AR15 vs. AK47

[stmichps]

I have both but I could never understood the logic of directing hot gas and unburnt powder back into the action of your weapon that you're counting on to keep you alive. So my preference is on the AK as my Home Defense carbine.

[SVTCobra306]

I'd take an AR any day. Have fired both.. in the full military version. Carried a Colt M16A2 in Iraq in 03, had that same rifle from 99-04 and zero misfires. Had an FN M-16A4 at Ft. Polk, seemed like a POS at first with random FTF's, found out it had a broken hammer spring, new hammer spring and it was pretty good after that, never deployed with it. Had a Colt M-4 later on at Polk, zero issues, had another Colt M-4 at Ft. Bragg from 06-09, carried it to Baghdad for 15 months, shot thousands of rounds out of it before, during, and after deployment, zero problems.

I have owned two Armalites, one since 2002, one since 2012, zero issues with either. Both are extremely accurate.

I have shot several AK's, mostly AKM's that were owned by the Iraqi National Police (we had a little "range" at our outpost), pretty much feels like the flimsy pos that it is.

For apples to apples comparison, I'll go M4 vs. AKM. The M4 is a rifle designed to be a semi-precision instrument carried by a trained, disciplined Soldier, Sailor, Airman, or Marine, and it does this very well. It does require a bit of maintenance in a combat environment. If you don't have the simple discipline to clean your rifle regularly, in a combat environment you will receive a harsh lesson in darwinism anyway regardless of what you're armed with.

The AKM/AK-47 was designed to be a cheap, easy, and fast to manufacture bullet slinger placed in the hands of a conscript. Like the M-4, it does what it was designed to do very well.

[Jo6pak]

Either one works. Just have to know the limitations and advantages of the one that is in your hands.

That being said; I'll take the AR for serious work.....but the AK is more fun to shoot

[jason41987]

a lot of people on here may be former military, so youre probably going to get a larger number of people preferring the AR15, theyre used to its known issues... anyway, im incredibly biased, both have their flaws and advantages

neither the AR15 nor the AK is perfect... for the AR15 i dislike the spring next to my ear, i dislike the magazine issues due to the rifle designed with a straight magwell requiring the top third of the mag to be straight while feeding a tapered cartridge, or the face you have a hard steel bolt riding inside a soft aluminum upper... when you have a hard metal on a soft surface it generates a lot of friction requiring regular lubrication, and if lubricated too much its a dust magnet

for the AK, its not a very expandable or customizable platform, its nowhere near as easy to swap barrels, change calibers, you cant have a seperate upper for different cartridges which has its benefits, and the best optics platform adds weight (side mount).. and the ergonomics are awful as theres no thumb actuated safety, the grip feels like holding a pencil and the stock is a bit short, and the sight danging off the end of the barrel makes it easier to bump, and the top cover can be VERY annoying to get back on on some AKs

the AR15 is easier to expand on, easier to repair, better optics platform, and more accessories with better ergonomics while the AK has a better design in magazines, better gas system (ill take a direct impinged AR15 over a piston AR any day) and for the receiver rails, magazines, and more rearward moving mass, the AK is much more reliable

so which do i prefer?.. none of them to be honest... which do i own? the AK-74, as its flaws are easier to overcome than those of the AR15 as i can add a side mount, add a better grip, longer stock.. i cant add rails to an ar15, i cant change the magazines, i cant remove the buffer spring next to my ear

my preferred rifle is actually what id consider to be a combination of the two... the sig-551 which combines the ergonomics, optics platform, and better sights of the AR15, with the magazines, gas system, and better reliability of the AK... essentially combining the best of both designs

[jason41987]

stmichps.. hows that dogleg rail working out for you? i was considering putting one on my AK but i heard mixed results as to their ability to hold zero, i might just go with the side mount since i could easily go back and forth between optics without having to re-zero

[stmichps]

jason41987 ask:

stimichps.. hows that dogleg rail working out for you? i was considering putting one on my AK but i heard mixed results as to their ability to hold zero, i might just go with the side mount since i could easily go back and forth between optics without having to re-zero.

