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Chances of a Mainstream American AK?

wmg1299

wmg1299

Professional
Would any of you like to see mainstream American companies produce a version of the AK47 platform, or am I one of the few customers who would be interested? .223/5.56 ammo is almost impossible to find in my area, but 20 or 40 round boxes of 7.62 x 39 are still almost always available on the shelf at my local big box store for essentially the same price as before the current crisis. Even online, .223/5.56 ammo is selling for almost twice the cost per round as the steel cased 7.62 x 39 that I find in stores. While many big producers make a version of the AR15 (S&W, Ruger, Sig Sauer, Springfield, etc.), none of them offer a version of the AK-47. While I love my Palmetto State AK, I would also like to see the big guys start offering AK's. Is there a reason that the big guys are avoiding the AK platform that I am unaware of?
 
Ultimately, isn’t the mystique of the AK that it’s made by “them”?

Who wants an AK from New Hampshire? I want an AK made in Bratislava.

If they made a Porsche 911 in the U.S. there would immediately be two factions - the Stuttgart 1911 makers and the Detroit 1911 and ne’er the twain would meet. Heck, when Porsche went from air-cooled to water-cooled it created a split in the Porsche market. And we all know which is better. Right?
 
Believe it or not, assembling an AK is actually considerably more difficult and labor intensive than assembling an AR.

Really, if you have a pile of AR parts...a hammer, punch, screwdriver, barrel wrench (torque wrench optional, but preferred)...you can erector set that baby together pretty easily in a couple hours.

AK? How are you at riveting...and head spacing the trunnion...and bending the receiver flats, if you are doing an “80%” AK (don’t forget heat treating it, too!).

Which is why while several companies in the US have put out AK's...very few of them run well. And those that do? You pay for it.

A buddy bought a Polish parts kit, got a receiver flat, and figured he could roll his own in an afternoon...nope. Took a couple weekends...mainly because he went through 3 flats before he got it right (and after buying a special mandrel). He'd never do it again...
 
Oh, well. Looks like I'll stick with my PSAK-47 as the only American option. I could always save up and shell out for one of the PSA AR variants chambered on 7.62 if I want something new that's cheap to feed, but the AR platform has never been as endearing to me as the AK. I had always hoped that if 3rd world countries could hammer out AK's on a shoestring budget Ruger or Springfield could come up with one that would serve as my ideal weekend/truck gun for less than the $700-$800 that even Century Arms VSKA's are selling for these days. Once again, those pesky U.S. Child Labor Laws have ruined an excellent idea.
 
wmg1299 said:
Oh, well. Looks like I'll stick with my PSAK-47 as the only American option. I could always save up and shell out for one of the PSA AR variants chambered on 7.62 if I want something new that's cheap to feed, but the AR platform has never been as endearing to me as the AK. I had always hoped that if 3rd world countries could hammer out AK's on a shoestring budget Ruger or Springfield could come up with one that would serve as my ideal weekend/truck gun for less than the $700-$800 that even Century Arms VSKA's are selling for these days. Once again, those pesky U.S. Child Labor Laws have ruined an excellent idea.
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3rd world countries don’t make their own...they buy them for $30 a rifle (probably even cheaper, actually) from the glutted arms market. Russia, China...the former Bloc states...even the NorK's have dumped hundreds of millions put on the world market, they’re cheap AF.

When they do try and make them on a shoestring budget...they make crappy AK's that barely function...which is what you got when Century and IO started cobbling them together for under $400 10-15 or so years ago.

Shoulda bought the WASR’s that the big boxes had for $359 back when you had a chance...
 
10mmLife said:
100% usa made AK's are coming soon.

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I remember seeing this a few years back, but nothing ever came of it. I didn't know that the company announced this year that they were supposedly bringing the guns to market. Has anybody heard anything about the guns since that time? I can't tell if the $1019 MSRP was what they announced in 2018 or 2020, but I would love to know what the real world pricing is estimated to be.
 
