Why aren't 5.56 AKs popular?

[JulyAZ]

Just out of curiosity why aren't 5.56 AKs more popular in the American market?

There's NATO members who use and manufacture 5.56 variants of the AK, and the given availability 5.56 in the American market, why aren't they more popular here?

I was looking into them but got really deterred by the lack of magazines and parts for them.

[1911-A1]

I think it's due to a few reasons:

-Cheap 7.62x39mm and 5.45 ammo, as well as tons of dirty surplus.

-Lots of surplus mags and parts for 7.62 and 5.45 guns available.

-Lots of people who get into AKs like the classic calibers as part of the appeal. They have ARs for shooting 5.56.

-I recall there being some reliability issues with 5.56 AKs, but I don't recall the details. I'm sure someone can elucidate.

[RetroRevolver77]

Overall the Arsenal 5.56 rifles are nice, they just weren't that popular due to cheaper import ammo in other calibers. Now days though that is changing, you can get the cheap 5.56 for the same price as 5.45 or 7.62. So having a NATO cal AK makes sense long term given how easily foreign import ammo can be cut off. Trust me, you don't want to be sitting on a pile of some foreign caliber dependent rifles.

[bullitt]

I have an old SAR-3 that I like a lot. The Arsenal guns are probably better quality, but my old SAR-3 has chewed through thousands of rounds without any problems.

There are a couple of issues I see with 5.56 AKs that I think turn people off.

-Magazines are expensive and can be hard to find.

-Parts are hard to find. I have no idea where to get a spare bolt, requires a non-standard hammer, etc.

Hopefully someone with a higher-end gun can chime in and let you know if any of those issues are resolved by buying a better quality gun.

Overall I really like my 5.56 AK. I like how it shoots and it's really nice that it uses the same caliber as so many of my other guns.


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[Campbell]

^^^ mags/parts

[JulyAZ]

Trust me, you don't want to be sitting on a pile of some foreign caliber dependent rifles.

That's what I was thinking I was originally in the market for a 74 when the 7n6 got cutoff, that stopped me from getting a AK then.

Now I have a plenty of 5.56 and don't really want to dive into other calibers that may dry up depending on the mood of the person in charge. Which begs the question why has the 5.56 picked up more steam given the possibilities.

[themonk]

Lack of mags

[Pilot1]

I bought a few packs of Weiger, East German mags for 5.56 many years ago in anticipation of getting an AK in 5.56, and just never pulled the trigger on one. I am on the AR side of thing now. The Weigers are the best.

[RetroRevolver77]

I obviously went with Arsenal 106 series and I have Russian, Polish, and Bulgarian magazines. Picked up a couple extra bolt heads, an extra bolt carrier, bullet guide and barrel from K-Var. The rest of the parts are standard issue AKM or 74 components. Just be sure your rifle has the lowered and widened feedramp bevel on the barrel or you can easily do that yourself if you end up with an earlier serial numbered 106FR rifle. I've been running these 106's and the predecessor proto-type since the late 90's.

Here's Vickers running his 106CR.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACcrtrFgDE8


Likely the same 106CR now years later that Vicker's tricked out in Russian AK Alpha pattern;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxhTNZ1wAsc



7n6

[Auto426]

Cheap surplus, or the lack thereof, is the simple answer.

Up until a few years ago 7.62x39mm and 5.45x39mm parts kits, surplus mags, and surplus steel cased ammo were being imported into the country by the boat load. If there is one thing shooters love, its cheap guns (that work) and cheap ammo. Without all of that cheap surplus the AK would be little more than a blip in the American market.