Mil-Spec
By Robb Manning
For Love of Kalash
As a child growing up in the 80’s Cold War, the so-called AK-47 stood for everything that was evil and wrong with the world. It was the weapon of choice of communists, terrorists and pretty much every anti-American country and group on earth. Even after the wall came down and I grew up into a young Marine, I still disliked the Kalash. Now I can’t get enough of it. Why the change? Keep reading.
First thing, you’ll notice in the first sentence, I call it the “so-called AK-47.” I say this because technically speaking the Soviets/Russians have not used the AK-47 since the improved AKM variant was adopted in 1959. Most of the AKs you see around the world are the AKM. Then in 1978, the Soviets adopted the AK-74. So it hasn’t technically been an AK-47 for quite some time. When I hear news reporters calling it an “AK-47,” to me that’s akin to calling a magazine a “clip.” The official name for it is the Avtomat Kalashnikova. Russian troops call it the Kalash, and in America where we abbreviate everything and can’t be bothered to speak full words (see: KFC, McD’s, etc) it’s called the AK.
As a young Marine, trained in the art of precision marksmanship, the M16A2 that I was issued was far superior to the AK. Primarily because it’s the opposite of the M16 when it comes to accuracy. It didn’t help that years later the first AK I fired was a grenade launcher version, which had gas systems known for failing. It was basically a single shot rifle that I had to chamber a round with each shot. Shortly after that I had the pleasure of shooting the Czech made CZ Vz. 58, which in my book was far superior in accuracy and more reliable than the AK grenade launcher variant. The Vz. 58 (Vz. is the abbreviation for vzor, or model) has the same silhouette as the AK, but is operationally very different.
I never really bought into the knockdown-power debate in AK vs. M16. It’s not really a discussion of rifles, but the calibers they were chambered in. The M16 being chambered in the .223 isn’t the fault of the rifle, that’s the fault of the military and the powers that be. Remember, the M16 was originally the AR-10, and it was chambered in .308, which has no shortage of knockdown power. It was the military that wanted it stripped down to the .223. Even to this day, there’s a push to upgrade the M16 to a larger caliber, such as the 6.8 SPC, but it’s blocked by the powers that be.
Even as recently as four or five years ago, I wasn’t a big fan of the Kalash. Several events lead to my change in heart. The first event was the War on Terror. Two wars and several MOOTWs (Military Operations Other Than War) later, 5.56 NATO wasn’t as plentiful as it once was, causing prices to rise. The second event was the Great Ammo Shortage of 2009. Once again, 5.56 NATO was hard to find, and costly. I started to notice the 7.62x39 ammo used by the AK, was still plentifully available, and at half the cost of the 5.56.
Economics dictated that I give the AK another shot. This time I tried standard variants, with standard gas systems. They worked beautifully. Plus, I learned something; the AK is not nearly as inaccurate as it’s reputed to be. Perhaps that’s because most AKs now use American made barrels. I think it has more to do with training, or lack thereof. Most adversaries whom the US military has encountered on the battlefield, have had very poor, if any, marksmanship training. But an AK in the hand of a US Marine, is still in the well-trained hands of a US Marine.
What I really like about shooting the Kalash, is it satiates my need to shoot. When you shoot it, you feel it. A .22 is great fun to shoot, but it doesn’t really satiate my need to shoot. It’s like eating fish, when you crave a hamburger. The 7.62x39, on the other hand, satisfies. No, it’s not as cheap as the .22 LR, but at 20-25 cents per round (with bulk as cheap as 18 cents), it’s much cheaper than the 5.56 at 40-60 cents per round.
Do I think the AK is superior to the M16? No way, not even close. Sure, the AK is probably the most reliable assault rifle (I use that term in regards to the military full auto version) ever made, but I’ll take the M16‘s outstanding accuracy and still-very-reliable qualities any day. I still love the AK, though.