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Thread: "AK as only rifle" thread got me thinking . . .

  1. #61
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    I figured out why sometimes inserting a magazine in my wasr ak won't go in.

    The wasr has no freakin dimples! It has nothing to do with the shape of the mag well. It has no dimples to guide the magazine, so if you mistakenly twist the mag or insert it at a slight angle, the rear lug will push against the side walls of the mag release assembley and won't go in.

    The welded plates don't do shit to guide the magazine in. They allow the magazine tower to scrape against the side of the well and cause the rear magazine lug to never make contact with the actual release lever. The fact that my wasr's magazine well has been over milled and very loose probably doesn't help either.

  2. #62
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    Quote Originally Posted by DireWulf View Post
    The AK requires disciplined practice to run well, but if you're serious about your tactics, you should be doing that anyway.
    I thought one of the selling points of the AK was that the operator does not need a whole lot of practice and training. Isnt this why it is considered to be a perfect rifle for the guerrilas/irregulars/peasant armies who don't get the training that professional armies of volunteers get?

  3. #63
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    Quote Originally Posted by bombim View Post
    I thought one of the selling points of the AK was that the operator does not need a whole lot of practice and training. Isnt this why it is considered to be a perfect rifle for the guerrilas/irregulars/peasant armies who don't get the training that professional armies of volunteers get?
    It's good for irregulars because they don't need to take care of it as much (if at all) as other systems.

    An operator will still need to be trained to use the rifle correctly. Expanding the training to include modern techniques will be difficult as rifles like the AK have design features that affect consistency of operation when trying to go "full throttle".

    Basically with certain designs, there's a speed/consistency problem. The quicker you want to get the rifle back into action, the less accurate you will become.

    Here's a graph.

  4. #64
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    Quote Originally Posted by kal View Post
    I figured out why sometimes inserting a magazine in my wasr ak won't go in.

    The wasr has no freakin dimples! It has nothing to do with the shape of the mag well. It has no dimples to guide the magazine, so if you mistakenly twist the mag or insert it at a slight angle, the rear lug will push against the side walls of the mag release assembley and won't go in.

    The welded plates don't do shit to guide the magazine in. They allow the magazine tower to scrape against the side of the well and cause the rear magazine lug to never make contact with the actual release lever. The fact that my wasr's magazine well has been over milled and very loose probably doesn't help either.

    All AK's are not created equally.

    You might want to look into picking up a MAK-90 and unban it. They have correctly built receivers and the mag release lever is more generous than European designs.
    Employee of colonialshooting.com

  5. #65
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    Quote Originally Posted by kal View Post
    I figured out why sometimes inserting a magazine in my wasr ak won't go in.

    The wasr has no freakin dimples!
    I think there may be more to it than that. Just as an FYI, magazine insertion in my dimpleless Krebs Saiga conversion is smooth and easy with most of the magazine I have (mostly Hungarian 20 rounders and 30 round waffle mags). Even if I intentionally twist or can't the magazine during insertion (I just tried this), the mag slides right in and locks in place. I really have to totally miss the magazine well to cause a fumble.

    While the dimples are a good feature, I have to believe that the basic AK receiver design leaves plenty of manufacturing/build-quality variables that effect the overall function of the rifle.
    EDC Light Builder | No Nonsense Everyday Carry Flashlights

  6. #66
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    Quote Originally Posted by bombim View Post
    I thought one of the selling points of the AK was that the operator does not need a whole lot of practice and training. Isnt this why it is considered to be a perfect rifle for the guerrilas/irregulars/peasant armies who don't get the training that professional armies of volunteers get?
    Examine that line of thinking for a second and apply it purely to the operation of the rifle and eliminate the maintenance aspect. With any rifle, you need to become proficient in the basics in order to fight effectively with it. Most AKs have inferior sights when compared to other rifles. Their triggers are usually inferior. As are the ergonomics in general. Reloading is generally less efficient.

    In general for this discussion, if the sights are poor, the trigger is sloppy, the ergos are bad and the mag changes are awkward, how then would it be easier to master? Irregulars need a rifle that can be abused and still function every day. You're rarely going to see irregulars in the bush wars of Africa at training camps doing walk-back drills or malfunction drills. Have you seen some of the training videos around the web from the camps in Afghanistan? These guys aren't exactly trying out for BUD/S. I understand that not all irregulars are like this and there are some exceptions (Chechnya), but by and large the AK is adequate enough for their needs.

    Anyone who has run the AR and AK platforms in the bush will tell you that they each bring their own strengths to the table. The AK can literally be assembled in a cave somewhere in the mountains and can operate in austere conditions for years. Will it be the best rifle in the world? No, but it will get the job done where other rifles would fail. The AR is accurate, has a good trigger, good mag-well and is comfortable to shoot, among other things, but compared to the AK is more complex and can't be easily assembled from parts in a cave.

    Also remember that the AK has been suppled to the conflict regions of the world for decades by communist governments. These rifles are ubiquitous and have become part of the culture of these places. The ammo is plentiful, as are the parts and the knowledge to maintain the rifles. Why carry an AR in a place where everyone has AKs and there's literally hundreds of millions of rounds laying around for them.

    In short, the AK is perfect for irregulars because it was built for the needs of the lowest common denominator. It's accurate enough, strong enough, simple enough and producible enough to equip the masses for the fight against imperialist capitalism, but there are certainly alternatives that offer more features and ease of use for a bit of trade off.

    I've been issued the AK, learned how to use it and if given the choice, would still rather have an AR.
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  7. #67
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    Quote Originally Posted by DireWulf View Post
    Examine that line of thinking for a second and apply it purely to the operation of the rifle and eliminate the maintenance aspect. With any rifle, you need to become proficient in the basics in order to fight effectively with it. Most AKs have inferior sights when compared to other rifles. Their triggers are usually inferior. As are the ergonomics in general. Reloading is generally less efficient.

    In general for this discussion, if the sights are poor, the trigger is sloppy, the ergos are bad and the mag changes are awkward, how then would it be easier to master? Irregulars need a rifle that can be abused and still function every day. You're rarely going to see irregulars in the bush wars of Africa at training camps doing walk-back drills or malfunction drills. Have you seen some of the training videos around the web from the camps in Afghanistan? These guys aren't exactly trying out for BUD/S. I understand that not all irregulars are like this and there are some exceptions (Chechnya), but by and large the AK is adequate enough for their needs.

    Anyone who has run the AR and AK platforms in the bush will tell you that they each bring their own strengths to the table. The AK can literally be assembled in a cave somewhere in the mountains and can operate in austere conditions for years. Will it be the best rifle in the world? No, but it will get the job done where other rifles would fail. The AR is accurate, has a good trigger, good mag-well and is comfortable to shoot, among other things, but compared to the AK is more complex and can't be easily assembled from parts in a cave.

    Also remember that the AK has been suppled to the conflict regions of the world for decades by communist governments. These rifles are ubiquitous and have become part of the culture of these places. The ammo is plentiful, as are the parts and the knowledge to maintain the rifles. Why carry an AR in a place where everyone has AKs and there's literally hundreds of millions of rounds laying around for them.

    In short, the AK is perfect for irregulars because it was built for the needs of the lowest common denominator. It's accurate enough, strong enough, simple enough and producible enough to equip the masses for the fight against imperialist capitalism, but there are certainly alternatives that offer more features and ease of use for a bit of trade off.

    I've been issued the AK, learned how to use it and if given the choice, would still rather have an AR.

    My understanding was that most of the locals in Afganistan never used the sights on there AK's?? When US troops trained the locals use of the sights was a foriegn concept to them.

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