Kalashnikov Himself Says AK Works With Sand

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The_Pretender

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Just wanted to put this out where everyone could see it, and not get lost in the convoluted bickering of others.

The History Channel did an episode of Tales of the Gun on the AK-47 near the turn of the millennium.

In the second segment, in an interview with Mikhail Kalashnikov himself, he says and I quote:

"Reliability depends on a variety of factors. First: A short locking distance of the firing chamber. Second: All moving parts are installed with more space between them. All designers sought to tighten them up, while I, on the contrary, let them hang with absolute freedom. You take a handful of sand, throw it in the rifle, retract the bolt and fire! These factors, the simplicity and the reliability allowed this weapon to march around the globe."

One video of one guy in the desert with one rifle does not sum up 60 years of service and over 60 million guns worldwide. 45 nations can't be wrong.

Watch the entire thing yourself on youtube (5 segments, 9 minutes each) It is a fantastic piece for gun enthusiasts, especially AK fans.

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68HSnr69sPw&feature=related
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6c3DLlM9KA&feature=related
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFLHCenoi0w&feature=related
Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-FRXN-kKbs&feature=related
Part 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=075YUx2ujK4&feature=related

And before any AR fanboys pipe up, segments 3-4 speak well of the M16/AR, and show how its initial reliability had issues not from a design standpoint, but from an operations standpoint.

Buy both rifles and stop trying to make everyone else agree with you.
 
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The interview in which he says that starts at 8:30 in segment 2. I think I would like to be able to take the word of the man that invented it.

Enjoy this now before it gets locked or deleted. :D
 
And before any AR fanboys pipe up, segments 3-4 speak well of the M16/AR, and show how its initial reliability had issues not from a design standpoint, but from an operations standpoint.
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The AR15 of today is not the AR15 that was initially created. It's come a long way. Chrome lining was probably the biggest design flaw in the AR15. Obviously it is not a perfect system though. My AK thread was not intended as an AK vs AR thread or as an AK bash thread.

I think I would like to be able to take the word of the man that invented it.
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I agree. No inventor would ever exaggerate or straight up lie about their invention. He made it, it must be perfect, right?

Seriously though, do you really think that this is a good argument for your claim?
 
Seriously though, do you really think that this is a good argument for your claim?
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+1; I designed a perpetual motion machine that works...do you believe me? :rolleyes:
 
Pics or it didn't happen.
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How about a Youtube video?

I think he has far more experience with testing it, using it, designing it more so than you or I ever will.
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With all the testing he did, he missed any test similar to that of the ones in question on Youtube? Hard to believe.
 
No wait. No. You're absolutely right.

We have proof that there is an inherit failure waiting to happen in all 60 million plus rifles because it worked with one. I mean, come on dude. If 600,000 of them all had that same problem, that is still only 1%.

All I meant was that there is a reason it is said. It isn't some internet myth. A lot of people relied on that thing in sour conditions and it held up.
 
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Pics or it didn't happen.
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No problem...the video is...umm, unavailable right now, I need to restart the machine for power to make the video. :uhoh:
waterfall.jpg
 
Of course Professor! Of course I do...
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Honest, it worked...as long as I used this energy formula: KE=MV². :uhoh:

Yeah, I know it still wouldn't work...even in theory; but seriously you are going to believe something because the designer tells you it is true...there might be the small issue of profit and/or pride that gets in the way of the truth from time to time. :scrutiny:
 
No wait. No. You're absolutely right.

We have proof that there is an inherit failure waiting to happen in all 60 million plus rifles because it worked with one. I mean, come on dude. If 600,000 of them all had that same problem, that is still only 1%.

All I meant was that there is a reason it is said. It isn't some internet myth. A lot of people relied on that thing in sour conditions and it held up.
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Do it with your AK and post it on Youtube if you are so sure that most AK's can do it.
 
Sigh. Look. All I wanted to get through to you is that you can't go off of one or two experiments. We can find examples to support any cause we'd like, however, when you do many, many tests you start to see patterns in the results. No different than me flipping one coin 10 times, getting 8 heads, 2 tails, and saying if you flip a coin you're going to get heads 80% of the time. We know it's 50/50 in the long run.

This thing had been building its reputation for many years, long before internet myths and lore.
 
I seriously doubt you can find ANY AK in the world that would do a whole lot better in those same test as those AK's. I challenge you to prove me wrong.
 
Do it with your AK and post it on Youtube if you are so sure that most AK's can do it.
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I'd prefer to not treat my tools in such a fasion. My Grandfather always taught me to treat my tools well, and they will treat me well. I try to abide by that.

However; the thing here, is that if I do take a nosedive into a sand dune while carrying my AK, one of two things will happen: Either it will work, and I am happy, or it won't, and I then fix it, because I have trained with my tool, understand its function and ability, and use it within my capabilities and its design parameters.

Honest, it worked...as long as I used this energy formula: KE=MV².
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Whatever gets those numbers to work ;)
 
I had originally been looking for this video on youtube because I know I had seen it before. I see now that it had been removed for copyright infringement.

http://www.myvideo.de/watch/3318560/AK_47

Anyways... he leaves the safety on while burying it, but this thing does take a beating.

(new soundtrack may be better anyway.)

And the thing to remember: Just think of how many other rifles would be screwed in these situations. It's not supposed to be directly compared and proclaimed superior to the AR. If someone ran over my 30-30 with a truck I'd cry.
 
Anyways... he leaves the safety on while burying it, but this thing does take a beating.
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Big difference there, considering that the safety=ejection port cover. I still want to see the "handful of sand test"...heck I may even give it a shot in my AK, but I don't expect it to work either. That is not to say that the design is inferior or that it isn't more tolerant to dust, sand, et al than other designs, in general it is, but I can't think of any shoulder fired small arms that would have the clearances to accept a "handful of sand" and still operate properly whilst maintaining reliability and safety.

:)
 
why do all ak owners want to discredit this video, but then don't want to subject their rifle to the same test to prove it wrong? If i had an AK available in Dork York right now i would do it, why not, its just sand, it can be cleaned out.

There is no one else out there with an AK that will do this test? there has to be someone.

I'll pay for any damage done to your rifle if you do this test and it messes it up, how about that? whatever is messed up, if anything at all, i will buy you a new part, or parts, depending on what happens.

Does that make the deal a little sweeter?
 
I like Kalashnikov's take on the cartridge in part #4.:D

"It is you Americans that are to be blamed for our switch to 5.45x39mm cartridge. The soviet "experts" saw you using 5.56mm in Vietnam and didn't want to miss on something. :D :evil:
I was all for modernizing the 7.62mm cartridge"
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"

Smart man.:D
 
might be the small issue of profit and/or pride that gets in the way of the truth from time to time.
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Maybe pride. In Mikhail's case though he did not make a penny off the AK-47 or any variants no matter what lies or truths he told.

Yay communism.
 
good grief people, try it with your OWN rifle and see if its true. ar or ak. if you truly care.
 
Well... never thought I'd see an M.C. Escher work on a gunboard. Hrm...
 
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