AK advise please! Wanting a VEPR!

Monofletch

Monofletch

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I have been eyeballing this AK. It is a Vepr chambered in 7.62x54r-it also comes in x39 5.56-5.45-and .308. I want the 54r because of ammo prices and I like that cartridge.
Reading about these - they are suppose to be one of "the best" AK's you can get. They have a heavy-chrome lined barrel and chamber. Thicker, re-enforced RPK receiver, and a beautiful wood thumbhole stock. The only downfall is the 10 round mag. No Hi cap mags for this one.

I'd like your opinion before I buy! :o-Thanks!!

Vepr.jpg
 
I haven't heard of anything particular to the 54r model but I have seen a couple people who have them in .308 and .223 and they seem to like them just fine. The drawback I've seen with the newer ones is the scope mount. It uses a proprietary scope mount, not the traditional side mount. And from what I've seen there is only one option and it isn't cheap. If you're buying one thinking of ditching the thumb hole stock be sure to read up on parts compliance requirements. If it were me, I'd go for the .308 model- I almost did in fact. I was going to make a sort of bastardized SVD type rifle and the .308 would be a better choice for such a thing. The 54r is a neat blast from the past and all, but it's a dead caliber. If you reload for it already then no worries, but I wouldn't go buy a new rifle in it. Just my opinion though.
 
I've never been a fan of AKs so I don't know much about them. I'm assuming this is 7.62 Russian, like a Mosin Nagant, is that correct?

If so, surplus ammo is pretty cheap but not necissarily very good. Some surplus ammo will even be corrosive. In addition, if I recall correctly, it is a rimmed case which is not great for an auto.

If it were me I'd get a .308... ...on an AR platform. I suppose if you're set on having the enemie's rifle then you may as well have their caliber as well, 7.62x39. Like I said, I'm not a fan.
 
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I agree with Bigfatts. If I was going to buy a VEPR, I would get one in 7.62X39 or 7.62X51. (.308) Changing the stock can be fairly expensive. The back of the receiver
is slant cut, so if you wanted a AK type butt stock, you would have to use an adapter or find a Dragunov type stock.
 
I don't understand why people are so freaked out by corrosive ammo. A couple of squirts of Windex (with ammonia) and problem solved. It isn't that bad.

The 7.62x54r cartridge is old, but it is a great round.
 
Monofletch said:
I don't understand why people are so freaked out by corrosive ammo. A couple of squirts of Windex (with ammonia) and problem solved. It isn't that bad.

The 7.62x54r cartridge is old, but it is a great round.
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A lot of people these days are too lazy to clean their guns. Corrosive ammo can do a lot of damage if not cleaned promptly. That's why most combloc nations chrome lined the
bores on their newer rifles. As you said though, if you take care of your rifle, corrosive ammo is not a problem.
 
UffDa said:
A lot of people these days are too lazy to clean their guns. Corrosive ammo can do a lot of damage if not cleaned promptly. That's why most combloc nations chrome lined the
bores on their newer rifles. As you said though, if you take care of your rifle, corrosive ammo is not a problem.
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I admit that you have correctly identified me as, "Lazy". However I'd have serious questions about buying an auto chambered in 7.62 Russian. Maybe it runs fine but I would want to know from other owners if there are any issues.

I would think the advantage to 7.62 Russian would be that you can buy surplus ammo for it. The surplus ammo that's available was for the Mosin Nagant, will they work with the AK? I know that with an M1 Garand you can't use regular commercial 30-06 rounds because modern powders burn faster, cycle too fast, and it will bend the op rod. Like I said before I'd also be concerned about a rimmed case feeding reliably. You also have to wonder how long surplus ammo will be available.

If you're going to end up hand loading or buying commercial loads then .308 would make more sense. I still think I would go with the caliber the rifle was designed for though.

...this is my attempt to get this thread back on track after side tracking it to a discussion on the virtues of corrosive ammo. :o
 
They are good guns. The thumbhole stock doesn't fit my hand well which was the biggest downside in my mind with it. Didn't know about the scope mount so I would check into that before I jumped if the stock fits you well enough.

If you get it buy a lot of ammo while it's still readily available. Research it some since there are lots of 54r loads and it may like some better than others.
 
I have a x39 from when Robinson Armament was importing them and I love it. They are new manufactured, made by Molot, so there won't be any issues with new vs old powder loading. 7.62x54R is still in use.
 
