Previous Post
Next Post

Is the AK platform the new AR platform? While the AR gets all the Barbie-for-men love for its plug-n-play bits and pieces, the AK has traditionally been the gun you buy and leave the hell alone. And treat like dirt. (In Russia, ergonomics gun you!) In the video above, Brownells introduces the Magpul AK47/AK74 Zhukov-S Stock, AK47/AK74 Zhukov Handguard, AK-47/74 AK 0.50″ Cheek Riser and MOE AKM Handguard AK47/AK74. Really? If you need – and I use that word without quotation marks – a more accurate AK, why not buy an AR? If you need something with more stopping power, why not buy an AR in .308? Optic mount? See where I’m gong with this? Free country and all, but I say don’t mess with success (such as it is). What say you?

Previous Post
Next Post

61 COMMENTS

      • Totally concur. My Saiga AK converted to take any and all AK mags, is simply a no muss, no fuss platform. Goes bang every damn time. Crappy Eastern Bloc 50 year old paper wrapped surplus, to the latest whiz bang 7.62 x 39 ammo.

        Remember the addage, an AK makes a good club as well, a poodle shooter AR, makes a good wiffle bat.
        In full disclosure I own both. But an AK I can piss down the barrel to clean; rinse in a canal, and lube with old lawnmower oil. Good on Magpul.

      • Yup, couldnt agree more, AK is a better choice, picked up a previously owned and discarded AK in 2003 near Al Amarah, looked like hell but did everything asked of it with total reliability and not much cleaning in sandy conditions, the 7.62 cartridge has authority, could never say the same for the AR platform and especially the 5.56 cartridge, except perhaps as a fashion accessory lol

  1. “If you need – and I use that word without quotation marks – a more accurate AK, why not buy an AR?”

    I thought that was the whole point of the 300 blk – 7×62 (x39) performance profile off a 5.56 lower. Am I mistaken?

    • An AR is not “a more accurate AK”. That is such a clueless statement from Farago. Why do people pay big bucks for AKs from Krebs Custom and Rifle Dynamics that are not nearly as accurate as ARs and are substantially heavier? It’s not because they don’t know about ARs. The AK offers something the AR doesn’t. Better reliability in extreme adverse conditions. Maybe on the range a well-maintained AR is a more accurate AK. But some of our rifles are fighting guns. Sometimes we want the absolute extreme of reliability. If I was going into a sandstorm, a mud pit, the arctic, or a jungle, I’d probably prefer an AK if I was going with an assault rifle. Obviously there are conditions under which any weapon won’t work, but an AK will function with more neglect and a lower standard of maintenance. Sometimes that’s worth going from 1 MOA (good AR) to 2-4 MOA (good AK) and maybe two extra pounds. It’s worth noting that a military M4 off the rack is only required to be 4 MOA.

      I like ARs for the ultimate in semi-auto accuracy and light weight. They are usually reliable enough.
      I like AKs for the ultimate in semi-auto reliability. They are usually accurate and light weight enough.
      They are suited to different jobs.

      By the way, you can get AKs in rifle cartridge chamberings. 7.62x54R, .308, and more. I’ve seen a .308 VEPR that takes PMAGs. It’s also worth noting that you can get a Tigr-9 (or military SVDK that weighs twice as much) in 9.3x64mm Brenneke, suitable for pretty much any animal on the planet (the cartridge being on par with .375 H&H).

  2. AKs are plenty accurate, they are just as good as any off the shelf infantry rifle when properly maintained and supplied with quality ammo.

    As for the new furniture… It’s not about accuracy, it’s about added functionality and comfort. The new hand guards feel much nicer in my hands and the stock gives you the ability to both fold it, and adjust length of pull. (The later beig critical as most AK furniture sets are not designed with big fat Americans in mind.)

    I’m still looking for a good way to build an AKMS-47U.

  3. Ahh, nothing wrong with a little Barbie-love for AK. But yeah, you’re not going to turn it into an AR. Some definite limitations with x39 and long stroke piston/non-free floated barrel, etc.

  4. Stuff like this has been out for AKs for YEARS. And I’m not talking about Crapco.

    Where have you been, TTAG?

  5. I can definitely understand the importance of the stock, especially for us tall folks. My O PAP original wood stock is beyond normal sized stocks and sits right.

