Kalashnikov Was a Genius

[benEzra]

A beautiful SAR-1 followed me home this weekend . . . guess I'll have to feed it now . . .

I've shot Kalashnikov-pattern rifles before, but never really sat down and studied one until now. I've come to the conclusion that Mikhail Kalashnikov was a really sharp designer (surprise, surprise).

How many of you AK owners have ever noticed that when you flip the safety on, it tightly seals the gap in the receiver so that dirt and crud can't get in the action? Sorta like the nifty little door on AR's, except that the SAR can be sealed up even with a round in the chamber.

And that when the safety is on, you can cycle the bolt enough to visually check the chamber, but NOT enough to accidentally chamber a round?

And talk about easy to field-strip . . . I thought the mini-14 was easy, but, wow, push-button disassembly . . .

I was also surprised how light the SAR is--it's even lighter than my Choate-stocked mini-14, and somehow even handier (I didn't think that was possible). The trigger is smoother and lighter than I expected, too.

I am also impressed with the SAR's apparent ruggedness. Compare an AK magazine and a mini-14 (or AR) magazine and check out the thickness of the feed lips. You'd be hard pressed to dent the feed lips of an AK mag by careless handling, from the looks of it.

I have to say, I'm sold on the Kalashnikov design. Can't wait to get out to the range with it to see how it shoots. (More to follow . . . )

 

[P95Carry]

You will love it .... guaranteed! My SAR1 is well ''broke in'' and i love the sob! Mikhail was a genius.

Very reliable ... adequately accurate and yeah .. mags are built like brick latrines!

 

[MAKOwner]

Never quite understand why so many gun enthusiasts turn their nose up at AKs, without even giving them a second thought/fair chance. Such a great design, versatile and still cheap to buy here... Mine are as accurate as a buddies Mini-14, and my AKs have zero problems with ammo/mags. They're hard to beat all around IMO.

These SARs are such great project guns too. You can really improve their looks/handling if you like messing with that kind of stuff. Stock refinishing, metal refinishing, the trigger responds well to polishing, etc. Oh and you should get a SAR2 in 5.45x39 now, it's such a joy to shoot, even better than a traditional 7.62 AK IMO...

 

[Logistar]

Kalashnikov Was a Genius

After checking out my new SAR-1, I said the exact same thing. I am certainly not knocking any other kind of firearm but there simply is a "beauty" to the simplicity of this design.

- Sure, perhaps a couple of things (like the safety) might have been better. But for a gun designed in 1947...... I am extremely impressed. I am glad I bought the SAR-1 and I intend to always keep at least one AK. I've had more "fun" with the SAR-1 than any gun I have owned since I was a child!

Logistar
_______________
"A Kel-Tec for every pocket and an AK for every trunk!"

- so... would that make a good tagline????

 

[4v50 Gary]

That safety, wasn't that from the Remington Model 8? The trigger mechanism, look at it again. M-1 Garand and Garand got it from somewhere else. Curved boxed magazine? Well, those have been in use for a while though mostly for machineguns, among them the Bren gun (a Czechoslovakian design). Gas piston - well, other guns had them too including the Bren.

Does this mean Kalashnikov wasn't a genius? No. He knew to take good features and combine them into one package. Then he got them to work. Then he got it to work reliably under almost any conditions. Yep, he's a genius. Not on par with Browning but a genius nonetheless. I suspect that the Russians are still very advanced in firearms design.

 

[Pilgrim]

Never quite understand why so many gun enthusiasts turn their nose up at AKs, without even giving them a second thought/fair chance.

I think it is partly a political correctness thing. The design is easily associated with Communist military forces and terrorist thugs.

I admit to a certain amount of prejudice against the design until I got my hands on one and examined it carefully. I was impressed with its simplicity. I decided to buy it. After shooting it I was convinced I had been wrong in my prevous assesments of the design. It shot well and is certainly handy as a home defense weapon.

Alas, because the PDRK is anal retentive about AKs, it resides in freedom at a friend's house in Idaho, where it waits patiently for my next visit to play.

