What is my fav AK?? i wonder if the tribe out there will think of this as a AK? But lets try and see if someone will agree or disagree with me? The best AK out there is South African-made and issued as standard service rifle for the Army, Air Force, Medical Health Services (Yes, the SA Medic is armed and authorized to carry), and the Navy is only now trading the old FN FAL.
What makes this weapon is good?
First let me tell you it is a 5.56x45mm and the most improved copy of the AK. It was pirated from the AK and the Galil and improved all the way. All the "troubles" of the AK was sorted out and the R4-variant is accurate up to 500m plus.
It comes in three pure variants and one bull-pup design.
R4
Type: Gas-operated
Calibre: 5.56x45mm
Mass: 4.3kg empty
5.1kg with nylon 35-round magizine
Mag Capacity: 35 or 50
Barrel length: 460mm
Muzzle velocity: 980m/s
Rate of fire: 650 rounds per minute
In the opinion of Heimoed/Romer Heitman of Jane's Defence Weekly:
"The R4 is a conventional gas-operated, rotating-bolt assault rifle. Related to the Galil, it differs from the other assault rifles in the degree of attention paid to toughness. This has resulted in a rather heavy weapon, made even heavier by the standard fitting of a bipod. This does, however, make the weapon very steady to fire.
The R4 is replacing the FN-FAL-based R1 in SA Army service. A Short-barrel version, the R5, is also entering service, in most cases as a replacement for the sub-machine-gun." From SA Arms and Armour by Heitman (1988), Struik Publishers.
In my own opinion:
The R4 was the rifle on which I did my training as well as Infantry combat training. In more rounds than I care to remember I only had one stopage and this was due to a faulty round and not the weapon itself.
Drop me a IM if you want to chat more!!!!