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P30shtr
03-09-2011, 11:45 PM
So, a friend of mine recently purchased an AK. We went to the range, what a blast. Needless to say, someones got the bug now. Trouble is, I am way more knowledgeable on the subject of pistols than long guns. I guess I'm just asking for basic info on the platform, brands to lean towards, brands to shy away from, internals (I thought I've heard they can be beefed up). What would you guys/gals get if you were in the market? Help me out folks, thanks.

P30

David Armstrong
03-10-2011, 12:14 AM
For an entry level AK, the Romanian WASR-10 is sort of the default, it seems.

YVK
03-10-2011, 01:54 AM
You need to chose the caliber; if I were to own one, I'd go with 7.62. I have a 5.45 too and while at this point I don't care if I had it or not, it did let me continue my long arm practice when 5.56 ammo was in short supply. 5.45 remains to be the cheapest mil caliber ammo available, although 7.62x39 is not too bad now.

Century is one brand most people would recommend against. I have one of theirs and while it is devoid of major flaws, I can see why it is not anybody's favorite.

Arsenal is a default advice for high end AKs, but Arsenals are quite expensive and not fully guaranteed against production flaws. Some outfits offer worked-over AKs with various options and price ranges; Henderson Defense has a decent reputation in this regard. These two would be my choice if I were buying an AK, although I've not had any personal experience with Henderson.

I've not heard much about beefing up AK internals; AKs are arguably the most robust rifles in the world. Usually modifications include a quality sling since original ones suck, and some ergonomic enhancements - safety levers, sights, optic and light mounting options (i.e. rails). I have Krebs' safety lever, Ultimak rail [lets me mount Aimpoint Micro and light], and Vickers sling on my Arsenal; this is often considered as optimal setup for AK.

Kyle Reese
03-10-2011, 10:11 AM
SGL-21 - 7.62x39mm

Manufactured in Russia

I shot one in a Vickers AK class and was very impressed with it. It was capable of (for an AK) a great deal of accuracy, if the idiot operating the weapon (me) did his.


If you have the will to be weird, you can always get an often overlooked Cold War classic- the VZ 58. It sort of looks like an AK, but none of the parts or mags interchange. It's an amalgamation of P-38, STG 44 and SKS. TCinVA & myself each ran one during the Vickers AK class last May, just to be different. :cool:

***Disclaimer- My VZ did stop functioning when part of the trigger mech broke, and prevented the striker from coming into contact with the firing pin. This was determined to be the result of my former FFL installing an "improved" aftermarket trigger w/o my knowledge. Czechpoint fixed the rifle free of charge, installed the OEM trigger group, and it has been flawless about 2,500 rds since.***

JV_
03-10-2011, 10:13 AM
TCinVA & myself each ran one during the Vickers AK class last May, just to be different. :cool:

Ran with success?

Kyle Reese
03-10-2011, 10:19 AM
Until the walkback drill.


Ran with success?

TCinVA
03-10-2011, 11:05 AM
So, a friend of mine recently purchased an AK. We went to the range, what a blast. Needless to say, someones got the bug now. Trouble is, I am way more knowledgeable on the subject of pistols than long guns. I guess I'm just asking for basic info on the platform, brands to lean towards, brands to shy away from, internals (I thought I've heard they can be beefed up). What would you guys/gals get if you were in the market? Help me out folks, thanks.

P30

Keeping in mind that I'm not an AK expert:

If I wanted to buy a good AK I would buy an Arsenal model in 7.62x39 or one of the SLG model Saiga rifles that GS mentioned. The Arsenal and Saiga guns I've seen seem to run very well, they're built solidly, and they are about as close to the AK analogue of the Colt 6920 in comparison to other carbines that you can get.

I've become a bit gunshy about shopping for AKs at gunstores. At least in my area I see a lot of frankenstein builds that have issues. As an example, a buddy of mine from the local PD bought an AK recently and brought it with us to the range Tuesday before last. I was attempting to get an on-paper zero with the weapon at 25 yards and I got a burst of full-auto fire from it. I told him to take the weapon back to the dealer and have him look at the trigger group. It is a Century based AK that was way out of spec because the previous owner (unbeknownst to the dealer) had put a hammer from God only knows where in with a trigger from God only knows where and the two didn't seem to be working together all that well. By "not working together all that well" I mean that when the dealer (who knows something about AKs) looked at the parts he immediately took them out of the weapon and had a friend at a machine shop destroy the parts.

