legendary 7.62x39 demon-slayer-soul-taker, and the source of our great power".

Definitely.  You can have a lot of fun with ammo. Gold, not so much.

7.62x39 and 5.45 are dead IMO. My AK's have been collecting dust since COVID, I think I've shot less than 200rds of 7.62 in the past 4yrs. Still sitting on a pile of ammo, but I hate shooting anything I cant replace. Hopefully we'll see imports from other countries in the future, but I doubt any domestically produced 7.62x39 will ever be cheaper than 5.56. And if I'm paying that much it's going to be spent on 5.56.

I need to dust off my 106fr to scratch the itch.

762 was cheap compared to 556 during covid. That's why I got back into them but unfortunately that didn't last long.


I don't see 762 or definitely 545 ever being lower than 556 again. PSA/AAC might make it shootable but I don't think $300 a case is coming back. Brass 556 even if a few bucks more beats anything steel case if we're talking about a 50 dollar difference per case.


I hope I'm wrong

I love shooting mine.. Attached File

I bought two 5.56 AKs from Atlantic already this year!

Then again, I've also bought a 7.62 AK every time I bought a 5.56 AK.

I'm on board. I just can't decide if I want standard mags or the AR15 magazine variant. I did buy some standard Bulgarian mags already either way.

My brutha. The philosophy that has served so many of us so well for so long: GET BOTH!

Absolutely!

I really like my SAM-5 and will soon get a Krink to go with it

As has been said, its the ammo.  But apart from that, I will say that I will never sell my galil and my Valmet M76 is simply one of the smoothest AKs i have ever shot.  Not going anywhere either.  So yeah 5.56/.223 AKs are great and this is nothing new.

Those who knew this day would come can shoot their hearts out due to years of stashing away 7n6.

Buy it cheap and stack it deep meant something.

It was .17 cpr when I started buying it. 4pk of East German bakes in the wrap we’re $20. Salad days.

I think 5.45 is more fun and interesting than 5.56, that said I’m out with exception of a couple kits and a crate of 7n6 for collection purposes.

5.56 AK’s are the way today, but then there are far bette platforms for 5.56 than the AK. That said I still need to get a PSA 101.

I bought an AR as my first rifle. Used to get ammo around .27 per round. Then I got an AK because I wanted to shoot more, and ammo was cheaper. Then ammo almost matched, and it didn't make sense to keep buying 2 different calibers. Sold the AK. 5.56 isn't my favorite round but it's OK. I prefer something heavier hitting, like 7.62x39, or 300 blackout, but cost of ammo means budget restraints. If I had bottomless income I'd get more, but for now I'd rather have something OK that I can train with regularly and maintain a decent standard than have a superior round that I don't shoot often because it's expensive.

Yeah, I think that's moot though for a lot of us here who just want to shoot AKs a lot.

It's not that I want to shoot 5.56 or that 5.56 is the best round for AKs. It's that I want to shoot my AKs and have fun doing it. In the US, 5.56 makes a lot of sense as rifle food, regardless of the rifle.  The more 5.56 I shoot, the less my stack of 7.62x39 reduces.

Heck, I even have a 9mm AK. Cheap ammo FTW!

You guys aren't helping me stop my poor impulse control on this AK19 that I'm looking at

Do think about it, do it! It's an investment!

You only live once

I'll help. STOP IT! Buy a manly rifle in 7.62!

don't listen to this guy. Do itttttt!!!!!!!

No, why would you limit to a poor intermediate round with generally poor ballistic coefficients.

Buy it and convert it to .50 beowulf, wail on some east Texas feral hogzillas with that bad boy.

whats the consensus on the PSA 101's?

Mine has been great thus far.
Roughly 1500 rds through it without serious issue.
I have had two rounds fail to fire due to presumably hard primers. Both had firing pin strikes on the primer, but both failed to fire. One fired after a subsequent chambering and firing, the other did not. I have fed it a mixed diet of steel from Bernaul, Wolf, and Tula, as well as brass from everyone I could find.
Mine is particularly accurate.
With Federal Tactical Rifle Urban 55gr (Game King) I shot a 5 rd group (from the bench at 100 yds with a rest) measuring 1.31 inches edge to edge:
 

Using unknown random 223/556 ammo I shot this three-round group while testing RTZ on side mounts before heading out to Kalashni-Con this year at Versailles Missouri. Once again
100 yards, from the bench with a rest:




I did not have calipers with me to measure, but the first joint of my index finger is approximately 1 inch long.

If you'd told me an AK could shoot sub 1.5 inch groups, I would have expected it to be a $4k AK or so.
If you'd told me an American made AK could shoot sub 1.5 inch groups I would have laughed.
If you told me a PSA AK purchased for $799 including ten 30 rd mags could shoot sub 1.5 inch groups I'd have said you were high.
But here we are.

Now, I realize that 5 rd groups do not meet Molon's degree of accuracy, and 3 rd groups don't either.
I'm not claiming they do.
I'm pointing out the gun is likely capable of better performance than most people think.
Certainly better than I thought possible.


Regarding 556 AK's...

Summer K-Con had alot of 556 AK's, Galils, and Galil Ace's.
I would guess that 7.62 was the most common caliber, but 556 was a close second and had gained significantly in popularity from Winter K-Con which was held in January this year.
545 guns were definitely in the minority with most people going out of their way to scrounge up any found 545 and hand it off to those shooting it. That was like leaving money on the ground for those guys.

I also got to handle and play with Mark Krebs upcoming M-23, (556) AK.
I was impressed.
It is not a traditional gun in any sense of the word. So if you're a purist, you already hate it because it's 556. The fact that it has MLok rails, a full top rail, an adjustable stock, and adjustable gas block is going to make you lose your mind.

I wont give up my 7.62 guns, but I wish the ammo was cheaper and more available.

Very very nice man, congrats, you got a keeper there for sure!

Some people out there just steadily refuse to believe an AK can do this, i've seen them advise a guy with a 5 MOA rifle to just keep it and use it for mag dumps or trash it because you'll never get one any better....such nonsense. Some rifles are lemons, some are golden, it's pretty much the luck of the draw.

With regard to group size, had a guy hold forth that a 1/4 MOA 3 shot group I had one time, didn't mean squat, because "3 shot groups are not indicative of a rifle's capability".

I answered "they are if I hit what i'm aiming at".

He had no reply to that.

What barrel is in that rifle?

https://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-ak-101-classic-polymer-rifle-with-toolcraft-trunnion-bolt-and-carrier-black.html

I have since changed the handguard and butt stock, but this is the one I got.

Not an FN barrel.