"Things that are complex are not useful. Things that are useful are simple."
-Mikhail Kalashnikov
this is the ak47
it is the most produced gun of all time
in fact so many kalashnikovs have been made they could circle the motherland four times around and still have enough left over to fully equip a division of soldiers
it has been used by literally everybody
it has been abused and neglected in literally every way
and is probably my favorite gun ever
lets go
so in wwii a guy named mikhail kalashnikov had been conscripted from working on tractors to working in tanks
same thing right
well he was a tinkerer in addition to a tankerer and built stuff in his spare time between having deafening explosions going off in confined spaces
he made a mechanical device that ratcheted a number like an odometer or something to count how many rounds the tank had shot
this was actually pretty important and his mechanism got adopted
but then he got badly wounded in battle and had a long hospital stay
while there he heard a lot of guys complaining about the reliability of their guns
so he started designing a better gun
first he tried a new submachinegun
it was ok
too complicated to actually adopt
but for a self taught guy he already had a lot of potential
so the soviets sent him to their weapons testing bureau to hang out with somof their more experienced guys
he made a light machine gun
next he tried making a carbine
that carbine used a rotating bolt
like a garand
en bloc clip
like a garand
in fact it turns out kalashnikov has said the garand was a big influence on his designs
murica lol
the carbine wasnt as good as the sks so kalashnikov ended up having to work on the smg replacement
the war was over at this point so the soviets really took their time on a competition and invited lots of designers
first round for the new automatic was kinda meh
so they invited the top two designs back
kalashnikov wasnt one oops lol
but he managed to force his way in anyway
the selection board gave everybody a list entitled
shit we didnt like about your gun
and it turns out kalashnikov was the only one who actually paid attention
so his gun ended up winning
the original design used a stamped receiver
but they were having problems with breakage so they downgraded to a milled receiver for a couple iterations while they troubleshooted the process
these first designs are called the type i
type ii
and type iii receivers
these are all officially the ak
the type iii milled receiver is by far the most common of these early types
then in 1959 they figured out the details of stamping and made the akm
this went on to be super popular and is very likely what people actually mean when they say ak47
once america go involved in vietnam and introduced the m16 in 5.56x45 the soviets took notice
the ak until that point had always used a 7.62x39 intermediate cartridge
moderate bullet weight of around 123gr and around 2400fps muzzle velocity
but the m16 used a much lighter 55gr bullet
going like 3200fps
daaaaang
this has advantages
the faster the bullet goes the less time gravity has to pull the bullet down
that makes it more forgiving of errors in estimating target range
and the wound ballistics ideas of the time said there may be an advantage in wound size
so the soviets spent a lot of time on it and ended up with the 5.45x39 cartridge
this is a nasty round
it has a 53gr bullet going 2900fps
plus its specifically designed to flip sideways inside the target and make a big mess
to shoot this new round kalashnikov developed the new ak74
the single biggest difference is the muzzle brake compensator up front
this takes the low recoil of the ak74 and almost completely removes it
the weapon basically just wiggles in place
the ak74 became the new standard for the soviet military
though the akm has still always been available
tank and helicopter crews were given a new shortened weaponed called the aks74u
this has a much shorter barrel and consequently shorter range
instead of the compensator it has a muzzle booster
the barrel is so short the gas system doesnt have enough time between starting to get gas and losing pressure because the bullet has already left
this is called dwell time
the booster gives an extra chamber that fills with gas and pushes back into the gas system even after the bullet has left
this is required for peak reliability
one of the last major developments of the ak is the ak100 series
they have excellent black furniture and standard sidefolding stock
and intermediate carbine models are available
shorter than the standard rifle but longer than the aks74u
these give a better usability out of a shortened package
however throughout all these models over many decades
the operating mechanism is the same
and many parts are interchangeable
lets see how it works
so first off its gas operated with a long stroke recoil system
gas is bled from the barrel through a gas port
this pushes on a gas piston attached to the bolt carrier
which carries a rotating two lug bolt
kinda like the garand hmm
the trigger has two hooks to grab the hammer when it comes back
kiiiiiinda like the garand lol
it was an influence guys
the box magazine holds 30 rounds and rocks in
there is a cleaning kit in back with cleaning rod under the barrel just like the sks
rear sight is just like the sks and the mosin
it has a honkin big safety selector on the side
all the way down is semi auto
middle is auto
all the way up is safe
and this blocks the big gap from letting debris into the action
its so easy to field strip a school girl can do it
the history of use is long and continues to this day
virtually all warsaw pact and communist nations built them
and it was even adopted and heavily modified by finland as the valmet rifle
this was in turn adopted by the israelis as the galil
and the south africans as the r4
its super durable and easy to maintain
and keeps going even under very harsh abuse
how can you help liking it lol
theres a reason its the most produced gun of all time
pew pew
#click here for previous articles
nathanrosegoldberg ago
Great writeup, thanks clammy.
