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Posted: 3/11/2010 3:08:19 PM EDT
| So I went to a local pawn shop and low and behold, there's a nice looking AK-47 on the rack. $695 is the asking price, looks to be near mint. The UF says LANCASTER and GOODYEAR AZ. 1992 apears on the front trunion and the serial # of 4228 is on the receiver and the dust cover. The bolt is finished black. On the other side is MOD AUSA. This gun is not as heavy as my Yugo UF, but still looks cool. Is this gun worth trying to buy for a nickle or perhaps $550.00? Or would it be better to pass on this? Thanks for you help. |
lancaster cs sucks but there rifles kick azz. the only rifle i heard smack about was there lowend piece of crap rr. other then that they make a good gun especialy if its a rifle made a couple of yrs ago. heres my russian red 3060 1000rds through her great shooter. this gun is way better then any centruy junk out there. 
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When Lancaster started making Polish underfolders they used actual parts kits that included the Polish barrels. The price was around $625.00 new. No way I would buy a used rifle for more than the cost new. Is this an early one or one they built with a non-chromelined US barrel?
Used from a pawn shop for $700.00? negative. Used gun has zero warranty. |
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I did a search and saw everyone's concerns, thanks for the heads up.
I would not pay new for a used gun. I'm stuck doing that with M1 carbines and it breaks my heart. What is a Rough Rider, in the Lancaster AK-47 lingo? I really like my Yugo UF. 7.62x39 is a cool cartridge. Just as fun to shoot as my 5.56 AR's. Thanks for the replys. |
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When Lancaster started making Polish underfolders they used actual parts kits that included the Polish barrels. The price was around $625.00 new. No way I would buy a used rifle for more than the cost new. Is this an early one or one they built with a non-chromelined US barrel? Used from a pawn shop for $700.00? negative. Used gun has zero warranty. all lancaster guns have a life time warranty if used or not the serial# is on file with them. but i wouldn't send them shit back. if my weapon needs fixing its going to the gunsmith. |
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Lifetime warranty doesn't mean jack if the company is out of business.
Vector had warranties, Vector is out of business. Bob of American Spirit Arms had warranties before he died. People who had issues with his junk AR15s had one guarantee, if you took a firearm in because of an issue Bob would gladly rant, yell, swear and possibly even throw a rifle at you. That was a guarantee you could lay money on. Several AK builders here went bad over the years, jnewt, Gary Gucianno. Don't think they will be fixing any of their builds these days. Those warranties are worthless. I expect Lancaster won't be around for a lifetime. See how much those lifetime warranties are worth then. 
Buy quality and be able to fix a gun yourself. |
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I remember when jnewt was the superstar builder of this forum. He was pumping out great looking guns for people. He got super popular and overwhelmed with work.. then things started to slide. Pretty typical story of any AK builder. Only a few manage to stay in the game longer than a couple years without falling apart.
Builders can have all the warranties they want, doesn't matter to me. I refuse to buy a product with the mindset of "it's a good deal, and if it's a turd gun I can just send it back to them under warranty." I'm not spending my money on something that has a good chance of being a huge headache. |
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and Gary Gucianno had write up in SGN about his great rifles which was all a sham. He probably never built one rifle. Some figured he had a couple of rifles built by someone else (some suspected it was even jnewt) and then just stacked all those rifles in his chicken coop until the Kansas Attorney General's office came to get them.
Those warranties were worth the toilet paper they were written on. |
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If it's a stainless barrel run as far away from it as you can. Lancaster taking orders for chromelined barreled rifles and then substituting stainless barrels and claiming they were an upgrade. 
Yeah not much of an upgrade if they shoot smooth in the first 150 rounds like my 5.45 did. I Stupidly blamed the Bear ammo second trip to the range blew that idea up when after the first 12 shots everything keyholed now it has almost no rifling. Have almost decided what I'm gonna do with mine gonna sleep on it one more night and call Atlantic in the AM. I honestly do hope Lancaster is able to right their ship and start going in the right direction again more quality AK competition is always good just don't use stainless barrels. 4 people Saturday loved the rifle until they saw the keyholes and quickly and quietly thank goodness walked away. |
| I have a Lancaster AK 74 I bought last year and the rifle is #1 in my AK collection. Looks good, shoots good, overall fit and finish top notch. Aside from dealing with a forgetful salesman and having to make about 3 phone calls and send 4-5 emails my Lancaster experience has been great. Their customer service could use some improvement, but in my personal expereince their rifles are damn good... |
| Or you could get one with an oversized gas port US barrel that shoots itself apart like a Lancaster Rough Rider |
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I bought one quite a little ways back (Romy G kit built on a Nodak Spud receiver) and fit and finish is excellent. I've only run a few hundred rounds through it but it ran like a champ. Everything is still tight and works perfect. I do not believe mine is a chrome lined barrel but I bought it less as a shooter and more because I wanted an AKMS clone (which is exactly what I built with the aid of some Russian parts). I'd love to get some more rounds through the gun but I've got no ammo left.
