AK-47: Iconic weapon

BBC Online (UK) ^ | 12/05/2005 | Staff

[GSlob]

They probably counted field strip, not detail strip. Bolt cover, bolt, piston, recoil spring, gas cylinder, forend, magazine, cleaning rod, and then the rest of it counted as one piece.

[RedMonqey]

"My cousin, a Marine, "took care of his business" on one of Saddamned's toilets. He said it was pretty cool."



One of the perks of being an marine.

[tortoise]

"The best there is" would be the Finnish Valmet copy. AK is a paint sprayer, and the Finns somehow managed to tighten it up without sacrificing reliability.

The Finns definitely get top marks for fit and finish. The various Valmets I owned could hold 1.5 MOA all day with decent ammo and a competent shooter. Probably the nicest AK actions made.

However, some of the more obscure Bulgarian variants get top billing for raw precision, around 1.0 MOA if the ammo is up to the task. It probably has something to do with the fact that much of the Bulgarian AK47 tooling, notably for making barrels, were originally Steyr. Still, if I had to choose between a fine Bulgarian and a fine Finnish AK, I'd go with the Finnish product for the superior attention to detail and slightly improved design.

[2nd_Amendment_Defender]

The AK-47 varies in quality depending on the model that is used. I would prefer a high quality U.S.A. or Russian made 7.62 x 39 AK-103 over a 5.56 x 45 M-4. 7.62 x 39 from a 16 inch barrel is very deadly out to 250 meters in the hands of a good rifleman.

A bullet from a 5.56 x 45 AR-15 with a sixteen inch barrel loses much of its velocity by 150 meters. Getting hit by 5.56 millimeter round from 150 meters or beyond would be like being stabbed with an ice pick. The M-16 with a 20 inch barrel adds about 50 more meters of really effective range.

Army should upgrade our M-16 to fire the 6.8 x 43 round that way any of our soldiers could give really effective fire out to 300 meters despite having a 14 1/2 inch barrel.

If a new round isn't adopted the Unites States Army should at least adopt the new Mk262 Mod 1 77 grain round over our current 62 grain round. A heavier bullet means that a round will retain a high velocity out to a longer range.

[SJSAMPLE]

ABC: ArmaLite, Bushmaster and Colt.

Very comparable among these three, but everybody likes their own brand. Armalite is not the same Armalite that originally created the AR-15 (they just use the name) but they're not bad. Some people like Colt, some like Bushmaster.

Colt will not sell post-post-ban Law Enforcement weapons to non-LE. You need a department letterhead to get one from Colt, so Bushmaster sells over 2x the civilian sales as Colt. All "civilians" can get from Colt is the Match Target variants (like the M-16A2 and A4) but not the carbines.

Knights Armament is offering their SR-15, which is a much refined version of the AR-series. You pay big bucks for Knights rifles, but they come with everything. Quality is very high and the price is equally high.

After these, there are lesser brands like Rock River (not bad, but I've seen some troublesome rifles) and others. Nearly everybody is offering an AR these days.

I would recommend Bushmaster because they offer the quality, the models that Colt won't offer and you can actually get their rifles.

[tortoise]

Select-fire? Meaning, you can go auto?

There are select-fire Valmets floating around that a person can buy (assuming your State laws permit it). And if you are going to bother buying an AK action in the first place, the Valmet is the variant you want. It is one of the few that looks like it was manufactured on a modern assembly line with the kind of quality control Americans prefer in their firearms.

[2nd_Amendment_Defender]

Whoops! Posted the AK-103 picture wrong.

[thulldud]

[TEXASPROUD]

I agree, I love my select-fire Valmet M-76 in 5.56 NATO.

Select-fire? Meaning, you can go auto?

You'd better believe it Pyro. Also got extra Arsenal 5.56 mags adapted for the Valmet. I'm a happy camper.

[WilliamWallace1999]

www.gunsamerica.com

Look for a Valmet M71/S in .233 caliber.

Resale only. Thank Hillary for no more imports. They run about $1500 now.

WW

[Wake75]

...were responsible for some 60-90% of direct war deaths, estimated at 100,000 for 2003.

Only 100,000 worldwide for people trying to kill each other on purpose? We kill nearly half that many with automobiles each year by accident. Where is the UN?

[Pyro7480]

Thank Hillary for no more imports.

Typical Congressional BS.

[Irish_Thatcherite]

The AK-47 is favourite weapon of them bastards in the IRA!

RTE, Ireland's state owned (cringe) broadcaster, likes to think that Hibernofascists are different from Islamofascists, so they call the gun 'AK-47' when the Provos use it, and 'Kalashnikov' when the Muzzies use it!!

Note to RTE: AK means Automatic Kalashnikov.

[StarCMC]

people whose lives have been destroyed by it.

Ok. Those dang weapons are coming alive again I guess??? Yeesh!

[StarCMC]

The AK-47 is a GREAT weapon. Don't break into my house or you might be looking at the business end. *G*

[dhuffman@awod.com]

Fsuck NGOs. Democracy is the rule of fools by fools

[elcid1970]

Sorry 'bout that. Valmets haven't been imported in years and are very expensive now. I bought and then sold one in the 1980's. Ow! Ow! (from self-inflicted kicks)

Go to gunbroker.com and see.

[elcid1970]

The authors probably meant "iconic", meaning like an icon, something that symbolizes itself from its very appearance.

[SBprone]

This rifle firing its original cartridge is not as lethal as its supporters like to think. It has plenty of ballistic energy for an assault-rifle type cartridge but the fat, short and typically hard slugs are known to pass right through soft tissue like a high-powered knitting needle.

If you have to shoot somebody with this rifle try to hit a vital organ and be prepared to keep shooting. A soft-point .30-30 which has about the same ballistic energy as the AK round produces terrible wounds.

[31M20RedDevil]

I love my HK 93 although that roller bolt can be a bear to re-assemble,totally reliable.Tad on the heavy side tho.

Makes a mess out of a dog trying to get to a newborn calf.