You can dump sand in the AK and it will still run

Status
Not open for further replies.
Hmmm. I say there had to have been a bit of camera tricks to that video because the AK malfunctioned after getting sprinkled with sand.

Either that, or the myth is busted.:eek:
 
Last edited:
They used to demonstrate how resilient the AK is in the service (over in the middle east).

When I was over there, they'd take the top cover off and drizzle sand in it while firing, with nary a hiccup . .

AK reliability is not a myth.
 
AK reliability is not a myth.
Click to expand...

AK reliability is highly exaggerated, as are many things on gun boards. This video clearly demonstrates that reality is not the exact same as gun board talk...
 
More of a dust thing in that manner...drizzling. While the weapon is firing it vibrates the sand out the big holes around the trigger guard and magazine...big holes a plus here not a negetive...Still VERY impressive. And no,the AK's reliability is not mythical but not infallible.:)
 
The Ak is a very reliable weapon but it still needs to be maintained. Most of these tests guys use just sand. These guys in the video used dirt with rocks and twigs and all the normal stuff thats on the ground.

Ive seen plenty of AK47s malfunction in Iraq with the Iraqi Army unit we were with. The guns were just old and not taken care of.
 
Hmmm. I say there had to have been a bit camera tricks to that video because the AK malfunctioned after getting sprinkled with sand.

Either that, or the myth is busted
Click to expand...

7.62x39 is tapered, so is the 5.45x39. The .223/5.56x45 is straight walled so therefore the sand would cause a lot more friction vs the other two cartridges.

AK reliability is highly exaggerated, as are many things on gun boards. This video clearly demonstrates that reality is not the exact same as gun board talk...
Click to expand...


I don't think so, I have personally seen an AK buried in mud, sand and snow and it still functioned. But that AK was in 7.62x39 not .223/5.56x45
 
Its not just the AK... the Vz's fare better. They even get off shots when not put together correctly, though you might get chewed up brass and the odd stove pipe.
 
AK reliability is highly exaggerated, as are many things on gun boards. This video clearly demonstrates that reality is not the exact same as gun board talk...
Click to expand...

The test is essentially void anyway due to dumb circumstances. It's a .223 AK. Barely any case taper. Let them try a 5.45 or 7.62x39 and see if it jams first round.
 
Who would dump sand in his rifle in the first place?

We managed to fight WWII in North Africa with M1 Garands.
And the Germans didn't exactly give up and go home because their MP40's and MP44's didn't work in the sand either.

rc
 
I don't think so, I have personally seen an AK buried in mud, sand and snow and it still functioned. But that AK was in 7.62x39 not .223/5.56x45
Click to expand...

The malfunctions experienced in this test don't have much to do with the cartridge. The Stoppages were related to debris located in the fire control group.
 
Ahh, I remember the first time I saw this video and how it turned my world upside down. The AK is not the infallible rifle that I thought it was. It was not designed to be used as a wheelbarrow and neither is any other rifle (that i know of), it just happens to work in the dirt better than a lot of rifles, but you cant rely on any rifle to work perfectly when you treat it this way. The taper of 7.62x39 wouldn't help much in this situation. The AK's weakness is the FCG's exposure to debris when the safety is off just as the AR's is reliance on lube. NO rifle is infallible! The operator can always mess it up somehow!
 
On the other hand, do that to a AR and see what happens.
Click to expand...

They did, and it faired much better under similar cricumstances. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8SSQ_wIG4o&feature=related

Basically, the AK shows it has a design flaw in that when the safety is off, the weapon has a huge hole that allows stuff to get into it.

7.62x39 is tapered, so is the 5.45x39. The .223/5.56x45 is straight walled so therefore the sand would cause a lot more friction vs the other two cartridges.
Click to expand...

I agree that the extreme taper of the 7.62x39 is a slight reliability advantage, but as another poster noted in this thread, "How is a tapered round going to prevent crud getting in the fire control group?"

Ahh, I remember the first time I saw this video and how it turned my world upside down. The AK is not the infallible rifle that I thought it was. It was not designed to be used as a wheelbarrow and neither is any other rifle (that i know of), it just happens to work in the dirt better than a lot of rifles, but you cant rely on any rifle to work perfectly when you treat it this way. The taper of 7.62x39 wouldn't help much in this situation. The AK's weakness is the FCG's exposure to debris when the safety is off just as the AR's is reliance on lube. NO rifle is infallible! The operator can always mess it up somehow!
Click to expand...

Exactly.

I did not post this as an attack on the AK design. I like it, but the degree of reliability people seem to think it is capable of has gone too far. Time to come back down to earth.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

K
  • Locked
You're not gonna believe this...
Replies
15
Views
916
NCLivingBrit
N
M
  • Locked
Russia Tests The M4a1 Carbine Against The AK-74M
Replies
0
Views
123
mortablunt
M
T
  • Locked
Kalashnikov Himself Says AK Works With Sand
2 3
Replies
72
Views
3K
Art Eatman
A
N
  • Locked
Discovery Channel Reliability....AR vs AK
2 3
Replies
51
Views
2K
innerpiece
I
M
  • Locked
ak-47 vs M16
Replies
6
Views
857
Kaylee
K
Back
Top