Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the firearm blog written by a 20 year old manchild, who's mooching off of mommy and daddy?

IIRC he's majoring in history.

I have no idea lol. I read it, but that's it.

Some of your complaints can be viewed differently. Most people say the AK stock is too short. And for most people in nice weather it does seem that way. But if you put on a bunch of heavy clothing or body armor/gear then that stock that is too short is suddenly just right. The AR family of weapons get around this problem by using a collapsible stock. The sights are similar to most firearms, especially pistols. They aren't intended for target shooting but for shooting people that are moving around at close to moderate range. I can hit a silhouette target reliably at 200 yards using an AK with Iron sights. That's nothing to write home about but it is further then most people can hit a target no matter what rifle they are using. It's also further then most firefights occur.

The safety shows a very different mindset then in the US. American firearms training has you switch the selector switch back and forth constantly. The combloc way of doing it seems to be to put the selector switch where you want it and to just leave it there. I'm not a big fan of changing the selector switch more then necessary since I think it makes your inclined to have it on the wrong setting when you need it. Compared to some of their other designs like the Mosin Nagant the safety is easy enough to use quickly.

Can't argue about the mag release. I don't like it much either. But the same style is used on other guns and we are talking about something designed in the 40's.

It sounds like Nathaniel prefers the AK for sentimental reasons. He says he likes the AK's pedigree, oldschool manufacturing, and the ballistic characteristics of 5.45. He then goes on to say the AR15 is likely the better weapon of war due to modern manufacturing and the 5.56 bullet choices are better. He also wrote an article defending the AR15 against the claim that it's letting our soldiers down and he's published a whole bunch of content against replacing 556 on his blog and TFB. I have no reason to defend Nathaniel other than I've found a lot of his work to be fairly grounded. Notice he didn't go on about AKs being more reliable than ARs and didn't mention  anything implying that AKs are better firearms from a practical effectiveness perspective.

 

That was funny Devil Dog

Real men build their own AKs and garbage cans

AR was designed in the 50's.

He also likes model trains.

I had a guy in a CATM class screech how much better the AK is than the AR/M16.

I happen to have both arsenal AK47 and an Arsenal AK74. Both of which are probably the finest example of the AK in that caliber and are, for an AK, fantastically accurate, especially the 47 because it has the coveted forged receiver.

We went to the range the next day and I let him attempt to qualify the AF Marksmanship course with both rifles. He was close with the 74, but the magazine change, lack of a bolt catch, and having to screw around every time he wanted to recharge the weapon hindered him greatly. To his benefit, however, was the fact that he is a lefty. Regardless, he had a hell of a time qualifying at something that is considered easy by anyone who shoots. I thought about letting him try at the Army unknown distances test, but didn't want to waste the ammo.

I've found that, to a man, those who screech that the AK is a better weapon system is either not a shooter, or hasn't even shot guns and is just parroting asshatters.

The AR is a functionally better rifle in just about every aspect,  but I always enjoy shooting and tinkering with AKs more.  From a mechanical standpoint there is just something about the AR that is boring by comparison. Not sure why.

Thank you. That articulated well what was annoying me about that article.

I don't care what firearm a person likes, but just be honest about it, don't write a bunch of weird shit "reasons" it is superior to AR's, okay?

It's for a militia.  Just bring a bucket of fried skin.

From what I could tell he didn't, he just wrote a bunch of weird shit reasons about why he likes it more.

There appear to be a few pressing questions about my article and my person from some of the members of this forum. I will try to answer some of them, as best I can.


"5.45 is better than 5.56, what?"

Nope. I said 5.56 has much better projectile options and loads available for it. The configuration of 5.45 is better, as it allows longer bullet ogives that retain energy better even with lighter bullet weights. I'm a ballistics nerd, though.


"Aren't you an Air Force bubba special forces wannabe pogue marksman 20-something crossfit enthusiast who is Gwynneth (sic) Paltrow and lives with their parents while majoring in history, who called me a race traitor and has delusions of being George Washington?"

No, but if you want to find this person I would try looking on Tumblr.


"What's your screen-name on ARFCOM?"

"Nathaniel_F"


"Are you a collector who doesn't shoot guns?"

I am not a collector. I do shoot guns. The AK is not perfect from a shooting perspective and I like shooting AR-15s more.


"Please be from Louisiana, not Maryland"

The "land of the Atlantic Blue Crab" is Maryland. I was born and raised (mostly) there. I now live in Louisiana. Good guesses!


