Best AK Rifles On a Budget [6 Affordable AKs 2023]

With increased talk of an Assault Weapon Ban, specifically bans on AK-style rifles (such as AK-47s and their clones), more and more Americans are looking to pick up an AK-style rifle before it’s too late.

If you’ve been researching AK-47-style rifles already… good luck! You already know that there’s a nearly endless supply of information on variants, features, pros/cons, etc.

It’s so much information that many can’t even decide what AK-47 to buy! Or, you (like me) might want to default to a higher-priced option just to make sure that you aren’t getting something that is a piece of junk (or worse, dangerous). This can work, however, spending $1,000 or more on an AK-47 defeats the purpose for many shooters.

Best Budget AK-Style Rifles

Gun University has put together a list of what we deem the best AK-style (i.e. AKM-style) weapons available at budget, “everyman” prices.

1. PSA PS-AK47 GF3 MOEkov Rifle
2. Century Arms WASR-10 AK-47
3. Century Arms C39V2 AK Rifle
4. Century Arms VSKA
5. Zastava ZPAP M02
6. Draco NAK9 (9mm AK)

Note: these rifles are not listed in order of priority – each has its own features to recommend (or against it). Read through the pros and cons, and if you need more info check out the more in-depth write-ups we’ve done on the individual weapons.

Before we see the hate in the comments below, we get it: you get what you pay for. Some folks want a budget AK so that they can at least have something or they merely want it for plinking or “just in case” and can’t afford to spend (or don’t want to spend) that much on a rifle.

So, we’ve collected the 5 best AKs for under $800…although with the economy the way it is, some of our original choices might be pushing up past that ceiling.

So, if you’re looking to build your warzone loadout with your “AK 47 assault rifle” (ugh, we hate that term), you may need to stop playing so much Black Ops Cold War or Modern Warfare and actually get out to do some live-fire training IRL.

However, if you want to know the best ak47 rifle for under $800, read on…

Note: each of these rifle links shows the best prices online (yes, you can buy guns online)

Reviews of the Best Budget AK-Style Rifles

Let’s take a look-see at each of the AK models in turn.

PSA PS-AK47 GF3

Given the nature and history of the AK-47, the PS-AK47 has many added upgrades already installed. This is a solid winner in my book, but not as good as pricier models.

Our Grade

B+

Reviewed by Ryan Cleckner

Reader’s Grade

C

Based on 10 Reviews

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PSA PS-AK47 GF3 Review

Palmetto State Armory is known for budget firearms.

This is both good and bad.

It’s good because someone with a tight budget can get a functional firearm. It’s bad because many folks believe that Palmetto State Armory firearms are just as good as more expensive options.

Here’s the truth: these rifles are a great value and for the money, you’ll be happy with them. However, it is not better than higher-end options.

If you’re looking for “upgraded” Magpul furniture on your AK-47 (especially the folding stock), then this may be a great option for you because this rifle already comes with the “upgrades” installed. The downside to this is that there is less money left for the quality of the base rifle underneath – we are amazed that they had enough money to make a functional rifle (they did).

PSAK-47 GF3 Pros and Cons

WASR-10 AK-47 Rifle

The WASR-10 is an excellent model of the AK-47, even though it is the cheapest. We don’t hesitate to recommend.

Our Grade

B+

Reviewed by Ryan Cleckner

Reader’s Grade

B+

Based on 13 Reviews

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Century Arms WASR-10 AK-47 Rifle Review

The WASR-10 is where it’s at!

I know, I know, there are some AK purists out there laughing at me right now for typing that. But hear me out.

The WASR-10 has long been known as the bottom-of-the-barrel/cheapest possible AK-47. Guys that like expensive AK-47s look down their noses at WASR-10s.

However, they are really great rifles (especially for the money).

First, they’re made in Romania, where they have a LONG history of knowing how to make quality rifles. I have heard WAY, WAY, WAY more complaints about American AK-47s (even pricier models) than I have ever heard about a WASR-10.

Of course, there are some complaints about “I don’t like them,” but I don’t hear about reliability or safety issues as I have with other AK-47s.

