The Zastava M77 Sporting Rifle

Ever since my experience with the Saiga AK, I have liked the AK platform. It is easy to break down, dependable, relatively low recoil, and I have personally found them reliably accurate out to 500 yards. I also like that I don’t have to take my head off the rifle to rack it. Now you take that rifle, make it in .308 win/7.62×51, and give it wooden furniture. That is a rifle that grabs my attention.

One of the things about this rifle that I really like is the adjustable gas block. That is a feature that I personally think should be standard for all AKs. As a reloader, it makes it easier to get it to use loads I already have. The rifle having wood furniture gives it a very classic look. I like the way wood looks on firearms. I think it gives the gun character. Honestly, after looking at my collection, I have a preference for wood furniture on firearms. 

When I took it out to shoot, I was fortunate that the rifle didn’t need any adjustments for sighting in. I had no issues shooting an 8-inch metal target at 100 yards. Except that it hit so hard that it knocked the entire stand over. The target was made for smaller cartridges. For fun I set up a coconut to shoot at 50 yards. I consider the shot less impressive, but a lot cooler to see. Especially when you compare it to what my 223/5.56 did to a coconut. I then decided to put a playing card up at the same distance and shot that. After having to search for the card the last time, I taped it to a target board instead. 

I am a fan of this rifle after shooting it. It does kick more than my AR-10. Granted, without the optic the AR-10 is 1 pound heavier, and it’s a different recoil system. Its accuracy out of the box was a plus. Though I have been very lucky on that front with my last few firearms.

Unloaded the M77 weighs as much as most other AK platforms. You will notice a difference when you start carrying the ammunition though. As someone who mostly shoots .308 Win, I am starting to lean more towards taking this rifle when scouting. It’s not too heavy, semi-auto, has iron sights in case there is an issue with the optic (or don’t want one), and shoots a round that I like to hunt with. That last point is a big one for me. Some states have ammunition restrictions for hunting. Coming from one of those states, I had to buy lead free in all calibers I might take out. This simplifies things.