Where is the love for AK-47's?

[RP88]

guess I'll actually put it down and say that I own a Saiga AK. I love it so far, and think it is really sleek and cool. My definition of ugly is probably the opposite of yours. I'm gonna dress it up with some K-var grip and heat guard soon enough, once I get my retainer from Dinzag and all.

Also, I'd say that there are still a ridiculous amount of AKs still being brought in, but your selection is limited to Saiga, WASR, and Bulgarian now. I really do not foresee the AK going away unless the ATF decides that it meant something else about the import laws.

I think the real reason why we think AKs are going away is because we've bought so damn many in a year's time. Also to consider is that ARs went from being built by several big companies and several nice companies to pretty much any serious rifle manufacturer pumping out their own ARs. How come AKs don't outnumber ARs like they did two years ago? Well, look at how many companies in the past year have adopted the AR into their product lines.

 

[RockyMtnTactical]

It's overshadowed by the AR15 because the AR15 is the top dog of the evil rifle world, but I still like the AK plenty.

http://www.minutemanreview.com/2008/08/saiga-ak-556.html

 

[Rubber_Duck]

Where is the love for AK-47's?

On guard and sitting in the safe.

 

[hankdatank1362]

You see plenty of articles in gun rags about AKs.


They are all titles "Operating the Enemy's Weapon", or something similar. Because, obviously, the only people who shoot AKs are terrorists and criminals.

I love mine. More than ARs. Just something about cheap commie ammo that melts through most barriers, brriers that would choke a 5.56, in a high-cap, semi-auto is awesome.

 

[MIL-DOT]

(quote) "It's overshadowed by the AR15 because the AR15 is the top dog of the evil rifle world"

Why, that's just crazy talk !! The AK's been in use years longer,in many more countries,shot more people, and is presently in the hands of many more people than the AR. As for "top dog of the evil rifle world", "AK47" has become the medias "go to" term for "evil rifle", much like calling any sodie pop a "Coke" and any brand of cotton swab a "Q tip".
The AK is, and will likely remain, "top dog"........DOG.

 

[MD_Willington]

Mines down the street locked away until I get a new license from the State or become a US citizen!!

 

[wyocarp]

AK47" has become the medias "go to" term for "evil rifle"

Obama has said that he didn't see a need for anyone to own an AK-47. Why would we question his stately wisdom?

 

[The Deer Hunter]

Well think about it.


Someone who gets a $1500 AR-15 with all the gadgets and gizmos, probably also has a 1911 with all the gadgets and gizmos, too, and that person is probably pretty full of himself. So what better thing to do than sit down and read about how your superawesometactical AR-15 is?


But while that guy is off looking at gun porn, some idiots are informing everyone (rudely, mind you) that your gun isn't an AK-47 but a semi automatic, perfectly legal with kitties and butterflied assault style rifle your out at the range shooting your gun.

Problem solved.

 

[jhansman]

Because there aren't AK makers spending advertising dollars in the gun rags----simple enough?

Amen to that. If Bruce Willis or some other action figure made it his gun of choice, the rags would be all over it and we'd end up with deluxe, commemorative models with exotic wood stocks. I got my AK precisely because none of the above is true, a thing I hope remains so at least until Gen. K leaves the planet.

 

[FlyinBryan]

i think the "black cloud" that seems to follow the ak around comes from the company it keeps, and im not talking about the responsible owners like the folks that inhabit the highroad.

just think about it.

when you see osama on tv what is he holding.

the list is long

the infamous golden guns of knappy bearded saddam.

edit: street gangs in inner cities are well known by the ak47, to the point of being affectionately garnished with the nickname "chopper". (street gangs cant be healthy for its image)

the idaho mall idiot.

every war or conflict in recent times in which the u.s.a. is involved seems to be against armies armed with the ak.

vietnam.

russia in the cold war, (i know it wasnt really a war but you know what i mean)

iraq part 1

iraq part 2.

towelly ban.

al-katy,,,etc, etc, etc,,,,,

rebels and guerillas weapon of choice everywhere.

if your village in south africa gets cut to pieces because there might be diamonds within 500 miles, the ak is probably the last thing you see.


these images really stick with folks as do the words "ak47"

its really ashame that the rifle is tarnished by the perception of most that its the weapon thats the culpret, and not the idiots that use them because of their availability and low cost of production.

p.s. i dont have an ak, i have ar15's and prefer them simply because i enjoy precision shooting, while still having the ability to go BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM, and they are just better at that for me.