Everything I read about them in the following months indicated to stay the hell away from them. Seems US made AK barrels don't have the best reputation out there. The quality is usually OK but they never seem to be in proper specifications. Look at the blanks they used for the Century Tantals. What a mess. I agree with what was posted. Seems everybody strives for quality when they're first making a name for themselves. Once the orders start pouring in their quality drops through the floor. I have a total of 4 AK's, two of which were built here in the US from parts kits and two which were built in factories that made them. My next will be an Arsenal 74. I don't see the point in taking chances on American-built AK's anymore as I simply don't trust the quality. Could end up with something as good as anything made in Russian. Could be a dud. Why take a chance with my money? I'd rather pay extra for piece of mind. |
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Or you could get one with an oversized gas port US barrel that shoots itself apart like a Lancaster Rough Rider dude we already saw your vid on that piece of crap rr. like i said you bought the lowest line lacaster offers. with that being said that doesn't mean the gun should not give you yrs of use. i think lancaster is a piece of shit for letting guns out there door knowing there defective. but lets look at the odds of how many lancaster owners have great ak from them. what about century i've heard 100's of stories about there gun having trouble 1 in 10 guns from them doesn't have canted sights. |
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dude we already saw your vid on that piece of crap rr. . Dude, it's not mine as I don't buy crap rifles. If you had been here more than 2 months you would know that. whatever. not trying to butt heads with you but your the one slinging the mud at lancaster. and now you say its not even your gun or vid. so what the heck??? oh by the way i have been visiting this site for 3yrs before i joined and posted. wanted to learn the most i could before i posted. |
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dude we already saw your vid on that piece of crap rr. . Dude, it's not mine as I don't buy crap rifles. If you had been here more than 2 months you would know that. whatever. not trying to butt heads with you but your the one slinging the mud at lancaster. and now you say its not even your gun or vid. so what the heck??? oh by the way i have been visiting this site for 3yrs before i joined and posted. wanted to learn the most i could before i posted. You merely assumed something incorrectly. Maybe reading closer would alleviate that. I have first hand knowledge what Lancaster puts out, being one of the first persons here to have seen their work from when they first began building AKs and living near their locality in AZ for 15+ years. |
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dude we already saw your vid on that piece of crap rr. . Dude, it's not mine as I don't buy crap rifles. If you had been here more than 2 months you would know that. whatever. not trying to butt heads with you but your the one slinging the mud at lancaster. and now you say its not even your gun or vid. so what the heck??? oh by the way i have been visiting this site for 3yrs before i joined and posted. wanted to learn the most i could before i posted. You merely assumed something incorrectly. Maybe reading closer would alleviate that. I have first hand knowledge what Lancaster puts out, being one of the first persons here to have seen their work from when they first began building AKs and living near their locality in AZ for 15+ years. cool |
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Or you could get one with an oversized gas port US barrel that shoots itself apart like a Lancaster Rough Rider dude we already saw your vid on that piece of crap rr. like i said you bought the lowest line lacaster offers. with that being said that doesn't mean the gun should not give you yrs of use. i think lancaster is a piece of shit for letting guns out there door knowing there defective. but lets look at the odds of how many lancaster owners have great ak from them. what about century i've heard 100's of stories about there gun having trouble 1 in 10 guns from them doesn't have canted sights. Mine wasn't a low end Rough Rider but a Bulgarian red stock model. Beautiful rifle unfortunately the stainless steel barrel was crap and I don't trust them to put a good one on it at this point. |
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Or you could get one with an oversized gas port US barrel that shoots itself apart like a Lancaster Rough Rider dude we already saw your vid on that piece of crap rr. like i said you bought the lowest line lacaster offers. with that being said that doesn't mean the gun should not give you yrs of use. i think lancaster is a piece of shit for letting guns out there door knowing there defective. but lets look at the odds of how many lancaster owners have great ak from them. what about century i've heard 100's of stories about there gun having trouble 1 in 10 guns from them doesn't have canted sights. Mine wasn't a low end Rough Rider but a Bulgarian red stock model. Beautiful rifle unfortunately the stainless steel barrel was crap and I don't trust them to put a good one on it at this point. that sucks. but imho i would never buy a ak without a crome lined barrel. |
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