Troy Takes on the AK-47

I am an All American. I hope I pass moderation.

My honest first reaction? Holy cow is that ever ugly. Probably works really well, but still… ick.

I remember when Archangle came out with the Mosin 91/30 stock. Seems like a lot of comments about Archangel were cut and pasted substituting “Troy.”
“Lipstick on a pig”, that’s always good for a laugh. But the Archangel Mosin stock is a winner and I predict that Troy’s contributions to the AK world will be just as successful, probably more so.
I know Jeff Cooper told us not to fix it if it isn’t broke but that’s what we do. It is innovation that continually improves on older technology. If old technology isn’t any good why are single action revolvers, shotguns and rifles still made? Why is there a huge muzzle loading following?
And though 99% of all statistics are made up 99% of the time there is a real good chance that only .001 percent of us will ever use an AK as a defensive or offensive rifle. For the rest of us it a fun, inexpensive to shoot range rifle and if someone makes a product, sorry Jeff, that the consumer will buy than that’s what capitalism is all about.

They forget to mention that is will not fit over Izmash made Saigas with the 24mm muzzle threads.

As to the AK’s combat effectiveness, been making dead people out of live ones for almost 70 years now. Think that speaks for itself.

The designers lost their professional credibility and the definition of functionality with the open bottom forearm of their product. That failure alone is a “not ready for prime time” classification. This product at its best is useless “styling.” Appearance wise – I’ve seen more modern looking tractor jacks. For almost the same money you can buy another AK – if you shop well – and actually create a real force magnifying effect.

Brad, it’s like the the anal retentive mythology of the .45 v. the 9mm. Even though the FBI conducts exhaustive extensive studies and tests on ‘ballistics’ –when they are not spying on law abiding civilians in their fleet of single engine Cessnas with special cameras (and spying on other cops)–courtesy of your tax dime, and ultimately determined what the German Arms Meisters already knew way back in the days, that for all pragmatic purposes of tactical effective killing in the general military conflict context, all factors weighing in, that the 9mm is the best all around choice, and this is certainly true today with the new psycho rounds available, but you’ll still get an old Jeff Cooper wannabe who ‘needs’ to carry his tricked 1911 which still retains the same disadvantages as it did when it was invented that preclude it from being an optimal CQB sidearm…like say…a Glock 17, or 22…OH LAWDY, now I’ve REALLY sinned!

Well as long as I’m going to burn in the hell of intransigent mindsets of mythology, let me add one more thing on the ‘Pimped AK’s’. I’ve said it before countless times and once more can only help SAVE LIVES! There’s only one thing an AK can do better than an AR. And that is NOTHING! And I’m not an AR fanboy. I’m a ‘fan’ of NO Guns. It’s just that I’ve unfortunately had an unholy, but necessary, relationship with them, and just about every other military weapon, all my life. And the popularity both militarily of the AR-15 platform and in every other shooting venue today speaks for itself. After all the equally mythological ‘bugs’ were worked out and the AR platform was improved to modern criteria and performance, not much at all beats it. All the so called entirely ‘new age’ ‘modern’ weapons that were expected to replace it never materialized. It was just too hard to beat and still is. To wit: The DHS recently rejected the standard ‘Darling’ of Police State tools, the pricey and archaic H&K MP-5 option for ‘special mission applications’ and instead chose the new ultra compact super functioning LWRC IC-PDW 5.56 AR-15 platform. The DHS–and doubtless other secret alphabet agencies–issued a solicitation requisition for 7,000 of these bad ass puppies on our tax dimes.

As far as Ak’s, ‘putting lipstick on a pig’ doesn’t change the horror of what you woke up with next you in bed in the morning…or after a firefight. Having carried an AK in combat at times, instead of the issue AR’s we had–but not for the reasons you may imagine–I, and others, immediately realized the AK’s shortcomings. And it’s not only the inaccuracy. That wasn’t too much of an issue if you had it sighted in properly in the type of CQB firefights we mostly engaged in. But a particular shortcoming in modern tactical CQB certainly was. The AK was obsolete when Stoner entered the game. Period. And dressing it up like a fat girl at the Senior prom doesn’t mean it dances any better.

The only reason, by the way, that it developed a ‘reputation’ of any measure of ‘reliability’ over time is not really because of the ‘action’. The dirty little esoteric fact is that the design of the 7.62×39 round with its tapered shell along with a robust heavy pressure extractor contributed much more to its functional reliability mechanics in terms of feed and extraction.

Bottom line is that if you cannot–even with psychotherapy–exorcise your anal retentiveness on the 7.62×39 round, then skip the AK platform and just get an AR upper chambered in 7.62×39, or something like the dedicated new ‘Puritan’ model. That will be much superior to a regular AK no matter how fancy pancy you make it, and probably not cost much more than this thing in the article.