The AK-47 is a mythical beast in the firearms world and rightly so. This assault rifle has won more wars than possibly any other weapon in the world and sees active service in the kind of conditions we would fear to tread.
The classic Russian icon is found right across Africa, the Middle East and yeah, more or less everywhere else. The Soviet Union was effectively built on the back of the AK-47.
Lieutenant General Mikhail Kalashnikov designed both the SKS and the AK-47, which means he basically had a hand in every Russian soldier’s life from 1944 and his rifles changed the world and world war II. Sometimes for the better.
It has become a symbol of war, and has featured from the Islamic State to the depths of the African jungle and the Vietnam War. Farmers, child soldiers and properly enlisted troops around the world have carried AK-47 rifles.
It’s that good and with high-grade ammo you will get 2350 feet per second from a standard semi-automatic weapon.
As a Mil-spec automatic rifle, it was a gamechanger. Modern-day semi-automatic AK-47s for sale have kept the heavy hitting ammunition, the low maintenance finish and the willingness to chew through ammunition at the range. AK-47s tend not to jam up, can be field stripped in minutes and you can pretty much send any old ammo downrange.
AK-47 vs AR-15 Is A Thing, But Should It Be?
Over here in the United States, there’s a them and us attitude built-up between the AK-47 fanboys and the AR-15 faithful, which can get as heated as the Apple vs Android folks, with rifles.
But there really shouldn’t be any modern Cold War. They’re both amazing assault rifles and a part of military history. A couple of these guns are AK-47/AR-15 hybrids, too, and that is something you really might want to consider.
AK-47s have a devoted following in America these days. If you have steered clear, you should see what the fuss is about and you can get a great modern rifle and a piece of modern history.
The AK-47 rifle was such an important weapon that you can still get pretty faithful recreations of the old-school guns, as well as the modern-day AK-74 and AK-103 variants that have taken the ‘tech’ to the next level.
So if you want to shoot with this hairy-chested Russian rifle ammo, what is the best AK-47 for sale right now?
1. Arsenal SAM7R
- Price: $1,940.99
- Barrel Length: 16
- Weight: 8lb
- Caliber: 7.62x39mm
- Capacity: 10 +1
This, right here, is a modern savage. It’s a gun that has moved on, ever so slightly, from the original AK-47 era of Russian military history. It’s the cleaner, more efficient, modern day equivalent.
So this, in a close quarters’ urban war, is exactly the kind of gun you’d love to have by your side. It’s also an epic truck gun, at a price that is just about within reach.
Bulgarian firm Arsenal has copied the AK-47 rifles since 1958, so it basically should have got it right by now with this semi auto with the side folding stock. It has also brought in some improved manufacturing techniques, like a milled receiver produced from a hot die forged receiver, bolt carrier group and more to give more strength and durability.
This Arsenal Sam7R is a hybrid between the old AK-47 and the AK-74, a 1974 update from Mikhail Kalashnikov.
It’s a seriously sweet gun that pays homage to the AK-47’s military roots, but also incorporates modern touches like the muzzle brake. Treat this gun even close to right, and it should last you for years.
It’s an agricultural gun, but it’s accurate up to 300 yards, you can take potshots at double that and it’s got more kick and stopping power than an AR-15.
A Solid Battle Rifle
It’s not a sniper rifle, let’s not get carried away.
It is really built for the close up and personal, though, 100 meters or less with a red dot is just about perfect. As a battle rifle, this is a legit option to the semi-auto 308 Win Mag rifles, not just AR-15s.
The forged receiver offers outrageous strength and then that is mated to a cold hammer-forged barrel. This is a high quality firearm, make no mistake, and the black polymer furniture is arguably a step up from the old wood.
The Krinkov-style cone flash suppressor is a nostalgic touch and it works, although it isn’t the only muzzle device on offer.
The double hook trigger is also a unique experience that AK-47 fanboys will love. It might convert a few AR-15 diehards as well. And there’s an Arsenal Sam7R short barreled AK pistol too, to go with your assault rifles.
