I’m a big fan of AK-47 style rifles. But I must mention that all the AK-47 style rifles presently sold in the US, are not genuine AK-47 assault rifles. Rather, they are semiautomatic versions of the famed Russian AK-47. Properly, an AK-47 is a select-fire (full auto) battle weapon. Still, no matter how I try to educate people on this, even gun shop owners, they still continue to call semi-auto versions an “AK-47.” So, to concede to the new terminology norm, we’ll just call these rifles AK-47s.
I still remember the first semi-auto AK-47that I I purchased, it was back in 1987 (if memory serves me correctly.) I then lived in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and a friend and I operated a gun business out of his gas station, as well as selling at gun shows. I purchased a folding stock, Chinese-made AK-47 with a bayonet, three magazines, magazine pouch, cleaning kit and some other neat stuff, for the princely sum of $189. Yes, try and find that same kind of a deal today. While I really liked that gun, ammo hadn’t yet started pouring into the US at affordable prices. So, I soon sold the gun.
Today, there is all manner of AK-47s on the market, and to be sure, some are better made than others. And,, there is a good supply of Russian-made 7.62 x 39 ammo available for AKs and SKS rifles. I’d suggest that you “buy it cheap and stack it deep” while you still can. About six years ago, you could buy a case of AK ammo for abut $90. Today, this same ammo will cost you from $210 to $250! Even so, this ammo is still a bargain in my book, so get it before prices go up (again) and certainly before the November elections. (After that, watch ammo dry up and prices soar, once again.)
The AK under review today is from M&M, Inc. which also operates under the umbrella of Colorado Gun Sales. They are producing what they call the M10-762. I’ve had my sample for about three three months now, and I really wanted to wring it out, before reporting to SurvivalBlog readers. I’ve written about several AKs in the past, and they were good guns. However, this newest version from M&M Inc is, in my humble opinion, the finest AK-47 you can buy for the money, period!
M&M claims that the M10-762 is manufactured out of brand-new high quality parts – everything is newly manufactured to be US Section 922(r) compliant, though the receiver is made in Romania.. Some people have a “problem” with AK receivers made in Romania – take it for what it’s worth, but I don’t put much stock in those complaints. The M10-762 has a brand-new, chrome-lined 16.25″ barrel, with a 1:10 twist rate, with four lands and grooves, with a right-hand twist, if this stuff is important you. The overall length of this gun is 26″ with the fixed stock, and they are coming out with folding stock versions, if you want a more compact carry gun. The rifle weighs-in at 7.3 pounds, but their web site says the gun weighs 6-lbs. I contacted Colorado Gun Sales on this, and they said they were going to correct their web page.
The M10-762 takes all standard AK-47 magazines, and the rifle is supplied with one magazine. It has a TAPCO RAZR muzzle brake/flash suppressor on the end of the barrel. The RAZR can also be used as a “compliance” device because of the super-sharp cut to the brake. The pistol grip is outstanding. This rubber covered pistol grip is not only larger than the standard AK pistol grip, but it is perfectly configured to fit the hand if you ask me. If there is a better pistol grip out there for an AK, then I haven’t found it. The stock is USA-made (by TAPCO) and is black synthetic of some sort. The fore end on the M10-762 is an aluminum quad-rail type, firmly attached, so you can mount lasers, lights and red dot optics on it if you choose – and this is a really nice quad-rail, to be sure. My only complaint is that the rail covers that came with the quad-rail are thick and make the foreend feel too thick. A quick call to Brownell’s solves my problem with a set of “ladder” rails – these cover and protect the rails but don’t add any girth. These are a “must have”, in my humble opinion.
The front sight is mounted on the gas block, instead of on the end of the barrel. This gives you a slightly shorter sighting radius, but I didn’t find it to be any sort of a handicap in my shooting. The rear sight is an RPK graduated fully adjustable for windage and elevation sight that adjusts all the way up to 1,000 meters. That is a bit of a stretch to be sure, for the 7.62 x 39 round. While the sight is easy to adjust, I found it a little bit bulky for my tastes, and I may replace it with the standard elevation (only) rear sight. (We’ll see.)
