Kitting Out The Kalashnikov – Part 4, by A.D.C.

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(Continued from Part 3. This concludes the article.)

Considerations for Non-Standard AKs

When it comes time to order accessories and parts for your AK, it is very easy to accidentally order incompatible items meant for a different AK variant. To get an idea of the scope of the problem, check out UltiMAK‘s and Midwest Industries’ AK product listings. In this section, I’ll help you make sense of some of the lingo on these pages, as well as other terms that you may encounter. Unless otherwise noted (or implied by a chambering in a different cartridge), all of these rifles use standard AK magazines.

While commonly referred to as “AK-47s” (Automatic Kalashnikov model of 1947), most AKs that you will encounter are more similar to the AKM (Automatic Kalashnikov Modernized). When Mikhail Kalashnikov designed his namesake rifle, he intended for the receiver to be stamped from sheet metal. Soviet metallurgy of the day was not up to the task, so receivers were milled from blocks instead. This continued form the rifle’s rollout in 1949 until 1959, at which time Soviet metallurgy had improved such that the stamped receiver could be reintroduced, officially designated the AKM.

On the commercial market, AK-47-types are called “milled receiver” rifles, and AKM-types are called “stamped receiver” rifles. Milled receiver rifles use different styles of buttstocks, handguards, and gas tubes. Their barrels also mount directly to the receiver, whereas on a sampled rifle, the barrel mounts to a trunnion and the trunnion mounts to the receiver. Most other parts should interchange with basic rifles, but unfortunately, there are few guarantees here. Milled rifles are more than a pound heavier than stamped receiver rifles. Milled rifles also have a reputation for higher round-count life expectancies, which is probably academic for anyone not doing large volumes of full-auto fire.

At this point, I can explain my imprecise usage of the term “AKM.” The Soviet AKM, and its direct copies, was only ever fielded with 14×1 LH muzzle threading. The 7.62x39mm AK-103 is fielded in small numbers today and has M24x1.5 threading, but it has a 100-series folding stock and is therefore not considered a “basic AKM” for the purposes of our discussion. Such hair-splitting might cause confusion, but I wanted to introduce the term “AKM” early, as it is the common nomenclature for any stamped-receiver AK that mostly fits AKM parts.Continue reading“Kitting Out The Kalashnikov – Part 4, by A.D.C.”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

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Today I’m posting a guest meme that was created several years ago, by my friend Commander Zero of the great and long-running blog, Notes From The Bunker:

This thought-provoking meme requires no comment!

Meme Text:

Raise Your Hand  — If You Wish You Had an ‘Assault Rifle”

Commander Zero says that you are welcome to share it. But please credit him (with a link to his Notes From The Bunker blog), when you do.

Link for sharing this meme:  https://kapwi.ng/c/qZvLiu3z

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

3

“And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.

And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?

And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.

And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.

And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.

And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.”  – Revelation 5 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — November 7, 2020

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November 7th is the anniversary of the death of actor Steve McQueen (born March 24, 1930, died November 7, 1980). The many well-publicized exploits in his tempestuous life and his enduring persona are well known. However, the end of his life is actually the most noteworthy part of his legacy, even though it seldom gets much publicity outside of Christian circles; he came to Jesus after he had been diagnosed with mesothelioma. He died with his forefinger pointing to his key verse in his Bible– Titus 1:2.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 91 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (a $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, that have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit.  This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum-sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag.  The value of this kit is $220.
  5. An assortment of products along with a one-hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  4. A transferable $150 purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Round 91 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging

Kitting Out The Kalashnikov – Part 3, by A.D.C.

7

(Continued from Part 2.)

Muzzle Devices

There are two sizes of muzzle threading commonly found on AKs. The older 14×1 left-hand thread (LH) is cut directly into the barrel, and the newer M24x1.5 is cut into an extension of the front sight assembly. Both sizes secure the muzzle device with a detent that protrudes from the front of the front sight tower. The older style is commonly associated with 7.62 rifles and the newer style is commonly associated with 5.45 rifles, but it is not unheard-of to find one paired with the other. When buying muzzle devices for an AK, it is critical to make sure you order the correct caliber (7.62 vs. 5.45 vs. 5.56), the correct thread size, and the correct thread direction (RH or LH).  Only a few American-made AK barrels have RH threads.

The Russians have long preferred muzzle brakes to flash hiders. The old-style threading is often seen with a diminutive slant brake, which is better than nothing. The newer style is often seen with a large multi-chamber brake. It is very effective and very, very loud. If you are anywhere close to the side of someone firing a rifle with one of these, you can feel the shockwave. They are widely blamed for high rates of hearing loss among Russian troops.

