Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

They're currently running $1,000 -$1,500 in the states. Gotta love the Garand.

I've been looking for a good trench gun as well. Found a 'cheap' one without the bayonet lug that I'm currently drooling over.

$650-$1200 depending on grade. You can get a service grade from the CMP for $650 shipped.

For the condition Easysauce posted I thi k 2 grand minimum.

yeah I wish I could pick up a CMP one to just use as a shooter.


thanks for the response guys, looks like I got a pretty good deal on it, esp since garands tend to be "up priced" in canada.

Side note:

I now have so many enblocs that I made a nice wind chime with them, such a great sounding tone from them! Im going to see if I can get some slightly different pitched by modifying the tongs a bit, but even with them all the same it sounds really good!

Holy poop, that's nice! One of my co-workers has a Garand he shoots on occasion, but I haven't gotten the chance to shoot it yet

I currently own two side by side 12 bore shotguns. The first is a BSA prototype from 1923 that was passed down my family and an AYA. I use these for lamping, pest control and game shooting. I also own a nifty little CZ 511 semi auto .22lr which I use for plinking and prohibiting.

 sierra 1247 wrote:
I currently own two side by side 12 bore shotguns. The first is a BSA prototype from 1923 that was passed down my family and an AYA. I use these for lamping, pest control and game shooting. I also own a nifty little CZ 511 semi auto .22lr which I use for plinking and prohibiting.

prohibiting? im probably the only person this side of the pond who gets lamping, but whats prohibiting?

besides what some always try to do to our guns

 NuggzTheNinja wrote:
Not up on procedures in the AUS Army but what "MOS" (or equivalent) were you in for? Do you know early in training?

It depends, you can either go in with something in mind (Cook, Rifleman, Driver, etc), or you can go in as a 'Soldier', and you specify later on once you've progressed through basic a bit.

I'm hearing M1 carbines are being difficult to locate and buy.

Just picked up a 1915 No1 MkIII Lee Enfield the other day and this Friday, if its still there, I am going to lay away a 1896 MLE (Magazine Lee Enfield).

Collection purchases mostly but I shoot every gun I own including the 1936 Luger.

The Luger shoots regular 9mm, right? Is it picky on the ammo you put through it?

 easysauce wrote:

Spoiler:

thanks ouze

keep looking at her, such an appreciable design, one of the first milled receivers, but the wood is just mesmerizing, someone put a lot of love into getting the finish just right.

I'm going to be purchasing an Ak-47 soon. Any tips on which model is the best make?

 easysauce wrote:

 sierra 1247 wrote:
I currently own two side by side 12 bore shotguns. The first is a BSA prototype from 1923 that was passed down my family and an AYA. I use these for lamping, pest control and game shooting. I also own a nifty little CZ 511 semi auto .22lr which I use for plinking and prohibiting.

prohibiting? im probably the only person this side of the pond who gets lamping, but whats prohibiting?

besides what some always try to do to our guns

Ah, autocorrect that was meant to say rabbiting.

 poppa G wrote:
I'm going to be purchasing an Ak-47 soon. Any tips on which model is the best make?

If you're looking for a cheap shooter, Get a WASR from J&G sales. Great customer service. I got my AK and PSL from them.

 poppa G wrote:
I'm going to be purchasing an Ak-47 soon. Any tips on which model is the best make?

It depends on what you define as "best".

The WASR10 is a good entry level stamped AKM. The build quality is a little hit or miss, common complaints are that the front sights are canted (that's a problem) and that the magazine wobbles. Some quick backstory here: There is an import ban in the US on non-sporting rifles that take high capacity magazines. As a result of this, the guns are manufactured to take a single stack magazine and then, once they are in the US, the receiver is cut to widen the magazine mouth to take double-stack magazines. Allegedly the WASR's are done by hand and so the results can be inconsistent. In my opinion this is not a big problem since most people who are buying an AK are buying them for fething around, so a wobbly mag - if you get one - is not a big deal.

They use remanufactured parts which is another place costs are reduced. If you shop carefully you can get these as low as $480 or so.

The M&M M10 is a middle-of-the-road stamped AKM. They are manufactured in the same factory as the WASR, but there are some differences. They use all new parts, they get additional quality checks for the sights, and the magazine mouth is cut by CNC so you won't get a wobbly mag. They also replace the wooden furniture with a quad-rail, a tapco stock, a hogue grip and a G2 trigger (which is much nicer than a stock trigger). The sights are RPK-style (windage), and it comes with a threaded muzzle brake. These go for about $680 for the stock one, or $750 for a very solid wire-stock side folder.

