Davionmaximus
Member
I have sat back and watched the "fur fly" on this one forever... The classic "Ford vs Chevy" arguments. The Hattfields and the McCoys...
The AR crowd stands high on thier hill and shouts "We are more accurate!"
The AK group shouts back... "Maybe, if you don't jam!"
The AR mob yells "we can carry more ammunition!"
The AK camp scoffs and states "You will need to as your can't kill anything!"
The AR society touts "Our gun is lighter weight and more modern!"
The AK nation chuckles and replys "An undernourished third world child can cobble together the pieces of two broken AKs pulled from a mud hole, assemble them in 60 seconds and it will work. Oh... and will never have to oil it...EVER!!"
And that folks is pretty much all you will hear.
Here is my take on the whole thing. To start with I am an AR owner (hears the booing and hissing from the AK side..) That being said I have fired the AK on many occasions. I love the ergo of the AK. The recoil of the 7.62X39 is kind of like the story of the "Home Invasion of the Three Bears" where the perp finds the bed...just right.
Love the conventional sights on the AK. Maybe if you are trained on them, the iron sights on the AR are worth a darn, but I hate em. Maybe that's why most people use aftermarket sights....
The AR is easy to operate. Period. I found the AK to actually be a bit tougher to deal with when it came time to try and hold the bolt open. (Have seen 'em at the range with Bic lighters holding the bolts open.)
Can't stand the AK magazines. AR has that one hands down in my opinion. Mag changes are much easier on the AR.
Some things I have noticed...
AK people LOVE to compare the '47 to the 15. 7.62x39 stopping power. But wouldn't a better comparison be the AK74 vs the AR15. Lets face it folks. The AK74 is the modern replacement(also noted to be more accurate.) 5.45x39 vs 5.56x45. Now that is a comparison.
AR folks usually speak of the AR as "easier to upgrade". I am not sure that is really the case. Before I wrote this I searched around and found that pretty much any upgrade you could ever want for the AK is available. For about the same price as for the AR. Triggers, forends, buttstocks, barrel upgrades, rails to mount your gadgets to. Heck, you could turn your AK into a "Black Rifle" in no time. Probably for less 'cause the AK is STILL half the price of an AR at the guns shows.
The early AR/M16 had a bad reputation as unreliable due to failures in the gas action design. I think it has proven itself through the years to be reliable platform. They now offer a pushrod style upgrade for $500.00 that replaces the gas tube. So I think at this point the "reliability" issue is really a non-issue.
For what it's worth, for the reputation of AK reliability I have seen an AK jam at the gun range. Due to a lack of maint. I know... it was a Unicorn or a flying pig...Unheard of...
And finally.. in closing here is what I wonder. On the basis of "stopping power" why no compare the AR10 (which I own) to the AK47. It was Stoners original design. The military forced the change. .308 vs 7.62x39 is not a comparison. Yeah, they do make a Siaga in .308. I considered one. But have read some not so rave reviews. That being said... it would be interesting
The AR crowd stands high on thier hill and shouts "We are more accurate!"
The AK group shouts back... "Maybe, if you don't jam!"
The AR mob yells "we can carry more ammunition!"
The AK camp scoffs and states "You will need to as your can't kill anything!"
The AR society touts "Our gun is lighter weight and more modern!"
The AK nation chuckles and replys "An undernourished third world child can cobble together the pieces of two broken AKs pulled from a mud hole, assemble them in 60 seconds and it will work. Oh... and will never have to oil it...EVER!!"
And that folks is pretty much all you will hear.
Here is my take on the whole thing. To start with I am an AR owner (hears the booing and hissing from the AK side..) That being said I have fired the AK on many occasions. I love the ergo of the AK. The recoil of the 7.62X39 is kind of like the story of the "Home Invasion of the Three Bears" where the perp finds the bed...just right.
Love the conventional sights on the AK. Maybe if you are trained on them, the iron sights on the AR are worth a darn, but I hate em. Maybe that's why most people use aftermarket sights....
The AR is easy to operate. Period. I found the AK to actually be a bit tougher to deal with when it came time to try and hold the bolt open. (Have seen 'em at the range with Bic lighters holding the bolts open.)
Can't stand the AK magazines. AR has that one hands down in my opinion. Mag changes are much easier on the AR.
Some things I have noticed...
AK people LOVE to compare the '47 to the 15. 7.62x39 stopping power. But wouldn't a better comparison be the AK74 vs the AR15. Lets face it folks. The AK74 is the modern replacement(also noted to be more accurate.) 5.45x39 vs 5.56x45. Now that is a comparison.
AR folks usually speak of the AR as "easier to upgrade". I am not sure that is really the case. Before I wrote this I searched around and found that pretty much any upgrade you could ever want for the AK is available. For about the same price as for the AR. Triggers, forends, buttstocks, barrel upgrades, rails to mount your gadgets to. Heck, you could turn your AK into a "Black Rifle" in no time. Probably for less 'cause the AK is STILL half the price of an AR at the guns shows.
The early AR/M16 had a bad reputation as unreliable due to failures in the gas action design. I think it has proven itself through the years to be reliable platform. They now offer a pushrod style upgrade for $500.00 that replaces the gas tube. So I think at this point the "reliability" issue is really a non-issue.
For what it's worth, for the reputation of AK reliability I have seen an AK jam at the gun range. Due to a lack of maint. I know... it was a Unicorn or a flying pig...Unheard of...
And finally.. in closing here is what I wonder. On the basis of "stopping power" why no compare the AR10 (which I own) to the AK47. It was Stoners original design. The military forced the change. .308 vs 7.62x39 is not a comparison. Yeah, they do make a Siaga in .308. I considered one. But have read some not so rave reviews. That being said... it would be interesting