clamhurt_legbeard ago
thank you sir
next one goes up next tuesday
im pumped
IanTheTerrible ago
WASR & Draco are like the master race of poorfag AK’s to me, although I’ve never had much experience with any Yugo AK’s and they’re not too far off in price range. Plus being able to get like 1,000 rounds of steel cased 7.62x39mm for like $200 is fucking awesome. I love that ammo and I can’t beat the price.
I’ve seen too many bad reviews on American AKs to invest in any, but there some who swear their US AK is flawless.
clamhurt_legbeard ago
yugo weapons are excellent
id love to have a draco or m92 sbr
as for american aks
a quality ak is 1500 bucks
get a kit and you can assemble one for half that
but americans dont want to pay 1500 for an ak
so american companies have to make 1500 dollar quality guns but only charge 700
its an extremely difficult position
Nadeshda ago
Excellent Sir! Lol, I tell ya to remind me then thunder strikes my lines down... wonderful article! I love and want Kalashnikov nau!
Keeps going under harsh abuse...
Super durable and easy to maintain
My spirit rifle?
Pew pew Sir, pew pew, nicely done! :)
clamhurt_legbeard ago
its an excellent choice
if you only have one ultimate defense rifle
the ak is on the very short list you should look at
everybody should know how to operate one
luckily the ak makes it easy
Nadeshda ago
Nice, thoroughly enjoyed albeit late to the party. Stewpid thunders...
robot7247 ago
Nice write up. I have more AK/AKM based rifles than anything else, maybe my favorite platform.
Damn snarky Czechs!
clamhurt_legbeard ago
lol
ya but when your history of weapons development is as long and stories as czechoslovakia
you get some fucking leeway
they independently invented their own intermediate cartridge too
adopting 7.62x39 and rechambering the vz 58 was as much of a compromise as they did lol
the ak is an excellent firearm
not much you can do to it to improve
even the most tricked out aks are like 90 percent interchangeable with an issue weapon
robot7247 ago
I had a Vz58 w/ single stack mag & butthole stock briefly. IIRC it was called a Tactical Sporter. Great shooter but it only came with one mag and the importer could not get extras. After 6 months of trying I bailed on it. My son just bought a Vz58 with regular magwell, original Vz58 30rd. ones run fine. These are great guns and if I was looking for my first rifle in 7.62x39 I'd likely go with one of these vs. an AKM pattern. It weighs 3/4 lb. less than the AKM and a full 1.5 lb less than a milled receiver AK! Plus, the damn thing is sleek and balances like it is part of you. Honestly it handles like an M1 Carbine. Glad my son bought one (I don't have to.).
clamhurt_legbeard ago
true stuff they are excellent and light
great rifles
AlexanderMorose13 ago
My Centurion 39 Sporter Rifle (the American AK) is one of my favorite range guns. I've yet to shoot it again in about a year, I got two new guns: a custom built AR15 and a new Sig Sauer Springfield XDM 9.
I have a Saiga .308 that is my end of the world gun. It's too heavy to move around quickly, but will go through nearly anything. I have 40 round magazines for it, and I plan to add a few 50 round drum mags when I can afford the custom order.
clamhurt_legbeard ago
saigas are excellent rifles
i turned my bone stock saiga into an ak103
love them
BillyLuath ago
Not this shit again... What's wrong with a rifle you can actually hit what you're aiming at, just because you have to keep it oiled?
clamhurt_legbeard ago
what do you mean
i hit out to 500 m with my ak
thats the limit of the round
BillyLuath ago
I get .33 inch with hand loaded 64 grain Noslers at 100 yards. I can hit crap out at yardages, to boot, all while looking AR15/M4 good.
clamhurt_legbeard ago
sounds good but you didnt answer my original question
BillyLuath ago
That question?
