I came across some interesting news this evening. It appears that Izhmash, makers of AK pattern rifles like the SAIGA line, is now bankrupt. There were reports that they were going bankrupt in September of 2009 that turned out to be untrue (or perhaps premature) so it will be interesting to see how things play out this time.
Rifles like this Arsenal SGL-21 are based on Izsmash Saigas that are imported in "sporting" configuration.
Source: Hurriyet Daily News
Source: Pravda
The Usual Suspect Network (USN) is one of my favorite corners of the internet. The USN is a forum where you can spend time with friendly folks talking about basically all the same stuff you read about on this blog.
The USN recently celebrated its ten year anniversary and they commissioned a patch to commemorate it. The patches are available on the forum (you must be a member to view the link). Head over to the Usual Suspect Network and join today!
Surefire just released their rechargeable SFR2 Batteries. In the past it seemed that they were ignoring rechargeable batteries in favor of their lithium primary batteries. As surprising as this is, it is certainly a welcomed announcement.
The SFR2 Batteries are lithium-phosphate chemistry which Surefire claims will retain 50% of their charging capacity even after 500 charge cycles. They only offer about 50% of the runtime that regular lithium CR123A primary batteries offer, but this should become easier to live with as lights continue to become more efficient.
You can purchase SFR2 batteries separately or as part of a kit that comes with a charger. The charger comes with AC and DC cords for wall and car charging. It also has a light that indicates the status of the charge.
Check out Surefire.com for more details.
From PredatorIntelligence…
Wild Bill managed to get his hands on one of the first ESEE Candiru Knives available and we are giving it away to one of our Facebook Followers. This is a sneak peek at some of the new products we will be offering soon at a Predator Intelligence store. Wild Bill managed to snag the ESEE Candiru DT shown below in Desert Tan, which will be the one given to the winning customer. Instructions follow this photo.
The rules are simple, the first customer to spend $200 or more at PredatorBDU.com wins the ESEE Candiru DT. You must enter the code that follows at check out to win the knife. Once the order is placed, this code will expire and you will know that someone has already won. We will make note on the PredatorIntelligence Facebook page once the knife has been won. Head to the PredatorIntelligence Facebook page to secure the code.
Void where prohibited. Must be 21 and over to enter. Only valid for customers in the continental United States.
Which is “better”, the AR-15 or the AK-47? Every blog carts out this dead horse and beats on it sooner or later. I guess it is my turn. However, I hope this post will represent a bit of a different perspective.
Most AR versus AK discussions center around reliability and accuracy, or more specifically; the AR’s perceived lack of reliability and the AK’s perceived lack of accuracy. Most of you will know that both sides of this argument tend to deeply embellish their talking points with heavy doses of gun counter misinformation, speculation, exaggeration, and good old fashioned BS. It is very rare that anyone can point to real data to back up their claims of which rifle rules the roost. I actually happened across some real data that doesn’t even come close to putting an end to the the argument but it might just offer some perspective.
Weight has become a very important factor for me in determining what works for me. In my shooting logs that I somewhat faithfully keep for many of my rifles, I track how they weigh in their current configurations to use a baseline for determining the value of potential configuration changes. Having to think about accessories that are added to my rifles not only in terms of functionality added but also in terms of weight added has been a very enlightening process for me. I recently recorded the weight for a new(ish) rifle and was surprised by the numbers that sat in front of me.
Bulgarian Circle 10 magazine is shown. A lighter weight US PALM AK30 used in the article. This is fairly light and fast handling AK.
The recently recorded rifle weight was 8.724 pounds (with a loaded US PALM AK30). The rifle in question is a fairly basic AK. That weight wasn’t all that surprising in and of itself until I noticed that I have an AR that weighs nearly the exact same weight. That rifle is an AR-15 that weighs 8.732 pounds (with a loaded 30 round PMAG) or just .oo8 pounds more. However, what is most interesting about these two particular rifles is not necessarily just their weights but also their configurations. You might be surprised at just what 8.7 pounds gets you with an AR and AK.
The AK in question is a Romanian “G” rifle built by ARS with Warsaw length laminate wood stocks installed which are fairly light weight (they actually weigh less than a polymer KVAR Warsaw length stock set that I own). It also has a US PALM AKBG, PWS FSC47, Echo93 Sling Plate, and Echo93 DMS (sling). There is no light or optic on this rifle – just iron sights.
The AR in question starts with a BCM 14.5″ lightweight barrel profile, mid-length gas system upper with Magpul MOE handguards. Like the AK, it also has a grip (Magpul MIAD), muzzle device (A2X), sling mounts, a sling (VTAC with IWC 2 To 1 Point Triglide), and iron sights. However, it also has a Surefire M600 Scout Light on an IWC SMC MOUNT-N-SLOT, an IWC Weapon Control MOUNT-N-SLOT, a Battle Arms Development BAD-ASS and an Aimpoint T-1 with LaRue Tactical mount.
Shown with TAREINCO VTP sling. The weight listed in the article is with a VTAC sling.
Those last two paragraphs may cause a bit of information overload so let me break it down. An AR-15 with a light, hand stop, an ambidextrous selector, and red dot optic can weigh just .008 pounds more than a bare bones AK. The AR gives me more functionality for the same amount of weight. Granted, this AR was built to be somewhat light weight but that is part of the point – you can do that with an AR without sacrificing function. ARs with the same functionality can be built even lighter in weight than this one.
Does this single data point mean that the AR is better than the AK? No, certainly not. There are far more factors at play here. However, weight is an important piece of the puzzle that shooters of both the AR and AK must piece together for themselves. If pounds were dollars, the AR would be a much better deal.
