AK47's are HARDCORE
So a while back I was invited to the range to try out a friends SKS Rifle. I had much fun with it, and enjoyed shooting the 7.62 round as well as the dummy grenade. So much fun that I attempted to look for an SKS of my own. But alas, like anything gun related they are all upwards of $700 + now.
So I was thinking to myself, 'well gee, I sure like the 7.62. The ammo is cheap. But now I must find myself a firearm which I can shoot it with'. Well, sure enough the local gun store had a SAIGA 'AK47' which was affordable for my pocket book.
Now, in video games and such I often looked down upon the AK 47. I thought it was a grueling and crude weapon. Without the pretty lines of some of the American / Western made weaponry out there. And indeed, it is the weapon of choice for the enemy.
But the more I researched them, the more I became to love them. It so fits my personality. Crude. Just Works. And you can abuse the heck out of it, and it'll be loyal to you.
The Saiga I ended up settling on, is a Hunting Rifle version of the AK47, with all the internals, and the same military grade barrel of a military grade AK47, made in the same factory that manufactured the AK47 for the Soviet military back in 1947. Yes, the Saiga is a Russian built AK47!
Due to the different placement of the trigger, the mechanism is lengthened. Some people report that the trigger in the Saiga is a lot less predictable because of this. After owning it only a short while, I can say that I have already trained my finger to find it's sweet spot, and can pull at just the right time, with little additional force applied. All told, the pressure on the trigger has to be about 6 pounds or so, but I can test and measure that.
So I did some more research. Just how reliable is this gun. Now, sure I don't have a full auto version, nor would I want one. My intention is to have a well rounded survival / hunting / defensive weapon that will just work when and if I need it, which is also fun to shoot out at the range.
But check this guy out! He just put 895 Rounds through this similar, higher end AK47 in full auto.
Very nuts. For comparison sake, a similar video was made with a higher quality AR-15, which blew the barrel up at 830 rounds. Cheaper AR-15's around the same price as the Saiga will fail earlier because they lack the barrel support and the gas tube is thinner.
He breaks down the AK-47 and checks out what is wrong with it. Hmm, the barrel is a little warped from the heat. Problem?
Nah! Just bang it against the nearest hard object. Whack it harder. It likes the pain. Ah good job Comrade! Ready for the fight again. Time to run a few more rounds through it. Good as new, minus the hand guard that burnt off.
So yeah. I know I would never be faced with the harsh conditions this weapon suffered thru, but I do know it is a quality item.