The higher end option is the Arsenal AK. These have milled (ie, CNC cut from a solid hunk of metal) receivers in the AK47 style, which some claim makes them more accurate (and also a little heavier). The fit and finish on these will be better than either of the other options. These start at, as I recall, about $1,100-1,200.


I myself went with the M&M M10. It was a really nice package for the money. The only regret I have is buying the side-folder model. I need to lock mine up and I have a limited area to do it in so I need a folding stock, but the stock sidefolder is very, very uncomfortable to shoot to shoot and you can't get a good cheek weld with it. I wound up replacing it with an ATI side folder which is much nicer, but I could have saved $70 by just getting the plastic stock. Also, the stock muzzle brake kind of blows, I replaced it with a tommy gun style one.

One thing that I have learned also is that you need to avoid plastic magazines. The Tapco Promags are very cheap, but this is an area where you get what you pay for. You can find Korean steel mags pretty cheap and those are better, but the best buy would be some military surplus com-bloc magazines.

WASR's are good for feeding alot of cheap ammo through it. I bought one years ago, and it took a bit of work to get it working nice and tight, but I could feed 300-400 rounds of steel cased soviet surplus ammo between cleanings, and the only FTFs were caused by the ammo itself.

Also, milled >stamped recievers. Heavier but can take far more abuse

 Jihadin wrote:
I'm hearing M1 carbines are being difficult to locate and buy.

Yes and no.

Im waiting on a carbine. Buddy at store snapped one up for $350, just needed a lil work too. I want to put a fixed wire stock

Very nice looking M1 Easy, good score!

In the current market, entry level ARs are almost as cheap as WASRs. I own a WASR and, given the price to an AR you build from parts from Palmetto State Armory for example, I can't really recommend them to anybody. There are way too many things that commonly go wrong with them to buy from an online source - if you're going to buy one, you want to inspect it in person.

For zombies. And zombie squirrels. Some zombie rabbits. Even the occasional zombie coyote.

nice stuff!


as for the ak's


TBH I never really got the appeal, at least what with the import ban meaning you get some iffy parts now.

Id prefer a CSA or VZ, milled reciever, ak reliability and then some, better safety position, and rest assured 99% of people will still think its an AK! I dont think you guys have import bans on these either, as even in canuckistan where all AK's are prohibited, you can still get CSA's and VZ's.

just grab an AR in 7.62 and have at her IMO what with prices being comaprable.

If looking at an AK, consider this. My roommate and I bought assault rifles at the same time. He an AK and I and AR. Neither of us had much prior shooting experience. After thousands of rounds, I was able to put 25 out of 30 in the ten ring at 50 yds by the time he was firing his fifth shot. The kick on the AK rounds is tremendous, while the AR is a god damn laser beam. That being said, the AR is like a Harley, she needs love. You will clean it every time you shoot. And if you are firing steel cased ammo, which is a fraction of the price of brass, you will be replacing extractor pins every thousand rounds. You will jam, your gun will break down. Whereas the AK doesn't mind a damn thing. Throw it in the mud, it will fire, water, it will fire, you don't have to clean it, it will fire. Every round, every time. And when you go to look at cost. An AR with some nice p mags will cost you around a grand. An AK, not even half that. On top of that .223 is expensive ($300 for 500), 7.56 is again about half the price ($180 for 500).

lol... I never clean my AR.. what are you talking about?

although to be fair, its a super high end norinco... the AK of AR's if you will...

seriously, last time i ran it till something happened, took over 1000 rounds before I had enough build up to cause a FTE or FTL or two.

You can strip of bacon on the upper assembly on the AK and cook it

 Jihadin wrote:
You can strip of bacon on the upper assembly on the AK and cook it

lol you can do that with AR's too!

anything can actually, long as you put the rounds down the pipe, she will start cooking!

 easysauce wrote:
lol... I never clean my AR.. what are you talking about?

although to be fair, its a super high end norinco... the AK of AR's if you will...

seriously, last time i ran it till something happened, took over 1000 rounds before I had enough build up to cause a FTE or FTL or two.

Definitely...there are ARs that have gone thousands of rounds without cleaning. The one caveat is that you need to lube it heavily - ARs like to be run very very wet.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, I've had an M4 seize up pretty good after only 100 rounds or so when it was run bone dry.

