It's amazing how much crappy info people pass as truth. If you want a good AK rifle for a decent price get a MAK90 with the thumbhole stock and put in the required number of US parts and convert it back to a normal AK. It's one of the best AK's out there. It has a thicker receiver and barrel plus the Navy Seals chose it out of allot of different AK's. That gun will NEVER fail you if you take care of it. Ammo is cheap and it's reliable as hell. Check out  www.ar15.com  if you want unlimited info plus a section where you can buy from other users.    JT