My initial impression of Gen 2 Galil Ace pistol in 7.62x39

[Greg Bell]

Hey guys,

Did some swapping and picked up a Gen 2 Ace. Mainly I did it because I am buying anything imported these days. I had a Gen 1 and although I liked it, I sold it a buddy a few years back. I was excited to pick it up because 7.62x39 is RELATIVELY cheap ($7.99 for 20) to pick up right now so shooting 100 rounds is expensive, but basically what I was spending to shoot my AR pistol a year or so ago.

Spoiler alert: there is no reason to buy this gun if you have a Gen 1. I think almost everything about this gun is an improvement, but nothing earth-shattering.

Galil Ace 2 first outing by stoiclawyer, on Flickr


PRO

1. RAIL. It's nice. The old handguard was a bit portly and plasticky. The new one is much more comfortable. I think in full auto the original hand guard might have been more comfortable but in semi-auto the rail won't get warm enough to make a big difference. So basically, you have a nice place to put your hand. ALSO, the rail seems to be very solid so you actually might consider mounting your optic further forward and not have to worry about return to zero. Also, you have excellent sling options thanks to the sling swivel mounting holes.

2. Safety. Supposedly this is much better than the old one. They have shortened the throw but they have increased the leverage needed. I believe this is why they put the ledge on the right (AK) side. I think they increased the leverage needed so they wanted to put a bigger shelf. Honestly, it's ok, but nothing amazing.

3. They trimmed back the plastic around the mag well. I didn't believe it would be, but it is an improvement. It allows very easy mag changes. The old one acted as a sort of guide but the Galil has the best rock and lock system I have ever experienced (WAY, WAY, WAY better than any AK including my Saiga, Arsenal, Zastava, you name it).

4. They swapped to a non-proprietary brace/ AR buffer tube. See "con" below.

5. Trigger is fantastic. The ALG on my Saiga is a bit better but not worth changing. Frankly, it may be no better after I get more than 120 rounds down range.

6. VERY HIGH quality. Everything about it screams top-quality military construction. Nothing about this gun feels dinky. I have played with $1700 DD guns that had furniture that made me wince. This gun feels like it means business. The parts are all clean, well finished and well fit. IWI is not ripping folks off, this is a top-tier gun. Anyone that pays $1200 for a Zastava without brace and won't pay $1600 for this is smoking crack.

Galil Ace 2 Album by stoiclawyer, on Flickr

Galil Ace 2 Album by stoiclawyer, on Flickr

Galil Ace 2 Album by stoiclawyer, on Flickr

Galil Ace 2 Album by stoiclawyer, on Flickr

CON.

1. No irons. The old irons weren't great but they had tritium. The front sight was built in so you never had to worry about it. The rear was a solid bolt on unit but it was still mounted on the top cover which is lame. I ended up spending over $100 putting some low profile magpul sights on the gun.

2. The brace isn't really adjustable. The stock is on a non-proprietary tube but it won't adjust. You basically have to keep it in short mode if you want it to lock. I guess this is a concession to the unwritten LOP rule that ATF is playing around with. However, if this rule doesn't end up being a thing you can easily swap it out. Also, the current brace is shorter than the old brace

3. They have simplified the machining in the lower a bit. I notice that the listening cuts that disappeared in the 545 model are now gone for the 762x39 (see picture)


The gun was very easy to zero. I threw on a lightweight holosun circle-dot. I think any top cover optic needs to be light. after about 9 rounds I was able to zero the sights to the optic and get on with it. I am going to clean it tonight and then see how the zero is next week. I am mix of red army standard and tula. I shot about 3.5 moa. Before you laugh I need to note this is what I shoot with the ammo from my Arsenal and Saiga. That's about as good as I get with AK's shooting cheap ammo.

I noticed no ""over-gassing." I need to admit I like shooting HK-91s but honestly it recoils like an AK pistol with better ergos.

Who should buy this gun ? Gun aficionados. No question this gun at $1600 makes little sense in a world awash with cheap ARs. But if you are an AK guy come hell or high water I can't think of a better AK except for one thing. I WISH there was a way to mount an optic on a side rail. RSREGULATE figure this out. I just don't trust top cover optics.
over time.

Galil Ace 2 first outing by stoiclawyer, on Flickr



Ghetto Slo-mo.

https://youtu.be/A-OYy8yJ4NY

[GJM]

Do you think this is better than an Arsenal pistol?

[Greg Bell]

I think the ACE is a "better" gun and a better value (currently). The ACE is basically finished right out of the box. There isn't anything to do other than slap an optic on it. The Arsenal will need to get a buffer tube adapter. I am not a fan of the pic rear brace mount. I have a Zastava with that and the triangle brace that mounts on the pic rail is a joke. There is a tiny little plate that holds the whole thing together. Someone needs to come up with a kit for beefing that up. I have one on a Zastava and I decided to swap it out for a buffer tube adapter.