Yes, they are cheap. No, they’re not very accurate.

They’re not supposed to be! You are probably going to be shooting the absolute cheapest Russian ammo you can find anyway!

Cheap/Plinking/End of the World Rifle: AK-47.

Accurate, premium, precision, etc rifle: AR-15.

Something about the WASR-10 just screams AK-47 (in a Russian accent), whereas the American versions seem like AK-like rifles…kind of.

With all the talks of an AK-47 ban, these will go quickly.

Don’t believe me? Check out our full WASR-10 review.

WASR-10 Pros and Cons

Our Grade

A

Reviewed by Ryan Cleckner

Reader’s Grade

C

Based on 10 Reviews

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Century Arms C39V2 Review

The C39v2 by Century Arms is their milled-receiver AK-47.

If you want a milled receiver under $800, then this is your only option.

Why a milled receiver vs a stamped receiver on most AKs? Well, it’s actually a matter of personal preference.

If you want an AK-47-style rifle that is more traditional, you want a stamped receiver. The stamped receiver is lighter and it is more flexible allowing for some forgiveness when shooting.

However, a milled receiver can be more precisely manufactured and give a more rigid platform for your rifle (at the cost of a higher weight).

A milled receiver is NOT necessary, but if you’ve decided that you want one, the C39v2 is your best bet for this price range.

C39V2 AK47 Pros and Cons

Century Arms VSKA

A “fixed” model of the CAI rifles, the CAI VSKA was a good move for Century Arms. Great for shooting and easier on the budget.

Our Grade

B+

Reviewed by Ryan Cleckner

Reader’s Grade

B+

Based on 18 Reviews

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CAI VSKA Review

As you’ll see, Century Arms is the most popular name on this list. This is because Century Arms is the biggest importer AND manufacturer of AK-47s – especially budget varieties!

They made a very popular American AK-47 called the RAS-47…BUT… it had some quality issues (serious ones) and it got a bad name quickly. Do not let this turn you off to all CAI rifles – there are plenty of good ones and this rifle, the VSKA, is their answer to the previous issues.

Previously, in the RAS-47, they used cast trunnions and bolts. In this VSKA, however, they use S7 tool steel and mill the parts out of forgings (this is great news).

If you’re looking for an American-made AK-47 with some classic styling, you should check out the VSKA! As you can see in this video, the VSKA is clearly a reliable rifle.

CAI VSKA Pros and Cons

Our Grade

B

Reviewed by Ryan Cleckner

Reader’s Grade

TBD

Based on 0 Reviews

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Zastava ZPAP92 Review

The M92 is probably just as popular as a Krink stand-in as it is on its own merits. Maybe more so. Krinks aren’t easy to get hold of, and they’re not exactly cheap, either. Enter the Zastava ZPAP92.

It scratches that itch for many an AK shooter.

The ZPAP92 is a smooth cycling machine with a bolt that moves like it’s on bearings. Although it is most often found as a pistol, it won’t take much work to make it an SBR – and even if you don’t want to go NFA with it there is plenty of potential here for modularity and customization.

This compact little AK makes for a great truck gun, though if you don’t put a brace on it you’ll be limited to shooting with sling tension for stability. That’s hardly ideal.

It’s by no means a precision instrument but has proven to be very reliable, and that’s by AK standards. You’ll have to watch your wallet on ammo though. If you figure the cost of operation using a price-per-round metric, you’ll find it gets about the same mileage as a 1968 Chevy Nova.

Might as well hit the pedal and go fast.

Read our full review.

Our Grade

Reviewed by Ryan Cleckner

Reader’s Grade

TBD

Based on 0 Reviews

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Draco NAK9 Review

It is easy to confuse the different Dracos. There’s the 7.62×39 Draco many of us think of when you hear the moniker, the Draco Mini, the Draco Micro, and some others (including one that takes Scorpion mags).

Well, NAK9 Draco is a pistol caliber carbine (PCC). It’s chambered in 9x19mm and most importantly it accepts Glock mags. Glock mags are everywhere. Even people who don’t shoot or like Glocks have one somewhere.