Pilgrim

 

[OEF_VET]

Considering Kalashnikov's background, it's doubtful he used many American designs to come up with the Avtomat Kalashnikov. 'Ole Mikhail was but a poorly educated, conscripted tank driver in Joe Stalin's Army during WWII. He essentially educated himself in the basics of weapons design, and further refined that knowledge under the tutelage of Comrade Tokarev IIRC. During his war service it's possible he came into contact with an odd Garand or two, but I doubt it was for a long enough period of time to allow for disassembly and serious studying. If I remember right, the original AK was designed by Kalashnikov during the war, and his apparent ability is what got him transferred from combat to the Tokarev Design Bureau.

For a kid from a farming collective, he sure did a heck of a job. Nowadays, he lives in a tiny apartment, eeking out an existence on a small pension from the Russian government. If he'd have been a capitalist, he'd undoubtedly be one of the wealthiest gun-makers in the world.

BTW, I love my SAR-1. It's so much fun to shoot. I'd rather have it than an overpriced AR.

Frank

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

Never quite understand why so many gun enthusiasts turn their nose up at AKs, without even giving them a second thought/fair chance.

I hate the sights. I hate the safety, and i hate the trigger on every AK i've ever fired. That's why i turn my nose up at the AK.

 

[Joe Demko]

Ditto what Andrew Wyatt said.

 

[buzz_knox]

The safety/dustcover on the AK is inferior to the M-16. It cannot be applied/removed without shifting the weapon from the proper firing position, and when it is removed, there is a large gap in the weapon. The 16's dustcover can be flipped back into position after chambering a round, and the safety removed.

That being said, the AK is a wonderful weapon for it's intended purpose: short range combat to medium range suppressive fire by masses of ill-trained troops. This isn't a slam, just a recognition of its purpose. The 16 was intended to do the same thing in a different way.

 

[Correia]

If you have long enough fingers the AK safety is wonderful. Faster than you could believe. As for the big open gap it leaves, it doesn't seem to matter. I have yet to see an AK malfunction due to foreign matter entering through the gap. I have made one malfunction by pouring sand directly into the action, but it took more sand than any other gun I've tried this on.

Trigger? There are good AK triggers out there.

Sights do suck. Thank goodness for Kreb's Custom.

The AK action has been adopted to work reliably with everything from .22, 9x17, 9x18, 9x19, 9x21, 5.45x39, .223, 7.62x39, 9x39, 7.62x54r, .308, .410, 20 guage, and 12 guage. Hard to argue with success.

Kalashnikov came to the attention of his superiors after designing a submachine gun. It competed against other designs but lost, but it showed enough promise so he was moved over the weapons development. I'm sure that he had both Garands, and STG44s to look at while he designed his rifle. Either way, the man was still a genius.

He also designed the PK series of machine guns. Probably one of the best GPMGs ever. His sniper rifle design lost out against Dragunov.

 

[willyjixx]

For a kid from a farming collective, he sure did a heck of a job. Nowadays, he lives in a tiny apartment, eeking out an existence on a small pension from the Russian government. If he'd have been a capitalist, he'd undoubtedly be one of the wealthiest gun-makers in the world.

Thats a shame! I didnt even think or know he was still alive!



love it or hate the dang thing did its job an does it well. if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery then Kalishnikov is a very flattered man.
course the same can be said for Colt

 

[Zeke Menuar]

Coming up with the AK design was Mr. Kalishnikov's second great achievement. His greatest achievement was to navigate Stalin's political minefield and come out of it alive. Many of his comtemporaries didn't.

ZM

 

[telewinz]

It could only come from a Russian mindset. Till the AK47 every other country and designer was seeking to make their receivers smaller and more compact. The AK is a step backwards (thank god) in that the length and size of the receiver is much larger than the size of the cartridge it fires. There is plenty of room for dirt/sand/mud to accumulate without causing a stoppage, and the key parts are "soldier proof", they are much beefier than they need to be. The design would never have made it in this country, its our great loss, we pay more for our infantry weapons but we aren't better served.

10 or 15 years from now they will talk of the SAR-1 as we now talk about the HK 91 or 93. "Why didn't I buy 1 or 2 when they were going for $350?".:banghead:

 

[Gewehr98]

Still think Mr. Kalashnikov had a Remington Model 8 in his collection...

