New to AK47s and want to learn

I notice that AKs with the lighter profile barrels are handier than the thicker ones, like the AKM vs Norinco or Type 56 with an under folder bayonet even worse.

Norinco has a heavier barrel profile, but it also has better build quality and trigger than most AKMs, even though I like the classic look of the AKM just for aesthetics.

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The tiny pistol grips don’t provide a lot of control to the overall firearm, so thicker pistol grips definitely help manage the gun better. You see that as one of the main upgrades builders and even the Russians went to with the newer guns. The larger backstrap on the pistol grip gives you a little more control of the gun when going from carry to presentation.

iu


I like blasters that feel like a wand, not a cumbersome weight. Wands point naturally. Precious few AKs have this type of natural pointing feel to them.

For factory configurations, the AK-74 beats the AKM, Type 56, anything with a billet receiver, and most other AKs when it comes to pointability.

The Galil SAR beats the Galil ARM in that area as well.

iu


If you look at an AK in strict terms of mass placement relative to your hand, all the steel weight is well forward of your pistol grip hand, with exceptions to a few minor small parts in the buttstock or the stock itself for some of the folders. Not only are the heaviest steel parts well forward of your firing hand, but they extend even more forward due to the long stroke piston. When you combine that with a loaded mag in 7.62x39, they are quite unwieldy compared even with a heavy-barreled AR-15 carbine.

So regardless of the individual’s training regimen, he or she will always be quicker on a shot timer from low ready to rounds on-target for CQM with an AR-15, even when we allow for the AK’s selector lever to be left on fire and the AR-15 starting on safe.

That is a real man-machine-interface advantage to the AR-15.

Then there’s the trigger. When will it release the hammer? Somewhere between here .......and.........there, which is a long, unpredictable path.

AKs do well to have an updated trigger installed I think.

Americans get really enamored with the mystique of the AK, dive into studying it, learning its features, without understanding that it’s the least amount of materials the dirt-poor, war-ravaged Russia could slap together to equip its soldiers and vassal states with, without straining arms production and strategic materials demands for more important weapons like tanks, artillery, fighters, bombers, APCs, etc. They compensated for their weakness by relentlessly pushing this propaganda about how it’s the greatest rifle ever made.

That’s why sheet steel was so important for the original design, even though it took them about a decade to get it right from the original Avtomats to the AKM.
 
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To me, the AR assumes an uninterrupted military supply system with its planned breakage at the gas tube. The AR also assumes a smarter user.

The AK assumes a military supply system that has better things to do than repair small arms. While under intense heat the AK barrel droops and causes gas system problems. Once the barrel cools it can be bent back to shape in the field (see IraqVereran8888 video). Use and user-level maintenance for the AK is more simple than the AR.

I generally don’t like to compare these two rifles as they came from different mindsets that were trying to solve different problems at different times.

-Stan
 
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The Russians had a small arms repair module shop for the ZIL trucks so they could drive it down to the units and do field repair work on weapons. The only reason I know about them is because my buddy who took me into Russia had one parked at one of his friend’s dachas, where I stayed. He had to sleep in his ZIL truck repair module shop because he had a habit of crapping himself after getting trashed. He had a little heater in there to keep him warm, which was mandatory in -40˚C.

iu



The Russian truck industry was literally built by US automotive engineers in the 1930s, which is why the ZIL trucks look so much like their 1930s US counterparts. We later sent hundreds of thousands of trucks to Russia during Lend Lease in WWII because they didn’t have the industrial capacity to manufacture anywhere near their wartime demands.

The small arms repair module shop could replace all the small parts, do general repairs, and I think I saw some type of press in there. He had a drill press for sure, because that’s how he lost his eye. A shard of metal went past his safety glasses and right into his eye. The Russian hospital just pulled his eye out.

I can’t express how backwards in time that place is. It’s like going through the wardrobe into Narnia.
 
