Help me understand the love/hate with AKs

[ShooterMcGavin]

There seems to be so much I don't understand about AKs First, they seem to be something high on the list of items to be banned. I am somewhat guessing because they are in such demand now.

1. Why are they so likely to be banned (the "hate" part)? There are meaner-looking guns out there. Also, there are more deadly guns out there. The AK seems, to me, to be just a reliable and effective gun, but not such an extreme gun to make it a focus of a ban effort. What am I missing there?
...Ok, I do understand that they regularly carry 30 rounds of an effective caliber.

2. I handled a few AKs tonight and I don't see the love. They are clunky, cheap feeling, cheep looking, and less than great accuracy. Cheap? Yes, they are cheap (or, they were cheap until now). However, I have never fallen in love with a girl for the simple reason that she is a cheap date There has to be more. What is it about the AK?
...Ok, I do understand that they regularly carry 30 rounds of an effective caliber

Thanks.

ETA: How much should my dealer be asking for two Romanian AKs and a Russian Saiga? He has the Romanian AKs going for $650 and the Saiga for $700, I think. That doesn't really seem "cheap" for a gun that I don't really "love" Thoughts on that?

 

[Vegaslaith]

They're cheap to make. Parts are relatively cheap. They're easy to use and strip, and accurate enough for their intended purpose- a man sized target at 300 meters or less. What's not to love?

 

[ShooterMcGavin]

Oh, I should add... They do not seem to be that cheap. The guy was selling the AKs at the shop for $650 and up, and the cheap ones had used barrels, etc.

 

[Prince Yamato]

1. They are easy to demonize because they are the most frequently used weapon by our enemies. It's not the fault of the rifle, it's the fault of the former Soviet Union for shipping the rifles to whoever wanted them to fight the US.

2. The reason I love the AK is because the rifle means business. It works... always. It's reasonably accurate.

At the risk of sounding like a communist, I also like the gun because it's unpretentious. It's not a rich man's gun (or at least wasn't until 2 weeks ago). It's not meant to be tricked out with electronics. You can pretty much refinish the wood and that's it (of course you CAN add electronics to the gun, but why?). It's a rifle you could build in your garage (and some do). It's a rifle that fits all sizes. It looks both modern (in plastic) and old fashioned (in wood). You can match it with a suit or combat fatigues.

Finally, I guess you could say I like the gun because it seems to espouse American values... it's a good deal at a great price. It's also family friendly. It's so simple even junior can shoot it!

 

[jpatterson]

I just think they are butt-ugly. AR15

All jokes aside, people seem to like them. I would probably like them if I had one too, but something about them just makes me... I don't even know.

 

[ShooterMcGavin]

I just think they are butt-ugly. AR15

That's pretty much how I feel

2. The reason I love the AK is because the rifle means business. It works... always. It's reasonably accurate.

That is a good point. Ok, maybe I have underrated the complete reliability of the gun.

Or, maybe I don't understand how cheap they are SUPPOSED to be. Is the guy at the shop charging a lot for the gun because of the recent rush to buy them?

 

[General Geoff]

They are the proverbial "preferred weapon of the enemy."

Due to media portrayal and actual use by the U.S.S.R. during the Cold War (and most of the United States' enemies since then), the Kalashnikov-pattern rifle has forever reserved a spot in the average American's mind that screams "Eeeeevil!!!"

 

[anymanusa]

I love my AK's. They are much less accurate than my AR's, but I've NEVER had a jam with my AK's, my AR's jam every time I shoot them.

 

[nwilliams]

One of the things I LOVE about the AK is that the anti's out there HATE them

I have four AK's at the moment, two Norinco's a Bulgarian SLR-95 and a converted Saiga. As far as I'm concerned AK's are like M&M's having only one just isn't satisfying

The AK may not be for everyone, I find the ergonomics quite appealing. Its simple, proven and will most likely go bang if you pull the trigger even under the harshest of conditions. They are not supposed to be match grade rifles, if you want high accuracy and top of the line craftsmanship then look elsewhere and be prepared to spend more. However it should also be pointed out that there are some very high quality AK's out there and far from cheap. However even with a cheap lower quality AK you can almost always count on it going bang if you pull the trigger. The beauty of the AK lays in its simplicity, its not supposed to be pretty or highly accurate its purpose is to be reliable.

 

[N003k]

Personally, I love the AK. Why? Its rugged, it keeps going even when most other guns wont. It has a good punch behind it, and I plain just like the looks too! Unfortunatly, due to state law I cant own one, so I personally just have a VZ-58, which is...similar...in appearence anyways...

As for the hate, well, in part BECAUSE it's cheap really...as others have said, it's the generic weapon of the USA's enemy in appearence pretty much, and due to how cheap it is, it's assumed all bad people must have them, and the only possible uses are those that are for evil ends. Obviously, thats not true, but theres a reason that the AK is the term used whenever most people refer to how evil 'assault weapons' are.

 

[Hoplophile]

I'll admit, some of us like the AK because it's "Eeeeevil". There's a history behind the machine; it's not soulless. It's not even a pretty history. It's real. It's visceral. It's won the freedom of millions and been the avatar of the darkest behavior of man. It is an idea. It is the blood of the class struggle, it's communist as hell. It's more American than apple pie, shows that we're open minded. We'll take any idea as long as it's a good one. Cheap (well, sorta), reliable, simple, GOOD. Everyone can shoot it! It's the American rifle.

From an engineering standpoint, it's also beautiful. The long stroke, the loose bolt, the harmonic oscillation of the barrel, and you can practically make it out of car doors. It's an engineering masterpiece. Short-stroke, tilting-breech, whatever, the long stroke is...a masterpiece.