With AKs there is such a huge variation in the dimensions and quality of parts out there that modding them becomes problematic and sometimes downright dangerous. GS and I were both on the range when one of the students in the Vickers class had an unintentional discharge as he attempted to take the safety off on his weapon for a drill. He was doing everything properly and because of that nobody was hurt. The mix of parts in his gun (IIRC a blend of 922 compliant parts and combloc parts of indeterminate origin) resulted in this rare occasion (it had never happened to him before) where taking the weapon off safe caused a discharge.

I saw a repeat of that at the previously mentioned range session...another officer who had brought his relatively new AK took the weapon off safe and ended up launching a bullet...only his weapon was pointed up in the air instead of at a low-ready when this happened. I haven't had the chance to look at his weapon to figure out what was going on with it yet.

To me, it's worth spending some extra money to buy a quality AK that isn't as likely to have those kinds of assembly issues due to tinkering or some drunk peasant assembling the weapon with a hammer. When you buy one of the Arsenal or Saiga rifles you're getting good internal parts that aren't likely to turn your semi-auto into a burst weapon or a weapon that launches bullets when you take the safety off. As an added bonus, their front sights tend to be useful (rather than canted so badly you can barely zero it) and they typically don't have big important parts (like the trigger) break and jettison themselves from the weapon.

People like to think of the "AK" as a monolithic entity, but in truth they aren't. How one is made has a huge impact on the service you're likely to get from the weapon. It takes a fair amount of skilled labor to produce a good AK that doesn't have issues. As far as I've been able to see, Saiga and Arsenal seem to have the necessary skill to deliver consistently good rifles. The WASRs vary considerably from very good to truly awful, at least in my experience. These days they aren't selling for $300 bucks like they used to. The cheapest I've found lately has been over $500. For that price I'd just as soon save a little more money up and buy an SLG-21.

Kyle Reese
03-10-2011, 12:49 PM
Another thing to keep in mind is that not all AK's have chrome plated bores/chambers, something to consider if you plan on firing any corrosively primed ComBloc ammunition. The Yugoslav AK's do NOT have chrome lined bores/barrels (nor do their SKS's).

Something to think about.

evanhill
03-10-2011, 12:53 PM
One thing that hasn't been mentioned is that you'll need to decide on whether you want a milled or stamped receiver. Milled are "higher quality" but heavier. Heavy enough that you might as well go with something in 7.62x51 like a FAL. I'd go stamped personally - but high build quality as has already been mentioned.

The optic setup that you want is an ultimak rail with an RDS on it. The biggest limitation to AK accuracy - in the hands of someone who can shoot accurately - is the crappy iron sights.

Kyle Reese
03-10-2011, 01:29 PM
I got to handle TCinVA's VEPR- IIRC those are milled recievers. Sweet rifle too- wish I had one. :cool:

IIRC the Soviets initially moved away from milling early AK recievers due to time involved and per unit cost, when they could manufacture more rifles with a simplified stamped reciever.

TCinVA
03-10-2011, 02:02 PM
Actually, my VEPR is a stamped receiver...but it's the stamped receiver from an RPK. Twice as thick as the standard stamped receivers with a reenforced trunnion as well, IIRC. A sturdy, heavy, weapon.

Kyle Reese
03-10-2011, 02:08 PM
Ah- didn't know that. It sure as hell felt heavy. :cool:

I wish Templar was here- he's a walking encyclopedia of Cold War small arms.

P30shtr
03-10-2011, 09:27 PM
Thanks for all the great feedback guys. This is exactly what I was looking for. I had heard of both the Co. mentioned before. Especially Saiga, if anyone hasnt, they must live under a rock. Sounds like they are who to go to (either Co., not one over the other so much). Caliber-- 7.62x39 was def. the route I was leaning. I know, I didnt mention it in my OP and knew I would hear about it.

TCVA said (down arrow), which a bit, I knew to an extent but, not all, which is exactly why I sought out expert opinion on the subject. (not to single out this reply, all were appreciated)

With AKs there is such a huge variation in the dimensions and quality of parts out there that modding them becomes problematic and sometimes downright dangerous. GS and I were both on the range when one of the students in the Vickers class had an unintentional discharge as he attempted to take the safety off on his weapon for a drill. He was doing everything properly and because of that nobody was hurt. The mix of parts in his gun (IIRC a blend of 922 compliant parts and combloc parts of indeterminate origin) resulted in this rare occasion (it had never happened to him before) where taking the weapon off safe caused a discharge.