In addition to the traits you expect from a weapon in this cartridge, the NAK9 has the advantages of modularity and a dummy-proof design. Taking the NAK9 down for maintenance is extremely simple.

Although the mag release is on the left side only (would have been nice to see this as ambi), that’s hardly a deal breaker. Everything else is about what you’d expect of an AK, including the ability to digest many different brands and kinds of ammunition. That includes hollow points, which sometimes give PCCs some trouble.

Zastava N-PAP M70 AK47

Sold at Guns.com

Given that the AK-47 can be modified in lots of different variations, the Zastava does not disappoint. It has many different specs that allow it to be just as versatile as any AK-47 on the market today.

Our Grade

A

Reviewed by Ryan Cleckner

Reader’s Grade

B

Based on 7 Reviews

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Zastava N-PAP M70 AK47 Review

Here’s the thing. We have very little direct experience with this particular Zastava AK offering, but it comes recommended by AK Operators Union (and passed their torture test!), which is plenty good enough for us!

Zastava M70 Pros and Cons

History and Buyer’s Guide for the AK-47

If you’re looking to pick up a new budget AK-47, you should at least learn a bit about one. It’s a gun full of rich history and uses.

What is an AK-47?

The AK-47 is select fire and was designed to be a very simple and reliable automatic rifle. It touts a 7.62×39mm round, air-cooled, long-stroke-piston gas-operated, magazine-fed rifle with a rotating bolt…that is a mouth full, and no I cannot say it 10x’s in a row fast!

The goal for this firearm was to be able to be mass-produced for a very low cost. The Soviet Union adopted the AK-47 in the late 1940s and over the years, it has developed and is the most widely recognized firearm in the world today. The barrel and bolt were milled out of steel and hardened chrome, with a sheet metal receiver. The furniture on the Ak-47 is wood which was specific and helped the Soviet Union achieve the type of weapon it was hoping for in mass production.

Nowadays the Ak-47 has had so many overhauls and updates, that it has changed quite a bit. However, the process and guts are fairly the same today as when it was created so many years ago. A lot of the parts nowadays are metal cast, with a number of synthetic and plastic pieces added. There is an estimated 100 million AK-47s that have been manufactured to date around the world.

How does it work?

The AK-47 is the most widely used, and a favorite, of fighting forces around the world. A big reason is because of how easily the firearm operates. The AK-47 is made up of fairly simple and large pieces, which allow for it to cycle in many different conditions, like sand, mud, and even water.

The moment the operator pulls the trigger, it releases the firing hammer, then the striking the pin. This will then ignite the bullet primer which ignites the gunpowder to launch the bullet. The pressure and gas that pushes the bullet out, also pushes back on the bolt carrier, ejecting the empty shell and resetting the hammer to fire again.

The bolt will then grab a new round from the magazine, and place it into the barrel. During that action, the bolt hammer does not move because of the sear that is holding it in place, that is until the carrier returns to its original position.

Stamped vs Milled

There are far more AK owners who are dogmatic about this topic than there are AK owners that understand the debate – including, at one point, some Gun University staff writers.

Here’s what Rob Ski of AK Operators Union says about it.

Supporters of [the] “milled” version very often appeal to [the] “purist” crowd by falsely stating that the first AK was manufactured based on a machined receiver. According to them, this is the only “acceptable” way how AK rifles should be built.

This argument can’t be further from the truth. In reality, [the] AK 46 (yes, “46”) was produced as two prototypes: one with a milled receiver (AK-1) and one with a stamped receiver (AK-2). AK-2 was an end product, while AK-1 was to be used during field testing by the Red Army.

Because of these field trials and based on feedback from the testing units, other AK versions were produced. Finally, in 1949 (yes, it was 1949), the prototype AK-47 number 2 and number 4 were accepted by the Red Army, and their official designations became AK (with fixed stock) and AKS (with under-folding stock).