It's a very attractive gun. Aesthetically. Originally, I thought it was a little ugly, but the old wood, the slant of the gas port, the distinctive dust cover, the curved magazine. It's an AK, it says, when you look at it, "I am a gun. I am supposed to perform a specific function. This is a function I perform quite well. I am a rare example of accidental form; I am beautiful only because I was never meant to be."

It is a good rifle because it makes me feel safer.

And that's why I love them.

People hate them for all the very same reasons, even the last one. They hate it because it's "the evil gun", they hate it because America can also be very closed-minded, too, they hate it because it's cheap, because it's ugly, and because it makes people feel safer. And because ding dongs like me wax poetic about a silly piece of metal and wood.

I just broke up with my girlfriend.

 

[Shung]

Noo3k.. what kind of law can forbid you an AK and allow you a VZ ??? seems THAT odd to me..

 

[MRIman]

The cheap cost of the AK (not now,@ 7-9 years ago) made it
cost effective to buy.

You could get an SAR-2 for $229 and ammo for $90 per K.
SAR-1's were like $239 and ammo was $69-$80 per K.
That is what "made me love" the AK.

 

[VirgilCaine]

A ban on AK's specifically.

 

[Geezer Glide]

A lot of older shooters don't like them because they have been used against us in war.

 

[Starship1st]

I think the AK grows on you. I at first did not want one but as I realized its simple design and ease to use I fell in love.

The anti guns hate them because they know of the number produced world wide and so many people love them. When they were cheap they were easy to get.

I love my AKs I would suggest taking a second or third look at the AKs and maybe it will start to grow on you too?

 

[Mr.510]

Hoplophile hit it on the head!

+1 to what Hoplophile said. I don't think there's a prettier rifle than a blued, stamped receiver AK with all blonde furniture and a ribbed machinery cover. It's 100% function and is a classic '40s design. It's got pretty curves, great proportion, and a downright genius design. It is THE quintessential assault rifle. The one that started it all. There is almost nothing you can do to make one not work. When you pull the trigger it WILL go bang. (Or if you're a lucky SOB it'll go bang -bang -bang -bang!) There has probably never been a more reliable firearm mass produced. There has certainly never been a more reliable full auto firearm produced. You can trust an AK, ANY AK, with your life. No matter where it was made or by whom, what it's been through, how beat to crap it is, whether or not it's ever been cleaned. When you pull the trigger it will go bang. Then it will chamber another round, and the next time you pull the trigger it will go bang again. You can bet your life with 100% confidence that this rifle will not fail to fire. Ever. It has been said that the Avtomat Kalashnikov has killed more human beings than any other weapon system ever produced. It is probably seen by the antis as the single most evil thing on this Earth, and for that reason alone every American should have one!


PS: I highly recommend the book "AK-47: The Weapon that Changed the Face of War ".

 

[hso]

Why are they so likely to be banned (the "hate" part)?

They were iconic of revolutionaries and terrorists and have become the default symbol put on the screen of every TV station when a shooting occurs. This creates the image in people's minds associating the thing with the actions of the BGs.

As to why they're so well thought of, at intermediate ranges they are sufficiently accurate and under the harshest conditions with nearly complete neglect they work.

 

[LKB3rd]

I think we love them because they are simple, reliable, and do the job they are intended for quite well.
Those who hate them do so because of their association with enemies in past and current wars, and others are afraid of them because they get demonized so frequently on the news. An example of this is a news story I saw last night with a re-enactment, where they described a shooting with "semi-automatic weapons," while the re-enactment showed a full auto AK shooting in the window of a car.

 

[22-rimfire]

The man's got an AK, run!

I think they are used as the symbol of what is termed an "assault rifle" by people.

Personally I think they are ugly and cheaply made. But thy're dependable and generally safe to operate. That's why they're popular.

 

[statelineblues]

what kind of law can forbid you an AK and allow you a VZ ??? seems THAT odd to me..

States with AWB on the books specifically ID the AK or "similar style" weapons as banned, but because of the way they are defined in the law other guns can be imported and sold (SKS and VZ-58, for example).

You'll notice AK's sold in the US are mostly from former satellite states (Romanila, Bulgaria, Poland, etc) because in the 1990's then Pres. Clinton placed a ban on importing them from Russia, but anywhere else was fine.

 

[gunNoob]

I love how they look and their history is vast

 

[XTerminator]

There's just something about an AK that says " I defy authority"

That makes you want to hold it defiantly over your head and shout:
"WOLVERINES"

Steve

 

[armoredman]

No ban on AKs in THIS state, but I still got the similar looking but differant designed CZ vZ-58 instead.



I had a Hungarian AKM back in the late 80s, a Norinco clone after that, and a WASR-10, which was by far the worst version of the three, (wish I'd kept the Hungarain, straight shooter, ended up in Alaska with a shipmate.), and the redeeming qualities they all had, at the time, was they were cheap, reliable, would hit a man sized target at 100 yards, and shot widely available cheap surplus ammo, kinda like the 80s SKS, ($69 each) craze. The vZ-58 was far more expensive than those ones from back in the day, (you don't want to know what I paid for the Hungarian!), but so far, far more accurate, and just seems to be far better built. Plus, the cheap surplus ammo died some time ago, the only way I can cheaply keep guns in 7.62x39mm running is by reloading.
AKs drive the anti's nuts, which is a good thing. It would be interesting to see if a single police department in the US issues them, and get a picture of one of them with it in uniform...

 

[grimjaw]

When the rifles and ammunition were cheap, they were fun. Now, while less expensive to run than an AR, they are not as fun for me.

jm