I saw a repeat of that at the previously mentioned range session...another officer who had brought his relatively new AK took the weapon off safe and ended up launching a bullet...only his weapon was pointed up in the air instead of at a low-ready when this happened. I haven't had the chance to look at his weapon to figure out what was going on with it yet.

To me, it's worth spending some extra money to buy a quality AK that isn't as likely to have those kinds of assembly issues due to tinkering or some drunk peasant assembling the weapon with a hammer. When you buy one of the Arsenal or Saiga rifles you're getting good internal parts that aren't likely to turn your semi-auto into a burst weapon or a weapon that launches bullets when you take the safety off. As an added bonus, their front sights tend to be useful (rather than canted so badly you can barely zero it) and they typically don't have big important parts (like the trigger) break and jettison themselves from the weapon.

People like to think of the "AK" as a monolithic entity, but in truth they aren't. How one is made has a huge impact on the service you're likely to get from the weapon. It takes a fair amount of skilled labor to produce a good AK that doesn't have issues. As far as I've been able to see, Saiga and Arsenal seem to have the necessary skill to deliver consistently good rifles.

Thanks again, keep the feedback comin

P30

BWT
03-11-2011, 12:23 AM
I hate to be the fly in the ointment.

I bought an Arsenal SGL21-71... A month... and a half ago ish.

It's with Arsenal now, they seem to make quality guns.

Word to the wise, inspect the gun before you throw away the box, manual, test target and/or magazine, if you need to ship it back it must be in Factory condition.

Basically the top safety detent wasn't milled out all the way, which causes the selector to push up against the dust cover, which causes it to stick and I mean STICK (Russian Gun Lock itself is what I started calling it), like white knuckle grip pushing on it to get it to come out of safe kind of stick, like cut your thumb on the safety when it finally releases stick.

They have a one year Manufacturer's Warranty with certain stipulations I don't care for, such as if you use an American made magazine, they will void your warranty, not recommend you use better quality magazines, but void the warranty of the gun.

If you use anything other than CLP on your finish, they will not warranty the finish (let me just go ahead and tell you, it's a spray on finish meaning, it's glorified spray paint, just being honest (ETA: I also want to say, I don't know if that's all AK's, but, that's how mine is/was))

Technically, if you install anything other than an Arsenal Factory Part they will void your warranty, they saw I had a different pistol grip, but she said to change it out. They decided not to void my warranty because I was dumb enough to email them a picture of the issue with a different pistol grip. (I don't think after what the discussion turned into, they were going to push that point, I still haven't fired the rifle)

I knew all of this going into buying the gun, and I bought it, my Father honestly, buys the same guns I do regularly, he bought one too, had no such issue.

I don't find it common place to hear issues about their Customer Service.

The Lady I'm dealing with has been very helpful.

But know that before you buy an Arsenal, don't accept sub-par quality, and don't attempt to fix it yourself until you're certain you don't want manufacturer support anymore.

I'll post pictures if I need to. Honestly, I was a bit worried about it, but they've put my mind at ease, I'm still dealing with the issue being resolved. She's done a great job.

I will also say this, for some reason, the foreign weapon importers market just seems shady (not just AK's... FAL's seem the same way, same with the H&K clone market), After what I've heard I'll never buy a Century gun, or a Lancaster Arms AK. I'd say I'd probably buy an Arsenal again, but with the way their prices are rising, that's debatable.

http://www.k-var.com/shop/product.php?productid=17046&cat=353&page=1

This gun was around , $699 a year ago, it was $749 when I bought it within the last two months, and now it's $771. I want to say it was down near $650-$600 two years ago. I don't know if I'd pay $800 (which it looks like it will be at soon) for it.

I still like Arsenal, but I feel that's the truth, not going to sugar coat it. The other thing to keep in perspective is, frankly, You might hear some bad things "out there" about Arsenal here and there, but they probably also sell more AK's than most other manufacturers, so, they're going to have more issues, because frankly, it's percentages, the amount of guns you make, eventually you'll put out a bad one.