Just buy an AK. Why does it need to be US made? I specifically intend to avoid any US made Walthers or HKs. If I wanted a gun made in America I’d buy an American gun.
If I was going to buy an AK I’d find a Russian made AK.
 
Bassbob said:
Just buy an AK. Why does it need to be US made? I specifically intend to avoid any US made Walthers or HKs. If I wanted a gun made in America I’d buy an American gun.
If I was going to buy an AK I’d find a Russian made AK.
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I would do that if I was strictly looking for an authentic item to add to a collection, and if I had the extra cash I would definitely pick one up just out of curiosity. However, I have always been drawn to innovation. I agree with you in that I would much rather have an original item than an American copy of an original item, but I am always curious to see what American companies can do to improve upon existing products. I'm the guy who was actually intrigued by the Taurus Curve, even though it turned out to be a dud. I have always had faith that American companies can greatly improve a lot of products as long as it can be done at a profit. After seeing everything we've managed to do with the 1911, I'd love to know what we could do with a platform like the AK.
 
wmg1299 said:
I would do that if I was strictly looking for an authentic item to add to a collection, and if I had the extra cash I would definitely pick one up just out of curiosity. However, I have always been drawn to innovation. I agree with you in that I would much rather have an original item than an American copy of an original item, but I am always curious to see what American companies can do to improve upon existing products. I'm the guy who was actually intrigued by the Taurus Curve, even though it turned out to be a dud. I have always had faith that American companies can greatly improve a lot of products as long as it can be done at a profit. After seeing everything we've managed to do with the 1911, I'd love to know what we could do with a platform like the AK.
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I get it. There are some things that should just be Russian though. Vacuum tubes for instance. When The US ceased production ( And for guitar amps I do pay the premiums for NOS, US, Dutch and British tubes) the Russians were the only ones left doing it with high quality. The Chinese have taken over the market these days with predictable results. They’re pretty much crap. At some point a decade or two ago the Russians closed the St. Petersburg factory and opened the Reflektor plant. They now rebrand Chinese tubes. So for my SVTs ( bass amps) I pay the premiums for NOS Winged SED Russian tubes from the old St. Petersburg factory. My last retube was my SVT II Non Pro. Tubes alone were about $600.

Makarov pistols. The best are Russian. Same with AKs.
The best European guitars and basses are Czech and German.

I’ve wandered way far off my point here which is that when I can, I like to buy the best stuff available. Do I think we could make top quality AK47s here? Absolutely. So I kind of agree with you. Hmm.
 
Ok great post and an interesting thread but personally I think they are ugly guns.
When I worked Mossberg I was given prints and asked to develop fixtures to start making the two piece wood for-end and stock for an AK, made a lot of parts never went anywhere.
 
Bassbob said:
I get it. There are some things that should just be Russian though. Vacuum tubes for instance. When The US ceased production ( And for guitar amps I do pay the premiums for NOS, US, Dutch and British tubes) the Russians were the only ones left doing it with high quality. The Chinese have taken over the market these days with predictable results. They’re pretty much crap. At some point a decade or two ago the Russians closed the St. Petersburg factory and opened the Reflektor plant. They now rebrand Chinese tubes. So for my SVTs ( bass amps) I pay the premiums for NOS Winged SED Russian tubes from the old St. Petersburg factory. My last retube was my SVT II Non Pro. Tubes alone were about $600.

Makarov pistols. The best are Russian. Same with AKs.
The best European guitars and basses are Czech and German.

I’ve wandered way far off my point here which is that when I can, I like to buy the best stuff available. Do I think we could make top quality AK47s here? Absolutely. So I kind of agree with you. Hmm.
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When it comes to Maks (and a lot of former Pact weapons)...the “client states” actually improved over the Russkis.

East German (Suhl) Makarovs are usually considered much better quality than the Russian originals; East German (KM72, later Wieger StG940), Polish (Tantal, and later Beryl) and Hungarian (FEG AK63) were considered higher quality and better built AK’s.

While I will admit actual Russian AK’s have are certain cachet to them...it’s really not for their quality.
 
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