AK advice

[Jefferson2000]

Evening all, looking to pick the brains of the AK crowd.

I've been into airsoft for longer than I care to remember, but mostly used AR platforms for the majority of my time (indeed the last AK I bought came from trapper industries if that gives my age away!). I've not bought a new RIF for many years now and I'm a bit out of touch with the latest manufacturers and models.

My priority list is probably a little different to most, so I'll list them in order if that aids any recommendations.

1. Build quality - I treat my RIF's fairly harshly, steel would be a massive bonus, but from what I've seen the options are limited and pricey.

2. Realism- looking for a solid stocked 7.62x39 model for the vintage opfor feels, ideally based off a real model.

3. Performance - ideally something with reasonable hop up and a mosfet as stock.

4. Price - ideally come in under or around £300-£350 with a handful of magazines. I'm not adverse to buying used, don't really want to import myself though.

If I'm asking for something unachievable then don't be shy of telling me!

Appreciate any suggestions from those of you that dabble with the AK world.

 

[tside]

Evening all, looking to pick the brains of the AK crowd.

I've been into airsoft for longer than I care to remember, but mostly used AR platforms for the majority of my time (indeed the last AK I bought came from trapper industries if that gives my age away!). I've not bought a new RIF for many years now and I'm a bit out of touch with the latest manufacturers and models.

My priority list is probably a little different to most, so I'll list them in order if that aids any recommendations.

1. Build quality - I treat my RIF's fairly harshly, steel would be a massive bonus, but from what I've seen the options are limited and pricey.

2. Realism- looking for a solid stocked 7.62x39 model for the vintage opfor feels, ideally based off a real model.

3. Performance - ideally something with reasonable hop up and a mosfet as stock.

4. Price - ideally come in under or around £300-£350 with a handful of magazines. I'm not adverse to buying used, don't really want to import myself though.

If I'm asking for something unachievable then don't be shy of telling me!

Appreciate any suggestions from those of you that dabble with the AK world.

Click to shrink...

Are you looking for aeg as opposed to gas blowback? If so a cyma ak 47m isnt a bad bet. You could get a decent cm.048m and plenty of mags for your price range but it is lacking the MOSFET as standard. The cyma platinum of the same model will take your price higher than your budget but has a better internals quality and MOSFET as standard.

 

[Austeyr]

LCT or E&L for external build quality (LCT wood is nicer imo). Cyma definitely comes in further down in terms of quality however the price difference may make it more appealing to you.

LCT gets a bad rap for their internals however I’ve owned maybe 15 of them from various generations and I’ve not had any issues with any bar 2 (VSS & a preowned krink). I did however have issues with my E&L including misfeeds, jams and general accuracy/distance issues. Cyma AK’s just seem to chug along without fault.

LCT are coming out with models with gate asters pre-installed now, however I don’t think they’ll be in your budget realistically. E&L did do an AK line with mosfets I believe however they was just basic protection mosfets and nothing fancy like a perun etc

If you wanted something more modern, then ignore all of the above and hunt for an Arcturus AK-12 PE

 

[Jefferson2000]

Thanks both!

Definitely AEG for this one, as much as the TM AKM looks like it would fit my bill on paper.

My budget is potentially flexible, but I doubt that this will see much action so hard to justify a huge outlay. If a modest increase would open up a greater range then it might be worth me waiting an extra month to buy.

I run a ptw or a kc02 as my go to kit, this is mainly to scratch an itch for opfor kit for themed events, although I wouldn't be surprised if newer kit would match the performance of my aging fleet so to speak (although it's all well serviced and still does the job)

 

[Austeyr]

Thanks both!

Definitely AEG for this one, as much as the TM AKM looks like it would fit my bill on paper.

My budget is potentially flexible, but I doubt that this will see much action so hard to justify a huge outlay. If a modest increase would open up a greater range then it might be worth me waiting an extra month to buy.

I run a ptw or a kc02 as my go to kit, this is mainly to scratch an itch for opfor kit for themed events, although I wouldn't be surprised if newer kit would match the performance of my aging fleet so to speak (although it's all well serviced and still does the job)

Click to shrink...

As shoddy as they are… BBGUNS4LESS had a big clearance sale on LCT AK’s a while back when I was looking at an LCKM (LCT’s AKM), it’s sold out now but it was €350 instead of €580 (so about £320?)

 

[-davo-]

any particular look you're going for with the AK?

solid stocks, folding stocks, stockless, M4 stocks, etc
real/faux wood furniture, keymod, railed, etc

plenty of varieties out there
might help narrow down which models to keep an eye for

As an additional,
I've currently a few AKs I'm readying for sale if you'd like me to pop you some pics, see if they're to your liking?
from a variety of brands, including those mentioned above (LCT, E&L, Cyma)

 

[Jefferson2000]

any particular look you're going for with the AK?

solid stocks, folding stocks, stockless, M4 stocks, etc
real/faux wood furniture, keymod, railed, etc

plenty of varieties out there
might help narrow down which models to keep an eye for

As an additional,
I've currently a few AKs I'm readying for sale if you'd like me to pop you some pics, see if they're to your liking?
from a variety of brands, including those mentioned above (LCT, E&L, Cyma)

Click to shrink...

Solid wooden stock, no bells and whistles would be my preference.

Feel free to drop me a pm but likely be next month before I make a purchase.

 

[EvilMonkee]

AEG - LCT or E&L, not much between them. GBBR, out of the box - TM. VFC are excellent as well. I have owned pretty much every brand of AK out there so this is hard won experience. EDIT- Cyma for budgets.

 

[EvilMonkee]

LCT or E&L for external build quality (LCT wood is nicer imo). Cyma definitely comes in further down in terms of quality however the price difference may make it more appealing to you.

LCT gets a bad rap for their internals however I’ve owned maybe 15 of them from various generations and I’ve not had any issues with any bar 2 (VSS & a preowned krink). I did however have issues with my E&L including misfeeds, jams and general accuracy/distance issues. Cyma AK’s just seem to chug along without fault.

LCT are coming out with models with gate asters pre-installed now, however I don’t think they’ll be in your budget realistically. E&L did do an AK line with mosfets I believe however they was just basic protection mosfets and nothing fancy like a perun etc

If you wanted something more modern, then ignore all of the above and hunt for an Arcturus AK-12 PE

Click to shrink...

Arcturus are E&L

 

[Tactical Pith Helmet]

I'd say CYMA 048 tbh. The lad has one and its performed solidly for years. I like the LCT too, but the mags are not generic. The Lad loses a mag and I lend him one. My pal Keith loses a mag and he had to ask the whole damn site for an LCT one. He played with a single lent mid-cap all day.

I have a couple (actually an embarrassing amount) of AKs from the CYMA 4 range (or at least in that price range). (I can't be arsed looking up all the specs). Each has performed faultlessly.

I've no experience with E&L, but serious players rate them to my knowledge (see above!).