2. Century Arms VSKA
- Price: $769.99
- Barrel Length: 16
- Weight: 8lb
- Caliber: 7.62x39mm
- Capacity: 10 +1
The classic AK-47 rifle complete with wood furniture. If you want the full-on cold war assault rifles experience, this is a great place to start.
Based on the classic Romanian design this Century VSKA is actually made in America to ISO 9001:2015 standards with modern mass production techniques. That furniture is American maple and the stamped receiver is S7 tool steel.
S7 Shock resisting tool steel is the same material that normal folks use for chisels and jackhammer tips. So it’s strong stuff that will take thousands of rounds of ammo with a little spit of oil.
That is a major part of the reason you can basically mistreat these rifles and they’ll just keep firing. It also plays nicely into the blue collar, workhorse for the masses narrative.
You can go for black polymer furniture instead of wood, of course, and there are all kinds of variants of the Century VSKA out there. Have a look at the Century VSKA Thunder Ranch special edition and more if you want to spend a little more and see why this is one of the top brands.
It has the classic AK muzzle device slant, too, which directs the muzzle blast up and to the right. That does help with muzzle climb and also helps you get to know your neighbor at the shooting range.
3. Palmetto State Armory PSAK-47 GF3
- Price: $899.99
- Barrel Length: 16.5 inch
- Total Length: 34 inch
- Weight: 6.3lb
- Capacity: 30+1
Palmetto State Armory is probably the biggest supplier of AK-47s in the United States of America right now. Crazy huh?
They’re a pretty solid fit, honestly. PSA produce high quality cheap AR-15 rifles and parts kits. The AK fits their ethos of value for money firearms.
Mass production means Palmetto State has managed to produce a high quality stamped receiver, a cold hammer forged barrel, a forged front trunnion, bolt, carrier and a 4150 stainless steel barrel. PSA already had the tools, after all.
The 1mm hardened steel receiver gets a side scope mount and an 800 yard rear sight leaf.
This one comes with black satin finish wood furniture. But there’s a Palmetto State Armory PSAK-47 GF3 rifle to suit your taste, style and budget.
You can get a BLEM Palmetto State Armory PSAK-47 GF3 for around $600 on a good day through to $1,100 Palmetto State Armory Custom offerings with a picatinny rail for red dot sights and other modern touches. Get a side folding stock, what you like really.
Check the full line of best sellers here:
PSA does a mean line in parts kits, too, so you can do the final assembly and save money. You can also get the exact color combo and finish you want. Check here for PSA parts kits.
4. Riley Defense RAK-47
- Price: $921.99
- Barrel Length: 16.5 inch
- Total Length: 34 inch
- Weight: 6.3lb
- Capacity: 30+1
This thoroughly 21st Century AK comes with a quad rail up front, an MFT Minimalist stock and a much more advanced looking muzzle device.
You can mount red dot sights on the PIcatinny rail, a weapons light or go full operator and just have everything on your Riley Defense RAK.
Then there’s the cold hammer forged chrome moly barrel and polymer furniture that combine to create arguably the best bang for buck rifle here. Not the best gun, but the best bang for your buck with the Riley Defense.
Of course you can order your Riley Defense RAK-47 with wood furniture, but this is very much the AK 2.0 you might want instead. Nostalgia is nice, but firearms technology has moved on.
The Riley Defense RAK comes in a number of different specs, including a featureless AK with a pinned mag and sharkfin pistol grip that is, believe it or not, California compliant.
See the full Riley Defense AK line up here.
5. Pioneer Arms Sporter
- Price: $886.99
- Barrel Length: 16.5 inch
- Total Length: 34 inch
- Weight: 7.9lb
- Capacity: 30+1
The Pioneer Arms Sporter is the minimalist military style rifle with the side folding ‘stock’.
Now this Polish manufacturer is right up there with the best in the modern clone wars. And this is a fun gun that you will enjoy.