If you make a 1,000 guns and put out three bad ones, and compare that to a manufacturer who puts out a 100 and puts out three bad ones, even though they have the same number of issues, are they still just as bad?

Look for Canted Front Sight Bases on AK's, I inspected mine at the FFL's, I didn't think to look at the Safety (It's my first AK, so I'll admit I'm an amateur on the subject).

I have heard good things of Atlantic Arms, but anyway, that's all I've got.

I'll post pictures if I need to.

ETA: http://www.arsenalinc.com/warranty.htm

Arsenal's Warranty page, just in case there were any doubts about what I said.

Tim
03-16-2011, 12:27 AM
Ah- didn't know that. It sure as hell felt heavy. :cool:

I wish Templar was here- he's a walking encyclopedia of Cold War small arms.


I heard that Templar guy is an ass though.

As far as heavy.....

Heavy is good, heavy is reliable. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lX0MB7pJtKs)

To the OP, how much are you looking to spend?

TCinVA
03-16-2011, 11:53 AM
Ah! The AK expert has finally arrived!

Willkommen, mein herr.

Cowtown44
03-16-2011, 12:19 PM
Look into Krebs Custom.

P30shtr
06-30-2011, 05:10 PM
Just wanted to let all who replied and everyone else (I'm so psyched) know that I will be the proud new owner of an Arsenal SGL21-66 tomorrow. Got the call from my shop shes here today. I dealt with Atlantic Firearms for the purchase. Pretty good folks too I might add. $905 OTD. I know, pretty pricey but, from what I've read the Arsenals are supposed to be top tier. I guess we'll see tomorrow huh.
Heres a link to Atlantic with the SGL21-66 http://www.atlanticfirearms.com/storeproduct822.aspx

Kyle Reese
06-30-2011, 06:42 PM
Just picked up a Hungarian Kalashnikov myself. Can't wait to get it to the range.

Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using Tapatalk

WDW
06-30-2011, 10:07 PM
What about that Sig 556 in 7.62x39 that accepts AK mags. I Know nothing about the 556's track record, but that gun seemed really solid and well built.

will_1400
06-30-2011, 11:19 PM
What about that Sig 556 in 7.62x39 that accepts AK mags. I Know nothing about the 556's track record, but that gun seemed really solid and well built.

They're generally not well thought of. Over on M4C there are several threads regarding the 556 series and I've yet to see any truly good feedback about them (the rifles).

Kyle Reese
06-30-2011, 11:25 PM
What about that Sig 556 in 7.62x39 that accepts AK mags. I Know nothing about the 556's track record, but that gun seemed really solid and well built.

Not a chance I'd be willing to take, especially considering the excellent Kalashnikov variants out there (SGL-21, etc).

ranburr
07-01-2011, 04:52 AM
I currently have a milled Arsenal and stamped Krebs built on a Saiga. The only difference that I see on the milled vs stamped issue is wt. Both of mine function equally well, one has double hooked triggers while the other is single. No difference in the quality of the triggers. My next purchase will be a Rifle Dynamics in 5.45 based on a Saiga. Sonny P. (former Spetnaz) puts on a great AK class.

Jay Cunningham
07-01-2011, 08:30 AM
In 7.62x39mm variants, I'm actually a fan of the milled guns. That little bit of extra weight helps with recoil management IMO without being unnecessarily heavy. Plus the milled guns are just damn nice.

Kyle Reese
07-01-2011, 11:12 AM
Templar has a real nice milled Bulgarian for sale. Was tempted to buy it till a screaming deal on a Hungarian AKM caught my eye. :o

During the Vickers AK class, I was able to shoot a custom SGL 21, and was thoroughly impressed with it's accuracy, handling and overall performance. While it was no AR, it really gave me a newfound respect for the platform and the cartridge.

For anyone seeking training on the Kalashnikov, Larry Vickers puts on a fine class.

ranburr
07-01-2011, 05:17 PM
I would bevcurious to see how Larry's class differs from Sonny's. Kind of opposites with similar backgrounds. Sonny does not believe in running an AK like an AR.

Jay Cunningham
07-01-2011, 05:19 PM
I would bevcurious to see how Larry's class differs from Sonny's. Kind of opposites with similar backgrounds. Sonny does not believe in running an AK like an AR.

Neither does Larry. But I've taken his AK class several times, so I actually know what I'm talking about.