 NuggzTheNinja wrote:

 easysauce wrote:
lol... I never clean my AR.. what are you talking about?

although to be fair, its a super high end norinco... the AK of AR's if you will...

seriously, last time i ran it till something happened, took over 1000 rounds before I had enough build up to cause a FTE or FTL or two.

Definitely...there are ARs that have gone thousands of rounds without cleaning. The one caveat is that you need to lube it heavily - ARs like to be run very very wet.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, I've had an M4 seize up pretty good after only 100 rounds or so when it was run bone dry.

Mobil 1 5W30 FTW!

Stays on, doesnt burn off or collect dirt. Cant say the same for CLP. Also, A $6 quart bottle lasts you for decades

BTW, we got som Partizan 55Gr 556 in, $379.99 for a 1000 case. Partizan is very good brass (I wont put steel Russian crud through my ARs - steel cases AND corrosive powder? Yeah, no thanks!).

I use maybe a drop or two of CLP... refreshed every 500 or so, but again, have gone over 1000 without clean or lube before I had any sort of issue. I have seen more FTF from over lubing then from under, especially if you get the oil in the channel between the pin and primer.

honestly, if you have to baby it at all, whats the point? If I cant trust the gun to go at bare minimum 500+ rounds with no maintenance, then I dont keep it.

But, as they say, not everything is made equal, Ive had some AR's that couldnt go 100 rounds without FTE's FTF double taps, even with babying.

My first CSA (canadian legal AK) kept ripping cases in half, and shoving another round into the front bit.

I can still see the look on the guys face who pointed out the back part of the case that was stuck in the post by my start area... jesus that would have hurt if it had hit someone.. jagged brass an inch into solid wood almost....

But yeah, I tend to do apply a lot of magic pixie dust to all my guns (IE go through the parts and make em all work like butter with polish/fit/ect), if that doesnt work they get returned or sold pretty damn quick.

but you are definitely right, no sense in tempting fate as in general, there is no harm in cleaning and lubing whenever the opportunity is there.




Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Spacemanvic wrote:


Mobil 1 5W30 FTW!

Stays on, doesnt burn off or collect dirt. Cant say the same for CLP. Also, A $6 quart bottle lasts you for decades

BTW, we got som Partizan 55Gr 556 in, $379.99 for a 1000 case. Partizan is very good brass (I wont put steel Russian crud through my ARs - steel cases AND corrosive powder? Yeah, no thanks!).

hmmm I have actually heard good things about that mobil, its more like the old school "grease" for lube,

to be frank, while I find CLP to perform well (esp for cleaning) the smell is horrible, I feel like I am inhaling pure cancer or something.


man... 380 per 1000? I feel super lucky there is still some norinco brass cased available here. right now its 329 / 1120 rnds, brass cased, boxer primed, non corrosive. actually holds up to my AE black box stuff too.

500 per 100 for AE black box though, so I should probably buy some before this surplus chi com stuff is gone

Best lube I've used is Slipstream. I put it a few times on my AK and haven't needed to lube it in three years. (And that's after a few carbine courses.) I used CLP in the army and its crap.
http://www.amazon.com/Crusader-Weaponry-SS1-Slipstream-Lubricant/dp/B0040Z2LPI

 NuggzTheNinja wrote:
In the current market, entry level ARs are almost as cheap as WASRs. I own a WASR and, given the price to an AR you build from parts from Palmetto State Armory for example, I can't really recommend them to anybody.

Yes, as an AK owner, I echo this. The AK made sense at the time, but that was a while ago and the prices on low end AR's have gone down tremendously. If I were buying now, I would buy an AR over an AK because I would like the higher accuracy and I clean my guns after every shooting session. I do like the AK, but it would be sort of nice to get groupings at 100 yards that are smaller than a DVD case. Definitely an minute-of-bad-guy gun. So if it's going to be a range queen like mine, I would go AR. Plinking's more fun when you hit what you are aiming at and 5.56 is very cheap right now as well.

I also think it would be fun to build an AR from the upper/lower/parts kits sets I see only cheap now and then. I may yet at some point, but my next gun is probably a shotgun for clays.

That being said, if my life depended on it, I would rather the AK. I've never had a single once ever FTF or FTE with it and I'm shooting the very cheapest steel cased bimetal rounds on the market, Tula and Wolf.