AK ammo may be cheaper than 223, if it is then it's probably corrosive. Where I am the 30-30 like trajectory of the 7.62x39 doesn't do me any favors.
Cool video and thanks for sharing! Like everything firearms it depends on the application. The AK lines up best in an urban or dense foliage environment due the limitations of 7.62 Commie and the inherent inaccuracy of the platform. If your needs are 200 to perhaps 300 yards then it's just fine. While controls are simple, ergonomic they are not. Taking it off safe compared to the AR would be but one example. The platform is not as reliable as it's legend would indicate. AR receivers last twice as long as do AK receivers per the businesses that operate machine gun rentals. In addition the sealed system used by the AR platform along with it's tighter tolerances prevent muck from fouling it where the AK's loose tolerances allow it to operate if you stick your PB&J inside. Mud and sand, however, eff them up. Lots of videos doing mud tests on both platforms with people scratching their heads on why the AK stopped and the AR did not. Also, that cheap ammo is corrosive and typically berdan primed steel cased meaning no reloading. The reasons for the AK's popularity was due to it and it's ammo being inexpensive and it was the weapon used by our enemy. We tend to fear our enemy's weapon more than our own because that's the one that was pointed at us. China has recently begun replacing it's rifles with an AR knockoff that appears to use a short stroke piston system that looks like an improved Adams. The ammunition is also very 5.56 like, so the fear of my enemy's weapon appears to work on both sides. In my nearby edge of a metro area that has jungle like vegetation it would be a reasonable choice. It would also help me to blend in with the radical AntiFa and BLM types that would be running around celebrating as soon as SHTF happened but bummed out three days later when they found out there would be no more Nacho Doritos for the rest of their lives. As soon as I left that environment for the nearby open desert I would be at a disadvantage. Voted Other as SHTF firearm choice depends entirely on environment and application.
Either would be better than a pointy stick, but i prefer an ar platform.....really want an ar 10 in .243, now were talkin.
Maybe...it depends. Maybe I would have an AK as a primary but, as @3M-TA3 stated, there are specifics that need to be addressed with firearm type selection. The AK has proven itself to be bombproof for reliability and requires very little maintenance, both major concerns in a lawless or even a SHTF scenario. The first is range of engagement, which if normally is going to be <300 yards then AK would do very well but over that...hmm, no. Also, is the opposition using body armor? The 7.62x39 would knock him/her/it on its a$$ but not sure about penetration as don't know much about the 7.62 x 39 round. As far as ammunition, I would imagine you could find good ammo that would not corrode on you. Maybe not, again, I don't really know. Anyway, I think it depends on the usage of the tool and if it fits your requirement, square peg vs round hole type of thing. I had a PWS MK116, a long-stroke piston gun modeled after the AK but completely modernized with 21st century metals and improvements. It used the 5.56. It was a magnificent firearm! I cry every time I think about it. Accuracy was amazing, maintenance was nothing and was as reliable as a hammer. I sold it because it simply was too heavy and I believe I will need something more lightweight and agile in the near future, something shorter too. As a bench gun I would keep it in a heartbeat but if I am in a hide then I would want something heavier/stronger than the 5.56 so... I stomped down my emotional attachment to it and sold it. Anyway, I am off track here... If I could find a high-quality AK with quality ammo to feed it and lived in the city full of mindless Leftists where engagements would be <300-yards then I think it would serve well. However, lots of variables for a primary rifle, your environment, reliability, weight of rifle, length of rifle, accuracy, cartridge characteristic, just to name a few... Anyway, that's my 2 cents... EDIT: BTW I still haven't replaced my PWS yet, still looking...
No nacho Doritos, meth, hormone blockers, sex change operations, anti depressants, industrial plant based foods, ect.
@Andy the Aussie do they allow you guys down there to purchase FALs? Do you have to jump through hoops to get permission? I ask because I honestly don't know and, of course, we Americans are constantly threatened with an 'Australia firearms control.' I know you have lots of firearms and you're an avid hunter but curious if they would let you have a 30-round, semi-auto FAL? BTW very nice rifle, not sure we can still get them here. We had a company called DSA that still made very good ones but think it got bought out, not sure what is going on with them now... EDIT: Apparently, DSA is still manufacturing but closed down their store front. They have a lot of very nice FALs for sell... DS Arms - Rifles
I started down the AK path with a MAK-90 because a good friend was an FFL and got them for $125. 1200 round cases were $80, Berdan primed corrosive with magnetic bullets. I owned several variants throughout the years but traded them all off eventually. I did keep an SKS with a folding stock just because I had a lot of ammo left. I went the AR-10 route although there may be some 556 units here too. The M5 in .308 fits the bill in my AO, cheap enough, and matches up with my bolt gun. So I guess my answer will be "other" as well.
AK would be fine, but I'm much better at reloading with an AR platform. I'm smooth with the AR but can guarantee I would have to look when changing mags on an AK.
