As I understand it, there used be a glut of surplus russian 5.45 ammo, and you could buy it for like $.08-$.10 a round because nobody shot AK74s, but those days are mostly over due to the rise in the popularity of AKs over the last few years. Which has made 5.45 as hard to find and just as expensive as the other popular calibers.
It would be hard for me to say to much about shooting 5.45. I've shot 5.45 AKs on exactly 2 occasions, years apart. I can't remember noticing a significant difference in recoil between the them a 5.56. As for "smoothness," it depends on how you define it. ARs can be tuned so that they feel like you're shooting a laser. An AK can be tuned to be smooth, but its still an AK. Tesla vs. Chevelle, remember?
One thing you'll learn getting into AKs, is that not all AKs are created mafuckin equal.
You get a bad AR? You'll have a rifle that shoots 4.5 MOA groups, and has some reliability issues, but still more or less functions.
You get a bad AK? You have a grenade that could blow your face off when you pull the trigger. (Something of an exaggeration, but not completely. Cast trunions, look it up.)
If you've got the money? Milled bulgarian is the way to go. However, its hard to go wrong with a WASR or Zastava. Kalashnikov USA and Palmetto State Armory are American companies doing good things with the AK platform right now, but they do have some growing pains yet. The general consensus within the AK community is that import AKs are superior. While a good bit of this is due to "combloc snobbery," the gun community can be very elitist, there is some truth to this. For anyone in the market now? I'd definitely recommend an import. They can be banned by executive order, and look at the price of Saiga's and VEPRs.
The AK you shot must have been trash.
Admittedly, the AR is a superior rifle in almost every respect. In some ways, its even more reliable.
However, an AK in proper working order is a very serviceable weapon system. If you're shooting a 7.62 AK the recoil is going to have a bit more punch than a 5.56, but a 5.45 is nearly indistinguishable. (Assuming proper gassing on all sides.) An AK will never achieve sub-MOA groups like some top tier ARs, true. But a decent 7.62 AK variant is easily capable of of first-round impacts on man-sized targets out to 300 yards in hands of an average shooter. Probably 500 yards for someone with some skills.
If it sounds like I'm simping for AKs, I totally am lol. They have an appeal thats hard to describe. I saw comment somewhere, it was something to the effect of: shooting an AR is like driving tesla, but shooting an AK is like driving an old chevelle/challenger/mustang/whatever.
And that analogy is the best way to describe it I can think of. Both good, one undeniably superior in almost every way, but there's just something about that other one...
Thank you for coming to my TED talk.
As a STL Cardinals fan, I remember the first time I saw one of this dudes cuckposts and I was bummed because Dan McLaughlin is name of the guy who calls our games, and I always really liked him and enjoyed his commentating. Even met him once, and he seemed like a genuinely nice dude...
...Then later I saw the account pop up again and thought it was weird that a guy in his position was being so overtly political. Turns out it literally says in his bio that he is "not the Cardinals broadcaster," and it was just by happenstance that bitchboy here has the same name as Danny Mac and "baseball" in his twitter handle.
That's all.
I mean, I think that's how most people that are "anti-vax" actually are. Disputing the science of vaccines is almost as ridiculous as believing the earth is flat. The issue is the qa/qc, the ingredients, and the quantity of vaccines mandated. And that the VAERs court completely shields drug companies from liability for vaccine injuries.
I get my kid vaccinated, but I do it one at a time...and I sure as hell didn't let them shoot him up hepatitis vaccine the day he was born. Or the 15 other things they wanted to give him before he was 6 months old. Fuck that.
Foids definitely have a picture on them.
Oddly, they make you submit a picture, but then when you receive the card it has the same pic as your drivers license.