Jerry Miculek: AR15 vs AK74, an impartial comparison

[The Annoyed Man]

I just though I'd throw some food for thought out there if nobody has posted these yet. These two Jerry Miculek YouTube videos were linked in an article that was part of a Cheaper Than Dirt email that arrived in my inbox yesterday or the day before. I thought I'd embed the videos here. This is the first impartial side-by-side comparison of both platforms I've ever seen, and the pros and cons of both platforms are discussed. Both are fired side-by-side for both on-target quickness and longrange accuracy. Both are using the same optic (an inexpensive Vortex Strikefire) and both are using very similar Wolf brand ammo to take any sighting/ammo variations out of the picture as much as possible.

Both rifles are then stripped and Miculek compares the bolt systems, gas systems, the triggers (including trigger weight), magazine removal and insertion differences, charging handle system differences, muzzle breaks..........in short, a pretty complete comparison.

Miculek mentions his personal preference for the AR, but does so without denigrating the AK; and even says that the AK might be the superior platform depending upon one's personal requirements.

Anyway, I thought you guys might find these valuable to watch if you haven't seen them before, particularly if you are considering your first EBR and haven't made your mind up yet:

PART ONE:
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=xkLfpgvm2Ng[/youtube]


PART TWO:
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=UFXatpprmbg[/youtube]

[RiverCity.45]

Links don't seem to work.

[TheDude]

Links don't seem to work.

Work fine on my PC. Maybe your browser? I am using Firefox.

[LeonCarr]

Yeah whatever...like that Miculek guy knows anything about guns .

Either one of the platforms will get you through the day or night with good training and good ammo.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

[TheDude]

An AK is probably the next gun on my list. I really like the 5.45 guns mainly for the ammo price but I am a little concerned about the future of ammo importation. A case of 5.45 ammo was about the cheapest thing going before all the madness. I haven't priced it lately. I don't know of any domestic manufacturers of that caliber. I know some American companies are making some excellent 7.62x39 now days.

[C-dub]

Is it too late for a thread title correction?


EDIT: Never mind. Watching the video it is their title that is messed up.

[The Annoyed Man]

Is it too late for a thread title correction?

In the video, he actually uses an AK74, not an AK47, if that's what you meant. The video title is actually wrong.

[C-dub]

Is it too late for a thread title correction?

In the video, he actually uses an AK74, not an AK47, if that's what you meant. The video title is actually wrong.

Yup. Sorry. I just started watching the video after finishing my dinner and noticed that and corrected my previous post.

[74novaman]

Interesting video, thanks for sharing.

I'm very fond of AKs, but I've spent a lot more time with ARs recently and at this point if I had to choose only one platform to become proficient with, it would be the AR.

They're lighter, more modular, and fairly easy to manipulate...though being a lefty the AK makes some things easier for me than the AR does. A quality variant of either design would serve any of us well as a defense rifle.

In true American fashion, everyone who owns one should endeavor to own both, if nothing else to appreciate the vast differences between Soviet and US manufacturing and design.

And my biggest reason for owning an AK besides the fact that it gives leftists conniptions? In my mind, there is something very uniquely American about engaging in free market capitalism and private ownership of the very symbol of former Soviet oppression. Doesn't get much better than private US citizens buying and selling Soviet rifles for fun and profit.

[Greybeard]

Loved the quote seen somewhere last week: "ARs are like the prom queen. AKs are like the biker chick. Treat both accordingly."

[chuckybrown]

I prefer my AK's over my AR's.

My .02 cents.

.....crap, now I'm a "reslist'er...."

[LAYGO]

I like R Lee Ermey's comparison:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VRrc2n0NXg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[The Annoyed Man]

I like R Lee Ermey's comparison:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VRrc2n0NXg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Play that video full screen, and scoot it up to 9:49 and pay close attention to the barrel flex, particularly forward of the gas block, on that AK. That was pretty dramatic. All barrels flex some, which is one reason why target/varmint/sniping rifles all have heavy barrels—the fatter a barrel is for a given length, the less it will flex—but the amount of barrel flex on that AK would seem to account for at least some of the lack of accuracy under full auto fire. If the barrel is still wiggling like a rubber hose as the next round is traveling down the barrel, POI will deviate significantly from POA.

Still, I'd kind of like to have an AK some day.

An AK is probably the next gun on my list. I really like the 5.45 guns mainly for the ammo price but I am a little concerned about the future of ammo importation. A case of 5.45 ammo was about the cheapest thing going before all the madness. I haven't priced it lately. I don't know of any domestic manufacturers of that caliber. I know some American companies are making some excellent 7.62x39 now days.

The new U.N. treaty significantly affects any producing nation's ability to export ammunition. If most 5.45 ammo is manufactured outside the country, you can pretty much count on Obama/Kerry forbidding the import of any more of it on the grounds of wanting to remain in the spirit of the treaty, even if the Senate does not ratify it.....................at this time.

[Abraham]

Given we're not (well mostly not...) in the military, why are we referring to rifles as platforms?

[The Annoyed Man]

Given we're not (well mostly not...) in the military, why are we referring to rifles as platforms?

Platform refers to the basic gun system, because the basic rifles are easily modified for a number of different uses. It's like saying that a pickup truck can be modified for camping, farm work, drag racing, NASCAR racing, etc., and when you're done with the modifications, the product may be very good at what it has been modified to do, but pretty useless for anything else. So a NASCAR truck would be pretty useless for hauling hay bails or towing a horse trailer......but it is still a pick up truck.

So an AR15 can be the platform on which to build a varmint rifle, a lightweight sniper, a dynamic entry tactical rifle, a battle rifle, a carbine or full-length rifle, a general purpose ranch rifle, etc., etc. You start with the basic platform of upper and lower receivers and internal parts and go from there. Same for the AK.

The basic guns are platforms for building the rifle best tuned to the owner's needs. Much harder to do that with a bolt action, for instance. You'd generally just buy the completed gun as close to what you wanted, and live with any shortcomings because customizing a bolt gun can be a much more expensive and complicated process.

(TYPO CORRECTION)