I have heard some pretty impressive claims on the internet about the PSAK being more accurate than many other AKs out there. I have even seen people say they shoot as well for them as their ARs from pretty respected producers. What are you all finding?
I haven’t gone long with mine yet, but, once sighted in, I had no problem rapidly spanking my steel targets (down to 3” size) one after the other from about 30 yards.
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Just one data point, but with my PSA AK103 I am getting mostly 4" groups at 50 yards (~8 MOA) shooting off my pack with a rear bag. Honestly, I am pretty disappointed, I was hoping for an 4 MOA or better gun after watching Garand Thumb & Rob Ski’s videos on the rifle. It may not be the gun, I need to make sure that my PK-A Venezuela red dot is not walking around on me, and I will try some underwood ammo that I have on hand (the 8 MOA groups were shot with Barnaul, which chronographed freakishly consistently 6 shots between 2402 and 2424 and Golden Tiger). I have also swapped out the furniture for wood and have a triangle stock on it, not sure if these mods could effect accuracy. (My groups with my BCM AR are typically 2 MOA with IMI 77 and a 2 MOA red dot). If you guys have any other ideas, please let me know, I am pretty invested in the gun and really want to love it.
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Enthusiast762, I was having the same issue. Purchased my GF4 not expecting perfect accuracy, but certainly better than the 5-8 MOA I was getting. Most shots would land within 5 MOA but I would ALWAYS have a few fliers that were 8 MOA (sometimes even more). Did some research and found a forum (link below) where this guy came up with a list of things to check. Curious, I tried a couple and it made a huge difference. Removing my dust cover & cleaning rod changed 5-8 MOA to 2.5-5 MOA. Unfortunately I used the last bit of my ammo during that test, but once I get some more I’m going to try one-at-a-time and see which was the biggest offender. I may just keep the cleaning rod off or find a looser-fitting dust cover. Hope this helps!
Welcome to the forums! Although I don’t have an AK, I’ve been very curious about them and their practicality. Being an AR guy, something so rugged and reliable should probably be in my collection.
I don’t know if this is entirely true, but I’d always heard AKs are so reliable because of their looser tolerances – they work even when run through mud, sand, and dirt thus becoming a battle rifle of choice for many. Nothing comes without a price, of course, and this would affect their accuracy. If this is true, I can’t see spending a huge amount of time accurizing, but enough effort just to get the “low hanging fruit”. Perhaps American-made AKs have tighter specifications?
I’m interested in your thoughts on this - perhaps my view is an “old wives tale” 
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The primary contributor to the differences in precision potential between the AK and AR is the way they are assembled. The AR lower & upper receivers are milled out of cast blocks. They are solid pieces of metal. The AK receivers are usually stamped sheet metal, with everything welded, riveted, or pinned into place (not a solid piece of metal). AR barrels come pre-head-spaced with extensions and are locked into the receiver via a threaded nut. AK barrels are press-fit into a trunnion and pinned into place. Head-space is controlled by the depth of press-fit as bolt lock-up occurs at the trunnion while the chamber is in the barrel. AR barrels contact the firearm in two places: the upper receiver and gas block. The gas tube is pinned to the gas block and is allowed to move FWD/AFT within the receiver as the barrel flexes. AK barrels contact the firearm in three places: the trunnion, the handguard retainer, and the gas block. The handguard acts as a pressure point on the barrel as it heats up and flexes (same on non-free-floated AR). If your gas tube is tight, it also acts as a pressure point (not an issue on AR’s). If your AK cleaning rod is tightly wedged into place, it acts as an additional pressure point. So to summarize:
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AR receivers are solid metal with very little flex. AK receivers are sheet metal with welds & fasteners that all act as flex points. Flex can be inconsistent between shots and can lead to loss of precision.
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Headspace is built into the design of the AR barrel extension. Headspace is controlled by assembly in the AK. Assembly adds possible sources of less-than-perfect alignment/distances.
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AR barrels have less points of contact with the rest of the firearm. Each pressure point adds to the possibility of inconsistent warping under heating & flexing.
Is it possible for an AK to be very accurate? Yes. But it relies heavily on assembly practices and fitting of parts. If tolerances are such that the proper components consistently fit loosely (gas tube, dust cover, cleaning rod), and all fasteners/welds are tight you will have an accurate AK. The way the AR is made just lends itself to less sources of inconsistencies in thermal expansion and flexing. If an AR and AK are made using the same tolerances between fitted parts, the barreled receiver on the AK has more parts being fitted, resulting in a larger tolerance stack-up.
The above points only address precision potential & not reliability. Reliability has more to do with how over-gassed a system is (an abundance of energy allows more resistance from mud/sand before failure), how quickly the internals foul up, and how much open space there is for debris to accumulate before interfering with vital components. AK’s tend to be more over-gassed than AR’s. The AR shoots hot gas/soot directly into the receiver/bolt area, the AK uses a really long piston between the gas/soot and receiver/bolt area. The receiver for the AK has more open space for debris to accumulate than the AR. These differences in design are what lend the AK to be more reliable in unfavorable conditions than the AR.
This all being said, it is possible to combine the machining/fitting benefits of the AR with the gas system/internal space benefits of the AK. Having tight tolerances does not necessarily mean unreliable. Tolerances simply must allow for purposeful gaps and an abundance of energy for when conditions become less than perfect.
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That’s certainly a lot to mull over. Thank you for the time and thought you spent on that!
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I don’t notice a huge accuracy difference in my AK vs AR, but I generally shoot at less than 100 yards. Your mileage may vary.
I recently bought a GF5 and I love it. I bought the so called builder kit from PSA and completed it with the addition of a kns adjustable piston and a MI railed gas tube. FN cold hammer chrome lined barrel performs well. Depending on the ammo I can be between 2-5 inch groups of 5 @100yards.
I can’t speak on GF3 or GF4 barrel accuracy, since the gf5 is different. You really need to find which ammo it likes best. Even with my ARs certain ammo/loads performs better than others. Very solid rifle and haven’t had any issues so far with well over a thousand rounds through it.
In comparison to the market IMHO PSA is blowing them away. Unless you want to spend 4K with Merridian where the only thing your getting is better QC.
If you know a lil about AK’s with very little refining you can have one of the best out there and made by PSA.