  6. Free country and all, but I say don’t mess with success (such as it is). What say you?

    By that logic an AR-15 shouldn’t need anything once purchased since off shelf it performs as required. If you need more accuracy why not a M-14, if you need more reliability why not a scar, if you need more compact why not a favor, if you need less recoil why not a 10/22. *puts on flame resistant suit*

      • An off the rack AR-15 will shoot more accurately then an M-14 and more reliable then a scar? I was unaware of that.

        • I would just say that in general, an AR-15 (or 10) is just a better and easier platform to make accurate than the average M14/M1A. There are of course exception to the rule either way, but with parts availability and costs factored in, the AR is just better at it.

          Can’t comment about the SCAR, since I only fired it at a range, and reliability wasn’t tested.

      • Um, no dude… Well, ok, I’ll agree about the SCAR, it’s overrated. M14 less accurate than AR? Nope.

        • Abso-fucking-lutely yes. An M14 suck balls with out a specially bedded stock to tension the barrel; in a standard wooden stock, regular GI contoured barrel, and mil-spec receiver (sans rear lug), you are not going to get the kind of accuracy you can manage with even the most basic MForgery. The only real inherent advantages the M14 has are it’s decent mil-spec trigger and the extended range that 7.62 NATO has over 5.56. Either gun can be made sub-MOA, it’s just that the M14 will cost 5 times as much. Loose barrel bands & op rod guides need smithing to correctly fix, and improper bedding materials will change dimensions over time, needing to be painstakingly removed and reapplied every few years.

  7. Free country and all, but I say don’t mess with success (such as it is). What say you?

    By that logic an AR-15 shouldn’t need anything once purchased since off shelf it performs as required. If you need more accuracy why not a M-14, if you need more reliability why not a scar, if you need more compact why not a tavor, if you need less recoil why not a 10/22. *puts on flame resistant suit*

  8. Free country and all, but I say don’t mess with success (such as it is). What say you?

    Just like other fetishes….the more the merrier.

  9. It’s fine, but I wish Magpul would actually produce their Remington 700 stock… like they’ve been promising us for six months!

  10. Even the Russians know that standard AK ergonomics suck. That’s why they came out with the AK100 series – better but not perfect. The Israelis, who never have to walk very far to combat, made their Galil as close to AK perfection as possible, if one discounts weight and caliber.

  11. All this new attention the AK is getting lately from AR strongholds. I fear all the AKOU fanboys will inflate WASR’s to $1,000 and 7.62 to .40/round.

    • Nooo!!! AKs suck everyone!! Everyone just needs to go home and leave the cheap steal case 7.62×39 ammo on the shelfs! I can’t loose my cheap to maintain work horse now!

  12. i can’t believe RF is actually proposing that having a gun that is more comfortable to shoot is somehow a loss.

  13. Let a hundred flowers bloom, I say. I’m in the market and researching full size DA pistols and retention holsters for OC, anyway. So I’m just a spectator in this debate.

    • Glad Im not the only one trying to figure out what the hell kinda retention holster Im gonna use. Gonna be a happy p226 or M&P 9 filling it for my OC rig I think.

  14. AK’s are far more accurate than you give them credit for. In addition, count the ones in 7.62×51 and 54r for firepower. You are discounting a lot. Magpul AK gear can only be a good thing.

  15. The most important feature of a firearm is that it actually launch a projectile at the intended velocity in the intended direction — every time! In that sense, the AK-47 appears to be king.

    Change anything you want on an AK-47 … and realize that you probably increase the risk of it not going “bang!” when you squeeze the trigger.

  16. But I don’t want an AR-15 – I can have a side or underfolder AK that fires folded if I want…try that with an AR-15. ( and yes I am aware that you could make it work with a piston operated AR…) I also don’t have to deal with the abomination that is the AR-15 charging handle…( not that the AK’s is wonderful…HK has it in the right spot…)

  17. “I use that word without quotation marks – a more accurate AK, why not buy an AR?”

    Because an AR is not an Arsenal SLR 🙂 plus things that come with folding/collapsing stocks and can be shot while folded are veeeery nice.

  18. Because for $600-$800 you can buy a cheapo POS AR build or a midrange AK build. For $1000-$1200 you can buy a midrange AR or an Arsenal AK. They’re flat out cheaper rifles. The ammo is cheaper. Everything about them costs less in general.