I always think of the AK as the rifle you grab when you have other things to worry about. Like, food shelter, caring for loved ones/ pets etc. At least that is how mine is positioned. I always tell folks, if you see me headed for the truck, AK in one hand and cat in the other, it is time to move…..Yellowstone is blowing. 🌋
 
As a gun nut I find the beauty in all firearms (Except Hi-Point) and the AK is a hardy platform, but if you want to put yourself at a disadvantage in combat, go ahead and rock the AK. I felt sorry as fuck for the poor bastards taking PMC gigs in Iraq and their company issued them fucking AKs. When some companies lost the rebids for contracts, we all went home and scrambled to find jobs back in the sandbox. Lot of us reappeared with various companies, and I ran into an old team mate standing outside a venue and immediately we started laughing at the fact he had this junk ass AK!
 
To me the AK also represents the concept of local permanent willpower vs traveling temporary enthusiasm.

Or, shorter, the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong and the Afghan Taliban wielded AKs, and they won.

Yeah yeah yeah there are other factors, I get it, levels of war, political will, AUMF vs War Declaration etc., but this is still interesting to me.

-Stan
 
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Explain, in detail, how it is a "disadvantage"

Then explain, how America, armed with the AR managed to lose 2 wars against people with said disadvantage.

Protip: in an actual defensive scenario, the actual gun you are shooting is of almost 0 significance.

God the amount of fudd lore in this thread is unreal.
"Protip" you thinking your a pro enough to offer "tips". That's daggum funny right there!
 
To me the AK also represents the concept of local permanent willpower vs traveling temporary enthusiasm.

Or, shorter, the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong and the Afghan Taliban wielded AKs, and they won.

Yeah yeah yeah there are other factors, I get it, levels of war, political will, AUMF vs War Declaration etc., but this is still interesting to me.

-Stan
We might have lost wars, but it wasn't due to loosing battles. We kill 7-10 times more of our enemy than they do us. No weapon can shoot ideals.
 
Every good American should have at least one AK!

At least one. As in… one is the bare minimum.

Several is better!

Modify? Meh… if you want one with a scope, get a Drag variant. If you want short, get a Krink. If you want bigger, RPK. Folder? What top, under or side? If you like Germany, get an East German. If you drive a Saab, get a Valmet (I know Finnish, but the Finns don’t make cars…). If you hunt ducks, get a Saiga. If .30 is too big, get an AK74…. Hell put a shovel handle on the back and a shemagh and you can cosplay being a Muj. Gold plate one! They are all the rage in Qatar. If you are not poor… Galil all the way. You an Egyptologist? Maadi is your brand.

You don’t need to modify anything. You just need to buy the one that has the shape you want… take it out of the box and shoot. Even the crappy Century ones… mostly.

It’s the one gun you don’t have to overthink. Ever.

Sirhr
 
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Most 7.62x39 AKs are not fun to shoot, especially AKMs. 5.45x39 guns are pussycats, very friendly to shoot, easy to track on-target, easy to transition target-to-target. Underfolders are the worst, with terrible ergonomics for me at least.

Excellent posts. I don’t think I’d say x39 isn’t fun to shoot, but I also bought a titanium SRVV brake a long time ago. The signature is ridiculous, but the recoil and muzzle rise reduction is incredible.

IMHO, the slant brake is junk and I agree about under folders. AKs should have wood.
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Explain, in detail, how it is a "disadvantage"

Then explain, how America, armed with the AR managed to lose 2 wars against people with said disadvantage.

Protip: in an actual defensive scenario, the actual gun you are shooting is of almost 0 significance.

God the amount of fudd lore in this thread is unreal.
America lost those two engagements because they were not wars but money laundering schemes they never intended or tried to win.

Pro tip- the scenario you are in makes a huge diffrence on which defensive weapon is best.
 
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Somebody call SOCOM. Sniper's hide determined the AK47 is a superior weapon system! Soon we will see all the spec-ops adopting the AK...

The only thing that makes an AK better is when it starts adopting the parts & designs of the AR so it can place the bullets in the intended target.
 
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yes....both suck.


if youre shooting 600yds with either (with irons no less)...youre using the wrong weapon.
Probably why you see an equal amount of ar15s and ak47s in the service rifle division at high power matches huh.... 🤣🤣🤣

Dont forget you said the AK they used in Afagsnstan was a not a disadvantage. So realy its open sights on an AK vs red dots or acogs....
 