AK as my ONLY choice, HELL NO! As a good back up or toss to a friend rifle, absolutely! I would much prefer an SKS, especially a YUGO or BRNO if given a choice, hell, even a Norinco would do extremely well, and I do own a pair of YUGO's one buried in a PVC pipe with 250 rounds of good ammo on stripper clips, the other tucked away in a PVP pipe under hood of my primary 4X4 truck, along with 250 rounds of very good ammo on stripper clips! My Primary arm IS the FN/FAL, by far and away the very best of the best, I trust your life to that rifle, as well as mine and my family! Yes @Bandit99 the FAL is still available, though I understand in limited quantities, the kits are still available, but your in the same boat as everyone else, finding good quality parts, As to why DS Arms isn't making them, I didn't know they had stopped, but given the state they were operating in, I suspect they might have ceased operations in order to move to a more friendly state! If you were looking to get an FAL, a DS Arms is the very best there is, and I would pay good money to get one today, as in RIGHT NOW, otherwise, your not going to be finding them on the street like you will others! I highly recommend getting one, they really are that damn good! The AK isn't a horrible choice ( Yes it is, Actually a terrible choice), but far from a good one ether! They suck for accuracy, like I might be able to hit a tango out to maybe 200 yards or so, usually needing to walk the rounds in, which is both wasteful and time consuming, not the kind of fighting tool I would want of need, especially when I may only have a split second to take a shot, and absolutely NEED that shot to drop a tango, NOPE, not my rifle, not even my top 10 choice! That said, if I were somehow caught out empty handed and ran across an AK on the ground with a few mags worth of ammo nearby, I would certainly pick it up, field strip to ensure functionality and go to work, but I would not be looking for a fight with an AK as my primary or even ONLY tool! For the Commblock ammo, the SKS makes the most out of it's capabilities, they can be very accurate, and are well known for reliability, functionality, and durability, pretty much everything the AK was supposed to be, only much more betteror! Now, a DRACO as a nifty little pack gun, that's a different subject all together, THAT little bugger could be real handy in a bad breath close type of fight, useless in just about anything else, but up close and personal, a good running Draco wouldn't suck to have to hand, especially with lots of baby 20 round mags to go along with it! Which brings up the AK-74, with really good ammo, not a bad option, but certainly not the ideal, but something to think about! Finally, there is the Gallial in 5.56, That takes the AK to a whole nother level, worthy of having, but again, there are other better choices, however, I wouldn't toss one away in hopes of finding something better later!
........ in short NO (in long...yes there are legal ways to do so but I can't be buggered). I have lots of experience with FALs but of course mostly the L1A1(the F1 variant being my favourite). And yes I have been party to a couple of publications on them in the last decade. Interesting as DSA has a rep for hit and miss with LOTS of out of spec receivers in particular. Besides my US experience with them was party to the issues that two separate buyers had with them out here where they were essentially non-functioning rifles out of the box and, ultimately needed to be returned to the US. Understanding what the buyers went through to get them here that's pretty ordinary.
I would have NO problem with the AK-47! It is not a terribly accurate rifle, because it never designed to be one! It was designed by a genius for use by the poorly trained conscript troops of the Soviet Union. Soviet military doctrine did not emphasize marksmanship, instead troops were to advance into battle firing from the hip in support of armored vehicles. My biggest problem is the 7.62x39 ammo and its availability, now and in the future. As a prepper I know that the AR is a better weapon, mostly because of the availability of ammo. It doesn't matter if your rifle is a tack driver, if you don't have ammo, it's just a club! In some parts of the world .303 rules, and in others 7.62x39. Here, it's .223/5.56, 9mm, 12 Gauge, common .30 cal. hunting ammo, and some handgun rounds. So, stack it high and deep, reload, and have plans for the day that the ammo is gone!
has anyone looked at these? 7.62 x 39mm Made in South Carolina and the only one I shot seemed to be a damn fine weapon.
Years ago I owned an AK sporter and three SKS carbines. Ammo was plentiful and cheap, we bought it by the case. Handloading it really improved the rifles' accuracy - good ammo is the single best thing you can do to improve accuracy in a CommBloc weapon. These days, those guns are gone and I own an AR-15. Nuff said.
Not sure I would want to run corrosive ammo in a $1900 firearm. Does look interesting, but I I wanted one I'd look to one in 5.56. There is a reason why 7.62x39 is being replaced by 5.56 like cartridges in Russia and China relegating the old ammo to second and third line troops. Wonder if these retain the dreaded HK fluted chamber that makes reloading a no go?
The AK-47 was replaced by the AK-74 many years ago, as was the 7.63x39 ammo. I doubt that any troops in major countries still use the AK-47, although Russia still has warehouses full of them in storage (they never throw away). Also, unless you still have spam cans of 1970s 7.62x39 ammo laying around, corrosive ammo isn't a big concern...and that's why the AK was chrome lined.