    • “Because for $600-$800 you can buy a cheapo POS AR build or a midrange AK build.”

      A colt AR15 is under $800. That is NOT a POS. Strike 1.

      “The ammo is cheaper. ”

      Steel-cased 7.62×39 costs the same as steel-cased .223. Commercial brass-cased 7.62×39 costs MORE than commercial brass-cased .223/5.56. Strike 2.

      “Everything about them costs less in general.”

      Brand new Magpul polymer mags easily go on sale for $7-9. Surplus heavy steel AK mags rarely go for that cheap anymore, and brand new polymer milspec AK mags are currently $40+. Strike 3.

      • Not sure where yall are getting some of your prices from. You can get a decent AK for $500-600.
        And as far as mags go Magpul AK mags are going for around $12-14 when I’ve seen them.
        As people have said many times before though trying to compare AR to AK is like apples to oranges two completely different platforms(go build an AK after you’ve built a couple ARs, you’ll see). I have both and I love both my babies equally, and they don’t fight or bicker at all when they are in the vault or on the range.

  19. I really don’t get the people who lose their mind about modifying AKs. I mod all of of mine and they are much better to shoot. I have an optic on both of my AKs and will be adding one to my VEPR 12. It makes them much better to shoot, just like my ARs, SCAR 16s, Tavor and FS2000, or pretty much any gun I own. Ever seen the Alpha AKs ir the AK 12? Highly modified from the original Kalashinkov design. Why? Because it makes them better. Just like all of those same AR mods people do.

    Oh yeah, the lame AK inaccuracy comment. My 7.62 AK with the Troy long handguards and gas tube will shoot under 2″ groups at 100 yards with cheap Tula ammo, when i do my part. I have the targets to back it up. My 5.45 with the Zhukov furniture and buttstock shoots even better than that with steel case ammo. I haven’t shot either with quality brass cased ammo, but i am sure i can imove mY grouts a bit. Both have Tapco G2 triggers but eventually will have the new ALGs.

    At most SHTF/HD/Alien invasion distances a bad guy isn’t going to know the difference between a 1.5 inch group or 2 inch group. Sure, for a target rifle i’d go for one of my ARs. With steel cased ammo most of my ARs shoot about 1.5″ groups, about the same as my AKs. They will shoot around 1 inch or under with brass cased quality ammo.

    I have friends with AR 10s and they all have had reliability issues. When I had my Saiga .308 it never malfunctioned. It shot under 2 inches at 100 yards. Only slightly worse than my PTR-91. Was it a sub MOA target rifle? No, but again, bad guys won’t know the difference.

    Modified AKs with optics are much more useful and great to shoot.

  20. I get it, this is my rifle. . . her name is _______________, and I bought her some nice stuff to wear…

    if someone asks you what that AK accessory is you can say, I don’t know, I just like the sound it doesn’t make when I use it to kill.

    BTW – Brownell’s, I like before and after pics better than just show and tell with the parts.

  21. Because the AR isn’t the end all, be all of rifles. Owning two of them out of all the freedom rifles I own they are my least favorite to shoot. The only freedom rifle I would rate worse would be a Mini-14 hence why I don’t even bother owning one. The only reason I bother owning AR’s to begin with is because of import bans that choke the supply on other freedom rifle designs and the AR’s historical/current significance since I am a collector and my collection would be incomplete without them.

    I live by the KISS/SHTF principle so I don’t feel the need to put a bunch of crap on my rifle that especially could break. All I have are iron sites and the occasional front grip since having one is very comfortable for me to shoot with. If I were to add anything else it would be a red dot sight and a flashlight but only on my HD gun. They are not priorities and are just more items that can break. Yet again the AR isn’t the only system that can do these things….

    A lot of posters above me made good points and comments already especially the one about where has the TTAG staff been on the AK. Then again every article they write is AR centric plus they all seem to hate the AK so no surprise there. The fact that a while back they thought I.O. Inc. was a good AK company speaks volumes on their ignorance of the system plus the fact they think of Magpul being the only recent company to innovate on the system ignoring the swaths of other companies that have been catering to AK’s for years.

    • ^This^ I do own a Mini-14, AR, and an AK. The one out of the three that has NEVER failed me is surprise surprise my AK.

