5.45x39 mags

[RyanS]

While I've got you all distracted with my questions, I'd like to add one more that's a bit off topic. I understand that 7N6 is corrosive. What do I need to do after I shoot to prevent any problems. I am the type of guy that cleans immediately upon returning home from the range. Is there anything aside from a good going over with Gun Scrubber, Hoppes, or CLP that I need to do? I think that I read somewhere that I should add Windex to my cleaning kit.

[Pat_Rogers]

Ryan, i absolutely despise CLP, and use Slip 2000 as my lube and their 725 as the cleaner. I have been shooting the 7n6 and using the the Slip with no bad results.
I'd prefer to stay away from petroleum based products when possible. Slip does a much better job then CLP and is a lot less toxic.

[RyanS]

Gotcha, thanks. I'll pick some up.

[Pat_Rogers]

Ryan- I have a coupla' hundred 74 mags. The steel ones, the light brown, brick red, black and plum- all run fine.
I have noticed that some of the "plum" magazines are actually black painted over with plum/
The paint looks old, and i have no idea whether they were done OCONUS or by an unscrupulous dealer here.
I doubt you'll have any problems, but let us know how you like your 105.

[RyanS]

I have a coupla' hundred 74 mags.

Oh how I would love to see your gun room, safe, shop, whatever or wherever it is that you keep your guns, gear and ammo. I don't think that I've seen a couple of hundred of anything in my life except ammo rounds, dollars, and what lately seems to be dirty diapers.

I doubt you'll have any problems, but let us know how you like your 105.

Will do. I'm patiently waiting for it to get here. You don't happen to know, given the curveture of the 5.45 mags, if they'll work in Eagle M4 mag pouches?

Also, TS, Boom, Marc, and miserai, thank you for your help.

Last question, any plans to ever come up North into the MN, IA, SD, ND, NE area for a class?

[Pat_Rogers]

Ryan- a single AK74 magazine will fit in an Eagle double M4 pouch. No way that you can get two in there though.
As for plans to go up north, where it is cold in the winter and lots of flying vectors in the summer - no plans at this time

[TigerStripe]

Will do. I'm patiently waiting for it to get here. You don't happen to know, given the curveture of the 5.45 mags, if they'll work in Eagle M4 mag pouches?

Also, TS, Boom, Marc, and miserai, thank you for your help.

Thanks, but I don't think I added much of value to the conversation. I owned an SAR2 and couldn't get more than one mag in most pouches and not even one in some. Several companies make quality AK pouches and any mag pouch that hold an AK47 mag will hold a 74 mag. I want a 105 myself, but I can't find one and I don't know where to find decent quantities of AK74 mags at decent prices. I gave all my AK74 mags away with the SAR2 and I had about thirty of them. I'm sure you'll enjoy yours. I enjoyed my SAR2 for the little while tht I had it.

TS

[MAUSER88]

I like the Russian poly mags the best. They just look right in my SAR 2.

[TOrrock]

Pretty much any AK-74 magazine is going to work well as long as your springs are still decent.

The Bakelite magazines came out at a time when the Russians still hadn't mastered polymer technology as we had in the West. The first polymer magazines the Russians came out with were plum, and they were plum because the dye that the first tried to use to make their stock sets and magazines black made the polymer too soft. As soon as they could, they corrected this and went black. I have some Russian plum magazines that were painted black at one time by the Russians at an armory level.

The East Germans were the first Warsaw Pact country to start AK-74 production outside of the Soviet Union, and just kept using the bakelite mags.

The Bulgarians make/have made several color runs: Black, "Saddle Brown", "Firebrick Red", and a "Plum-Red".

The main reason for the different colors, from what I've been told, is that it depended on what dyes they had in stock at the time. The "Saddle Brown" color is actually the least expensive dye that they use that protects the polymer from degredation by ultra violet radiation. Black is current standard, but you'll see all colors used. They also got a bunch of plum magazines from the Russians when they first started '74 production.

Both Circle 10 and Cirlce 21 are Bulgarian, both are military, and there shouldn't be any difference in performance between the two.

The Poles and Romanians used steel for their '74 magazines. They work in any Warsaw Pact country's '74's. Romanian steel '74 magazines are a lot rarer here than the Polish.

All of them work, though I actually kind of like the bakelite magazines because they are more rigid and are a little easier to use in reload drills.

You're going to love your AK-74!

Here's a Russian plum magazine that has seen some serious use but is still 100%. You can see where it was painted black at one time.



Bulgarian "Saddle Brown":





Hope that helps.

[RyanS]

Thanks for the information Templar. It's good to see you here.