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how else are the boomer fudds going to share all the gun show wisdom they gathered from that one totally legit special forces green beret sniper who had 80 kills in Vietnam, but all the records were covered up because it was black ops???
No kidding. It's always funny to hear someone compare a clapped out run ragged gun to one that has been maintained and upgraded. Then act like their chosed gun has always had all the fancy things since inception.

I'm an RO for one of the AK based competitions that run in the U.S. outside of reload speed, you'd be surprised what a competent shooter will accomplish with a well set up AK that they've taken the time to learn on and know. Any person with a firearm should always be INTIMATELY familiar with their gun of choice.

Things an AR an do better than an AK
Use NV devices
Reload speed
User ish level major component replacement

Almost everything else is a wash between the 2 when setup up similarly with the same role intended. I.E. a 16" gun with a red dot, magnifier, and flashlight is gonna do the same job and do it reasonably competently in the hands of someone who knows how to use it.
 
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....because your average high power rifle is totally the same thing as a rack standard M4 😂 😂 😂

also, they shooting IPSC targets in high power?......or are they shooting 64" x 72" targets with a 3' black zone?

dude if thats the level you have to dive to to try and make a point, just stop talking now.....its obvious you are reaching.


by that argument, my F class rifle is better than the Ar15 for defensive use


They shoot the same target in for high power service rifle no matter what bring.

I wasnt really making an argument. I was making fun of how stupid the argument you are trying to have is. Use detmines the best weapon. If I am consistently shooting to or past 400y Ar15 way fucking better.
 
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This is the level of shitfuckery that Bakwa was talking about these kinds of threads turning into
You need to look no further for this than Mcameron entering a technical discussion name calling, acting a poser with "Protips" about combat and defensive use of weapons, with actually zero license to speak about the matter, let alone offer pro tips and then lecture others on what the technical forums are all about, while also increasing his insults and goblinship.
 
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so my comment was apparently so stupid....that you didnt try to bother to disprove it with evidence....but chose to make an even stupider argument...as a joke?


View attachment 8340726



.... im sure everyone else reading this actually believes that....
I already did disprove you with evidence. There are definelty situations where an AR is an advantage.

That's not to mention you said the taliban's small arms were not a disadvantage. Which is retarded also. But so is talking shit on Vietnam vets.

Is there not enough arguing in the bear pit for you to keep your retarded shit there?
 
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And your combat experience has been helping you how?.... because even when called out directly you still can't argue your point.
Because this is all you do here. Shitpost, poser post, name call, while adding nothing of real merit or substance. I think you are happier shitting in the cop hater threads so please go where you're wanted.
 
What is this like your 4th time now dodging the question?


Your combat experience is paying off in spades.



Also, what merit have you added to this discussion?

Thread was going along just fine until the fudds came along to share their 0th hand experiences with the AK
You realize everything you accuse me of is what you are doing.

I asked you, what license do you have to offer "ProTips" on combat. I've yet to get an answer on what license you have to speak about the matter. Like, the terminal results comparison between the samples of people you've shot with an AK and an AR. That would make for good technical discussion. Not this gun show fudd shit you keep on about.
 
Explain, in detail, how it is a "disadvantage"

Then explain, how America, armed with the AR managed to lose 2 wars against people with said disadvantage.

Protip: in an actual defensive scenario, the actual gun you are shooting is of almost 0 significance.

God the amount of fudd lore in this thread is unreal.
....Oh do show me where I did that....


Man imagine losing an argument so badly you have to resort to making shit up
🤣🤣🤣 Use determines what is best and if one system has an advantage.

And you know damn well we didn't "loose those wars." You damn well those weren't wars. But you go on and keep acting like a retard.
 
Every good American should have at least one AK!

At least one. As in… one is the bare minimum.

Several is better!

Modify? Meh… if you want one with a scope, get a Drag variant. If you want short, get a Krink. If you want bigger, RPK. Folder? What top, under or side? If you like Germany, get an East German. If you drive a Saab, get a Valmet (I know Finnish, but the Finns don’t make cars…). If you hunt ducks, get a Saiga. If .30 is too big, get an AK74…. Hell put a shovel handle on the back and a shemagh and you can cosplay being a Muj. Gold plate one! They are all the rage in Qatar. If you are not poor… Galil all the way. You an Egyptologist? Maadi is your brand.

