#Ak

An image of a mysterious new Russian machine gun was leaked to the public recently, during a visit to the Kalashnikov factory by Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov. The weapon is an intriguing dual-feed magazine/belt loading gun that features distinctly un-AK-like underbarrel gas tube, as well as integral top and bottom Picatinny-type rails. Little is known about the weapon besides its name which is reportedly “RPK-400” (Ручной пулемёт Калашникова -400, or “Handheld Kalashnikov Machine Gun 400”) EDIT: That is apparently the name of the modernized RPK-74 that is on the far left in the image

Sven of Manticore Arms has some exciting new upgrades for the CZ Scorpion Evo 3, CZ Bren, and AKs.

Circle 10 AK is currently putting together a five cell RPK magazine chest rig for the market. When I asked the owner why specifically for RPK magazines, he pretty much replied, “Why not! There aren’t too many similar designs on the market, and it is flooded with standard 30 round magazine chest rigs!”. Although making a product for the sake of there not being one isn’t always a good business plan, in this case a valid point can be made. True, 30 round magazines reign supreme in the AK world, with the overwhelming majority of use by AK owners is with 30 rounders. However, unlike the AR world where the magazine capacity really stops at 30, RPK74 magazines, and even steel 45 round magazines are extremely popular. There have been numerous attempts at making extended capacity magazines for the AR platform, but so many of these have ended in failure. Surefire is probably the most successful venture yet, with the 60 round quad stacked magazine (of course excluding Beta Mag, but I want to focus on conventional magazine design).

Not content to make arguably the finest Kalashnikov rifles in both 7.62×39 and the 5.45 rifles has set his sights on creating a true “precision” AK. Taking one of the first models out to a 100 yard range, Jim Fuller and Travis Haley are working to wrench performance from the (by reputation) inaccurate platform.

AK owners often lament that AR’s get all the attention and love. With the customer base orders of magnitude larger for the AR, I can see that as a true statement. While picatinny rails and the various aftermarket modular attachment systems have opened up the AK platform, there are plenty of other items that just don’t get the same attention, like cleaning kits.

I believe few will contest that the VEPR series of AK’s are excellent rifles. From torture tests to general reputation, VEPR rifles from Molot are solid weapon systems. Using “RPK” thickness receivers, heavier barrels, and stock wooden furniture, they are commonly “battle-ready.”

Command Arms and Accessories (CAA) has announced their new AKMAG Ak-47 magazines is now shipping. The new magazine is of polymer construction featuring a round count window and aggressive texturing for easy magazine manipulation.

The Galil is what you get when you take a Finnish Valmet rifle and add the knowledge gained from mechanized desert warfare. The IMI Galil is an AK on steroids with numerous improvements, and shooting one is a real treat. While the modern Galil Ace is the successor, the old classic rifles are amazing in more ways than one.

With a rather coy announcement and single photo teaser-only, Dead Air Armament has announced the upcoming release of a suppressor designed for ComBlock weapons. Designed to look the part, the new can is purported to feature modern baffle design in a communist-design inspired housing.

These pictures are starting to make the rounds on the internet, but it seems to have originated from a certain Instagram profile by the name of Jon Wayne Taylor, who in turn received the pictures from one of the managers at Underground Tactical. Why or how the CEO of that company just so happened to be in Africa, and around confiscated weapons from poachers, is a mystery. But we are left with these images, of what is reported to be a fully function Chinese Type 56, patterned off the milled receiver Soviet AK47. The top receiver cover is gone, the trigger guard is non existent, the pistol grip and stock are improvised, the entire metal surface of the firearm is pitted with rust. There rear sight is being held together by wire around the trunnion, the handguards are held together by some sort of string or wire. And yet the thing miraculously still fires!

The AR15 has an extremely large following among U.S. police officers, probably arming the overwhelmingly vast amount of arsenals out there. Of course, with the exception of the Mini 14 armed cops down in San Berdinio during that tragic shooting. However, for those interested, the Kalashnikov platform does have a small following in some departments. This was brought to my attention by the Facebook page of Krebs Custom, which posted some pictures of cops from the North Slope Borough Police Department in the extremely far northern part of Alaska. At first I thought it was a typical fan picture with a bunch of the cops posing with their favorite personal AKs, maybe it was the AK friend group in that department. But upon further investigation, contacting Krebs, and contacting one of the commanding officers in that department, I confirmed that the police officers do indeed use AK rifles in 7.62x39mm as their duty/patrol rifles. They favor them much more over the AR platform due to the ability to operate in the extreme cold climates that they are working in. In addition to the terminal effects on large animals that they need to sometimes deal with. If you need any confirmation of this, simply take a look at some of these guys at their shooting range, it looks like the edge of the earth with the snow in the background! However, much to Krebs credit, not all the rifles are Krebs products:

Ahh…. Reddit. Normally completely and totally useless. However, the occasionally useful nugget comes from the website and community (though I stress occasionally).  The idea for the AK Magazine Reload Indicator comes from user ChrisKilo, a seemingly average guy with an awesome idea.

G2 Research, primarily known for their controversial Radically Invasive Projective or “R.I.P.” ammunition has released their latest loading, the Ripout. The ammunition is loaded with a 124 grain all copper round with a stated muzzle velocity of 2,270 feet per second. G2 research rates the round as suppressor-safe.

Zoltan is old friend of ours who runs Kalashnikov.hu. He reached out to me asking if I can help him with a project he is working on. He wrote …

Debris testing has been done to death. Here at TFB, we’ve covered mud and sand tests conducted by  InRange TV, Guns & Ammo TV, and the Military Arms Channel on everything from the AK,  AR-15 to the Vz. 58. So what about ice, instead?