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Learn me: what AK mags are the good ones? Whats the "standard" 762x39 ammo?

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  • breakingcontact

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    Ive decided my next rifle is going to be an AK or Sig 556.

    What magazines should i look to get?

    Ammo? Xm193 is basically the standard 556 ammo that and M855.

    Whats the standard ammo for 762x39? What weight? Whats the good cheap stuff? ive heard Wolf is better than Tula. Ill get some cheap FMJ some HP and some decent hunting rounds.
    DK Firearms
     

    majormadmax

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    Bulgarian Circle 10s are considered the best polymer AK mags made. Not cheap, but worth the money.

    US Palm makes good ones as well, but the fact that the floor plate is not removable keeps me from buying them.

    I have TAPCO mags and they are good range mags, but they susceptible to breakage if they get dropped on hard surfaces. Since many AK shooters like to use a quick replacement method that essentially flings the empty mag out by using the full one on the release, there is a chance that this will cause you to lose some of them. Luckily, they are pretty cheap and easy to find.

    But for the most part steel magazines are the way to go. Yugos have the bolt hold open (BHO, not the initials of the current president) feature that locks the bolt back after the last round is fired; but when the magazine is dropped the bolt goes into battery as it is the follower design that holds it back.

    Probably some of the most popular steel magazines are the Chinese flat backs, which have no ridge. They're just more comfortable to use.

    Note that there are a lot of collectable AK mags as well. Bakelites are the orange polymer magazines that were mainly made in Russia. But what I consider to be one of the most rarest/collectable AK magazines is the Bosnian/Croatian Fleur de Lis, easily identified by the "stylized lily" at the bottom.

    Here is a good rundown of the different types of AK mags commonly available: Identifying & Collecting the 7.62×39 AK-47/AKM Magazine

    Cheers! M2
     

    majormadmax

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    Bulgarian circle K. Gold standard

    CircleK_post.jpg
     

    majormadmax

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    Circle something..lol

    I was hungry as i typed

    No worries, it gave me quite the chuckle when I noticed it so I wanted to make sure others did the same!

    I like the Chinese flat backs. I was lucky to score a good deal on a lot of them years ago.

    Funny story, I picked up a bunch cheap up in Colorado Springs mistakenly thinking they were BHO Yugos (the follower is similar but not quite the same). I was initially disappointed when I learned they were not, but now I am happy as they are some of my favorite mags as well!
     

    ROGER4314

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    I've had quite a few AK's and had lots of experience with AK magazines. For me, the best magazines are Bulgarian fabricated steel magazines. They feed beautifully and if you need a jack stand for your car maintenance, they'll work great! Those things are stout!

    Don't modify your rifle magazine well to fit particular Bulgarian magazines. There's enough dimensional variation in those magazines so if you find a tight one or one that is too loose, you sort through a few until you find one that fits well.

    Flash
     

    majormadmax

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    Never modify a rifle to fit a magazine unless you find that all your magazines are experiencing the same issue, always go the other way around!
     

    majormadmax

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    Just to sum up, pretty much any and all steel AK magazines will work in any rifle. Some such as the Chinese flatbacks are more comfortable, and the Yugos have the BHO option which lets you know the magazine is empty; but they all work. Standard steel mags can be found for $10-15 dollars, expect to pay more for the ones with the aforementioned features on them.

    As for polymer ones, folks like them because they are lighter and less crude. Bulgy Circle 10s are the best, but aren't cheap. TAPCOs work well and can be found for $10-15 as well, but can break if dropped. Steer clear of ProMags, their AK mags are pure junk! There are other novelty polymer mags out there, like clear ones or those with a bullet design down the side; but I'd avoid those as well as many don't hold up well.

    Note that there are a lot of people who collect AK magazines, especially the rarer ones like the Bosnian Fleur di Lis, which can demand up to over a hundred dollars when found. Unless you plan to become a collector, you'll be fine with standard steel magazines.
     

    breakingcontact

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    Just to sum up, pretty much any and all steel AK magazines will work in any rifle. Some such as the Chinese flatbacks are more comfortable, and the Yugos have the BHO option which lets you know the magazine is empty; but they all work. Standard steel mags can be found for $10-15 dollars, expect to pay more for the ones with the aforementioned features on them.

    As for polymer ones, folks like them because they are lighter and less crude. Bulgy Circle 10s are the best, but aren't cheap. TAPCOs work well and can be found for $10-15 as well, but can break if dropped. Steer clear of ProMags, their AK mags are pure junk! There are other novelty polymer mags out there, like clear ones or those with a bullet design down the side; but I'd avoid those as well as many don't hold up well.

    Note that there are a lot of people who collect AK magazines, especially the rarer ones like the Bosnian Fleur di Lis, which can demand up to over a hundred dollars when found. Unless you plan to become a collector, you'll be fine with standard steel magazines.

    Sounds like it's steel mags for me until Magpul releases their AK mags.
     

    rl96ss

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    Just to sum up, pretty much any and all steel AK magazines will work in any rifle. Some such as the Chinese flatbacks are more comfortable, and the Yugos have the BHO option which lets you know the magazine is empty; but they all work. Standard steel mags can be found for $10-15 dollars, expect to pay more for the ones with the aforementioned features on them.

    As for polymer ones, folks like them because they are lighter and less crude. Bulgy Circle 10s are the best, but aren't cheap. TAPCOs work well and can be found for $10-15 as well, but can break if dropped. Steer clear of ProMags, their AK mags are pure junk! There are other novelty polymer mags out there, like clear ones or those with a bullet design down the side; but I'd avoid those as well as many don't hold up well.

    Note that there are a lot of people who collect AK magazines, especially the rarer ones like the Bosnian Fleur di Lis, which can demand up to over a hundred dollars when found. Unless you plan to become a collector, you'll be fine with standard steel magazines.
    Hey Madmax, how about Korean steel mags? Looking online at about $6 a pop right now?
     

    majormadmax

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    Sounds like it's steel mags for me until Magpul releases their AK mags.

    Or TAPCOs for the range; but yeah, any steel mag will do.

    Magpul's PMAG for the AK looks like it will be nice but not anything I'm going to get too excited about. There's already good polymer AK mags available, and there's really so much you can do to improve what is a 65-year old design. I expect it to lie somewhere in between the TAPCO and Circle 10 offerings. US Palm's Achilles heal is that the floorplate is not removable, making them impossible to clean or repair, thus disposable and for that price, it's not worth it!

    I understand their second iteration of the AK PMAG will feature solid steel reinforcements at the lockup points (versus all polymer like the first one, which should run about $15), that will be the more desirable one to get depending on its price (I'm guessing $30-35)! If anything, it will definitely impact the AK mag market; but considering the announcement on them came out over eight months ago and still no mags, I'm not holding my breath!

    Cheers! M2
     

    majormadmax

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    Hey Madmax, how about Korean steel mags? Looking online at about $6 a pop right now?

    I don't have any that I know of (but I have a lot of steelies that are of unknown origin), but for that price I'd have no problems buying/using them.

    In other words, outside of ProMag (crap), US Palm (see above) and those goofy novelty mags (see above above), there's really no AK mags I wouldn't use. About the only way you can kill them is denting them badly or crushing them! :D
     

    majormadmax

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    Remember, there's been an estimated 100 million of these rifles made over the past 65+ years; so there's plenty of good surplus steel magazines available!
     
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