US Palm has their new website up and running. It is somewhat light on details right now but it is still worth a visit.
Tag Archives | AK-47
Sneak Peak of US Palm's AK Battle Grip
Larry Vickers on the AK
A good friend pointed me to these excellent videos. About 2 years ago I wrote an article about bringing the AK up to date just to share among friends. I have been hoping to update the article now that I have been using my “modernized” AK for some time now. Everything I did to my AK is mirrored in these videos from Larry Vickers. Mr. Vickers is an expert on the AK (and most small arms) and offers excellent AK specific training courses.
There is a lot of good information for AK users to be gleaned from these videos:
Larry Vickers Introduces the AK
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-noya_t-7R0]
Larry Vickers and the AK on the Range
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QABoEzyBm9w]
Larry Vickers and the Modernized AK
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACcrtrFgDE8]
US Palm AK Attack Rack (AKAR) – A New AK-47 Chest Rig
Click for a larger view.
Chest rig choices have been somewhat limited for AK-47 users. Eagle Industries has a couple of dedicated AK rigs and several manufacturers make chest rigs that are somewhat universal. Often these universal rigs don’t work well with the curved shape of the AK mags or hang up on the locking tab located on the back of the mag. US Palm has a new rig that will, at the very least, give AK users another choice.
This chest rig is somewhat spartan (as any good chest rig should be). It is basically just a means to carry 4 primary mags and 4 items like pistol mags, flashlights, or multi-tools. Each of the primary magazine pouches is lined with a high wear material to protect the pouch from the locking tab on the backs of the magazines. They also have a unique shape that is tailor-made for AK mags. The materials used in the construction are all top-notch (500D Cordura, ITW hardware). The shoulder straps look broad and somewhat flat (as they should be). Primary mags are retained via “bungee” loops that offer great retention and speedier access than flaps. It will be available in all the colors that you have come to expect including Multicam.
I only have two potential misgivings. First, I have always preferred AK chest rigs with a 3 mag set up since the size and shape of AK mags make them more difficult to manipulate when you have to reach across your body to the weapon side pouch or to the pouch nearest your support side. With the 4 mag set ups, the middle two pouches always seem to be more usable than the outer two. Second, the rig it appears to favor right handed shooters due to the shape of the pouches. I guess the AK47 isn’t particularly lefty friendly either.
You can find more info here:
More Thoughts on the US Palm AK Magazines
I have had few questions on whether the new US Palm AK magazines that I covered recently are worth the $29.95 asking price, especially when surplus steel mags tend to costs $10-20. They really don’t cost anymore than the European manufactured plastic mags on the market. Only the person buying the magazines can say whether or not they worth the price. I can say that I believe certain aspects of this mag are better than steel mags. And when something is better, it usually costs more.
- The design is better – The ridges and waffle pattern give good grip when manipulating a magazine. The body of the mag is essentially fused into one piece (no more loose base plates that spit your rounds all over the floor at the range – yes, I have seen it happen).
- The materials are better – Polymer is better than steel for this application. Steel bends on impact and the mag stops working. Polymer bounces back or maybe cracks but the mag will likely continue to work even when cracked. It is also lighter in weight. The days of worrying about polymer magazines are long gone. You WANT plastic mags in many cases. Stop resisting the inevitable!
- The follower is better – The follower is a low friction design. This sort of thing revolutionized AR mags.
- The weight is better – Like I said above, they are lighter. This is a big deal. This just in… AK mags are heavy!
- The spring is better – These mags use a chromium-silicon spring which is rated for 100,000 cycles. Steel mags use whatever springs the communist government that made the mags could get that day (maybe).
- The manufacturer is better – These are made in the US by a top tier maker. They will take care of you if you have an issue.
With all that said, I can definitely understand those who want to wait and see. There is definitely something to be said for not being an early adopter. The prices may come down and, more importantly, any bugs will be worked out if you wait to purchase these. We still do not have any real world accounts of usage on these things (no, “I went to the range and slow fired 30 rounds. These mags are awesome!” does not count).
This whole thing reminds me of when the PMAG first came out. You had people who wouldn’t trust any plastic mag and those who wouldn’t pay $15-17 when aluminum mags could be purchased for $10.
I am not in a hurry to buy any of these right now, but my AK is really just a toy. If the AK was my primary weapon, I would be taking a good hard look at these new mags.