[VegasGuy]

I have an opportunity to buy an Egyptian made AK in .308 caliber for $440 with one magazine. A picture is attached. I am new to AK's and have not looked much at them. Can someone tell me if $440 is a rip/fair/bargain price? Thanks.

 

[jwc007]

These days, that is a very fair price for an Egyptian. Yours is an sidefolder which generally goes for more $$.

Egyptian MAADI AK's and AKM's were made on Russian Machinery under Russian Supervision and are every bit as good as the original Russian Military production. The only thing you need be wary of is whether your trigger has "trigger slap". Some of the early Semi-Auto Triggers were not well designed, but that is easily remedied by replacing the trigger assembly with an aftermarket trigger group from Red Star.

I have one of the last Intratec MAADI AKM imports. It's been great!

 

[VegasGuy]

jwc007, thank you for the information. It was very helpful. Your "very fair price" was the clincher for me.

I have searched some information about trigger slap online and it sounds like I need to shoot the AK in order to find out if it has that problem. I did look closely at the trigger and could not find any markings on it. I suppose the best thing is to just ask the seller. It is a friend's son (lost his job) so I have a level of trust there. It looks like I might be a new AK owner.

[Edit] Also, I did find MAADI COMPANY stamped on the side of it. On the other side it is stamped with A.C.C. INT/INTRAC. [/Edit]

 

[jwc007]

You are most welcome and by the way, the Caliber for this AK will be in the 7.62x39mm Russian, not .308. The 7.62x39mm Russian (M43) has a nominal bullet of about .310 or .311, depending upon who made the ammo. The groove diameter of the bore of my Egyptian MAADI AKM is .310. If you had planned to reload for this caliber and had .308 bullets on hand, you might not want to use them.

Also, check if that Side Folding Stock is original or aftermarket. If original, it's a real deal! If not, it's still not a bad deal. I prefer the Side Folders that fold on the left side, rather than the right side, but that's just my personal preference. I would put a Krinkov left side folder on it.

 

[paulrabe78]

If you had planned to reload for this caliber and had .308 bullets on hand, you might not want to use them.

It may be cheaper to buy Wolf or other ammo than reloading.

 

[jwc007]

It may be cheaper to buy Wolf or other ammo than reloading.

I'm a Reloader and I don't reload 7.62x39mm Russian, myself. But I have friends who do. It may not make economic sense, but if you want special hunting ammo with really good bullets, it's not a bad past-time.

 

[VegasGuy]

You are most welcome and by the way, the Caliber for this AK will be in the 7.62x39mm Russian, not .308. The 7.62x39mm Russian (M43) has a nominal bullet of about .310 or .311, depending upon who made the ammo. The groove diameter of the bore of my Egyptian MAADI AKM is .310. If you had planned to reload for this caliber and had .308 bullets on hand, you might not want to use them.

Also, check if that Side Folding Stock is original or aftermarket. If original, it's a real deal! If not, it's still not a bad deal. I prefer the Side Folders that fold on the left side, rather than the right side, but that's just my personal preference. I would put a Krinkov left side folder on it.

You are right, it is stamped CALIBER 7.62 X 39. I was told it was a .308 so I took his (the father's) word for it. Honest error, IMO. The folding stock looks shiny new so it has to be aftermarket.

Since I don't know what details to look for, I have taken a few more pictures.

 

[paulrabe78]

I'm a Reloader and I don't reload 7.62x39mm Russian, myself. But I have friends who do. It may not make economic sense, but if you want special hunting ammo with really good bullets, it's not a bad past-time.

That's true. I use mine for plinking only. But yeah if you use it for hunting, reloading would probably be the way to go.