He goes on to explain,

One of the points used to support [the] “milled” way of thinking is [the] claim that only machined receivers can give durability to survive decades of battlefield abuse. This is another “stretched” argument. Today you can find in Russian armories “stamped AKs” made decades ago, and they still are used in active service…many of these AKs have seen intense action in combat zones across the world.

When on that subject, [the] majority of Russian AK operators, when asked about it, will tell you that they prefer stamped versions simply because of the weight increase associated with milled AKs ([a] fact very often ignored in many of these discussions). But going back to the “durability” claim, theoretically, it is true, that a milled receiver will last for a longer period of time, but nobody can accurately predict how much longer it will be, or how many more rounds [the] milled receiver can withstand than stamped version.

[M]illions of “stamped” AK rifles were made around the world through decades, and they still continue to kick ass on a daily basis. Honestly, how much more “durability” [do] we need?

At the end of the day, all it matters is that our AK rifles will probably outlast us all, and they will continue to shoot a long time after I will turn into the dust…;-)

Differentiating the AKM

The AKM is generally considered to be the most common rifle in the world. In fact, most of the weapons you think are AK47s are most likely AKMs. It’s a very common mistake and one that many of us make, and it’s made worse by the colloquial use we all make of terms like AK and AK47. And by the fact that all the different Kalashnikov-inspired rifles look so similar.

That AK held up in Red Dawn by Robert Morris (C. Thomas Howell)? That was an AKM, not an AK47. Specifically, it was an Egyptian-made copy of the AKM called the Maadi.

The “AK47” Gunny Highway used in Heartbreak Ridge was also an AKM, as was Rust Cohle’s “battlefield pickup” in season one of True Detective.

Does this mean anything to you as a buyer? Not really. Not in any real, practical sense…well, unless you’re a sneering gun snob who thinks it’s a good idea to be condescending instead of helpful. It’s just nice to know. So we’ll explain!

Don’t worry. There will not be a test after this.

AKM stands for Avtomát Kalášnikova modernizírovannyj, or “Kalashnikov’s Automatic Rifle, Modernized”. It’s an improved version of the AK-47, which it began replacing in 1959. Some of the changes made to earn it the moniker modernizírovannyj include:

• Use of a stamped receiver vs one that’s milled. (More on that here.)
• Use of rivets instead of welds.
• Introduction of the iconic slant compensator.
• Use of parkerization metal treatment vs. bluing
• Introduction of the “hammer release delay mechanism”.
• Improvements to the gas ports, which were moved forward to the gas block.
• Barrel pressed and pinned to the receiver (vs being threaded and screwed in).

The AKM was mostly replaced in the late 1970s by AK-74 (A K seven four, which is easily mistaken/transposed for A K four seven). The AK-74 was then superseded in turn. The lineage now includes different versions of the AK-12 (including the AK-15 and AK-19) in various calibers.

Confused? Don’t sweat it unless you’re on the hook for an AK trivia game.

We’ll provide some links below if you’re interested in learning more.

What should a buyer think about when purchasing?

As much as I would like to say you can get a good AK-47 in the US, they’re just hard to find. The top things to be aware of when you’re looking for an AK-47 are the following:

1. Canted Sights– If you find an AK-47 with these types of sights, it’s probably more headache than its worth. There are better options, so I recommend staying away from these.
2. Safety and Trigger– make sure the safety moves easily and locks into its grooves on the frame. The trigger needs to be a clean pull and strongly resets.
3. Magazine– This needs to fit “easily” into its slot, and if it does not, it is likely the gun is not cut to spec and you should walk away.

When compared to an AR-15, the AKM has a bit more recoil and a bit slower bullet velocity.

Another thing to think about is whether or not you want to stick with the iron sights or whether you should get a scope for your AK47. Unlike other rifles, it is a bit rare to see a scope on one of these, and something that I don’t do, but it is something to consider. If you do, you’ll need to get something that can really take a beating.

This is because the rifle shoots ammo with a much bigger bullet. This bigger bullet sacrifices some recoil control for many shooters and doesn’t have the same range as an AR-15, but the recoil and bullet velocity comes with a positive that makes the AK platform popular: more energy on target (although the effective range is decreased, arguably the damage range is increased).