A wide variety of muzzle devices and adapters are available for both threading types from many reputable manufacturers. My WASR had the slant brake, and it was unremarkable. My Saiga is a special case: it is chambered in 5.56, so I had the muzzle cut with standard 1/2×28 AR-15 threads, and I run an YHM Phantom flash hider with no complaints.

A Word About Section 922(r)

Disclaimer 1 of 2: I am not a lawyer. The following is for information only, and should not be construed as legal advise.

Disclaimer 2 of 2: In my opinion, this law is an idiotic and unconstitutional insult to every American.

U.S. Code Title 18, Part 1, Chapter 44, Section 922 states that no “non-sporting” semiautomatic rifle or shotgun shall be assembled after enactment from more than ten imported parts. Since most AKs (and their parts) are imported, this is relevant to AK owners. What gets confusing is that not every part counts as a “part.” This compliance calculator is helpful.

For the handguard to count as a compliance part, both the top and bottom halves must be made in the U.S.

If you are running foreign magazines and need one more compliance part, magazine floorplates count as a part. Arsenal sells U.S.-made floorplates for their ((10)) polymer magazines and Csspecs sells U.S.-made floorplates for steel magazines. If you choose to use floorplate towards compliance, it would be prudent to replace the floorplates of ALL of your AK magazines.Continue reading“Kitting Out The Kalashnikov – Part 3, by A.D.C.”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

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To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year. Note that as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in the Comments. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

This week, thanks to Lily, we’ve been able to enjoy several venison meals. This started with heart and liver, the morning after that deer had been harvested. Later in the week, after the deer was aged (cool-hanging),  we had a dinner backstrap cooked in applesauce. That was delicious!

For much of the past week, I’ve busy with radio interviews. For example, I had another interview with a radio show in Warsaw, Poland.

We’ve been busy getting the ranch ready for winter. All of the garden hoses are now coiled and stowed. The canoes and kayaks are tucked away for the season. The ATVs are now all under cover. So, what remains is hooking up the snowplow on our pickup. Oh, and draining the water system in our cabin, but that won’t be until after our Thanksgiving guests have departed.

I’ve also been padded, packing and mailing out orders that came in during our Pre-Election Sale, at Elk Creek Company.  Most of the sale prices have ended, but there are a few guns that are still discounted. We want satisfied repeat customers. That is why from the outset I’ve always included something “a little extra” with every order of $200 or more. These bonuses vary, but might include any of the following:

  • A gun case, sling, buttpad, or holster.
  • A late-19th Century newspaper or magazine.
  • A waterproof SurvivalBlog archive 16GB USB stick.
  • An autographed copy of one of the books that I authored.
  • A reprint of a reference article on the gun that you ordered.
  • Gun or scope cleaning supplies.
  • The no-longer-produced and now hoarded NECCO wafer candies.

I trust that seeing one of these when you open your box will make you smile. Thanks for your loyal patronage!

Now, over to my industrious wife, Lily:

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.

Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.

For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words.

When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.

Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.

Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?

For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God.

 If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they.

Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field.

He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.

When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes?” – Ecclesiastes 5: 1-11 (KJV)

 

Preparedness Notes for Friday — November 6, 2020

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On this day in 1977, the Toccoa Falls Dam in Georgia gave way and 39 people died in the resulting flood. The dam was an earthen dam constructed across a canyon in 1887 and had a 55 acre lake that was 180 feet deep. The dam had recently been inspected and approved, but in the early morning hours it gave way. Water flooded down the canyon at speeds approaching 120 mph. Below, residents of the Christian and Missionary Alliance College had no time to evacuate as the small community was wiped out.

—

A new listing, over at SurvivalRealty.com: 61 Acres in the American Redoubt, behind a locked gate. This is an inholding of Stimson Timber Company land, near Troy, Montana. It has a mile of Kootenai River frontage!

—

I’d like to recommend an essay with some serious “food for thought”: Today, We’re All Losers.

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 91 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (a $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, that have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit.  This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum-sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag.  The value of this kit is $220.
  5. An assortment of products along with a one-hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  4. A transferable $150 purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Round 91 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Kitting Out The Kalashnikov – Part 2, by A.D.C.

17
(Continued from Part 1.)
Handguards

The simplest upgrade to classic wooden handguards is a polymer Russian design, often seen on the AK-74M, which has horizontal grooves for cooling and improved traction. The best versions of this design also have internal metal heat shields. Being much slimmer than other options, they are good for small hands. If you don’t need to mount accessories on the front of your rifle, these are a great option.