Well as you can see I have my mini red-dot mounted on the rail of my forearm not the dogleg, so I really don't have a answer for you. I didn't set the rifle up for a scope as I don't plan on using it for precision shooting but ranges under 150m.

But with that said mine dogleg when lock down is rock solid but then I had to fit the rear recoil guide that came with the dogleg to my rifle.

[jason41987]

now my question will be, why did you buy a dogleg mount if you never actually intended to use it?.. im quite content with side mounts, like the ability to be able to drop a lever and pull it off.. but it just makes me curious

[UtahHunting]

It really is going to come down to personal choice as many have said. I have owned an AR, 2 Saiga AK's (308 and 7.62X39) I fully converted, and 4 SKS's. I think they are all fine weapons and you can't go wrong with any of them. Personally I like the 7.62X39 round better than the 5.56, just my preference. It is cheaper and can still be found with ease even in these panic times.

The only one of these weapons I currently own is the SKS which I know you didn't ask for. It is my favorite of the 3 and there is no better gun for the money spent in my opinion. Simple, reliable, and inexpensive.

I am waiting for the market to return to somewhat normal and lower prices and I intend to purchase another AK before the end of the year, at least I hope so. They are fun to shoot, reliable, and simple to work on.

Good luck in whatever you go with. Of course we are in America (at least for now), no reason not to buy one of each.

[stmichps]

jason41987 ask:

now my question will be, why did you buy a dogleg mount if you never actually intended to use it?.. im quite content with side mounts, like the ability to be able to drop a lever and pull it off.. but it just makes me curious

Answer:
Originally I plan on setting up the red dot along with a 3x magifier much like the M4 which would have place it on the top cover. But I changed my mind after a lot of research of the rifle and caliber noting that it's accruacy is at best 150m and under, so I don't need the magifier. I moved the red dot up on the rifle to give me the best view of the red dot, sights, and potential targets.

My choice of sight placement was a after-thought and wasn't discovered until after I had purchase and mount the dogleg. I still like having the dogleg so that I'm not looking around for the top cover, plus I'm currently looking for a adjustable rear sight to mount on the rail as I have the fix sight that Texas Assault System offer with their dogleg.

[jason41987]

thats another benefit for the AR over the AK-47 is the AK-47 does have more power at the muzzle and out to about 200 yards, however, beyond 200 yards the .223 tends to have more power, as better ballistic coefficiency means it bleeds off less energy due to air resistance than the short .310" bullet the '47 fires... so if you plan on shooting very close range, AK will have more power, however, the AR15 will have more power beyond this, and still have plenty enough inside this range, so id choose 5.56 (plus its more widely available worldwide)

[stmichps]

jason41987 said:

thats another benefit for the AR over the AK-47 is the AK-47 does have more power at the muzzle and out to about 200 yards, however, beyond 200 yards the .223 tends to have more power, as better ballistic coefficiency means it bleeds off less energy due to air resistance than the short .310" bullet the '47 fires... so if you plan on shooting very close range, AK will have more power, however, the AR15 will have more power beyond this, and still have plenty enough inside this range, so id choose 5.56 (plus its more widely available worldwide)

Yup! That is why I have a DSA Stg58 carbine as backup for the AK.

[WildBill45]

I had an original AR back in the 70's when I was in the Navy, and hated the feel of them, and they were less of a rifle at that time.

At this moment I Like the AK better, basically because they are cheaper to buy, and a good truck gun, tough, reliable, and cheaper to use as an all-around gun. If it gets stolen, not as big of a loss. My ranch gun. My buddy gun. My pest gun ... all kinds of pests from 2 to 4 legs, etc...

Another plus is that it urinates-off anti-gunners as well!

