Poll: AK-47 or AR-15 ?

[rotor]

I like both. But with the AR I retrieve brass- use one of those little net things to capture it as I reload. With the AK I don't have to worry about brass as it is steel and pick up with a magnet and junk it. When ammo was tough to get there was plenty of 7.62-39 around and not too much .223-5.56. On the other hand with Mr.Putin's actions in Ukraine there may be less AK ammo ( I haven't seen that to be the case though). The AK to me is more primitive- the safety is a joke. I have a K-Var Sam 7 and it is one quality rifle. I also have a Colt LE 6920 and it is a quality rifle. Neither has ever failed to go bang. I was thinking of doing some hog hunting though and I think the AK will be more effective. I think if the you know what hit the fan I would rather have the AK though.

[drjoker]

There are plenty aks in 22 these days

Show me a reliable one with a similar weight and feel (or manual of arms) to the real deal and I'll buy it from you....

The German ATI AK-47 has no lateral front sight adjustment like the real AK-47. The Armscor AK-22 has an owner's manual written by Neanderthals and the take down screw is stuck. You need 2 different size screwdrivers to field strip it. Who the heck designs a weapon that needs multiple tools to field strip? Without a readable manual, no less?! It is a completely different beast than the real AK-47. The Romanian one is a jam o matic. I've covered them all, eh?

I love my AKs but I can't train with it because my gun club only allows .22lr rifles. Your gun is only as good as your skills with it. You can be deadlier with a bolt action than with an AR-15 if you're highly skilled with the bolt action. One thing that I love doing when introducing noobs to the shooting sports is to out shoot them with my bolt action CZ 452 with iron sights against the noob with a modern S&W 15-22 with a red dot. I set up a timer and then shoot 30 rounds with my bolt action while the noob shoots 3o rounds with the AR and I'll hit the bull's eyes in faster time than the noob with the AR. I cycle the bolt with my thumb and trigger finger and pull the trigger with my middle finger for maximum speed.

I do this to convince them that their first gun should be a bolt gun, as a newbie, and not a semi-auto. Human skills make the shooter deadly, not the gun, and not the fancy red dot sights.

I used to prefer AKs but now, I'm forced to prefer ARs because I cannot shoot an AK patterned rifle at my gun club and since I almost live next door to the gun club, if I went somewhere else to practice, I would practice a lot less due to less convenience. Practicing less means less skill. Gun clubs are better than paying a range a fee every time you go if you shoot a lot. Paying less range fees so you can afford to shoot more means that you'll be more proficient.

The internet is full of videos of guys who can't shoot the broad side of a barn with an Ak. That's because they have a crappy AK fed crappy wolf ammo. If you use a Norinco AK, put a tiny drop of oil on the trigger action to smooth it up a bit, and shoot Sellier and Bellot ammo with it, the AK is a very fast and accurate gun out to about 200 yards (with enough training).

[The Annoyed Man]

Well, I voted for AR because that's what I have. I actually fired AndyC's AK not to long ago, and that was a first for me. Interesting weapon. I was VERY impressed with how rugged the magazine was. We were having accuracy problems with it at only 50 yards, but he also had a recently mounted Burris 1-4x mounted on it, and it may have been that the scope was loose or something.

I guess that I wouldn't mind having an AK for grins. I appreciate its history, and I like the idea of a truck gun that I don't get upset if it gets a bit scuffed up....as long as it is reliable....which the AK is..... But if I had to choose one or the other, I'd go with the AR. It's what I know and am used to. I know from practical experience (recently gained) that I can reliably hit a small target at 500 yards with mine, and it is still handy enough for CQB use.

I wouldn't trust an AK to be that accurate at 500 yards. Plus, with an AK, you're stuck with one caliber, while as others have pointed out, I can shoot multiple calibers out of different uppers all using a common lower. I can even mount a Bohica .50BMG upper to an AR15 lower! You can mount 6.5mm uppers that turn your AR into a 1,000 yard gun. The AR platform is just more versatile. And if I really need a big bad .308 in an AR, well my safe has an AR10 in it too......same manual of arms, etc., etc.

The AR has really only two weaknesses in a carbine length battle rifle.... One is the lack of a folding stock, which would be nice, but which I've lived without just fine for years now. The other is that it requires regular cleaning and maintenance to remain reliable....well...so what? The AK needs periodic cleaning too. You can just get away with not doing it for longer, but that doesn't mean that you don't have to do it. I wouldn't trust my life to a gun I didn't clean regularly, AK or no AK.

Still, an AK would be fun.

[TheDude]

(And there are lots of AKs in the US now. )
It seems that people who have been shot with the AK do not like it, providing they lived long enough to have an opinion on the matter. It appears that putting a round or two on target is the basic requirement, everything else is nice to have.
After actually using it for awhile, I found out the ergonomic issues are not issues.

I definitely agree on all those statements. The ergos are easily worked around and I definitely wouldn't want to take a 7.62x39 round that's for sure! I wasn't talking it down as a fighting cartridge. It's a potent round with basically the same ballistics as a 30-30 Winchester.

I would feel just fine with a AK in any situation I would need a rifle. I just prefer the AR platform. Your are correct that there are plenty of AKs in the US. I guess I was referring to the fact that almost all cops, national guard, and other agencies would be using ARs. Granted it would be a very dark day indeed if we were changing mags with soldiers and LEO but the possibility is always there.