That safety is just too similar to be a coincidence.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Zeke brings up a good point. To survive and succeed in Stalinist Russia was quite an achievement. Beria and the NKVD made the Gestapo look like Miss Nancy of Romper Room.

 

[TNT]

"Never quite understand why so many gun enthusiasts turn their nose up at AKs, without even giving them a second thought/fair chance. "

Reminds me of the time I was in Cabela's and asked how much the SAR was and all the guy said is that "he thinks they shouldn't even sell those things." They want $399.00 for the rifle. I love my AK and will never part with it.

 

[Logistar]

Sights? If you use a red dot, the sights are fine.

Trigger? Mine has been fine. No slap... it really isn't bad. (Surprised me!)

Safety? They have a safety????

Logistar

 

[Kharn]

My cousin (my shooting instructor/mentor) constantly calls the AK a 'punk gun' and considers them to be on the level of a Raven or Jennings, but he's an HK snob so I just sort of tune him out while I blast away with mine. I needed a compact, reliable, standard-capacity magazine semiauto rifle that I could use for just about anything from feral dogs to somebody ramming their car into my house to gain entry, the only logical choice was to buy an AK.

I've heard of an SOT's AK that cycled perfectly on full auto for a full magazine, and when the owner dropped the magazine and inverted the rifle, two crushed empties rolled out of the reciever. The rifle had continued to work, even after it had two FTEjects.

Kharn

 

[benEzra]

My cousin (my shooting instructor/mentor) constantly calls the AK a 'punk gun' and considers them to be on the level of a Raven or Jennings

I personally know three other people who own AK's. One is a Ph.D in Physics, one is a Ph.D in Engineering, and one is a B.A. in Commercial Art who illustrates aircraft technical manuals.

"Punk gun," huh?

 

[Jim K]

The AK is a darned good design. One thing is the ease of disassembly, plus the use, where possible, of large parts without close fitting. This means that the AK will function in dirty or dusty areas where the AR-15/M16/M4 will fail or require excessive care and attention. It also means less chance of losing a critical part when cleaning the rifle.

As to the supposed superiority of the HK or other "better" guns, we probably need to look at the relative quantities in use (without regard to politics) to see what preferences really are.

The safety does close off the bolt handle slot, and it is copied from the Remington Model 8/81 (Kalashnikov said so), but it does not seal the action as well as the door on the M16. But in the real world, neither works worth a darn for keeping fine sand out of the action. It is just that sand in the action matters less to the AK than it does to the closely fitted M16.

(FWIW, I think the original AR-18 is better than either one; it doesn't matter what gets in one of those.)

Jim

 

[JohnKSa]

I wish I could remember the source of this story. I think I heard it told in the first person on Tales of the Gun on the History Channel.

A US soldier in Vietnam found a battlefield pickup AK and threw it in his footlocker. Occasionally, when the mood struck him, and ammo was available, he would take it out of his footlocker for some blastage.

Of course, the humid environment and the total lack of care played hell with the firearm. The action would be rusted closed.

He placed the buttstock on the ground and kicked the bolt handle to break it open. Then he loaded the mag and blasted away. When done, he threw it back in the footlocker without cleaning.

He said it never malfunctioned in any way.

 

[Triad]

JohnKSa, I've heard that story before from several different sources, I think it was also posted here. I think that was a very common thing for the men in Vietnam to do.

 

[J. Parker]

When my shootin' buddy and I go out for a "session" he has his Colt AR and I have my lowly AK and I best him every time. He gets an occasional jam and I just keep perkin' right along.
Simply put....AK's (in any form) are absolutely incredible. Along with the 1911 design it's the next best creation in the 20th century. Just my thoughts, John

 

[Chipperman]

The biggest evidence of his genius was the ability to convince everyone that his design was all his own.

As was mentioned earlier, a lot of the design was taken from the Original "Assault Rifle", as well as other features, like the Remington safety. That is not to take anything away from his awesome weapon, though.


I saw an interview with Kalashnikov. He wistfully mentioned meeting Eugene Stoner, who had his own plane. He said, " I can hardly afford my own ticket".