If you’re in the market for an AK platform, there is no better option in my mind than to go with a Zastava. Sure, there are better AKs out there, but you’d be hard-pressed to find one that is either reasonably priced or not completely unobtainable from Jim Fuller. The Zastava PAP M70 specifically is the choice I’ve made, and would make again.
Zastava was born and raised in Yugoslavia in the 1970s. Yugoslavia had fallen out of favor with the Russians for a few reasons, the primary one being their refusal to join the Warsaw Pact. Because of this, Russia would not provide the blueprints or specs of their AK-47 platform to them. This left the Yugoslavs to reverse engineer and subsequently improve on the AK-47 Type 3 platform, and what they produced was something better than the original. The Zastava M70 has since seen military use in over 25 nations.
Of course, we can’t obtain the mil-spec M70, but we can get the ZPAP model with the majority of the same features and identical build quality. ZPAP (Zastava Polu-Automatska Puška) stands for Zastava Semi-automatic Rifle, meaning all the features remain the same except for the trigger group, selector switch, and the lack of an auto-sear. Everything that makes the M70 great is still in there.
First, we’ll get into durability. The AK platform is known to be one of the most reliable, hardy platforms that exist, and Zastava takes it a step further. The ZPAP M70 features an overbuilt 1.5mm stamped steel receiver, bulged barrel trunnion, heavy chrome-lined barrel, forged internals, and an overbuilt gas block. The really incredible part is that they do all of this and ship them globally for a very competitive price. They aren’t much more expensive than the other options we have here in the States, but the build quality is leagues above the others.
Next, we’ll get into shootability. I have had a great experience with my M70. It can achieve the same level of precision as my ARs around the same price point, which is pretty good for 7.62×39. The felt recoil is a bit more stout than an AR, of course, given the larger caliber, the inertia of a long-stroke gas piston system, and being deliberately a touch over-gassed for the sake of reliability. The only word of caution I would give to anyone who really only shoots AR-style rifles is that this is an AK; parts get hot. This is true of just about any AK though, to be fair.
Now for reliability—perhaps the best feature of the ZPAP M70. I originally bought this rifle with one predominant thought in mind: I don’t like AKs and I wanted to prove them wrong. To my eventual liking, I have torture-tested this rifle and cannot get it to stop. My personal rifle has seen over 6,000 rounds without cleaning, outside of one wipe-down after dragging it through mud. My rifle has also never been lubricated, despite about half of its round count being suppressed, which is known to slow rifles down with greater carbon buildup. Still, it just keeps going.
Lastly, I’ll just touch on aesthetics. If you want a beautiful AK to put on your wall, to keep nice in the safe, or just look a little more exotic at the range, Zastava is for you. Their range of colors is a greatest hits of wood finishes, and they have options for everyone. If you want an all-wood Serbian red AK, they have one for you. If you like triangle stocks, you’ll just have to decide if you want a folding or fixed version, or you could even opt for the under-folder. If you want to deck the rifle out a little bit (or a lot), you absolutely can with their extended, 14.5-inch, modular M-LOK rail system. These are just some of the M70 options from Zastava alone, mind you—there is also a very supportive aftermarket.
The ZPAP M70 is the best option for the serious AK owner, at a price point that even the entry-level prospective owner should look into. I believe mine will last a lifetime, and so will any ZPAP M70 you choose to invest in.