Well the .308 FN FAL is my second choice, so getting the Vepr ($699) in 308 isn't a problem. Price is keeping me from the FAL! I don't have the $1800 to spend.
I do , however, have an overabundance of 54r ammo and only 1 Mosin to shoot it all!!! :o As an added bonus, I just acquired a K98 Mauser 8mm and 400 rounds of ammo for that.
The x39 Vepr will take hi cap mags, but the 308 and 54r will not. That isn't a deal breaker for me. 10 rounds of 54r is a lot of angry.
Some of you are worried about the rimmed case of the 54r. The way they load in the magazine will prevent any issues. I believe the mags are single stack to keep things flowing.

I am now thinking about the ammo itself. You are right to say the ammo was made for bolt guns 80 years ago. Chamber pressure and velocity is all over the board. The Kalashnikov operating system is so simple it will still function, but accuracy will suffer. I guess a phone call too Atlantic or Molot is in order if I plan on buying the 54r.
 
If you are looking at the FAL, I would go that route. There are plenty to be had for well under $1800. My brother-in-law just ordered one from Enterprise Arms for around $850, that's built from a new parts kit with American reciever. I think the price has gone up a little, but still under $1k. DSA had some on for $1200 new. And there are plenty of Centuries floatong around in the $800 range. You have to be a little more pickie with them though. Some had peoblems but some were quite good.
 
The local shop has the one from Fabrique Nationale ....It is amazing, but expensive!! I think it is marked down to $1400 now. It is brand new with all the goodies. Any other FAL might be sub par. :D
 
This gun will be used for hunting and some trips to the range, but I won't be needing 30 round mags and thousands of rounds...........Unless the zombie rumors are true. :o

5- 10 round mags are just fine. I was even looking at the Saiga rifles. There are a few of them that are well made. You have to shop for them though.
 
The VEPR are some of the nicest AK platform rifles I have ever fired. I know they offer the higher cap rounds in the smaller calibers (7.62x39, .223, and 5.45x39) but the x54r is a really accurate piece of hardware compared to the Nagant. It is probably one of the most accurate of all of the AKs. Now, when they start offering the VEPR in 6.5 Grendel, then I will definitely jump on that!
 
I've heard the 54R needs a good bit of barrel to get going. The 23" might be the ticket or ideally a 27" maybe if it wasn't an issue.
 
Like this.....

Vepr 762 x 54R Rifle MD2X Package these rifles have been upgraded from the base rifle and include , G2 Fire Control, SVD Style Flash Hider and come with 1-10 round SGM Mag and 2 -5 round Russian mags and a 23" barrel.

54rbuild.jpg
 
Monofletch said:
The local shop has the one from Fabrique Nationale ....It is amazing, but expensive!! I think it is marked down to $1400 now. It is brand new with all the goodies. Any other FAL might be sub par. :D
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If they miss marked a BELGIAN FN FAL, go buy it and then resell it and pocket the $2K difference. Then you can buy both rifles. ;)
 
whetrock said:
I've heard the 54R needs a good bit of barrel to get going. The 23" might be the ticket or ideally a 27" maybe if it wasn't an issue.
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That's true. Even 23" might be a bit short.

About 11 years ago I had a small collection of Finnish Mosin-Nagants and also a Soviet M44. The Finns shot the 7.62x54 just fine. They had 27" barrels. One
day I was shooting the M44 and the guy next to me was laughing. He told me that there was 6 feet of flame coming out of the muzzle. I had him shoot a couple
of rounds while I watched and he wasn't exaggerating. The M44 has a 20 1/4" barrel.
 
Sid Post said:
If they miss marked a BELGIAN FN FAL, go buy it and then resell it and pocket the $2K difference. Then you can buy both rifles. ;)
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Well, I don't know for sure, but he said it was an FN FAL--FN is Fabrique Nationale.....Right?
 
UffDa said:
One
day I was shooting the M44 and the guy next to me was laughing. He told me that there was 6 feet of flame coming out of the muzzle. I had him shoot a couple
of rounds while I watched and he wasn't exaggerating. The M44 has a 20 1/4" barrel.
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9mm WWB (Winchester White Box) from Wal-Mart will produce a huge fireball out of a Glock 17 too. ;)

Slow powders will do that in almost any firearm - hence the reason police use "low flash" ammunition which typically has faster burning powder.
 
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