If you correct the rear brace issue and make the arsenal as cheap as the Galil I think it's a tough call. The Arsenal is an AK and a milled one to boot. My suspicion is that gun with the original arsenal Triangle stock is an unstoppable beast. A buddy of mine just bought the rifle version and it was a very smooth shooter and built like a tank. I will say the superficial fit and finish is way, way, way better on the Ace.

[CDFIII]

Can you notice any difference in the gas port sizing? The first Gen. guns were basically impossible to suppress without causing severe over gassing. Hoping Gen. 2 had fixed those issues.

[Greg Bell]

Honestly, I don't know. It seems fine, but I've never tried to suppress any AK or AK variant. I have always sailed close to the shore and only suppressed my AR-15s and my Scar when it comes to rifles. I do have a Surefire SOCOM and a spare 3 prong laying around....hmmm

[Greg Bell]

Blasted another 100 rounds down range. I'm starting to have some thoughts.


Trigger

The trigger is decent. It feels like a slightly stiffer than normal AK trigger (and by AK trigger, I mean American AK triggers). The overall feel is AK with longish take-up, longish but very positive reset. For example, my Zastava Zpap92 has basically the same trigger, except a hair lighter and crisper. It feels like business.


Sights


I purposely took the top cover off, and removed the bolt carrier, spring, etc just to see if it would play havoc with my sights. Fortunately it did not. It stayed on at 50 yards and I was able to hit my 10 inch steel plate free standing at 90 yards (the extend of my shaded range).

Accessories

I put one of the cloud defense tape switch boxes on my top rail so I could get my arm out a bit further by swapping the scout light to the other side. this was probably worthwhile but we shall see. It does allow for a better grip.


Magazines

Today I ran my 20 round Pmag and the 30 rounder out of the Zastava. The Galil has the world's greatest AK mag experience. There is no "oh crap, I was slightly off" nonsense. You pivot the mag in and you are done. Zero drama.


Reliability

Just another 100 rounds of tula. Nothing shocking so far.



Random thoughts and comparisons

Last night I heard my dog barking on the back end of my property and I decided to grab up the Galil. I didn't end up needing it but I tell you, it is a comforting tool to have with you in the woods.

My buddy brought out his 556 Galil and we enjoyed comparing them.

Range day by stoiclawyer, on Flickr

I also had some fun doing some comparison shooting against my Zastava. The recoil characteristics are very similar. I went back and forth and honestly if I had to guess I would say that the Galil has a slightly a greater recoil impulse, but I wouldn't put money on it.
Range day by stoiclawyer, on Flickr

Galil 5 round dump to get a feel for the recoil...



A Zastava mag dump for comparison

https://youtu.be/8i00HPZ_rGM

And a regular old AR (although I was actually aiming at a plate here)

https://youtu.be/3Y7RCRHjp8o


Summary

So far so good. I will try and keep this up to date over time. I only have a few hundred rounds down range but it seems to be a winner. It is plainly very nicely made, and almost everything about it screams top-notch military construction. Next week I may put my 3x magnifier and try and shoot some groups with 55 and 77 grain.

[mrozowjj]

I have zero AK pattern guns and no mags. I used to but got rid of it a while ago. But looking at ammo it seems that even at the inflated prices of today's ammo 7.62x39 is cheaper than 9mm or 5.56 so I have been thinking about getting one of these. I have thought about getting an ACE for a while because I am a IWI fanboy but I was thinking 5.56 before but now I'm thinking 7.62. That said spending $2000 to save 20-30 cents a trigger pull is probably some bad math.

I like that the safety and charge handle are in the right spot for me to be a natural transition as that is where the charge handle is on my X95, Scorpion, basically ever non AR gun when compared to other AKs which is part of the appeal of the ACE vs any other cheaper AK.

The only question I have that makes me hesitation is price. If I could actually get it for $1600 I'd have ordered one already but every place I see with them is charging $1900 for the pistol and $2000 for the rifle.

How does 7.62 do out of a barrel that short?

[Greg Bell]

7.62x39 is typically still going 2000fps+. It only loses 200 or so FPS over the 16 inch barrel. Although definitely a little less controllable I think the 762x39 is far superior to 545/556 in the super short formats.

[LittleLebowski]

Honestly, I don't know. It seems fine, but I've never tried to suppress any AK or AK variant. I have always sailed close to the shore and only suppressed my AR-15s and my Scar when it comes to rifles. I do have a Surefire SOCOM and a spare 3 prong laying around....hmmm

Banned.

[Greg Bell]

LOL. Damn!