Death of the AK? The PSA KS47 thread

[stagpanther]

If the point of the OP is that the KS is a great rifle--then yes (hopefully) it is. If the point is also "all AK's suck and will go away in comparison" is ridiculous.

[stolivar]

"Stupid me--I just went to PSA's website and it looks like they have phased out the AR47 altogether in favor of the KS--I assume they figure it's the better configuration. Sorry about that."


do what? they only have the 4 KS47 in rifle configurations only, and 16 ar47 uppers listed... notd even close

steve

[stagpanther]

"Stupid me--I just went to PSA's website and it looks like they have phased out the AR47 altogether in favor of the KS--I assume they figure it's the better configuration. Sorry about that."


do what? they only have the 4 KS47 in rifle configurations only, and 16 ar47 uppers listed... notd even close

steve

Well, the AR47 flavor used to be listed under it's own heading and it isn't now--but upon drilling down into the AR15 menu I do find 16 7.62 x 39 uppers listed, my error. Sort of--only the simple carbine that I have is actually available. Be interesting to see how long that remains the case with the rollout of the KS.

[stagpanther]

AK's will never die or be superseded by some AR hybrid. For their design parameters--they are brilliant weapons that do what they are supposed to do exceedingly well. Went out and got me some x39 love yesterday.

[stagpanther]

Went out today to test some secondary loads--had to wear thick jacket and gloves--being 20 degrees with wind chill well below that. Here's one of the better 123 gr sst loads. The scope is the Primary Arm's illuminated x4 AK scopes--not exactly a target scope but it gets the job done, however, like almost all scopes subcontracted out to be made in China-- it suffers from "chronic Lo Mein Turret syndrome"--they're as mushy and slippery as a wet noodle and it's hard to tell what you're actually getting when you turn them.

[osbornk]

I think the death of the AK is just as likely as the death of the 1911. Like with the 1911, there may be other guns that do many things better but there is the desire for many of us to own the traditional firearm as it was initially made that has proven itself over many decades.

[stagpanther]

I think the death of the AK is just as likely as the death of the 1911. Like with the 1911, there may be other guns that do many things better but there is the desire for many of us to own the traditional firearm as it was initially made that has proven itself over many decades.

I agree--except I think it excels in the role it was designed for, in other words it has a unique value that will endure.

[TXAZ]

Like the V8 engine that was supposed to disappear by 2000 by being replaced by the Wankel, Stirling and electrics, there's something to be said for in-the-field proven reliability and innovation. On actual-in-the-field proven results:

The AK is simple but works when others don't, including in the mud, and when seldom cleaned.
The AK is deployed with more than 100 countries in the world.
The AK census is over 100 Million firearms produced.
The AK has in 70+ years, more verified kills than any other weapon.
The AK is produced in more countries than any other rifle.
The AK is very inexpensive to produce, typically under $200 US in most places with some volume, and possibly half that in some higher production facilities in Asia.

Yea, I wouldn't count it out anytime soon. And certainly not use the phrase "death of the AK".

[Rangegod]

Let me say first this is not a replacement for the AK47 nor is this a logical choice for someone totally dedicated to the AR platform, who does not already have the AK mags and ammo to support it. However, for someone, like me, who was a big AK fan from the mid 80’s to the early 2000’s but has become almost totally AR oriented since then, this is a great option. Although I still have several AK’s, I rarely use them (basically an age thing) but I still have a huge volume of both mags and ammo.

I recently ordered and picked up a new Gen 2, KS-47, 10.5” pistol with the M-Lock rail and SBA3 brace. Upon initial inspection, I was very surprised at just how well made this gun is. Upper and lower fit, magazine lock, everything was bank vault tight. Mags rock & lock into place easily and remove smoothly with no problems. Overall finish proves, once again, that black is beautiful.

Ok, on to the range. I loaded 14 mags, of various origin, with a variety of ammo. This included mags from China, Bulgaria (Circle10’s), Poland (polymer slab sides) several different Eastern European steel mags and a USA Magpul (came with the gun). Ammo included, Czech & Winchester brass case, S&B steel case, Wolf steel case, Chinese copper wash steel case, and my (very old) reloads in both 123 grain ball and SP loadings.

The initial mag of wolf was fired at 15 yards just to get my Romeo 4 RD on paper and to verify function. It, surprisingly, produced a single ragged hole about 4” below the point of aim with no function issues. Moving to 50 yards I finished sighting in with two, 4 shot groups while making the necessary adjustments to zero the sight. I finished the mag of Wolf on this target. The second target is two mags of S&B steel case with no further sight adjustment. The gun could do better but was limited by my 67 YO eyes and what is basically, a mil spec trigger (EPT, my butt). All the other ammo was fired with similar results. No major POI changes occurred with any ammo. Function was 100% with all ammo and all ammo showed strong, solid firing pin strikes.

Overall, I’m impressed with the gun. The only thing I plan on changing is the charging handle. I’ve never found the need on an AR since I normally only use it to lock the bolt open for the initial mag and use the bolt release from that point. The KS-47 does not lock open nor can it be locked open, so you need to use the charging handle a lot more often. Plus the .308 buffer spring makes bolt racking a little harder. At some point, I’ll might add a flash can, even though the 10.5”, 7.62X39 is not as obnoxious as my 10.5” 5.56’s are, it can’t hurt.

JAC

[stagpanther]

Great review--whether its AR47, AK47 or KS 47 is nice to see PSA step up to the x39 plate in a big way. Do you know what kind of velocities you were getting?