Among several options for handguards that allow for the mounting of accessories, Magpul offers two types: MOE and Zhukov. Both are excellent, and provide M-LOK attachment points at the 3-, 6-, and 9-o’cock positions. The MOE makes use of the AK’s handguard retainer bracket, whereas the Zhukov requires cutting off the bracket and installing an aluminum chassis that runs for much of the length of the barrel. While easy to install and providing attachment points all the way up to the gas block, the Zhukov makes an AK, already a front-heavy rifle, even more front-heavy. It also means finding and installing a new retainer bracket if you decide you don’t like the Zhukov. If you decide to try the MOE, be sure to order the correct version: MOE AKM for rifles with sling loops on the handguard retaining bracket, and MOE AK for others.

If you need to mount accessories (such as a red dot sight) at the 12-o’clock position, an old and well-respected name is UltiMAK. UltiMAK’s system replaces the gas tube with another that has an integral Picatinny rail. These sometimes need filing to install, and it is very easy to accidentally remove too much material. Much has been said out of concern that UltiMAK mounts can get hot enough to fry optics. They do not, but they can get very uncomfortable to hold. If you prefer to use a thumb-over-bore grip on your rifle, this may not be a good option for you.

A better option in this instance would be Midwest Industries’ line of railed AK handguards. MI makes handguards for AKMs and several other varieties of the AK. You can set up the lower half of your handguard with Picatinny rails, M-LOK, or Keymod, and the top half of your handguard with either a Picatinny rail or an optic-specific cutout. Many red dots will co-witness with the optic-specific cut uppers.

If you want to install a vertical foregrip on your AK, you will need to consider the AK’s rock-and-lock magazine insertion and the very pronounced curvature of the magazine itself. It is very easy to accidentally mount a VFG too far rearwards and cause problems with magazine changes. The Romanians and Hungarians issued large numbers of rifles with integral VFGs, and they were angled towards the muzzle for this reason. The Poles often run integral VFGs on their Beryls, but they don’t have to be angled because the Beryl is chambered in 5.56 and therefore has a relatively straight magazine. Short VFGs, for use used with the thumb-over-bore hold, and the Magpul AFG are also worth considering.Continue reading“Kitting Out The Kalashnikov – Part 2, by A.D.C.”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

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Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at election turmoil-driven ammunition buying. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

We’ll start off with this from outspoken investing pundit Jim Cramer: You need some gold to protect against inflation and economic chaos.

o  o  o

Stimulus, Debt And Gold (Michael Kosares)

Economy & Finance:

Charles High Smith: How Systems Collapse: Reaping What We’ve Sown

o  o  o

At Zero Hedge: After Correctly Calling The 10% Stock Correction, MS Now Sees An Imminent 100bps Surge In Yields

o  o  o

Over at Wolf Street: What Took so Long? After Years of Brick & Mortar Meltdown Punctuated by the Pandemic, Two Mall REITs File for Bankruptcy

o  o  o

By way of the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site, there is this, at Wolf Street: The next bear market will be the worst in at least 78 years, warns co-founder of Soros’s legendary Quantum Fund

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“[W]hen the resolution of enslaving America was formed in Great Britain, the British Parliament was advised by an artful man, who was governor of Pennsylvania, to disarm the people; that it was the best and most effectual way to enslave them; but that they should not do it openly, but weaken them, and let them sink gradually, by totally disusing and neglecting the militia.” – George Mason

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — November 5, 2020

15

On November 5th, 2009 Army Major Nidal Hassan killed 13 people at Fort Hood. He shouted “Allahu Akbar” as he opened fire. But predictably, the mainstream media cited “no known motive” for the terror attack. In 2013, Hassan was sentenced to death.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 91 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (a $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, that have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit.  This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum-sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag.  The value of this kit is $220.
  5. An assortment of products along with a one-hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  4. A transferable $150 purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Round 91 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

—

But first, I couldn’t resist writing an extra meme, for the week:

Kitting Out The Kalashnikov – Part 1, by A.D.C.

20
Introduction

With over seventy years of service and more than 100 million examples in circulation worldwide today, the AK-47 and its descendants are a venerable breed of fighting rifle. The AR-15 may be America’s rifle, but the Kalashnikov is unquestionably The World’s rifle. Even in the current golden age of affordable and high-quality ARs, the AK still has much to offer: legendary durability, terrific folding stock options, a bullet that punches through barriers, and the idiosyncratic appeal of “the bad guy’s gun.” It behooves every American to have at least a passing familiarity with the AK, and it especially behooves the thousands of Americans who own one to know how to maximize its effectiveness.