You don’t need to modify anything. You just need to buy the one that has the shape you want… take it out of the box and shoot. Even the crappy Century ones… mostly.

It’s the one gun you don’t have to overthink. Ever.

Sirhr
Really? You can get a 4 page thread on “Who makes the best non adjustable low pro gas block?” and you don’t think a complete rifle purchase rates over-thinking? This must be your first day on snipers hide. Welcome. We are a very friendly, helpful group.
 
So 0 technical contribution....got it.


Also, I get paid to teach people to shoot....thus....it is a profession....thus a pro.

Do you want to keep comparing resumes? or do you want to actually try to make a point without the "appeal to authority" fallacy?
SO you are a range shooting Pro. So, ZERO combat experience. You could have said that and saved us all from your poser drivel. I suggest you only speak about what you know from experience if you are going to claim Pro status on a subject matter.

Really, you have no business in a technical forum. It's all the same shitposting you like in the Pit. SO, go make yourself at home and start yourself a new cop hater or now combat veteran hater thread.
 
Wow that's the best reply you could come up with?...fine...


Now
1) how is it a disadvantage?
2) what have your technical contributions to this thread been?


You're a seasoned combat pro with apparently more experience with the AK than me so this should be easy for you.
I see this will never end with you. I am a combat vet, never claimed to be a pro. Show me where I said I was a pro. You really should quit while you are behind.
 
Yeeeeaaah.....that's exactly the chicken shit non-answer I knew ide get out of you.


You may leave now if you have nothing else to offer.
Well thank you for giving me permission, Pro. Sorry you feel insecure and inadequate for having never been a cop or a veteran and feel the need to incessantly bash on what you couldn't and cant become. Just remember, you are still special!
 
Speaking from experience,

Combat experience doesn't quality a person to give advice, nor does it necessitate more knowledge any more than not having combat experience.
Also, no one cares.

Stop ruining this thread with your egos.
It certainly lets me know I don't want to go to war with an AK if I have the option of an AR.
 
It certainly lets me know I don't want to go to war with an AK if I have the option of an AR.
Depends on the AK compared to the AR

My WASR 10/63 or AMD vs a bear creek or Delton? Definitely takin the AK's

My LWRC vs Century VSKA, zastava, or PSA? LWRC all day every day

One of my AK's vs my LWRC DI? Just hand me one, gimme mags, and let me work.

I have an AUG and VZ-58 as well, I'm more comfortable with the AK's and LWRC
 
i have owned about 10 or so. all the way from wasr to bulg milled. IMHO best are: zastava zpap in 7.62,psa in 5.56 that uses pmags. in 5.45,which i love,there is really no good choice as mags are a bit hard to get and expensive. same applies to ammo. don't think we will be getting much from the russians anymore. a well put together vz 58 is also very cool. early chinese guns were quality. a newish one brings insane asking prices. needing or wanting an optic changes things. need expensive rail attachments or after market ar style furniture or gun made with it. as said the dust cover mounts are bogus. i have gone all AR as my aged eyes must have reliable optics. if i could shoot to about 300 with irons,might go all AK.

which is better? stupid question like which is better,rottweiler or border collie? diffent strokes.
 
You want one for nostalgia, which is fine. Just pick one.

They are all crap. Heavy. Expensive. Expensive ammo. Bad ergonomics. Bad trigger. Bad light and optic mounting options. Bad iron sights. Very difficult to service the rifle yourself. Not particularly accurate. Not as reliable as people say.

There is really no reason to have one one, other than you want one. Which is fine, nothing wrong with that. If we are being realistic, 99% of the guns we own are simply because we want one. Just pick one at a price point you are comfortable with.
 
