Nawww RotD, you guys have corrupted wide and far - even all the way to Anniston, Alabama where my own former Vietnam Marine brother lives.  He is singing the praises of his scoped, re-furnitured, re-triggered, re etc'd., SAR-2, I'm sending him and he hasn't even gotten the damn commie piece of crap yet !!  

(He has everyone at his POB asking him every day when will his AK get there.  Since I had gone this far I also ordered a vertical pistol grip for his rifle and the thing is on back-order so he's having to wait.)

BTW, Bro signed up here at AR15.com yesterday and is waiting for his password to arrive.  He's also going to be a PAYING MEMBER.  This was the price I EXTRACTED FROM HIM  before I would tell him about the AR15.com AR-10 buy that he was dying to get in on !!

This past winter my wifes cousin returned from Afghanistan. He was a Captain in the 101st, and had just returned from Operation Anaconda. We had planned to go shooting anyway, but he really wanted me to bring an AK to see one up close.

I took a MAK-90 retro-fitted to pre-ban configureation, an SA-93 in the same configuration, and my SAR-2 Campy clone.

He shot a whole case of ammo combined.  He loved the things.  He wanted to see what the enemy was using against him.

Right before he shipped to Hawaii, he asked me to pick up an SAR-1 for him. He couldn't get the gun out of his head.  He thought they were junk, turns out "they are so simple an ape can use them and keep them working"  

He had so much confidence in his M4 before the fight, and thought the AK was such junk that he couldn't believe it when he shot it.

When he came home he was going to have me order him a Garand, and an M4gery.  He picked up an SAR-1 and a Garand. (I still outshot him with my Mauser)

Ober,
on a semi-serious note the military should probably do a better job of enemy weapons familiarization.  Of course the Special Forces types already get this training but, apparently, not the general military.

When I was in the sub service, we certainly had access to many publications giving the operational parameters of 'every' Soviet submarine and surface vessel.  Not knowing the capabilities of our opponents would have been a SERIOUS handicap.  (As an example, when you're  (X) feet down, a Soviet sub is closing and the Captain inquires if you think he's above or below you it's helpful to know whether the type Soviet sub you're tracking has the 'capability' to be below !!)

Simple really, to know the AK pattern rifle is to love the AK Pattern rifle.  It is not a tack driver, but then again, it was not meant as a construction implement.  It serves its intended role better than most other things out there.

Quoted: Ober, on a semi-serious note the military should probably do a better job of enemy weapons familiarization.  Of course the Special Forces types already get this training but, apparently, not the general military. When I was in the sub service, we certainly had access to many publications giving the operational parameters of 'every' Soviet submarine and surface vessel.  Not knowing the capabilities of our opponents would have been a SERIOUS handicap.  (As an example, when you're  (X) feet down, a Soviet sub is closing and the Captain inquires if you think he's above or below you it's helpful to know whether the type Soviet sub you're tracking has the 'capability' to be below !!)

I agree completely.  To me, for being a Captain, qualified jumpmaster, Rigger, and Airassault, and infantry leader, there is no excuse for him to not have known about the weapon.  I didn't say that to him of course, but I did all I could to teach him all that Campy et al. have tought me.

When cleaning the weapons afterward, he asked me three times where the brush was for the star chamber!!!!  I still have work to do on him.

Oby you should have really freaked him and put it away dirty telling him you'll get to it sometime in the next 3 or 4 thousand rounds.

Naw, I just dove for cover every time he pulled out his M-9.  You know, those things just blow up on their own.  It drove him crazy but he got the point about what I thought of the pistol.

Besides, I strip the entire gun and clean each time, I couldn't have done it.

I can't remember if I I cleaned mine after the mid winter shoot or not, ah well, no matter I'm at least a couple thousand rounds from the cleaning interval.

Quoted: Quoted: Ober, on a semi-serious note the military should probably do a better job of enemy weapons familiarization.  Of course the Special Forces types already get this training but, apparently, not the general military. When I was in the sub service, we certainly had access to many publications giving the operational parameters of 'every' Soviet submarine and surface vessel.  Not knowing the capabilities of our opponents would have been a SERIOUS handicap.  (As an example, when you're  (X) feet down, a Soviet sub is closing and the Captain inquires if you think he's above or below you it's helpful to know whether the type Soviet sub you're tracking has the 'capability' to be below !!) I agree completely.  To me, for being a Captain, qualified jumpmaster, Rigger, and Airassault, and infantry leader, there is no excuse for him to not have known about the weapon.  I didn't say that to him of course, but I did all I could to teach him all that Campy et al. have tought me. When cleaning the weapons afterward, he asked me three times where the brush was for the star chamber!!!!  I still have work to do on him.

Back in the early 70s the USMC did familiarization with captured Soviet and Chinese AKs.  I used to maintain them.

Noah

I was really surprised at the lack of general weapons knowledge he had overall.  Personally, I would not like to have been lead into combat by him.  He really is a great guy though.

In our re-enactments I (most of us) can tell who is shooting what weapons in which direction just by the sound of the battle.  You then use that to move into place and properly support your side, etc.  It should be elementry I would think.

Enemy weapons familarization should be implamented if it currently is not.

His only complaint was about the poor sights on the Ak, but he still bought one over the M4 that he carried in the field. I think that counts for something.