Kyle Reese
07-01-2011, 05:20 PM
Sonny does not believe in running an AK like an AR.

Combat marksmanship and the core fundamentals remain the same on both systems, just different manuals of arms. Not sure how you run an AK like an AR........

Odin Bravo One
07-01-2011, 07:43 PM
I picked up an SLG from Rifle Dynamics to add to the stack. Been shooting them long enough that I figured I should have one to call my own. Guys that can run them generally run them fairly well. Guys that can't, well they revert back to an AR style that is ineffecient and counterproductive to the mechanism and manual of arms. And contrary to popular (internet?) belief, I have not found the majority of AK's I have come across to be the infallible, malfunction-proof machine many make it out to be. Quality manufacture to start with, along with quality, properly maintained magazines, quality ammunition, and a little bit of training are still required to get it to run right. LAV's class is a good place to start to find most of those.

seanpual
07-11-2011, 05:11 AM
I have recently bought AK from Rifle Dynamics. It is good....

BWT
08-30-2011, 09:22 AM
I figured since I posted what I did several months ago (before I got the gun back), I've shot the SGL 21-71 on a semi-regular basis, I've got probably... oh I don't know... 800-1000 rounds through it? Without any magazine feeding issues, FTF's, FTE's, of any kind, which is more than I can say for any other gun I own. To be fair, the only Failures to Feed I've ever had with my BCM were squarely on the magazines (Because I replaced the followers, and haven't had a problem in any of those magazines in probably I dunno...1,000-1,400 rounds), and the only other issue I've ever had were stuck cases with Wolf Ammo.

I haven't had any problems with the SGL other than the safety lever when I initially received it. I had some words with Arsenal, and it took some convincing, but, they took it and received it. The Safety Lever chewed up the finish (minor issue) and it would stick and I mean stick, the term I came up with was "Russian Gun Lock" itself, there was rust on the sight (I mean... not that I really wound up about it, just full disclosure), and the back portion of the sight was just bare metal.

When I received it back, they had refinished the gun, replaced the safety lever, there was no rust on the sight, and they put a finish on the back of the sight (I didn't even know they did that, but, they did on this one).

I think AK's are like AR's in that, honestly, it depends on who's assembling the gun and what the part quality is like. No gun runs on it's namesake alone.

I'd go with an Arsenal, honestly, I would. They took care of me, just like any gun, thoroughly overlook it and use it after purchase. If I've learned anything (and preaching to the choir at this forum), it's test a gun, you really don't know what a gun is like until I think you've put about a 300-500 rounds through it. (Closer to a thousand)

I went the Arsenal because it was quality, matching parts mated from the Factory (in Russia), constructed to Russian Military Spec (Meaning chrome lined, hammer forged barrel, chrome lined op-rod, correct rivets, magazine dimpels), and it was priced in what I felt was appropriate for an AK of said quality, I expected it to work (and it has).

I'd go with a stamped receiver over a milled receiver, the gun weighs around 9-ish lbs loaded, the muzzle break makes it very controllable, but also keep in mind I weigh about 228 lbs, so I may be bigger (or smaller) than other users. The other thing I've heard FWIW, is that Stamped guns are more preferrable to Milled in one aspect, even though they're typically less accurate, the receivers do flex (obviously not much), the milled do not, the problem being, over time they will crack.

Now that's what I heard from someone I'd consider extremely knowledgeable on the subject. Also I'd go with Chinese magazines, they have metal followers, I don't care for the huge back on the Bulgarian magazines (and they also come with Plastic followers).

That being said, AK's if properly built are designed from the ground up to be reliable, now you hear that everywhere, but what I'd say to the layman (which I'd still consider myself, I own one, that doesn't therefore make me an expert) is it's got several features that make it so.

- The Taper of the cartridge, the actual taper of the 7.62x39mm makes the round feed well, also if you shoot polymer coated rounds, etc, because of that taper you don't have a rigid/sharp angled shoulder such as with the .223/5.56mm the round, it is a bit more inherently reliable, as far as feeding, also, frankly, if you shoot polymer coated steel rounds (like I do), you don't really have to worry about a case getting stuck with the shape of that casing (or at least I've never seen or heard of one).

