You have to love the AK

[KoopaKGB]

If you want scientific proof of the AK's perfection, just watch science at work:

I feel like the AR-15 in that video was not given a fair evaluation for some reason.

 

[smokingman]

I do not think Chefcook is around any more(as this thread is from 2008 I think). Someone bumped it though so I remembered a very funny story I should tell.At 4Sarges who was nice enough to have us out to shoot one day,chefcook had his baby,an AR.I had brought a Maddi and SLR107.After his first mag he started having a few malfunctions.Then he had the bolt literally lock,and could not get it cleared with a cleaning rod.He said something along the lines of "It is just because it is dirty,I should have cleaned it".

So in a bit of poking fun at his AR I took the dust cover off the SLR reached down and grabbed a few handfuls of dirt and leaves and threw them in.Put the dust cover on,loaded a mag and emptied it in rapid fashion.
Took the dust cover off,and nearly all the debris was gone and said "I see what you mean,I need to clean mine to."

He was not a happy camper,and our shooting ended at that point.

*waves at sarge(who witnessed the whole incident lol)

*Edit.I do have an appreciation for the AR platform and own a few,I just like the reliability of the AK more. Chef's ar was dry,and needed lubed badly.

 

[BogWalker]

I was considering an AR build. When I looked at my list of requirements to make it perfect I realized a had described an FAL.

Personally I find the AR to be a fine platform. Always the rifle though. M4 carbines just look fugly to me. Perhaps it's all of the tac-rails screwed onto them. I certainly am in the camp that the AK will be more reliable with less maintenance. I own an AK, I haven't been able to afford anything AR (or FAL for that matter) yet. Both platforms have their upsides and downsides. AKs will run just fine without lubrication though in my experience.

 

[jtcollardjr]

The AK is my rifle of choice

 

[Cerberus]

I shot AKs almost exclusively from '09-'12. Wanted to give them a fair appraisal since I am rather overly familiar with the AR line. After those years and many rounds and 6 different AK makes, I finally realized that I was giving up a quite a lot by using that platform.

Over the years I have found both to be quite reliable. What few hiccups I've had with the AR were all from ruined magazines with popped spotwelds. I've also ran into my share of AK mags that were broken down for replacement parts due to problems. But then again I do personaly insure my ARs are properly built. I found the better AK triggers were no better than the worst AR trigger, often far worse. The average accuracy of the AK was far underpar. Overall AK ergonomics are inferior. Minor and medium repairs are easier on the AR. You don't need a special tool to zero an AR, and zeroing it is far more precise. So in the end, if I need to squirt a shot of oil or wipe the bolt of the AR every 500-1000 rounds then so be it. I'll take the better more accurate rifle.

There is a reason I am now down to 1 AK, and I am willing to trade or sell it.

 

[TheDude]

I think something people miss on AKs is that you do have to zero them in with a tool. Ive met people that never knew you could adjust windage on the front sight. SKSs have fallen under the same ignorance as "Communist junk".

 

[cedartop]

I shot AKs almost exclusively from '09-'12. Wanted to give them a fair appraisal since I am rather overly familiar with the AR line. After those years and many rounds and 6 different AK makes, I finally realized that I was giving up a quite a lot by using that platform.

Over the years I have found both to be quite reliable. What few hiccups I've had with the AR were all from ruined magazines with popped spotwelds. I've also ran into my share of AK mags that were broken down for replacement parts due to problems. But then again I do personaly insure my ARs are properly built. I found the better AK triggers were no better than the worst AR trigger, often far worse. The average accuracy of the AK was far underpar. Overall AK ergonomics are inferior. Minor and medium repairs are easier on the AR. You don't need a special tool to zero an AR, and zeroing it is far more precise. So in the end, if I need to squirt a shot of oil or wipe the bolt of the AR every 500-1000 rounds then so be it. I'll take the better more accurate rifle.

There is a reason I am now down to 1 AK, and I am willing to trade or sell it.

To each his own. I have both and one in between (Sig 556). They all work. I am just not that into platforms. To me they are just a tool and I really don't get emotionally invested enough to have to defend my pet. I do however have to take exception with a couple of things.

Trigger. Really? I despise stock AR triggers. The Tapco in my first WASR was far better than any stock AR trigger. The Tapco in my RJ Saiga is a bit, shall we say, oversensitive but other than that good. The Red Star Arms in my TSD Vepr .308 is very good. Yes my Geissele's in my AR's are great,but overall I find the trigger comment way off.