I think I answered it. The AK is fine for Africans and bohunks, but it's not exactly a precision instrument.
It's the Lada of the gun world, I'll stick to ARs.
clamhurt_legbeard ago
it hits a person as far out as the round allows
which is incidentally the same range as the ar you mentioned
what was it you dislike about the ak
BillyLuath ago
The ammo mostly,,, after that the minute of man sighting arrangement, No, actually I don't like the sighting plane more than I dislike the ammo.
Now, let's talk optics, it was invented before optics were feasible, but it's never been fixed, mounting an optic is cumbersome.
Then there's the safety/sand cover, again, mitten headed.
And also there's, that rattle, you know what I mean, it just says: made in a tractor factory.
But mostly, it's the limited sight radius that gripes me mostly.
clamhurt_legbeard ago
i use a kashtan
BillyLuath ago
You don't find range finding with the chevron unintuitive?
clamhurt_legbeard ago
no its fine
and the lines can be used for range finding
plus in reality the first 500 m is just the first chevron
so basically just point the top chevron at the thing you want dead and pull the trigger
its very fast and easy
i have another mount that attaches the same way and you put an aimpoint t1 on it
QualityShitposter ago
Simpler is betterer.
Crackrocknigga ago
You forgot the cannular groove and super low drag coefficient that also contributes to this. It creates massive fragmentation and turn bone into powder
Was this a jewish conspiracy on your part to discredit my people?
clamhurt_legbeard ago
7n6 was specifically designed to not fragment
fragmentation was not yet known to be a factor in the m16 and was unreliable with the rounds used at the time
its lethality was attributed to the bullet yawing so the soviets designed the ultimate yaw inducing bullet
it flies through targets as a solid piece
instead it was designed to flip sounds like a ninja star twirling repeatedly and creating multiple wider round tracks
it has a soft lead core that flies forward upon impact to unevenly smear in the empty cavity in the nose
post impact the bullets are often curved like a banana
robot7247 ago
The most combat experience with the round was when the Soviets occupied Afghanistan.
The Mujahideen nicknamed it something like deadly hornet. An abdomen hit might not kill you, but sepsis surely did.
clamhurt_legbeard ago
the poison bullet
its a nasty round
hit you somewhere out to 500 m
and twirls like a nasty ninja star
dont get shot
robot7247 ago
Cheap 5.45x39 ammo cost drove my next rifle purchase when I was offered a smoking deal on 6 spam cans of 7N6.
clamhurt_legbeard ago
oh thats lovely sir
Crackrocknigga ago
Nice I guess I misunderstood the action the groove does something different than i thought
clamhurt_legbeard ago
youre confusing 5.45 with 5.56
modern 5.56 is specifically designed to fragment after they discovered it sometimes fragmented along the cannelure and caused greatly increased damage
this was discovered decades after the creation of 5.45
Crackrocknigga ago
Since you didn't ban me I change profile description
clamhurt_legbeard ago
dude triggs and i were just fucking around with you
Crackrocknigga ago
I can't trust anyone here sadly I just hate jews and work very hard, 15 hours in the sun today on the pipelines
This place has dishonest people its sad
clamhurt_legbeard ago
were just playing
dont be so serious
Crackrocknigga ago
How do I resign from being mod
clamhurt_legbeard ago
lol
no youre stuck now
Crackrocknigga ago
Andrew jackson and kevdude too
Crackrocknigga ago
I get alts chasing me and people threatening me over messages its just old now I'm getting sick of it nobody wants to actually talk about things anymore just get outraged by twitter i've just accepted the old voat isn't coming back it's depressing to think about the cliques that control speech
clamhurt_legbeard ago
you messed with the wrong cabal lol
Crackrocknigga ago
You guys all have alts I don't honestly so I gave up
clamhurt_legbeard ago
i had an alt
i stole it from a moron
but i gave it away
Crackrocknigga ago
Try having sex to this lmao
https://youtu.be/V-uEGKIyF-s
It's gonna be alright I made 24h of pay today for working 14 @30/hr $1000 plus 250 per diem life is ok today I think
Crackrocknigga ago
I feel better about everything after having sex 15 minutes isn't a record and some weird drag racing anthem came on
clamhurt_legbeard ago
this is you
Crackrocknigga ago
Lol it helps honestly
Crackrocknigga ago
Yes I saw declassified pictures from Vietnam they hid that fact because they didn't want the public to know vietnamese died bleeding out slowly
The 5.45 I thought was similar but I guess I was incorrect it bends in on itself to become bigger different than hollow point action like some claim.
