Bolt Not Locking Open? > AK Discussions

Posted: 4/11/2003 4:43:33 AM EDT

OK, let me get this straight...After your fire the last round from the magazine, the AK's don't have a device that holds the bolt open? Or am I missing something?

Since the AK is, at best, a "basic" rifle, I just need to know if the above is part of the design.

Thanks, Rexman

Posted: 4/11/2003 4:52:58 AM EDT

[#1]

nope...no bolt hold open on the last shot. IIRC the Hungarians had some mags that had a hold open integrated into the mag follower. You have to remember...this thing is a shovel, not too many options.

Posted: 4/11/2003 4:58:18 AM EDT

[#2]

Quoted:
nope...no bolt hold open on the last shot. IIRC the Hungarians had some mags that had a hold open integrated into the mag follower. You have to remember...this thing is a shovel, not too many options.

Thanks...You confirmed what I suspected. And it is a "shovel" that is really nice in its simplicity.

Rexman

Posted: 4/11/2003 5:51:33 AM EDT

[#3]

From what I hear, soldiers would put tracers in the magazine first so you can tell when the mag is almost dry.

Posted: 4/13/2003 9:19:50 PM EDT

[#4]

At the NRA patrol rifle instructor course I fell back in love with my Ak for that reason. I carried an M4 for the entire course by the end of the week I was reloading when I got down to my last 5 or 6 rounds without running the rifle empty. It occured to me that with training you would never use the bolt hold open anyway so out of the clost came the old AK and it hasn't been back since.
Just my opinion.

Posted: 4/14/2003 4:18:11 AM EDT

[#5]

the yugo's had a last shot bolt hold open that was actuated by the magazine's follower.

Posted: 4/14/2003 5:05:06 AM EDT

[#6]

Like the FAL which also does not have a bolt hold open on last round, it has been said that this was a design to keep soliders from carrying the rifle around with the bolt open which could let in dust, sand, dirt etc.

Posted: 4/14/2003 8:47:10 AM EDT

[#7]

Quoted:
Like the FAL which also does not have a bolt hold open on last round, it has been said that this was a design to keep soliders from carrying the rifle around with the bolt open which could let in dust, sand, dirt etc.

Only the British and Australian (inch pattern) FALs had their BHOs disabled, the metric pattern ones (G1, StG58, IMBEL, etc.) all work, AFAIK.

Posted: 4/14/2003 10:35:22 AM EDT

[#8]

Funny you should mention that, I was about to start a thread on it... I just saw a Romanian AK that has a bolt hold-open, with a release button on the right side above the mag release lever. Also had that horrible almost-verticle foregrip. Questions: (1)Does the BHO require special magazines? (2) Will other country's forward stocks (without the verticle foregrip) fit the Romanian AK's?

Bart Noir
"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake." - Napoleon Bonaparte

Posted: 4/15/2003 5:40:09 AM EDT

[#9]

BHO simply require special followers, with metal that sticks up a bit in the rear so after stripping the last round, the next cycle hangs up the bolt.

Posted: 4/15/2003 6:17:22 AM EDT

[#10]

Bart - that device you are talking about is an add-on device that will only work if you modify your mags. This has been covered extensively on the ak-47.net forums. Any BHO after last shot on an AK is crap. However, I have modified my selector switch to hold open the bolt for when I goto the range...10 minutes with a dremel.

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