I'm thinking about getting an AK47 for plinking...maybe the occasional deer if we do a drive.

What type of accuracy, for plinking, should I expect out to 200 yds.? (Deer wouldn't be more than 50)

thanks, ths78

Terrible!! You'd be much better off getting an AR-15, much more accurate and more reliable. A lot more companys make them, easier to get parts, and they come in calibers other then .223.

They are accurate enough to be dangerous on people, thus, they should be on deer. I was looking at several in a Missouri shop. They recommended Eastern European production over the Chinese stuff, and they really did look better. The last AK I actually handled was a captured sniper piece and it was pretty decent. Otherwise, you may hear "they shoot patterns, not groups." Some people like them. It won't cost a fortune, either.

AK's were designed for one thing...Reliability. Period.
If there was a second major criteria, it was ease and low cost of mass producing them.

Their job was to go boom whenever the trigger was pulled regardless of temp, humidity, dust, sand, snow,or whatever else you could throw at it.

In a general sense, reliability and great accuracy are opposites in the world of firearms. You can either hit very small targets every time the gun shoots, or you can have the gun shoot every time.

Most folks usually settle for something in the middle, meaning a gun that has modest accuracy, and enough reliability to keep them from throwing it in the garbage.

Ultra-accurate competition 'race guns' go down often for two reasons:
1) Fatigue due to repetitive use.
2) Extremely tight tolerances that accomodate no foreign material of any kind.

AK's can be fun to shoot, but they are not tack-drivers, by a long shot.

you should go with the ar-15 much more accurate and more accesorries

i agree with huntingbuddy419 ar's are bad i like the look of a shortened one but they dont kick as bad they rise up on hell fire they have tons of extras to add to

ditto

All of the AK's I have shot are more than accurate for deer at 50 yards. As far as shooting at 200 yards, I could reliably hit a 15" gong at that distance. Never tried to print them on paper. Good luck

The few AK's or variants I have shot were not terribly accurate. I certainly would not hunt with them. I used to own a Saiga sporter, which is basically a non assult version of the Ak. It was horrid in the accuracy department. I traded it for a marlin .22 and some paintball stuff.

I suggest you look for a quality SKS and fire good ammo out of it. They fire the same round as the AK but tend to be more accurate. I used to have one of those as well and it was decent, especially with good ammo. I could shoot large jack rabbits at 50 yards or so with it.

The 7.62x39 is a decent round for deer as long as you keep your range in mind and you use premium ammo. It is simular to the 30-30 if you use the right ammo. Don't use that cheap surplus FMJ crap. Get brand name ammo with a loading designed to hunt with. I think 200 yards may be pushing it a bit, but 100 is certainly doable. Really depends on how accurate the gun you get is.

You could probably get a H&R handi rifle cheaper than an AK though and it would be a much better rifle to hunt with.

Paul

I've seen guys at the range try to shoot 100 yards with AK's. They had more misses then hits. I have an AR M4 style and a Mini 14. I can shoot tight groups with the AR and hit the traget at 100 yards with the mini. The mini isn't a nail driver but it hits it's mark. I would choose one of those before an AK.

But the AK will fire all the time. NO Jams or FTF or anything.

you have to ask yourself what is more important. A gun that will always fire and spray rounds or a gun that will shoot where you aim.

That being said a gun will shoot better with the more practise you get.

Shoot more and shoot more often.