I shoot .45 for lack of penetration for safety reasons and to stop attackers with heavier bullet. 308 as anti vehicle. Right now 7.62 is my intermediate as a norinco sks but those are more fun than practical with God damn stripper clips
clamhurt_legbeard ago
stock up
7n6 is banned from importation because it has a mild steel part inside the bullet
the atf has declared it an illegal handgun round
Crackrocknigga ago
Atf is criminal mafia. I obey them. In minecraft
Battlefat ago
I shoot brass cartridges out of my AK, which seems peculiar to most who prefer shooting steel cased Wolf or Tula, and for my expense and effort I’m rewarded with case mouths dinged all to fuck from a violent extraction and ejection cycle. It’s incredibly reliable but I need to get a tunable piston to slow the fucker down. It ain’t broke, so I’m loathe to fix anything, but I just hate tossing away all that good brass
clamhurt_legbeard ago
i just saw an adjustable gas system ak
wonder if that would help
what kind of ak do you have
Battlefat ago
Bone stock older model 106CR. It loves 69gr 5.56 (gasp!) loaded to upper mid velocities and is reasonably accurate with factory steel cased 55gr but throws every other grain weight all over the fucking place. It ejects everything in a high arc 10-12 ft away but not before smashing the case mouth shut on the dust cover lip. There are rubber pads made to buffer the ejection force which slip over the dust cover lip — I have a recoil buffer in place — but they are seemingly always out of stock. There are also some homebrew remedies that include buying a sacrificial dust cover and permanently riveting a firm piece of rubber to accomplish the same thing. Finally, there is KNS precision that sells model specific tunable pistons, but like I said, it isn’t broken and the timing is great and the action reliable. I’m not afraid of it rattling itself to shit, and the NATO round is soft shooting as-is. It just chews the hell out of brass and makes it impossible to reload. Such is life and I’m not complaining...if I decided to suppress it, I’d more easily justify the purchase, but 5.56 isn’t really the tits for suppression. I’m just being cheap and often spend way more for less return, but in this case, I’d rather a $2.50 piece of hard rubber than a $150+ to accomplish effectively the same thing
clamhurt_legbeard ago
wow beautiful
those things are excellent dude
Battlefat ago
Agreed
(especially if it was free)
clamhurt_legbeard ago
UHHHHHH
Battlefat ago
And a gang of (oddball) Circle 10
clamhurt_legbeard ago
fuckin awesome
bulgarians make good shit
derram ago
https://invidio.us/watch?v=MxV3q8fztCc :
This has been an automated message.
thedirtypuma ago
Awesome, you finally did the AK. It's nice when you do guns that I already have since I don't feel the urge to buy something new. Great read as always. Thank you for sharing.
clamhurt_legbeard ago
the problem is its pretty fuckin obvious i have to do the ar now lol
what ak do you have
i have a bulgarian ak74 kit i turned into an aks74 with plum furniture
and a bone stock saiga i turned into an ak103
i wanted to talk more about the variations but i ran out of time
thedirtypuma ago
I have 2 actually. A yugo m70 paratrooper and a M+M M10 which is a romanian with some fancy stuff on it. I also have a piston AR in 5.45 x 39 which I have not gotten around to shooting despite having it for years.
Somebody could write a long book on all the variations.
clamhurt_legbeard ago
whoa awesome
those yugos are one of the more different variants
no chrome lining
thicker receiver
unique handguard
very cool
my dad has a romanian garda rifle
very cool stuff
clamhurt_legbeard ago
u/Nadeshda
Diggernicks ago
Lame.
This is like shouting "I love vanilla ice cream"
Battlefat ago
Yeah...but who doesn’t