Interesting find on Reddit: M16A1 with AK mags...

AR-15 » AR-15 / M-16 Retro Forum

AR Sponsor:

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Interesting find on Reddit: M16A1 with AK mags...

Posted: 11/9/2020 9:28:58 PM EDT

Found these on Reddit and thought it was interesting I’ve never seen an A1 with AK mags in it...

Posted: 11/9/2020 9:54:32 PM EDT

[#1]

Doesn't look to be quite deep enough in the magwell to actually be a thing. And the chest rig in the last picture looks to have 20 rd mags in it.

Posted: 11/9/2020 10:20:35 PM EDT

[#2]

Ak mag welded to an AR15 mag. Generally unreliable.

Used to see some at gun shows back in the day. Also there are more modern photos of such fraken mags used in the Philippians.

Posted: 11/9/2020 10:28:19 PM EDT

[#3]

learned something new today! thanks!

Posted: 11/9/2020 11:21:47 PM EDT

[#4]

you just have to spot weld a AR mag and an AK mag together

Posted: 11/9/2020 11:30:42 PM EDT

[#5]

Now that's interesting.
Can I assume that these rifles were 7.62x39? Or was there some other purpose?

Posted: 11/9/2020 11:57:02 PM EDT

[#6]

In 1993 that was how all the >10rnd 7.62x39 AR15 mags looked.

Posted: 11/10/2020 12:02:49 AM EDT

[#7]

Locally made.

Posted: 11/10/2020 3:03:58 AM EDT

[#8]

Quote History

Quoted:
Now that's interesting.
Can I assume that these rifles were 7.62x39? Or was there some other purpose?

View Quote

the original GI's purpose was to increase capacity

Posted: 11/10/2020 3:15:26 AM EDT

[#9]

That dude in the last pic looks like his mom ran up on some Senegalese trooper in the French Foreign Legion that was not too boucoup.

Posted: 11/10/2020 5:23:51 PM EDT

[#10]

what is that under the barrel in the last picture?

Posted: 11/10/2020 5:27:52 PM EDT

[#11]

Quote History

Quoted:
what is that under the barrel in the last picture?

View Quote

Bayonet. The blade looks like the long grass blades and camouflages it.

Posted: 11/10/2020 6:33:18 PM EDT

[#12]

I think somewhere around here I have an AK drum with an AR mag stub grafted to it. I’ve never used it and it was in some stuff my dad had. Doubt it would ever work but may have to break it out now.

Posted: 11/11/2020 12:48:04 AM EDT

[#13]

Quote History

Quoted:
I think somewhere around here I have an AK drum with an AR mag stub grafted to it. I’ve never used it and it was in some stuff my dad had. Doubt it would ever work but may have to break it out now.

View Quote

Pending a look at it, that sounds like a Norinco 120 round AR drum magazine. They were based on the Chinese AK drums, but made specifically for the AR. I’ve heard mixed reviews on how well they function, leading me to believe that they may be hit or miss.

Posted: 11/11/2020 1:24:35 AM EDT

[#14]

Quote History

Quoted:
That dude in the last pic looks like his mom ran up on some Senegalese trooper in the French Foreign Legion that was not too boucoup.

View Quote

LOL. Yeah, I am not sure if the 'Nards or anyone else in ARVN looked like that.

Posted: 11/11/2020 6:47:34 AM EDT

[#15]

I’m going to assume that these were not made by welding an aluminum AR magazine to a steel AK magazine. So they must’ve either had the top of the AK mag modified to fit/function in an AR magazine well, or some other steel AR magazine body was welded to the AK magazine.

Wouldn’t it be something if the AK magazines were welded to steel “waffle” magazine bodies? Since the waffle mags were supposed to be scrapped, it wouldn’t be out of the question. Maybe some of the waffle mags were salvaged by enterprising local folks, welded to readily available AK mags, and repurposed into something the G.I.s would buy or trade for.

In the absence of one of these “home-brew” magazines to examine, it’s anyone’s guess how the upper portion of the magazine is constructed.

Posted: 11/11/2020 8:01:33 AM EDT

[#16]

Every one of those pics above and several more, and other variations of "field expedient" hi cap mags can be found in this thread:
https://www.ar15.com/forums/ar-15/The_NEW_Real_Deal_AR_15_M_16_retro_picture_thread/123-290812/?

Posted: 11/11/2020 9:10:16 AM EDT

[#17]

Quote History

Quoted:

Pending a look at it, that sounds like a Norinco 120 round AR drum magazine. They were based on the Chinese AK drums, but made specifically for the AR. I’ve heard mixed reviews on how well they function, leading me to believe that they may be hit or miss.

View Quote

I went looking for it last night and found that I had not one but two of them.

You are correct that they are Chinese made with the 36 with a triangle markings. Now I want to load them up and try them out. I had no idea how much they were getting for those things.

Posted: 11/11/2020 9:45:00 AM EDT

[#18]

Quote History

Quoted:
I’m going to assume that these were not made by welding an aluminum AR magazine to a steel AK magazine.

View Quote

AL M16 mag to AL AK47 mag.

Posted: 11/11/2020 7:05:45 PM EDT

[#19]

Quote History

Quoted:
I think somewhere around here I have an AK drum with an AR mag stub grafted to it. I’ve never used it and it was in some stuff my dad had. Doubt it would ever work but may have to break it out now.

View Quote

Sounds like a Norinco 120 round drum if its for 223. I got one of dem

Posted: 11/11/2020 7:19:08 PM EDT

[#20]

Locally made in Vietnam during the war

.

Posted: 11/11/2020 8:05:51 PM EDT

[#21]

Quote History

Quoted:
AL M16 mag to AL AK47 mag.

View Quote

The Soviets did make a limited amount of aluminum AK magazines, but they were found to be of insufficient durability and were not issued to their own troops. Most of the aluminum AK magazines appear to have been sent to the Middle East. As far as anyone in the West knows, only the Soviets made aluminum AK magazines in any notable quantity.

The Soviet aluminum AK magazines have very distinctive “waffle” reinforcing ribs stamped into their sides. They don’t look at all like the steel Chinese magazines which we are attached to the AR magazines in this thread.

Here is what the Soviet aluminum AK magazines look like:

Posted: 11/11/2020 9:22:09 PM EDT

[#22]

Quote History

Quoted:

The Soviets did make a limited amount of aluminum AK magazines, but they were found to be of insufficient durability and were not issued to their own troops. Most of the aluminum AK magazines appear to have been sent to the Middle East. As far as anyone in the West knows, only the Soviets made aluminum AK magazines in any notable quantity.

The Soviet aluminum AK magazines have very distinctive “waffle” reinforcing ribs stamped into their sides. They don’t look at all like the steel Chinese magazines which we are attached to the AR magazines in this thread.

Here is what the Soviet aluminum AK magazines look like:https://www.gunsamerica.com/userimages/185532/933059086/wm_8847200.jpg

View Quote View All Quotes

View All Quotes

Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:
AL M16 mag to AL AK47 mag.

The Soviets did make a limited amount of aluminum AK magazines, but they were found to be of insufficient durability and were not issued to their own troops. Most of the aluminum AK magazines appear to have been sent to the Middle East. As far as anyone in the West knows, only the Soviets made aluminum AK magazines in any notable quantity.

The Soviet aluminum AK magazines have very distinctive “waffle” reinforcing ribs stamped into their sides. They don’t look at all like the steel Chinese magazines which we are attached to the AR magazines in this thread.

Here is what the Soviet aluminum AK magazines look like:https://www.gunsamerica.com/userimages/185532/933059086/wm_8847200.jpg

Lots about AK that I don't know.