"You can field strip AR-15s too, did you know that?"

Yes. I would not advise firing them with the lower removed, however.

(Part 1 of 2)

"Why do you hate interchangeable, standardized parts?"

I don't, but they have less character. The American way is clearly a better way to make military rifles, but the end products are less interesting to me.


"Who writes The Firearm Blog?"

It's a collaborative effort. If it were really one person, the author would truly have to have no life at all.


"Do you prefer the AK for sentimental reasons?"

Yes. It's irrational, but ya like what ya like.


"Do you like model trains?"

No, I am not a member of your fandom, sorry.


"Are you a faggot?"

If you ask the 68forums, they will tell you I am a faggot. However, there is currently no consensus on my "faggot" or "not faggot" status.


"Can I poop on you/your article?"

While I am very accepting of people of all sexual orientations, I will not let you poop on me.


"Why have you never shot a gun before?"

I own several rifles and shoot them weekly. I am not the best shot in the world, but I can clear an AQT without issue using my Colt.


"Why is your article shit?"

What forum is this? I believe that answers your question.


"Why did you write this article?"

I was getting a reputation as an AR-15 fanboy, and wanted to change it up. I see I have succeeded most thoroughly.


Cheers, guys!

Ya know, I'll respect that you came, signed up, and respectfully addressed this thread.

Haha, in for the crow eating. Well done, Nathaniel. By the way, I've found a lot of the blog/TFB posts you've put out in the last year or so quite enlightening. In particular, the articles on 556 vs other calibers and the effectiveness of the AR15 helped me appreciate the weapon more.

Well, reverse engineered...  



 

All I got from that is that you are into crossfit and have crabs.  While I'm sure those will make for tremendously entertaining future threads ...

... in this thread, I will complain about the Kalashnikov.

[And welcome to the site, by the way.  I lack people skills, so it's best I don't give you the grand tour.  Please don't take it personally.  It's just better this way.]

Why does the recoil of a standard, wood stocked AK-47 knock my hearing protection off?  The stupid thing tries to destroy my hearing protection.  Why do communists hate hearing protection?  Isn't hearing one of those things that's good for the masses?

Magazine changes.  They suck on the AK.  I can't be the only person to get the mags under-rocked and jammed when loading a new magazine.

The sights suck.  Given an M4 and AK47, both with iron sights, every shooter I have ever dealt with scores better on the 25m Alternate Course with a carbine length AR-pattern.

POI shifts.  When firing from the prone, if an AK47 rests on the magazine, there is a pronounced POI shift - way, way more than any POI shift with an AR-patterned rifle doing the same.  By extension, I'm thinking the 74 would be even worse, given its magazine geometry.  Oh, and about the RPK-74 configuration ... in the name of Lenin, how are you supposed to fire that damn thing from the prone with 40 round magazines?

Basic implementation.  When I shoot timed courses of fire involving magazine changes, I always score noticeably better with an AR platform over the AK.  It's like communism abhors the success of an individual, or something.

I have very little experience with the AK-74.  Maybe that's a little quicker with follow up shots, lighter loadouts, and stuff ... but it's still going to suffer from the above mentioned problems.

All I got from that is that you used to be an AR-15 fanboy, and now you are of communists.

There is nothing very cheery about that.

Where I'm from, it was always "Maryland blue crab", or merlin blukreb if you're going to speak with the proper regional accent. I think when I made my author's description, I thought saying "I came from the land of the Maryland blue crab" was silly - why not just say I was from Maryland? So I left it more ambiguous by using the more generic name.

My cred as a sudden merliner is solid; we can talk all day about the ballimoe oreos and ravins and resskins, and those jackass tecksins on base and their cahboys. I'll just drive up 301 and take 5 to Poplar and go see the Dr. Mudd house.

Cheers!

1. Wear plugs. Muffs are capitalist decadence.

2. Magazines are guided by the inherent goodness of Socialism, which doesn't work for Capitalists. Try keeping some Marx or Engels in your pocket, maybe?

3. Yeah, AR iron sights are way better for target shooting. AK sights are... Well, they let a lot more light in when it's overcast, I guess?

4. I have no idea, never experienced said POI shift. Never had a problem monopodding an AK on the magazine. YMMV.

5. With the bipod, of course.

6. The AK was designed in 1946, the AR-15 in 1957. Ten years might not seem like a lot of difference - especially with the fundamentals of the AR-10 being laid in '54 or so - but I think they were pretty critical years. That, and the Soviets really didn't have as much experience with selfloaders as the Americans did. And, maybe, Armalite was just a little more on the ball than Kalashnikov's design team in some respects.