  22. You is be wrong on this one Robert. 😉

    The full length front end will do a fine job for someone who has a Saiga with an unconverted front end. You get a useful size hand guard and m-lok. Wheee!

    The folding stock is pretty much on the money and the price is more than right compared to putting a wire folder on it or some other competitive options made of metal. Of which I own a number. Plus 922r help and all.

    I’m upgrading to the Magpul kit. Saying leave an AK like originally designed is the same as leaving an AR with pencil barrel and triangle hand guard. Yeah it’s cool, no doubt if collecting and owning a particular vintage reproduction is your thing. But both are better with modern upgrades.

  23. I don’t have an AR or an AK, so no dog in this fight… But adding a stock or handguard that fits you better doesn’t really seem like a waste of time or money to me.

    As for “if you need more stopping power, buy an AR in .308”, where can you buy .308 for 20 cents a round like 7.62×39?

    Pretty dumb article, RF.

  24. Midwest Industries puts Magpul to shame in the AK department and has for years. I have both and WHEN sh!t goes south it’s the AK I’m grabbing

  25. Come on RF. Rifle is fine, but upgrades are better. AK optics si high, and standard AK stocks are made with the thickness of a winter wool coat in mind. Lanky ‘muricans in temperate climate appreciate longer stocks that place our face in line with the optic. Look at Zenit AK furniture. Russian outfit.

  26. Have been laughing at fapping fanboy raves of the Wonder AK for more than 30yrs. Back to when the M16 was a the “Mattel Toy”. Took the passing of a generator of dinosaurs for the that to die out (mostly).

    I think the fans doth protest too much in trying to defend/rationalize their pet. AK – Trabant without the tires. Just get a .30-30.

  27. Really? Lately the crap “articles” coming from ttag are just fodder to get money from the ads. Bunch of bozos.

  28. You own an Kalashnikov for several reasons

    1. You pull the trigger, it goes bang, and repeat until the magazine is empty.
    2. You fall in the mud, AK get full of and covered in mud, you pull the trigger, it goes bang, and repeat until the magazine is empty.
    3. You drop your AK in the stream, you pull it out of the water, you pull the trigger, it goes bang, and repeat until the magazine is empty.
    4. You fall in the desert, AK gets full of sand, you pull the trigger, it goes bang, and repeat until the magazine is empty.
    5. You leave an AK in a guitar case and leave it the an old barn for ten years, forget about it, barn falls down, find AK slightly rusted with a mouse nest built around it, you pull the trigger, it goes bang, and repeat until the magazine is empty. True story.

    Leave the accessorizing for the ARs. AKs are workhorses and don’t give a damn about foregrips.

  29. I own a WASR AK from Century Arms with a TAPCO trigger, TAPCO forend, grip, and adjustable stock. I bought it when I wandered in to a rural shop about 8 years ago and it was already built and came with all the old wood furniture, bayonet and metal mags. I paid $650 for it at the time and it was in direct comparision to buying an AR for ~$1,000

    I have enjoyed the rifle for the cheap ammo, but darned if the thing struggles to keep rounds in a 6″ ring at 100 yards. I am an experienced firearms guy, but don’t know where to go from this point to get more accuracy. Maybe I got a pretty rifle on the outside, crap inside.

    • Sounds like you have a bad WASR. WASR’s prior to 2008/2009 based on your timeline of when you bought it were crap and only in recent years have Cugir and Century Arms turned them around to be much better.

  30. Jesus, guys! We are discussing the relative merits of two rifles. Nobody said anything disparaging about your dick or your momma.

    • Except this website is called “The Truth About Guns”. This website is supposed to promote just that and what the author does here is the opposite. He needs to be called out. He is conflating his subjective preference for objectivity.

      If he doesn’t like the AK, fine, but to go out of his way and say they are a waste of time completely ignores the merit of the system that has made it popular/famous (infamous) to begin with. He could have at least said this is my opinion so take it with a grain of salt. I hate Glocks but I at least respect their reputation and don’t call them crap just because I don’t like them nor pointless to own. The author could have extended the same courtesy to the AK but because it is “foreign” it is okay to be crapped on.

      I can only imagine the crapstorm if he called the AR pointless with “better systems out there to own” you would have a mountain of defenders calling him out on it way more than there is here for the AK.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here