6. Zastava ZPAP M70
- Price: $1,499.99
- Barrel Length: 16.5 inch
- Total Length: 34 inch
- Weight: 7.9lb
- Capacity: 30+1
This is another thoroughly modern interpretation of the class AK design, and we like it.
The Zastava M70 Bulged Trunnion is like a really fat, double height handguard that basically conceals the fact its an AK at all from the outside world.
You can buy a Zastava ZPAP M70 with the traditional wood trim, or a metal stock, but you’ll see plenty of that on this list. So this Zastava M70 is a Back to the Future AK with a side folding stock, a full length Picatinny rail, polymer furniture, a proper muzzle brake and other treasures.
7. Kalashnikov USA KR-103
- Price: $1,399
- Barrel Length: 16.5 inch
- Total Length: 34 inch
- Weight: 7.65lb
- Capacity: 30 rounds.
The Kalashnikov USA AK-103 was the last version of the legendary AK that Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov personally oversaw and it built on the progress of the AK-74.
This faithful recreation is built to the Russian specifications and features tech that the Russian army uses to this day. It is certainly one of the best AK-47 complete rifles on the market today, even though it really isn’t technically a 47 anymore. It’s a twist on the classic Soviet army infantry weapon.
This Kalashnikov USA is an AKM rifle, though, and comes with the forged front trunnion, cleaning rod, button rifled barrel that adds a little long range accuracy. The front sight and single port muzzle device are both better than the earlier models.
Genuine Avtomat Kalashnikova products were hard to come by in the United States for a while, thanks to a series of restrictive import bans.
Now, though, Kalashnikov USA builds rifles on US soil and the formation of the company means the King of the AK-47, the real deal, can come and claim its crown from the clone wars…
Avtomat Kalashnikova is here, legally this time…
8. Century Arms WASR-10 Classic
- Price: $982.99
- Barrel Length: 16.5″
- Total Length: 37.25″
- Weight: 8.05lb (Unloaded)
- Caliber: AK-47 7.62x39mm
- Capacity: 30 Rounds
This is the classic AK-47 rifle in period dress, for a price that most of us can afford. It will eat pretty much any ammo, it will make most AR-15s look like histrionic drama queens and it should keep going all day.
The Century Arms WASR isn’t the best example you can get of the AK-47 mechanism in terms of build quality, but it is better than the majority of pattern rifles you might see for a less money.
It is a pretty faithful recreation of the classic Soviet assault rifle that has made its presence felt on every single continent since it turned into the world’s most effective killing machine in the last Century.
It’s a tribute to the all-conquering AK-47 Russian infantry weapon, and the company deserves credit for staying true to the design and the price point. It isn’t the most accurate gun here by all accounts, but close up it is certainly capable enough.
The Famous Warmonger
This is basically the rifle that has served in the Middle Eastern wars, African skirmishes you will never know about and Eastern European bloodbaths. It is woven into the tapestry of our world, and this is what it looks like in its purest form.
You get a pistol grip, seemingly untreated wood furniture and it spits out hot lead all day long, which is the important thing.
Do you want a wood fixed stock in a modern sporting rifle? Well it looks the part and this is about the only place I can accept it. It”s a proper old rifle, but you might prefer the folding stock on the other rifles or the underfolder metal stock.
So, if you want to hold a piece of history in your hands, at a sensible price, then you could do well to look at this replica Soviet military fitness and see if you get the AK bug from the Century Arms WASR.
It’s a solid tribute to military history, and a great AK today.
9. IWI Galil Ace Gen II
- Price: $2,012.99
- Barrel:16
- Weight: 7.5lb (Unloaded)
- Caliber: 7.62x39mm
- Capacity: 30 rounds
Now this is a naughty little gun isn’t it? It has drawn inspiration from the good old-fashioned AK and the Finnish icon, the Valmet RK62.
It’s not really a standard issue AK-47 anymore, but it is a great little rifle. You can get a IWI Galil Ace in NATO, too, and rifles that go right up to the 308.
The Israelis are on a roll right now, with the Tavor TS-12 Semi-Automatic shotgun, but this is a gun we could easily see taking over as anybody’s last line of defense. Could you imagine a robber’s face if he’s lit up like a christmas tree with a laser sight mounted to this bad boy?
