Am I a wuss? AK kicks too hard. (Vepr 7.62x39)

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Tried a recoil buffer, can't tell any difference. Maybe I'll try a brake. I have an SVD type FH on it now. It's not painful but definitely more recoil than I would like... can't really double tap anything.
 
I can't imagine anyone thinking an AK is a hard recoiling gun

^. I can't think of anything 7.62x39 that I've ever shot that is even remotely nasty in the felt recoil department.
 
I haven't read all this thread but I have a point to make. I had my kids shooting my SKS when they were 8. And it shoots the same 7.62 x 39 ammo as the AK. They never had a problem with it and that includes my daughter. They loved shooting the thing. So again we're talking an 8 year old girl shooting a 7.62 x 39 rifle all day. They liked it so much they built their own targets to get better at it. And they were moving targets that would swing back and forth. My son loved to build stuff and he did a great job on that. I probably have photos of them doing that somewhere. I'll have to look for them. Come to think of it they would have been taken with a film camera and I'm not going through that mountain of photos.
 
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When I got my first SAIGA shotgun the first thing my uncle did was change the stock. I was told with my arm length and the original stock the 410 would "beat me to death." A couple years ago when I "upgraded" to a 20 gauge I fired one magazine and took it to the gunshop for a new stock. The first stock was actually painful, the new one well within reason.
 
Buy an AR in 5.56 and be happy. AKs dont kick that hard but they are horribly unaccurate for me for some reason.
 
Out of curiousity has anyone else fired the gun? I may have missed that.

In the video of the gun i can only imagine that the issue is mainly 1 of 3 things. Stock, muzzle break.... Maybe gas tube. I'm leaning towards the stock.
 
Jeff -- I would make whatever adjustments you feel would help, but I wouldn't sweat it past that. Felt recoil is a weird thing and varies widely from person to person. I don't have any issue with my AK or SKS recoil, but I know others who do (and these guys are burly shooters who like shooting short-barreled magnum revolvers). There are some 7mm bolt actions and .270 WSM that I simply hate to shoot while others love them; on the other hand, I have no problem with my Nova Pump shooting 3" sabot slugs, but it bruises the crap out of my son's shoulder.

In the end, see what you can wrangle out of the recoil, but if it's unpleasant, I wouldn't keep it. I've ditched many guns whose kick I didn't like and have bought guns from others for the same reason.
 
Borrow someone's M44 or M95 stutzen and put 30 rounds through. The VEPR will feel just fine.
 
So, I've only ever shot one 47 type, which is my Vepr in 7.62x39. Overview of rifle/mods here if interested: https://youtu.be/UOIt140B00A

has bonesteel folding stock, wood forend, flash hider/no brake. And it kicks pretty hard by my estimation of what an AK should kick.

I haven't shot them back to back but I'd rather shoot my M1A or M1 Garands than this thing, even though it's pretty heavy.

I don't know very much about AKs but my gut tells me it should be kicking this hard. I understand they're overgassed for reliability. Is that it? Or am I a little girlyman? :uhoh:

I also haven't been able to adjust the front sight windage far enough using the AK tool. It bottoms out. Tips?
If you are fairly new to center fire rifles, you need to allow time to get accostomed to it. I've had 5 different AK's / SKS's, and honestly,could not tell a difference between them with regard to recoil. None are objectionable, so I suspect you just need more rounds through it. If you are shooting it off the bench, that will definitely increase felt recoil. Off-hand, you really should simply roll with it. Really good (double) ear protection will help as well; in training my kids to shoot, blast and noise definitely contribute to their perceptions of recoil.
 
OK, I just re-read your OP. The steal folding stock is notorious for beating up the shooter. It is impossible to get a cheek weld without pain, and any muzzle flip will definitely hurt your face with a low, crowded-over the receiver hold. If you are serious about curing your recoil issue, ditch the folder, and buy a cheap com-block stock off of eBay. Bet it helps.
 
AKs dont kick that hard but they are horribly unaccurate for me for some reason.
Maybe that's why they are so reliable, accuracy comes with a price for auto loaders.
 
You could always have shoulder surgery. The cutter may cut some nerves so you don't feel any recoil. Worked for me, now i can shoot all day long with no shoulder pain.
 
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