A Good Tutorial on the AK Type Rifles

[Art]

There's a lot of video junk out there on firearms including the AK rifles but every now and then you find a rose among the thorns. I found this to be a good tutorial on the practical use of the Kalashnikov.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBNrgltB7e8

[S.A. Boggs]

Sure wish one was in 5.56.
Sam

[Art]

Sure wish one was in 5.56.
Sam

The old Polytech Legend came in a 5.56mm/.223 version but they haven't been imported for years, were expensive then and are higher than a cat's back now if you can find one for sale. Arsenal also makes a 5.56mm AK that I understand is a good rifle without wrecking your bank account.

[Bill E]

You're right Art, excellent video. Thanks for posting.

[Mark in Ottawa]

I can't swear to this but I have heard that the Israeli Galil is basically an AK in 5.56

[Sunray]

"...Galil is basically an AK in 5.56..." Sort of. They took what they thought were the best features of the AK and M-16 and built a rifle. Kind of interesting that it's not used by the Israeli military. Only their police use it.
The AK isn't the best piece of kit if accuracy is important to you. Wasn't designed for accuracy. It was designed to be manufactured quickly and be issued to illiterate conscripts who could be trained to use it as fast as possible.

[Art]

The AK isn't the best piece of kit if accuracy is important to you. Wasn't designed for accuracy. It was designed to be manufactured quickly and be issued to illiterate conscripts who could be trained to use it as fast as possible.

By the time the AK was actually coming on in the mid 1950s the Soviets had a conscript army but certainly not an illiterate one. It was beneficial that it could be very easily mastered by people who actually were illiterate in countries the AK was being sent to in support of "wars of national liberation," so you are correct that was absolutely a consideration.

While an AK isn't as mechanically accurate as an M16 (what is?) and suffers from a marginal iron sight set up, and the fact, as the old boy in the video said many are not zeroed and are bought by people who don't know how to zero them. It is certainly accurate enough for its role, and in my experience more accurate than its reputation. This is especially true if it is pared with a decent optic. This target was shot by me at 200 yards with a WASR 10 bottom of the food chain AK using a PK-01V red dot sight which I like a lot for its 1 moa dot. I was using better quality Winchester ammo. I don't shoot it this well every day, but I generally have no problem holding the head/neck of a silhouette target with this sight from a solid position at 200 yards if I do my part. I also know that a good shot with an AR with good ammunition and iron sights could also shoot this group so I'm under no illusions about that.

This weapon isn't going to win Camp Perry but is definitely more than good enough for "government work," in the hands of a "regular guy," which was what it was made for.

45068

[Sandpebble]

Largest lesson I got from this film was that 30.06 was a pedophile rifle .... I honestly didn't kow that ...

[Art]

Largest lesson I got from this film was that 30.06 was a pedophile rifle .... I honestly didn't kow that ...

Gee....I always thought you were a connoisseur of sarcasm :evil6:.

[dryheat]

I have owned ten SKS's and two AK's. The SKS is a "parade" rifle from my experience. The AK's were accurate. I would step over SKS's to get to an AK.

[Art]

"...Galil is basically an AK in 5.56..." Sort of. They took what they thought were the best features of the AK and M-16 and built a rifle. Kind of interesting that it's not used by the Israeli military. Only their police use it.
The AK isn't the best piece of kit if accuracy is important to you. Wasn't designed for accuracy. It was designed to be manufactured quickly and be issued to illiterate conscripts who could be trained to use it as fast as possible.[/QUOTE]

At the time the Israelis were transitioning to the Galil we gave them a whole bunch of M16s and M4s for free. Economics caused them to accept the American products and mostly drop the Galil.

Interestingly the Galil has become an export item for Israel in a modified form; the Galil ACE. One of the complaints of the Galil was its weight and the new modified version over a pounds lighter but still heavier than an AK or an M4. It is available in .556 NATO/.223, 7.62x39mm and 7.62x51mm variants. The Vietnamese Army has adopted this modified Galil in 7.62x39mm, which does use AK magazines, to replace its assortment of AK rifles which will be placed in reserve. Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Haiti, Peru and The Ukraine have also adopted the rifle, so it looks like a big seller for the Israeli arms industry.

If you want an AK upgrade the Galil ACE is available for sale in this country but deep pockets are a good idea. Prices run from $1,500.00 to a whopping $3,000.00.

The picture is a Galil ACE in 7.62x39mm