 

[Prince Yamato]

I specifically love the AK for it's "hard-nosed" image. I look at the AR as an "elitist" rifle of sorts. They're usually expensive and people always add expensive accessories to them. I like the AK because it's simple and it gets right down to business. Yeah, you can trick one out, but why? It functions best without an gizmos on it. People complain about the sights on the AK, but I love them. Just like my pistol sights.

 

[benEzra]

Because there aren't AK makers spending advertising dollars in the gun rags----simple enough?

^^^ Nailed it.

AK's are inexpensive, low-profit-margin imports, and their importers don't spent much on advertising.

 

[gunNoob]

Probably because they are old guns and most people see them as "terrorist guns"....

I love AKs. All time favorite gun. I hope to own a few more soon

 

[rockinrussky]

AKs don't need advertising to sell. Its about as necessary as a crack dealer hiring a marketing firm. The news media's coverage and world history does it for us. There's always that 'coolness factor,' especially with the younger crowd.

You'll never hear anybody saying: 'Man, what are we gonna do with all these cheap milsurp EBRs? Ah well, all these damn kids nowadays so obsessed with the new tacticool muzzle loaders!' I think you get my point.

edit: oh and hey, if you have a tacticool muzzle loader more power to you, no offense intended for that crowd (assuming such a crowd exists)

 

[benEzra]

the virginia tech phsyco

...who used a Walther .22 pistol and a Glock 9mm, not an AK of any description.

 

[rob_s]

No articles on AKs because none of the vendors/manufacturers pony up the advertising dollars to have them.

 

[helz_mcfugly]

oh jees benEzra. a bit over crituqing arent ya? Im sure you got the point of what FlyinBryan was trying to make didnt ya? which I totally agree on.

 

[tinygnat219]

I think a nifty article on the Saiga rifles should be done.

 

[klover]

If cheap and simple

is not worthy of love, then what is?

 

[FlyinBryan]

...who used a Walther .22 pistol and a Glock 9mm, not an AK of any description.

my bad, still though, kinda bad guy guns.

ps i will edit that line

 

[lencac]

What's to say? How well they are made? Their accuracy (or lack of)? The potency of the round? Do bullets come out the barrel when you pull the trigger? YES. But let's face it they are like a Ford Taurus, it gets you from point A to point B but beyond that

 

[Sagetown]

The original AK47 never appealed to me as they were crudely made and not very accurate. I've been shot at by them, but (thank God) never was hit. In the summer of 1968, an army pick-up pulled into our compound at DaNang, Vietnam, and the bed was piled up to the back window with all AK's gathered up after a battle. Only a few of the boys pulled out one of them to send back to state-side. The rest of us just weren't interested.

 

[benEzra]

oh jees benEzra. a bit over crituqing arent ya? Im sure you got the point of what FlyinBryan was trying to make didnt ya? which I totally agree on.

Lighten up a bit, please. I didn't bite his head off about it, so there is no need to bite mine off.

I do believe that the media has tried hard to create the perception of civilian AK's in the USA as being "bad guy guns." Look at the difference between the media coverage of the Stockton school shooting (Chinese AK lookalike, 5 killed, front-page fodder for weeks) with the Gang Lu school shooting (.38 revolver, 5 killed, few media outlets even mentioned the type of gun used). Or the way that in almost every shooting with an unknown rifle, the media reports it as an "AK-47" until it is later shown to have been a shotgun or SKS or Remington (or in one case, an M1911 pistol). And you know their reasons for doing so.

The only way to come to the conclusion that AK's in this country are "bad guy guns" is to overstate their use by bad guys, and ignore their use by good guys, IMO.

I am not saying that perception isn't there. I am saying that it is primarily a media myth, created and perpetuated to further an agenda.

 

[xd45gaper]

because no one willing to pay the gun mags for a rifle that sells its self! the AK47/74 is a legand in its own it needs no hype or publicity to be famous. if it where an actor it would be in the same groud as the Duke or the Clint Eastwood. It would even have its own gold star in hollywood!

 

[spyderdude]

As mentioned before, the AK-47 is one of the most reliable battle rifles around. I personally think its looks are both great and intimidating. I bought a Century GP WASR10 two years ago, and have fired close to 6K rounds through it. If I had to run to the hills for whatever reason, I would go for the AK, but if I was going to barricade myself in the home, I'd grab the AR-15.



Picture is a bit out dated, since I've added a new flash hider and the leather sling that came with the rifle.



And of course the AK's arch rival!

I'm a very open minded gun owner!