Vepr/Вепрь The best Kalashnikov style rifle
What are your choices for a good, modern semiauto rifle these days? Near as I can tell, you have:
The FAL, which was described in a recent steemit article. This was the best of the Cold War era military rifles and had certain real advantages over other choices. It was used by upwards of 100 countries so that some parts and magazines are still cheap but you can't find the good IMBEL receivers anymore and the serial number on a foul is on the receiver, meaning that the do-it-yourself FAL is pretty much history. There isn't any such thing as a standard FAL of any sort; you're going to be spending a substantial amount of money and the question of what you're actually getting is uncertain. There is also a question of calibers; the FAL only comes in 308.
The FNAR which is a more modern version of something like a FAL, also limited to 308, but more accurate than a FAL.
The standard AK or variants thereof including the Russian Saiga rifle. Totally reliable and simple to clean but basically more of a crowd control device than a rifle and not something which you would want to be taking shots beyond about 200 m with. The standard AK cartridge (7.62x39) is a pure assault weapon cartridge which errs on the side of stopping power (for an assault rifle) rather than accuracy at any distance. If you never took a shot beyond 80 or hundred meters and you might could hunt deer with an AK.
The German Heckler/Koch G3 rifle which I've never heard anybody say a kind word about. The main reason for the existence of the G3 was the fact that the Belgians refused to sell FAL rifle's to Germany after World War II.
The M14 which is still made by the Springfield Armory. This was the replacement for the M1 for the US military, basically a good rifle, a little bit pricey and still limited to the 308 cartridge.
The M16 which is a known quantity and is generally limited to the 223 cartridge and comes a bit closer to being able to hit things at distance than the AK does particularly with a good trigger and a good quality barrel. Here you are dealing with a mil spec standard rather than a product which is manufactured by single company. There are a lot of variations of what you can find but anything much beyond the standard rifle can get to be expensive in a sort of a hurry.
And then you have the Vepr rifle which I would categorize as the very best of the Kalashnikov style rifles. There is a kind of a list of things about the Vepr which you have to like.
Like other Kalashnikov rifles, the Vepr has a stamped receiver, but the stamped receiver on the Vepr is the RPK (squad light machine gun) receiver which is the strongest stamped receiver that anybody makes. Match that to a medium heavy hammer forged and chrome lined barrel, and you have something which is basically accurate, typically inch at 100 meters.
The Vepr comes with the standard Kalashnikov style slide mount for scopes which is actually meaningful for a rifle which is basically accurate. Unlike the FAL and most M-16s, the trigger on the Vepr is basically good. That aids accuracy.
The Vepr comes in a range of calibers including 308, 223, AK/7.62x39, Russian 223, Grendel 6.5, and Russian 7.62x54. In fact, the Russian 7.62x54 ammo is easy to find at gunshows loaded with 200 grain bullets. That would absolutely flatten any North American game animal including large bears, boars, and bison. The Grendel caliber is available for people need to shoot things at extreme distances.
And, with all of that, the thing is basically inexpensive. There are expensive versions of it but the basic Vepr rifle can be had all day long on GunBroker.com for under $1000.
http://www.gunbroker.com/All/BI.aspx?Keywords=vepr&Sort=5&PageIndex=2