- The Magazines, there are several benefits in these (IMHO, probably the most unappreciated and unrecognized portion of the AK), the Feed lips alone on the magazine are usually right around .090'' thick, they're about .030'' thick on an AR Magazine (for comparison), I've never seen a double feed in AK platform, and I also think they can take drops on the ground a lot better loaded than AR Magazines. They're also made of solid steel (which is a weight issue). They also get something right from the factory, given what I've seen with some unreliable 1911 magazines and AR magazines, I've developed the opinion that magazine followers should be long so that they can embrace the four corners of the magazine at all times while in motion, meaning that should offer the rounds to the weapon in a much more stable fashion and much more consistently than a shorter follower, also that follower is metal, and durable. (I think that's part of the reason the Magpul Anti-Tilt followers are so reliable, the length)

Also, the consistent curve on the magazine, now... if you're designing a magazine, to open that can of worms, you want the way/route it feeds to be consistent in movement, either you want the magazine to have a consistent curve, or you want it to be consistently straight, but whatever you want it to do, it needs to be consistent, that's ideal. Now the AR magazines do extremely well, and they're not (at least the 30 rounders aren't), and there are plenty of examples that are the same situation, but that's just a general rule of thumb.

You'll notice at this point, we haven't even discussed the gun, so next time someone points at an AK and goes "Hey it's piston driven, that's why it's so reliable" (like in an AR for example), roll your eyes, you know better.

So now we actually talk about the gun, part of the reason I went with the Arsenal was the above matching parts mated from the factory.

- The 3-lug Bolt, I've never seen of a bolt lug ever cracking on an AK, I think they over built them for reliability, and that's exactly what they deliver.

- The Op Rod/Carrier/Receiver/Gas Tube, I mention these all four, because I really think they all work in conjuction for the actual management/propulsion of the carrier. I believe the AK is overgassed (The shells do regularly eject forward of 4 o'clock, depending on the loading), but it's more of a non-issue because they have 4 big old vent holes (in the SGL-21 anyway, these ports are also what make the gun a poor gun to suppress, it doesn't yield great results suppressed, it's the truth) in that gas tube in the front. I also think it doesn't lead to carrier tilt (like it does in Piston AR's), because the carrier rides on a rail, so it's complete travel cycle is controlled. I think the Op Rod being directly attached to the carrier makes it more reliable than the Short Stroke Piston guns, because it is not propulsion transferred to a piston that strikes the a carrier, it's just transferred directly to the carrier/op Rod.

Which I think is inherently better, because I think that the kinetic strike versus gas propulsion in the Short Stroke Piston guns is more of a push rather than a hammering of the carrier. You also don't see any tilt because their are rails built into the receiver, that the carrier rides on.

- The Safety Lever, let's call it what it is, that's no safety lever, that's a giant dust cover that pulls part time duty as an Safety lever. When the gun is put in safe it effectively seals off the receiver and protects one of the largely finicky components, which is discussed some in circles like this, but largely... not by the rest of the shooting public. The trigger, if you get dirt/debris in that trigger, that will stop an AK, and is recognized as somewhat unreliable portion of the gun (at least when it has debris in it, again I've never had a FTF). I think the reason that's largely unknown is, if you carry a gun, you're usually going to carry it in safe, and switch it to fire when you intend to fire, so the majority of that gun's life will see safe, they incorporated this into the design.

I think that's really what attributes to the AK's reliability.

Also one last thing, I think there's been a mis-translation over the years... I think people say (and I believe it's a mistake, something lost in translation by translators translating from Russian to English and not knowing the entire significance of what they're saying.) I think the AK has clearances built in, what is said a lot, and I believe it's a msitake is that it has loose tolerances.

There's a distinct difference, loose tolerances are a lack of aptitude and quality of design. Clearances are built in by design, the gun is designed to have those areas unoccupied. But tell any engineer that you're designing something to have loose tolerances so it's more reliable and they'll look at you like you have no idea what you're talking about, because it's usually parts that are out of specification or out of tolerance that cause the item to be unreliable.

Anyway, I'm no expert, I work on computers for a living, but that's just observations/information I've gathered.

That's what makes the gun reliable IMHO.

Kyle Reese
08-30-2011, 09:27 AM
BWT,
Outstanding post and 100% spot on.

AK's do fail, and most of the ones I'm aware of that do so can be attributed to the poor quality ammunition manufactured in say.....Iraq. Got a friend in the south of Iraq now who has the unenviable task of repairing and refurbishing worn and damaged AK's.