Gun Review: Arsenal, Inc. SLR-106FR (Bulgarian AK)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9flyeCcIwQ

Let’s just come right out and say it:  Precision is to AK-47 as Rahm Emanuel is to bipartisanship.  Sure, Kalashnikov’s legendary avtomat holds many virtues – virtues that have rendered it the most common firearm in history; however, the reputation for tight tolerances and ultimate accuracy has always gone to other weapons.  Most other weapons, in fact.  In the realm of post-Assault Weapon Ban AKs, how well they operate is mainly a function of whichever domestically-produced parts are shoved into the imported rifles to make them 18 USC 922R compliant.  All too often, el cheapo parts (gas pistons, trigger groups, etc.) only promulgate the AK’s standing as a “somewhat accurate” assault rifle modern sporting rifle home defense gun.  But what would happen if one of these importers perceived a niche for quality over sheer affordability?

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Gun Review: Century Arms WASR-10 (Romanian AK)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouSiJXJs6m0

“Loose is good.” I think. Since that’s really just a hunch, I did the easiest most journalistically-thorough thing and Googled the phrase. My results? Well, let’s just say they stuck a collective finger in my gut: nearly every hit involved Weight Watchers. Then I repeated the search with the SafeSearch™ filter off, at which point I’d rather not say where the collective finger was sticking. Regardless, other than loose-fitting jeans (and, uh, loose-fitting other things), nothing I could find supported my contention that my friend’s loosey-goosey AK-variant, the WASR-10, is superior to its less-wobbly alternatives. But I still think it is.

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TAPCO: “Clothes” that AR’s wear.

Flew into Charlotte on an AirTran flight, sitting on the same row as a rep from TAPCO (pictured). We had between us a nubile 18-year-old on her way to Ecuador (!) for a school sabbatical. We were both grateful she was not a 300-lb. Samoan wrestler with sweaty arms, for the seats are…well…kinda tight, even on an exit row. (And yes, Mr. Flight Attendant. I know the door weighs 41 lbs. And I’m perfectly capable of opening it in case of an emergency. But don’t count on me to put it on the seat…if we crash, saving the door will be the last thing on my mind.)

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Editorial: Pet Peeves: Gun Terminology

Anyone who has seen the pate of my head lately will know that I suffer from chronic frustrations that cause me to pull the hair from my head.  Take, for instance, the road near my sons’ high school, Hemmingway Ln. The street is in a subdivision known as Chaucer Estates. It intersects Longfellow Ln, Stevenson Ln., and Tennyson Dr, and it runs parallel to Frost Ln, and Twain Dr. These, of course, are all well known authors. Except Hemmingway. Ernest Hemingway I know and love, but I have no idea who this fellow with two ‘m’s in the middle of his name is. Papa must be rolling over in his grave. So it is that I fastidiously tie the remains of my once lustrous locks into a tight bun and tackle firearms pet peeves.

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Which Gun Should I Buy: AR-15 or AK-47?

I’m in the market for a carbine. Don’t need it. I’ve got a perfectly serviceable Remington 870 Wingmaster shotgun in .12 gauge that handles the home defense chores just fine, thank you. I’m the proud owner of a 1911 semi-auto .45 ACP that shoots just dandy. I’ve got access to my dad’s .38 special wheel-gun, should the mood strike me. And yet I’d like to own a carbine. Maybe do some plinking. Target practice. Whatever. When I set my sights on something, I do my homework. I want to know the pros and cons of a given model. In my initial research, two weapons have jumped to the fore: the AR-15 and the AK-47. Once I narrowed my choice down to these two models, my research veered sharply into the realm of the kind of religious zealotry normally reserved for discussing Macs versus PCs. Or Jesus vs. Allah.

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