AR or AK? That argument has been beaten to death over decades and past attempts to convert AR15s to 7.62×39 have resulted in magazine issues or bolt failures due to the milling of the bolt face. People have tried to bring to market AR lowers that accept AK mags in the past, but they have always seemed to be vaporware or produced by small manufacturers with a very limited capacity to produce.

Well folks, I have good news for you. CMMG, a world class manufacturer has stepped up to the plate to create what they have termed “the Mutant” as it combines what they believe are the best aspects of both rifles. As I am not a salesman or in the employ of CMMG, I will let their own video do the talking here:

We here at TFB were blessed to be the first to test this new rifle, and I was the lucky man who got to perform it!

Some details on the MK47 Mutant:

• Uses any and all AK47 mags
• 7.62×39
• Direct impingement
• AR15 trigger group
• AR10 bolt
• AR15 ergonomics and layout
• Picatinny rail on top
• Keymod handguard

As stated above, the Achilles heel of AR15s using 7.62×39 ammunition is the bolt face. The MK47 solves this by using a larger one:

The gun also looks great and is magnificently machined:

That is an Eastern Bloc mag in the gun there and it fits flawlessly!

Of course when I got to the range I boresighted the rifle with an ACOG and had to run a few rounds through it, as eager as I am when it comes to these sort of things:

My friend and cameraman also gave it a go:

After just a few mags of shooting bottles and pumpkins, we were happy as could be with the shootability of the MK47.

The lack of a bolt catch (made impossible by AK magazines lacking a hold-open provision) spurred my curiosity; Could I perform an AK style tactical reload? Yes. Yes I could:

The large magazine release paddle is suitable for both lefties and righties and I had no problem locking in magazines with ease.

After our initial hooliganism I set up a target at 100 yards to see what this thing could do accuracy-wise. For the first test I used Brown Bear steel-cased ammunition:

I expected 2.5 inch groups or so but then this happened… with steel cased cheap ammo…

I averaged under 2″, which made my photographer and I speechless.

I assumed that some good brass cased ammo would be better for an accuracy test so I brought out some brass cased, boxer primed 7.62×39 (it exists!):

With this stuff I did very well too, but it was not enough to justify the increased cost of brass vs. steel in my opinion:

So this damn thing can shoot, even in my hands with only 4x magnification.

So how reliable is it? Well for this we loaded up seven mags of mixed 7.62×39. We had Tapco mags, Chinese mags, Yugos, Magpuls, and more all topped off with different brands of ammo with different characteristics (soft point, FMJ, HP):

I turned the gun over to Patrick and got on photo duty. The goal was to run mag after mag through the gun to evaluate reliability, and we did just that:

The stress and heat of 210 rounds in quick succession did not stop the Mutant, but we did not make friends with the shell deflector:

All in all though, the gun was neither harmed nor gummed up exceptionally bad after a day of shooting:

As for my breakdown:

The Good:

• Accurate. Very accurate.
• Reliable (we put about 400 rounds total through it with no problems)
• Familiar ergonomics
• AR15 accessories accepted
• Keymod handguard
• Picatinny rail up top
• Two Magpul mags supplied
• Reasonable MSRP of $1,499 (look for a lower street price) for the base model
• Lifetime Quality Guarantee

The Bad:

• I wish the rifle had a larger charging handle latch (the heavy buffer spring makes charging the gun a bear)

The Ugly:

• Nope

As for my final thoughts: I really enjoyed shooting this rifle. In all honestly my love for shooting has diminished a bit lately because it has become more about work and less about pleasure. However, when I get a chance to shoot a gun like this that I really like, I am reminded of how much enjoyment I get out of the sport. If it were not for the holidays approaching and the end of the fiscal year, I would try to buy this rifle and leave it exactly as configured. The MK47 is just a spectacular shooter that I would recommend to any AK guy sitting on tons of 7.62×39, or any AR guy who wants .300 BLK performance without the expensive ammunition. All in all, I think CMMG has done a great job here, and if you have read my past reviews then you know that when it comes to long guns I am not easy to impress.

Thank you for reading.