You may have to clean your floor…
One of the Best Guns You Can Buy?
For that reason alone, this is one of the very best weapons you can buy in the traditional AK-47 caliber of 7.62x39mm. There are cheap gun deals, too, sometimes…
Of course you can fit a tactical light, although I would go with the laser, and this IWI Galil could be the ultimate home defense, or, dare we say it, urban warfare weapon. You get serious muzzle velocity and energy with the Galil Ace.
It’s light, it’s compact and it kicks out deadly AK-47 ammo. It hits way harder than an AR-15 and that could be the difference if everything goes South in a hurry.
The IWI Galil Ace is a warrior, a semi-automatic assault rifle for the modern world. But then it would be a hell of a tool to have at your disposal if you really needed one.
The Israeli Special Forces, feared throughout the world, pack the gas operated full auto machine gun when they go to work. It’s easy to see why this machine gun works for them, especially the short barreled SBR form.
It’s a great little weapon for home defense and is definitely a step up from an AR-15 when it comes to stopping power.
And the Wildcards…
10. Sig Saur MCX LT Spear
- Price: $3.606.99 (On Sale)
- Barrel Length: 16
- Total Length: 33.5″
- Weight: 7.6lb (Without Magazine)
- Caliber: 7.62x39mm
- Capacity: 28+1
The new Sig MCX Spear has been adopted by the US military in fully automatic rifle form and it might just be the best gun here. It has borrowed the best parts of the AR-15, without giving up any of the AK’s hard hits.
That makes it one of the best AK-47 complete rifles for sale in 2023. It’s a high price, high spec masterpiece.
So, you get a streamlined assault rifle for a sale with a floating guard that can take an optic or whatever other tactical gear you want. It feels like an AR-15, by design, even down to the collapsible stock.
AR Looks, With AK Mags
It’s a 16-inch barrel, it looks basically like an AR-15 and yet it takes standard AK-47 magazines. You get a decent muzzle brake too. So if you’re looking for the best AK-47 complete rifle, this is one of the best rifles for sale.
It’s a great, beefed up gun for when you want a little more than an AR-15. So check this gun out, it might be the missing link you have both been looking for.
It’s one of the most useful guns here, if we’re honest. Some of the rest are either a one-trick pony or a simple exercise in nostalgia. Technically, it’s good for 400 yards and beyond. You can hunt with it, too, which is rare for an AK anything.
Some on this list are pure spray and pray. But this is a precision AK-47 caliber rifle that you could use for target work, home defense, basic hunting and general sport shooting. That folding minimalist stock looks solid and it’s a modular rifle that will take rifle scopes, lamps and lasers.
The direct impingement system is refined, compared to some of the agricultural specials here. It’s an AK-47 lite, for sure, but there’s nothing wrong with that. This is a different kind of side folder AK-47 rifle for sale. And of course there’s a short barrel version.
11. Lead Star Arms Grunt
- Price: $938.61
- Barrel Length: 16
- Total Length: 33.5″
- Weight: 7lb
- Caliber: 7.62x39mm
- Capacity: 28+1
Lead Star Arms make some of our favorite lightweight AR-15 rifles and this AK combat rifle chambered in 7.62 might be one of our favorites.
It’s basically an AR-15, so it’s simple to operate and Lead Star Arms always uses great components to prodfuce custom rifles for off the peg money. This one looks to be no different, even down to the micro style gas block with a black nitride finish for reduced weight and Hiperfire Enhanced Duty Trigger.
Conclusion
We get lost in a world of AR-15s and 300BLK rifles and pistols from the likes of Springfield Armory and Smith & Wesson. Adoption by the Soviet Army isn’t like a deal maker, but this AK-47 7.62x39mm rifle is a brilliant thing that has endured because it’s a great gun for sale.