Do you prefer the AK47 over the 74? I have really been eyeballing a rifle dynamics AK74 but the wait time on the rifle as well as the current 7N6 ammo ban has kept me on the sidelines when it comes to AKs.

[Beiruty]

AK 74 are superior than AK47. I like my Polish tental. folder to the left, amazing rd and low recoil. at 50yrd with iron sight all rd are within 2" or less at moderate to fast shooting rate. Only issue there is no rail,unless you would change the cover with one with a rail and add an Eotech 512.

[VMI77]

I've shot both and like both. If I had to choose one over the other I'd choose the AR. As an aside, prior to the 911 anniversary I was thinking about defense during a Mumbai style terrorist attack and it occurred to me that if you engaged with an AK you might be mistaken for one of the terrorists.

[drjoker]

I've shot both and like both. If I had to choose one over the other I'd choose the AR. As an aside, prior to the 911 anniversary I was thinking about defense during a Mumbai style terrorist attack and it occurred to me that if you engaged with an AK you might be mistaken for one of the terrorists.

No.

There WAS a Mumbai style attach on Ft Hood remember? The terrorist did NOT use an AK. It was a FN Five Seven.

Terrorists only use AKs because that's what's available overseas. Different stuff is available here.

During war time when our country is at war with 2 different countries simultaneously, the army doesn't allow their soldiers to be armed on base. Wow. Military intelligence at its finest. All our soldiers should be armed at all times during times of war. All our assets should have camo net thrown over them and scattered about instead of parked in neat little rows.

[VMI77]

I've shot both and like both. If I had to choose one over the other I'd choose the AR. As an aside, prior to the 911 anniversary I was thinking about defense during a Mumbai style terrorist attack and it occurred to me that if you engaged with an AK you might be mistaken for one of the terrorists.

No.

There WAS a Mumbai style attach on Ft Hood remember? The terrorist did NOT use an AK. It was a FN Five Seven.

Terrorists only use AKs because that's what's available overseas. Different stuff is available here.

During war time when our country is at war with 2 different countries simultaneously, the army doesn't allow their soldiers to be armed on base. Wow. Military intelligence at its finest. All our soldiers should be armed at all times during times of war. All our assets should have camo net thrown over them and scattered about instead of parked in neat little rows.

Probably true, but it's also possible they might come across the border with their own weapons. Still, because the AK is the primary weapon of our enemies, someone responding to such an incident might make the assumption that you're one of "them" and not one of "us." Moot point anyway since the likelihood of being personally involved in such an event is astronomically remote.

[MeMelYup]

I selected AR. The AR is more versital in that I can build several different uppers to fit the one lower and changing the buffer and spring.

[stroo]

I like both.

But while the AR has a lot of pluses to it, my main issue is that I grew up with a Garand. And an AK handles a lot more like a Garand to me than an AR 15 does. In addition, I like the 7.62 bullet better than the .223.

Having said that, I have an AR in my bedroom and an AK in my car.

[karder]

I have both and like them both.

In the hands of a trained solider, I think the AR has the advantage. It is light, accurate, and can be outfitted with a multitude of accessories to fit whatever the mission dictates.

In the hands of the untrained farmer or militiaman, the AK has the advantage of being dog simple and darn near impossible to break.

Two excellent weapons that have more than earned their place on the battlefield and in history. If I had to go to my safe and grab only one, I would grab the AR because I have built it out the way I like.

[Abraham]

I'm with VMI77.

An AK has a very distinct report, quite different from an AR.

Were I to hear one, I'd think it was in the hands of an enemy if war/civil unrest (I hate that euphemism) or some form of attack by a lone wolf terrorist or a handful or terrorists were to come about.

[MoJo]

I chose AR because there wasn't a box for the Garand or the M14/M1A. the AK feels like some of the 99¢ tools found on a bargain table in the local hardware store. Clunky, but will get the job done.

When the chips are down, I'll take any one of those four rifles over a sling shot or sharp pointed stick.

[C-dub]

I'm just messing with you, but did you join a gun club or a knitting club? What kind of gun club only let's you shoot .22's?

[drjoker]

I'm just messing with you, but did you join a gun club or a knitting club? What kind of gun club only let's you shoot .22's?

They only allow .22lr RIFLES. I can shoot any caliber handgun, though. It's the Dallas Pistol Club. I go there because it is very near my home so it is very convenient.

I used to prefer the AK, but now i have to prefer the AR due to my gun club. Anyways, the AK feels like a real gun. It is made of steel and wood. The AR feels like a toy. It is made of aluminum and plastic. If I were dropped on to an alien planet full of hostiles and I could only have one gun, it would be an AK. Ran out of lube and cannot clean the gun because you're too busy shooting hostiles in a sandy, windy desert? No problem. Hand to hand combat whacking someone with your AK, no problem. Try this with your AR and you'll have a jam from sand and no lube. Hit someone with your AR and the mag lips would deform causing a jam. The AK doesn't use aluminum nor plastic mags. The AK mags are steel and very tough.

Untrained child soldier army of illiterate half wits? No problem. The AK is very easy to use. The AR requires soldiers to be literate enough to read a manual. During the Viet Nam war, soldiers were told that they don't have to clean their rifles. They jammed until after the soldiers were issued manuals to read for proper gun care. They ran flawlessly after that.