In this article I will be making some suggestions to that end. Initially, I will assume a very basic AKM-pattern rifle, exemplified by the CAI WASR-10 and the Arsenal SLR107R-11E (my usage of “AKM” here is a very slightly imprecise, which I will explain later). This type of rifle is chambered in 7.62x39mm and features a 1mm-thick stamped receiver, non-railed handguards, a fixed stock mounted to the rear tang, a 16-inch barrel, and iron sights. With this case considered, I will then examine the most common variants, and special considerations for each variant.

Magazines and Magazine Accessories

7.62x39mm AK magazines are universal: any nation’s magazine can be assumed to work in any nation’s rifle.

Military surplus steel magazines will run for generations if free of large dents and widespread rust. Most surplus steel magazines for sale in the U.S. are of Romanian, Polish, East German, or Hungarian manufacture. These have a ribbed-side design and a raised spine running along the back edge. Chinese magazines, which are also very good, can be distinguished by the lack of the back spine. One occasionally finds very early Soviet magazines which have smooth sides, and these command a collector’s premium. I have encountered some fit and feeding problems with new-production steel magazines from Croatia and South Korea (both are clearly marked in English, with their country of origin), but these are starting to improve.

The most respected polymer magazines are made in Bulgaria and imported by a company called Arsenal. They have a “waffle” grid pattern and are marked with a “10” in a double circle, hence their nickname, “circle ten” or ((10)). They have steel reinforcements in the feed lips and front and rear locking tabs. Though roughly three times the price of surplus steel magazines, they are excellent.

Soviet/Russian polymer magazines made at the Izshmash factory will be marked with an arrow in a triangle, and those made at the Tula factory will be marked with a five-pointed star. Older specimens will be made of an orange phenolic resin called AG4 (similar to Bakelite), and newer specimens will be black or plum-colored and made of a fiberglass-reinforced thermopolymer. There are now dozens of other companies making polymer AK magazines. I have very limited experience with them, but MagPul and U.S. Palm have good reputations.

Continue reading“Kitting Out The Kalashnikov – Part 1, by A.D.C.”

A Special Request From JWR: Looking for Old Revolver Boxes

Life is full of little moments of sadness. For me, one comes every time that I fold laundry and come across a sock without a partner. Balance is not restored to the universe until I find that missing sock.

Here is my situation: After a 15+ year hiatus, I re-launched my antique gun business. That was back in February. My biz is now called Elk Creek Company. I sell a lot of antique guns, and more than half of those are pre-1899 revolvers. Only a few of those guns are still paired with original boxes. I realize that most of the boxes were discarded long ago, but I know that somewhere out there are a lot of boxes without revolvers, to match. Over the years of these fairly sturdy little cardboard and very sturdy wooden boxes have been put other uses: jewelry boxes, pencil boxes, and so forth.  Do you have one lurking in a desk or dresser drawer?

Here are some examples of what I’m looking for. I’m a buyer of boxes for any of the following gun brands:

  • Smith & Wesson (S&W)
  • Colt
  • Hopkins & Allen
  • Stevens
  • Iver Johnson
  • Forehand & Wadsworth
  • Forehand Arms
  • U.S. Arms Company
  • Briggs & Hopkins
  • Merwin, Hulbert
  • Merwin & Bray
  • Harrington & Richardson
  • Marlin
  • Remington
  • Young America
  • Allen & Wheelock
  • Ethan Allen
  • Chicago Firearms
  • Dictator
  • Manhattan
  • Empire Arms
  • Favorite
  • Federal Arms
  • American Bulldog
  • Boston Bulldog
  • Frontier Bulldog
  • Bulldog
  • Bacon Arms
  • Spencer Safety Hammerless
  • Bicycle
  • Metropolitan Police
  • Safety Police
  • Adams
  • Webley
  • Gaulois
  • Mauser
  • Kolibri
  • …and many others

The colors of the cardboard boxes vary widely:  Black, maroon, blue, red, and even lime green. Both the wooden and cardboard boxes are most desirable if they still have their original dividers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So I’m writing this as an appeal to my readers: I’m a cash buyer of any pre-1920 pistol and revolver boxes in decent condition. As with all other antique items, the price that I’m will to pay depends upon condition. And note that I’m also willing to take them in trade, on any of my other merchandise.

A special note: DO NOT “repair” boxes with broken corners with Scotch tape or glue. They are best left “as-is”, since such repairs ruin their collector’s value.

Even more scarce is finding original pre-1920 factory rifle and shotgun boxes and any factory sales rack “hang tags”. I of course also buy those!

Lastly, I also buy both wooden and skeleton shoulder stocks for revolvers, single-shot pistols, and early automatic pistols–especially Broomhandle Mausers. If you have one of those stocks that is without a partner, then drop me a line!  Here are some examples of what they look like:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please let me know what you have available, via e-mail.  Many Thanks, – JWR