[Quincunx]

Or get a Daewoo to have some features of both!

[chadio]

I just wanted to know which rifle do you prefer the AR15 or the AK47, and why?

That depends.... when was the last time it was cleaned / lubed

[dspieler]

As a follow up, which of all of them is the one TRUE religion?

Discuss...

[Mausermolt]

1911 all the way...wait maybe its Glock....

[SPEMack618]

There is but one God, John M. Browning, and his prophet, Eugene Stoner.

[Tucker 1371]

The better combat rifle is in the hands of the more accurate, more situationally aware, quicker reacting combatant.

I'll take an AK personally because I've gotten quite bored of shooting M16/ARs from the military, I get a huge "Whoopty doo..." Factor when shooting an AR these days. Also because cleaning a direct gas impingement weapon sucks, my M1A and AK take about a quarter of the time it takes me to to clean the Marine Corps' M16A4s.

Those are my reasons, the AK is better FOR ME. Not better, just better for me.

[Gunnutfn49]

Ar15 for shooting and ergonomics, ak for subjugating hippies via buttstroke to the cabesa.

[SR420]

This

Quincunx Or get a Daewoo to have some features of both!

[KO3422]

I say both. I'd have to say AR since I'm already invested in that platform.

[Aaron1100us]

I like the feel and accuracy of the AR. But I like the ruggedness of the AK. You could beat the crap out of an AK, never oil it and it will still shoot.

[Sarge]

I see a number of M4geries fielded by officers who furnish their own rifles. Being the Dept. armorer, I get to sort out their little quirks, shoot them, etc. Granted, none of these rifles are Colts- but your typical generic M4 does not shoot significantly better than my old WASR with a barrel re-crown using Tula FMJ. For a using gun, I prefer the AK.

[eodinert]

I've shot matches (two and three gun) with ARs and AKs (in both 7.62 and 5.45), and of course ARs. I'm not even going to talk about ARs, because almost every spec ops unit in the world uses an M16 based rifle, not because they have to, but because it works. It is if not THE best, it's certainly among the best modern rifles in the world. The rifle (and those that choose to use it) speak for themselves.

Here are my issues with the AK. Some of these issues have workarounds, some don't. Some of the workarounds are half assed, at best.

The AK has no last round hold open. You can't use the safety without using two hands, or a major grip adjustment. Optics mounting is complex, usually with significant added weight. Iron sights are not optimized for accuracy. Sight adjustments (front sight) are imprecise, and non-incremental. Available ammunition limits accuracy, even before we get into the construction of the weapon. Under heavy firing schedules, the hand guard retainer and the front of the receiver get hot enough burn your support hand, while having a grip area small enough to make avoiding the hot parts difficult, if not impossible. It's not an inherently accurate design... way too much reciprocating weight (crude manufacturing methods don't help, either). The triggers are usually OK to good, if not a little creepy.

Having said all that, the rifle is only part of the picture. Let's take a look at magazines.

AK magazines have a significant curve to them. They have large protuberances and edges (mag catch, the 'hook' on the front, base plates, spine, etc). This means they don't stack well, and can be problematic getting in and out of mag pouches. They take up a lot of space in a row of pouches, because of the curve. They are heavy (although some are heavier than others). Reloads take significantly longer than other platforms.

If you want the best rifle you can get, it's not an AK. It's an OK all around rifle. It's not the best at anything. Even the Russians want to get rid of it.

It's not an affront to your manhood, it's not personal. The AK was a cutting edge rifle...50 years ago. Those who can, have moved on. If you just want to challenge yourself, rock on, but don't kid yourself.

[Skans]

Its worth having both. Scenario 1: Stuck somewhere in Florida trudging through the aftermath of a Cat5 Hurricane.....Give me an AK underfolder and a Glock, please. Scenario 2: I need a semi-auto for defense and hunting small to medium game - give me an AR and a Sig.