Just wanted to share a build for an AK variant that I've been running, and buying, to much success.
The AK-74M.
Here's the build:
Now, why am I recommending this gun? Because you can find them dirt cheap. I mean, dirt cheap. It's a crafted gun, so players dump them on the flea all the time, and a lot of cheap add-ons offer a lot of improvement from the base gun.
This build is all about maximizing value per upgrade, it is not a min/max build. The goal isn't the best in slot for ergo, or the best in slot for recoil, but value.
How to get it:
Head to the flea market and look up the AK-74M. You will often find them for around 16-20k, and you don't need to only search for operational guns, as partial guns are often cheaper and the missing parts cheap as well. But lets say you do spend 20k on a full basic AK-74M.
Now, that base gun already has some value we can make back in sales. The dust cover that comes with the gun can be flipped on the Flea Market for 4-6k roubles, its the 63p4 0-1 dust cover. What we want is the 6p1 0-1 that only costs 1k from Prapor.
Next, you'll be selling the stock muzzle, handguard and rear sight, which vendor for another 1k. Initial investment: 20k. Savings? 4k. Total investment so far? 16k.
Next are the upgrades (prices are estimates):
Grip: AK Polymer handgrip (1.4k), comes with a mount undernearth for a foregrip, and a side mount for a laser or flashlight.
Muzzle: DTK-1 (4.5k)
Recoil Pad: 6G15U (3-4k)
Foregrip: RK-4 (5k)
Sight: EKP-8-02 (9k)
Cobra Sight shade (100)
Addons total: 22.5k
Initial investment: 16k
Total: 38.5k, and you've got a respectable AK with 50 ergo and 70 recoil.
What we didn't do: obviously you can get a better muzzle, can upgrade the pistol grip, and a better foregrip, but the benefits don't compare to the value of the upgrades we've gotten. Not to mention, you can regularly find this gun on the flea with upgraded dust covers, grips, and mags that can sell for 5-7k each, sometimes paying for the gun entirely! Because virtually all of the upgrades are available from vendors, and are in relatively low demand, you'll get them for the prices listed above, even if you don't have the loyalty with each vendor as other sellers are often just as cheap.
Throw in some BT or BP ammo in some mags and get out there!
Just thought I'd share this with other players if they have been looking for a decent full auto AK for budget runs. You can set this to single fire and really conserve ammo too.