Incorrect. I always was of communists, but the AR-15 is a good rifle, and it's ironic that capitalism is always trying to bring it down.

:( <<<<< Not very cheery because of communism

AK style sights suck balls for fast, close shooting.  It's waaaay faster to center a post in the large aperture of an AR aperture sight than to get on target with an open sight, particularly when the rear sight of the open sight is so far from the eye.



 

You have to be a bit more discreet when you troll.

<snicker>

Well, okay then...

I wouldn't recommend firing an AK with the receiver cover removed, either. You know how I know you haven't done it?

   Well, in the Hitlerverse.......

Atlantic blue crabs? Or just basic crabs? We need to be precise here.

 What round for crab?  I'm thinking birdshot.  Don't want to overpenetrate and kill any shrimps.

It can be done, you just get some gas in your face.

Yeah, I hate how I can't take my AR apart.

Seriously man. Who fucking cares?

I wouldn't drive car without brakes.

Massive amounts of butthurt ITT.  I guess I understand, since the hammered tin AK slaughtered the shit out of the boys carrying the earliest versions of Stoner's Jam-O-Matic.

I've got more AR platforms myself, but the item nearest my bed is a MAK-90.  For poking holes in paper, AR.  For going bang everytime and making a big hole, AK.

It's most definitely a Get Both scenario, and if  you can't acknowledge the merits of both, you're not a gun guy, you're a fucking fanboy.

ARFCOM certainly doesn't, and it has been saying so loudly and repeatedly ever since the article went up.

I just don't even know where to start with this, nearly everything you said merits a downgrade to any credibility you might have had.



 

It's OK to be a fanboy, you don't have to be butthurt.

I fail to see a tactical advantage of 5.56 in a DI weapon at short distance.  You've got everything working against you from the caliber, to the projectile weight, to the gas system.  I've never been fully able to comprehend what ostensibly makes the AR a much better platform when they're all supposed to be somewhat close combat items.

in before the rape.



Did I make it in before the rape?

King Crab laughs at your armament.







 

This. Guy showed up. Stated his opinion/position. Whether I agree with him or not.... he has my respect for that.

Alright, I'll address this.



How do caliber, projectile weight, and gas system work against you with an AR vs. an AK at short distance?  Simply put, they don't.



We'll initially assume that, since you bring up caliber and projectile weight, that you specifically mean the 7.62x39mm AK load, vs. 5.56 AR.  7.62x39 is, simply put, grossly inferior in terminal ballistics vs. 5.56.  7.62x39 is going to put a nice .30 hole in a person.  It MIGHT yaw a bit, widening the permanent cavity a bit in a couple of spots, but largely is going to simply poke a .30 caliber hole in a person.  5.56, in common loadings, admittedly MIGHT not fragment at close range, but by a long way, odds favor a close range shot with loads such as m193 or m855 fragmenting at those ranges, and causing significantly more damage to tissue.  In the absence of a CNS shot, I want my ammunition to cause as much tissue damage and bleeding as possible to speed exsanguination and the end of the threat, and 5.56 clearly comes out ahead in that regard.  Worst case, of no fragmentation, the round will still yaw and cause similar levels of slightly widening the permanent wound cavity as 7.62x39.



5.56 wins.



Against 5.45...5.45 wins in only one situation, and that's non fragmentation by the 5.56, and then solely because the 5.45 has a longer projectile and therefore its "yaw spots" will be slightly broader as they pass through the body.  But that MUST assume non-fragmentation by the 5.56.  5.45, at least in the military 7n6 load, does not fragment.  If the projectile DOES have some break up, it is nowhere near on the order of the fragmentation of 5.56.



5.56 wins again.



Gas system fights are a complete non-starter of an argument.  Simply put, the unreliability of the AR is vastly overstated, as is the legendary reliability of the AK.  ARs are not Jam-O-Matics in their own right.  A combination of stupid changes, away from the factory design, to the powder used and the bore lining, as well as piss poor training in maintenance, resulted in a bad reputation for stoppages in Vietnam, although not on the scale as what is commonly believed by detractors today.  The reputation the AR had for stoppages is WAAAAAY overblown, not valid to base an argument on.  The similar reputation the AK has for unstoppable reliability is similarly overstated on a massive scale.



 

Dis gon be gud