This piece of military history has evolved, it has got better and the tweaks of the AK-74 and AK-103 have kept it relevant. Get a high-quality milled receiver, a chrome-lined barrel and a quality muzzle brake and your AK-47 rifles could become your favorite guns.
You know it’s easy to maintain, and a simple, basic rifle for home defense.
Where to Buy 7.62x39mm Ammo
If you are looking to bulk buy ammo, the best 9mm ammo, 45 ACP ammo, 223 ammo, 300 Blackout ammo, rimfire ammo, rifle ammo, shotgun ammo, handgun ammo, AR-15 ammo for a belt fed AR-15 and more, we can help.
Well our partners like Lucky Gunner and Sportsman’s Guide can help with the ammo, best muzzle velocity and cleaner ammo so you won’t need so many gun cleaning kits.
- Sportsman’s Guide – Get 7.62×39 ammo, handgun ammo, rifle ammo, rimfire ammo and more.
- Palmetto State Armory – Cheap ammo deals on 7.62 Ammo, the best 9mm ammo, shotgun ammo etc.
You want a Suppressor? Black Aces Tactical Has You Covered
A suppressor can make 7.62 ammo more fun to shoot, at the expense of a little muzzle velocity. You should still use ear protection, but it’s less important with a Black Aces Tactical Pro Series 47 PoBoy Suppressor
Black Aces Tactical is one of the top brands for bullpup shotguns, but this suppressor is basically the undisputed champion of the AK suppressor world at the moment and it costs less than $200.
The Black Aces Tactical supports fully automatic weapons, too, which could be useful. Maybe…
The Best Concealed Carry AK-47
If you want a concealed carry AK pistol on the market today then you really should take a look at the Micro Draco Pistol. It’s fun, tiny and loud, and it’s almost small arms. If you really want small arms you’ve got to go to the 45 ACP ammo or best 9mm subcompact pistols.
Where to Buy Rifle Parts & Accessories
AK complete rifle parts and accessories are relatively easy to find these days. If you need stamped receivers, milled receivers, a charging handle, complete uppers, a new trunnion, magazine release or a barrel for your semi-automatic rifle, check out PSA first.
They have all kinds of parts and accessories, from stamped receivers to a side charging handle and more. Check them out here:
They have other parts, shotgun parts, pistol parts as well.
Does the US Marine Corps Prefer the AK-47?
There’s a wild story that the Marine Corps will drop their rifle and pick up an AK from a felled opponent at the first opportunity. I mean it’s a fun idea, but not strictly true.
We’re sure there are times when the Marine Corps will dump their 21st Century weapon for a rusty AK, if there’s lots of AK ammo around and not enough to keep their main duty weapon running. But not normally.
Is the AK-47 a Copy of the German STG?
No, the German STG combat rifle certainly inspired certain elements of the AK, but it is not a copy of the German STG.
What Else Can We Sell You?
We got shotguns, best 1911 pistols 9mm pistol caliber carbines and all kinds of stuff for you. You need cleaning kits? We got those too.
Is There a California Legal AK-47?
In California, AK-47s are generally classified as “assault weapons”. So the sale, transfer, and possession of are highly regulated by state law.
There are some legal AK-47 variants that are specifically designed to comply with California’s assault weapons laws. But not many.
They have to be modified with a fixed magazine, no flash suppressor, and no protruding pistol grip. A California legal AKs must essentially be a featureless rifle with a maximum capacity of 10 and a cumbersome reloading process.
There are reasons behind the laws for California legal weapons, but it’s easy to see how these rifles/pistols could cost a law abiding citizen their life when trying to defend themselves.
So yeah be careful with the California legal rules, or just move to a better State.
Can You Buy a Left Handed AK-47?
You can find left handed AK rifles, pistols etc, but they’re really not that common off the shelf. Left handed shooters often simply cope with the occasional shell casing to the face, or modify their weapons with a left handed safety and a modified extractor to give some additional clearance.,
Specialists like Atlantic Firearms are a good place to look for rifles or parts. Palmetto State Armory, Atlantic Firearms Primary Arms and Guns.com are our go tos in our affiliate program.,
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