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One of the craziest stories I am familiar with when talking about an AK is from a 'Nam veteran who they stumbled upon a body that had been decaying in the jungl

One of the craziest stories I am familiar with when talking about an AK is from a 'Nam veteran who they stumbled upon a body that had been decaying in the jungle for two weeks or so, when they turned it over they found an AK underneath. They cleared the action, and the thing still worked flawlessly. There is something to be said about that level of engineering.

JustSomeNobody 4y ago
> There is something to be said about that level of engineering. Or simplicity. Keep it simple and make it work reliably.
Ancapistani 4y ago
I've seen videos from Afghanistan showing US troops finding AKs buried that date from the Soviet invasion in the late 1970s. They were covered in rust and looked terrible - but were 100% operational even in that condition. Run a rod through the barrel to make sure it's clear, insert a magazine, and it still runs. For what it's worth, the "AR family" of rifles (AR-15, M-16, M-4, etc.) actually surpass AKs in terms of field reliability and use in hostile conditions. They're built to tighter tolerances, but with the dust cover closed there isn't really any way for sand/mud/dirt to get into the action, so they continue to work. The AK takes the opposite approach - looser tolerances and plenty of room in the action to allow foreign debris to stay out of the way and let it continue to function. You can take the dust cover off an AK, turn it upside down, and smack it a few times to knock all the junk out of the action. AKs tend to work better with no/minimal maintenance, and are much easier to field strip and restore to operable condition. ARs require more maintenance but are easier to make (and keep) accurate, and require a bit more in terms of training and tooling to maintain under use. I've always found it interesting that AKs are relatively easy to manufacture in rough conditions, but that ARs are easier to manufacture in the US. I can build a working AR lower receiver in the US with tools I have laying around my home (drill press, rotary tool, etc). I can't do the same for an AK because I don't have a spot welder to attach the rails. The fact that what qualifies as "easy to make" is so different depending on the environment.
- mrguyorama 4y ago
  >I can't do the same for an AK because I don't have a spot welder to attach the rails Harbor freight sells the simplest possible welders for like $150. Would that be sufficient?
  - brodouevencode 4y ago
    tbh I'd be scared of a Harbor Freight welder
    - snapetom 4y ago
      A friend of mine needed a chainsaw to chop up a tree branch in her yard. She told her dad she was going to Harbor Freight to get one and he emphatically said, "NO" and bought her a decent one.
      - davidro80 4y ago
      - bad416f1f5a2 4y ago
        Dad’s hate “Chinese crap tools?” Say it ain’t so! The average person that says “I need a chainsaw” will likely be well served by renting one from a home store, or buying a cheap one from Harbor Freight. They’ll probably use it a dozen times at most. Is your cheap chainsaw going to hold up as well as the Husqvarna my dad has been using since the late 80s? Absolutely not. Do you live on a 70 acre orchard? No, so a consumer grade tool will do.
        Spooky23 4y ago
        I bought a harbor freight drill press, and the metal pole that holds the drill up cracked the 3rd or 4th time I used it. Just buy the cheap chainsaw at Home Depot, it costs like $10 more.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]

JustSomeNobody 4y ago

> There is something to be said about that level of engineering. Or simplicity. Keep it simple and make it work reliably.

Ancapistani 4y ago

I've seen videos from Afghanistan showing US troops finding AKs buried that date from the Soviet invasion in the late 1970s. They were covered in rust and looked terrible - but were 100% operational even in that condition. Run a rod through the barrel to make sure it's clear, insert a magazine, and it still runs. For what it's worth, the "AR family" of rifles (AR-15, M-16, M-4, etc.) actually surpass AKs in terms of field reliability and use in hostile conditions. They're built to tighter tolerances, but with the dust cover closed there isn't really any way for sand/mud/dirt to get into the action, so they continue to work. The AK takes the opposite approach - looser tolerances and plenty of room in the action to allow foreign debris to stay out of the way and let it continue to function. You can take the dust cover off an AK, turn it upside down, and smack it a few times to knock all the junk out of the action. AKs tend to work better with no/minimal maintenance, and are much easier to field strip and restore to operable condition. ARs require more maintenance but are easier to make (and keep) accurate, and require a bit more in terms of training and tooling to maintain under use. I've always found it interesting that AKs are relatively easy to manufacture in rough conditions, but that ARs are easier to manufacture in the US. I can build a working AR lower receiver in the US with tools I have laying around my home (drill press, rotary tool, etc). I can't do the same for an AK because I don't have a spot welder to attach the rails. The fact that what qualifies as "easy to make" is so different depending on the environment.

mrguyorama 4y ago
>I can't do the same for an AK because I don't have a spot welder to attach the rails Harbor freight sells the simplest possible welders for like $150. Would that be sufficient?
- brodouevencode 4y ago
  tbh I'd be scared of a Harbor Freight welder
  - snapetom 4y ago
    A friend of mine needed a chainsaw to chop up a tree branch in her yard. She told her dad she was going to Harbor Freight to get one and he emphatically said, "NO" and bought her a decent one.
    - davidro80 4y ago
    - bad416f1f5a2 4y ago
      Dad’s hate “Chinese crap tools?” Say it ain’t so! The average person that says “I need a chainsaw” will likely be well served by renting one from a home store, or buying a cheap one from Harbor Freight. They’ll probably use it a dozen times at most. Is your cheap chainsaw going to hold up as well as the Husqvarna my dad has been using since the late 80s? Absolutely not. Do you live on a 70 acre orchard? No, so a consumer grade tool will do.
      - Spooky23 4y ago
        I bought a harbor freight drill press, and the metal pole that holds the drill up cracked the 3rd or 4th time I used it. Just buy the cheap chainsaw at Home Depot, it costs like $10 more.

deleted 4y ago

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