Ergonomics. Never have understood this one. To me ergonomics means how easy is it to use. I find the AK much easier to use.

 

[Cerberus]

Trigger. Really? I despise stock AR triggers. The Tapco in my first WASR was far better than any stock AR trigger. The Tapco in my RJ Saiga is a bit, shall we say, oversensitive but other than that good. The Red Star Arms in my TSD Vepr .308 is very good. Yes my Geissele's in my AR's are great,but overall I find the trigger comment way off..

Nothing against the Tapco trigger. They were improvements over the stock trigger of many makes, but they felt no better than my friends DPMS trigger, and far worse than my run of the mill PSA trigger, we wont even compare it to the Sig AR trigger. About the best triggers of all the different civilian market types were on the Saiga and the preban Chinese, even the 2 MAKs I've owned don't feel as good as the 3 prebans I can shoot with a simple request.

And truth be known I still prefer the M1/M14 triggers with my brother in law's FAL not too far behind.

 

[japartridge]

personally I like the vz.58 more than either the AK or the AR, more accurate than the AK, just as reliable as the AK. Ergonomics are just as good as the AR. popularity in the US is lower than the AKs or ARs, but it has options available.

 

[BogWalker]

personally I like the vz.58 more than either the AK or the AR, more accurate than the AK, just as reliable as the AK. Ergonomics are just as good as the AR. popularity in the US is lower than the AKs or ARs, but it has options available.

I really want one of these. Are they still being produced/imported or am I SOL? Panic hit before I could grab one.

 

[j706]

The AR/M16 VS AK debate will always be just that. Personally while I think AK's are neat and own one I think they are still a crude weapon that leaves much to be desired. Yes they work and you can probably hit a man sized target out to 300 yards. But they are still crude for the most part.

For those that think the AR15/M16 platform is not reliable...well you must not get out much. A quality AR is as reliable as any AK and much more accurate. Sure you can get a thrown together AR built from parts that came from who knows where and it may not be reliable. I have been shooting the M16 type weapons since 1979 including military, High Power competitions, general shooting and LE use. I have never owned one or shot one that was unreliable. I will take an AR15/M16 over any AK anytime and every time.

Good M16-M4 reliability test. The best I could count is this was 29 mags before any meaningful malfunctions. If loaded at 28 rounds per mag that is 812 round full auto. Not how the gun was designed to be used and not recommended. But it took it just the same.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kzfm4pYhIyY

 

[BogWalker]

I think when they do tests they need to do them barely oiled if at all and filled with sand or dirt. A much more common battlefield condition.

One thing I thought of when it comes to battlefield conditions though is the lack of maintenance in an AK while using corrosive ammunition. Not sure how long it would hold up before your gas system is rusted to the point of no return. So the AK can't totally go without maintenance for long depending on ammunition type. I don't think there is corrosive 5.56x45, is there?

 

[Horse]

I really want one of these. Are they still being produced/imported or am I SOL? Panic hit before I could grab one.

They are indeed out there and available.
RRC Firearms just listed a bunch from Czechpoint for sale.

 

[Trigger Time]

I think when they do tests they need to do them barely oiled if at all and filled with sand or dirt. A much more common battlefield condition.

One thing I thought of when it comes to battlefield conditions though is the lack of maintenance in an AK while using corrosive ammunition. Not sure how long it would hold up before your gas system is rusted to the point of no return. So the AK can't totally go without maintenance for long depending on ammunition type. I don't think there is corrosive 5.56x45, is there?

They will still run fine with rust. And the chrome lined barrels will be just fine. The people who cry about corrosive ammo and cleaning their AK after each shoot just do it to keep their ak purdy mostly.
Also everyplace in the world you need water to drink so all you do is pour a glass of water through your AK or throw it in a puddle and its clean.
Or don't clean it and it will still run fine.

Rifle dynamics always runs their builds dry first and if they run good they will run wet.
I do the same if I'm working on the internals to make one run smoother. Then after I've fired 100 rounds dry I clean and oil it and repeat.

 

[Saber]

In comparing an AK to an AR both developed during the cold war, a Russian said during the space race the Americans spent millions designing a ball point pen that would write upside down and in space, we used a pencil!