A TAPCO single-hook trigger is installed in the M10-762, and I think this is the best after-market AK trigger you can have in an AK. The let-off was right at 4 pounds on my sample and it was very smooth, too. A TAPCO AK retaining plate is used to keep the trigger pin and safety pin in place – a much better set-up than the simple bent spring that comes with most AKs these days. The lower receiver is stamped and heat-treated to military specs. No cleaning rod was included, and because of the design of the gun, you can’t slide a cleaning rod under the barrel – no big deal in my book. I suppose a person could adapt some kind of set-up to the M10-762 to install a cleaning rod, if you were determined to have one on your rifle. There is also a quick-detachable scope mount base on the left side of the receiver if you want to mount a scope.
Take-down was a piece of cake with the M10-762, not that I expected anything less from an AK-style of rifle. I did think the parts fit together just a little bit better (closer tolerances) on this gun, than many other AKs I’ve owned and used over the years. And, I believe this accounted for the superb accuracy I got out of this gun – with a mixed bag of Russian-made ammo, this gun is capable of shooting 2″ groups all day long, if you do you part. You can’t get much better than that from an AK, as most AKs will shoot in the 4″ – 5″ group size at 100 yards. With US-made AK ammo, you will be able to tighten-up those groups.
I had only one failure to fire in more than firing 1,000-rds of ammo. I found an old box of Chinese-made AK ammo, that someone had given me. This ammo hasn’t been imported into the US for about 25 years now – and I have no idea how this lone box of ammo was stored. One round from the box wouldn’t fire – and I tried this round several times – the primer was pierced on the third attempt to fire this round, so it wasn’t the gun – it was a dud round, plain and simple.
There wasn’t any sling included in the cardboard box the M10-762 came in – I thought that was a little bit “cheap” on the part of M&M – but you can pick-up an AK/SKS sling for around $5.00 – $6.00 these days – used to be a buck or two, but everything is going up in price.
When I first fired the M10-762 sample, the sights were “off” just a little bit. It took a complete turn on the front sight to get the elevation dead-on, and two clicks on the RPK rear sight to get the windage where it needed to be. And, if you own and AK or plan on getting one, you must get an AK front sight adjusting tool. You can use a brass punch and hammer all day long on the front sight if you want to move if for windage, and all you’ll do is mar-up the front sight. Get the tool, as they are only about $6 and it’ll save a lot of headaches.
The only thing I didn’t like about the M10-762 were the rubber covers on the quad-rail, as already mentioned. The magazine release was a little bit rough, and it only took me a minute to smooth it out with a Dremel Tool. (Go slowly with any power tools!) An AK that shoots 2″ groups all day long, with Russian-made 7.62 x 39 ammo is a keeper in my book. As much as I love my AR-15 style rifles, and my FAL, if I only had time to grab one rifle and run to the hills with it, or I’d only be allowed to own one rifle (heaven help us, if that ever happens) the M10-762 is “the” gun I’d grab. I will buy a spare firing pin and extractor for this gun – just to have – not that I’ve ever broken one of these parts – but just in-case I ever need them, I’ll have ’em.
Now, for me to pick an AK over an AR or my FAL, for an end of the world scenario is saying a lot of a rifle. I’ve owned a lot of AKs over the years, as well as an untold number of ARs. But the M10-762 is the gun I’d pick if I had to go into the boonies, where maintenance would be difficult, and parts impossible to find. Yes, you can spend a lot more on an AK, and you can spend less for an AK – but you won’t get a better AK than the M10-762 if you ask me. Full retail is $650 on this gun – I got mine for $599 because it was the first one my local gun shop got in the store. They’ve had several more since then, and they usually sell the same day they get them. When you handle one, you’re going to want it – so take the checkbook or credit card with you, when you check out one of these AKs.
Pat’s Product Review: M&M M10-762 Rifle