Just like a lot of other rifles/pistols I own, my AK’s are more for range time fun more than anything else. But I understood that going into it. I mean, I’d grab either an AK or an AR for close in fighting if needed. But in all reality, I’d rather sit out at distance and make pink mist if it ever came to that. Anyways OP, I only skimmed this thread because of the shear argumentative nature that an AK discussion becomes on most forums, so I am unsure of what your budget is. If it’s a grand-ish or less, grab a used WASR from around the 2014 time period. If it’s 2-3 times that because you want to buy once, cry once, find either a Vepr or Arsenal in your price range and be done with it. I saw early on that someone also mentioned the Yugos/Zastava guns. They are also really good. An O-PAP from 2014-2015 is something I am always looking to buy again, but only for the right deal. Had one and sold it like an idiot because some LARPer wanted that magnificent crested stock more than I did.

Anyways, the most unfortunate thing about all of this is your timing. It sucks. AK’s are way, way overpriced thanks to all the sanctions/import bans. Magazines cost triple what they did just a couple years ago, and all other AK related items are astronomical in price. I’ve had 20-25 different AK’s over the years, and almost none of them would I buy at anywhere near what today’s going rates are. Still have a few left. It seems though that my collection of them dwindles down more and more every year as someone wants what I have more than I do. Other than the 4 SBR’s I have, (2) in 7.62x39, 1 in 9mm and 1 in 12 gauge, I’ll eventually sell them all off. Even my beloved Valmet M76W in x39 will eventually go to a collector that’ll love it more than me.

Here’s some of what I have left.

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we2a1o.jpg


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Just get a zastava, they look nice and will fill that void you think you are missing. Once you get over it you can sell it for not much less than you paid for it. Just remember to ask some ridiculous price for it like all people do when they sell a used gun.
Wisdom here. Do NOT buy one of these (AK - not Zastava), unless you want to PM me and buy mine. For way more than it's worth. Not sure what the brand is, but I've owned two and neither one blew my skirt up. Kalashnikov was way smarter than I am but he ain't Stoner. If you've absolutely got to have 7.62 x 39 (which you don't) seriously consider something that's got Eugene Stoner DNA in it.

If you just want to do it to say you did it, rock on. Always fun to learn something new.

God bless America
 
You want one for nostalgia, which is fine. Just pick one.

They are all crap. Heavy. Expensive. Expensive ammo. Bad ergonomics. Bad trigger. Bad light and optic mounting options. Bad iron sights. Very difficult to service the rifle yourself. Not particularly accurate. Not as reliable as people say.

There is really no reason to have one one, other than you want one. Which is fine, nothing wrong with that. If we are being realistic, 99% of the guns we own are simply because we want one. Just pick one at a price point you are comfortable with.
100%
 
Fan bois gonna fan boi.

On one side you have; “The world is a dirty place, and an AR will get you killed in the street. You want a rifle whose action can chew a ham sandwich and not give you heartburn.”

On the other side you have “AK? LOL. If I wanted shitty accuracy, I’d buy a mini14. By the way, did you see ‘the mud test?’ The AK’s a rifle you can rely on. Rely on it to choke. USA USA USA!”

Both camps are full of Fudds. Both rifles, if it comes to it, will stack bodies.
 
I enjoy both AR and AK platforms...

I built my PSA GF5 more of what they call a "midwest alpha AK", as that's more my style, but I would like to get my hands on a true Russian import to add to the collection someday... And yes, that's a real Russian first-pattern slab-side mag. They made those from 1948-1953.

People joke on PSA, but they have done an amazing job with the AK's. Even Rob Ski over at AK Operators Union sings their praises, and that dude really tests the limits of their capabilities. The folks over at JMac Customs also love the GF5 and did a burn-down torture test on one. They did 2,100 rounds of continuous full-auto fire, the 3-part video series is on YouTube. It's worth a watch. Mine runs flawlessly, and with cheap Wolf 122gr steel case and a red dot, it has no problems consistently hitting dead-center of the 5" gongs at 100 yards. So, it's accurate enough to purposely make headshots if you were intending to. MUCH more accurate than any of the surplus or foreign-built AK's I've shot. Most of those shot MOC - Minute Of Comrade at 100 yards. 😂

The GF5 is PSA's top of the line, and it actually has an FNH CHF chrome-lined barrel in it. Which is one big reason why it's so accurate. It's worth the extra money over the other models to get that nice FN barrel. Plus, the FN barrel is threaded bore-centric, and you can safely run a suppressor on it without worrying about baffle strikes.

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