AK-47 Grip & Charge technique

It turns out, your not supposed to shoot an AK like an M-16/15/4.  What?  Yeah, all this time you were supposed to be holding the area shown above, somewhere between the magazine and the receiver.  It makes a lot of sense once you try it.  Better balance, grip, easier reloading, don't have to worry about magazine falling out... Besides, this is how the pros will teach you.  **Note my finger is straight along the frame.  Never put your finger on the trigger until you are ready and willing to fire what your aiming at.  I see way too many yahoos at the range (including military and police) with their fingers on the triggers way before it should be.  That's just asking for trouble.

Here I'm demonstrating one of the many ways (probably the best) to charge/reload your AK variant.  Many people go OVER the gun with the left hand this is cumbersome to me and plus, with my scope there, it's dang near impossible.  Plus, it could block your field of view and just looks wrong IMHO (below).

Taking your right hand off to charge is a possibility, but then you have to transition back, which will slow you down in a firefight.  Remember to slap your bolt back hard and let the spring bring it forward.  Don't ride the slide back.  This is true with auto pistols as well.  (another day)

I'm sure I'm going to get several ppl tell me that my technique is wrong.  But, truth be told there are many ways to fry an egg.  You need to practice with all of them and use the one for the right situation.  When I went through firearms training (16 week course), we practiced one handed reloading, one handed firing, firing with your weak hand, firing prone, firing on your back, firing from a vehicle, firing at a moving target, firing while being a moving target... you get the idea.  I didn't use weaver stance for hardly any of those situations and neither should you.  The techniques demonstrated above are ideal and should suit most AK-47 users just well.
(BTW, the firearm above is a MAK-90 sporter made by Norinco with a Chinese scope mounted on a NcStar dust cover and a Czech plastic magazine.)

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Quote of the Day:

If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace.

Thomas Paine, The American Crisis, No. 1, December 19, 1776

A word about survival firearms

While the subject has been covered before, there is an excellent discussion of the usefulness of the AK-47 (and its variants) over at Survivalblog.com. 

This is my choice in assault weapons.  I choose it for dependability.  I chose it b/c I do not require marksmanship accuracy in my region of the US (wooded).  I chose it b/c it's easy to shoot. Rusty had this to say about dependability:

Just how important is dependability? On March 23rd, 2003, a convoy of the 507th Maintenance was ambushed at Nasiriyah, Iraq. Aside from the fact that 11 American soldiers were killed and 6 taken POW, the US Army's after action report found that every single American firearm had been rendered inoperable by the desert conditions. M2s, M4s, M16s, and the SAW-all of them were found to be nothing more than good-looking clubs during the battle. Of course, the Iraqi Kalashnikov didn't have the problems the American firearms had, and they held the field after the remnants of the 507th high-tailed it out of Nasiriyah. There have been other noted incidents of M4s and SAWs failing in the desert conditions of Afghanistan and Iraq. One has to wonder how many Americans have paid the ultimate price over the last 40+ years dealing with such an unreliable weapon.

In conclusion, the M4/AR15 is a excellent range rifle or SWAT weapon, but unless you intend on cleaning the firearm numerous times a day, which is doubtful in a SHTF situation, it is best to go with an AK or other dependable rifle and take a pass on the finicky M4 platform. -

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Not every AK variant is accurate or reliable enough to use however.  Just b/c it's an AK doesn't mean it will function as designed.  Take yours out to the range and find out how accurate it is.  It will take time and training to use it well.  If yours is awful, get another.  I think that the AK has to be the best "survivor" rifle in a total SHTF scenario.  If you have time to clean and maintain any gun, then it hasn't hit the fan.  I think though there is hope for those of you who bought into the AR15 platform.  I've read that using teflon lubricant after a very good cleaning helps minimize dust and gunk accumulation- I use teflon spray on all my firearms and I am always surprised at how clean they are after a long day of training.

Check out Gabe Suarez's forum.  Good info there on the AK. (you have to register)

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Quote of the day:

Hide not your talents, they for use were made. What's a sun-dial in the shade?

Benjamin Franklin