My Molot Vepr with CCScope steel mags (6.5Grendel), zukov foldable stock, hogue grip and russian syntetic handguard all in plum and the 74 compensator and a 1-6x LPVO comes in at 12lbs exactly! But then again, I had AKs before ARs, so I'm use to them.😉
That AK74 is sick dude. Mind me asking what the base gun is? I'm sure you've discussed it in other videos but is it an Arsenal or something? I'd love to get an AK74 but the situation with 5.45 dissuades me.
Love it Robski. Like back when you said if you're bitching about the weight do some push-ups. We all need to quit being lazy and get in shape for what's coming.
Keep up the great work rob. We really appreciate you, especially in times like these where it’s not easy to put out this content with ammo prices etc. you truly have done a lot for the Ak community and we are truly grateful
More than overall weight, I've found the issue with accessorizing to be balance, especially if you go mid-length quad rail like the Zenitco, or full length Leader kit with light, laser, bipod, etc. The AK is already pretty front heavy, so unless you add a heavier stock and optic setup, it tends to feel like a lead ball on the end of a stick in terms of control. Great for recoil management, not so much for target transitions.
Jack, spot on comment about the balance - like this rifle is perfectly balanced so drives extremely nicely and you really don’t feel it much. But I have seen some much lighter setups and it was a nightmare to work with it because rifle had a tendency to nose dive on its own. Very undesirable effect.
So True, Robski. I know guys that have Tons of unnecessary crap on their rifles for no good reason. Guess they've never heard the K.I.S.S acronym. Only have the tools you Need on your rifle.
@@AkOperatorsUnion Grunts will cut a toothbrush in half to save weight, and Billy Fred has everything money can buy hanging of his rifle...because it's Very Seldom carried. 😄😉👍
It's absurd how much stuff the Armalite crowd has made supposedly mandatory. You need a weapon light. You need an IR light. You need a dot optic. You need a low magnification optic. You need a foregrip. You need a suppressor. You need a conjoined magazine. You need a rail system. Let's add together all that additional mass. Weapon light: .25lbs IR light: .45lbs Holographic sight: .75lbs Magnifying sight: 1.2lbs Foregrip: .15lbs Suppressor: 1.1lbs Joined mag: 2lbs (assuming 30rnd capacity loaded w/ 7.62x39) Rail system: 1.3lbs Additional total: 7.2lbs And remember that first magazine adds 2 pounds when loaded. So that takes your 6.75lbs empty AK and makes it 14 pounds when "ready for action!" Your nimble personal rifle is now the weight of an LMG!
"If you don't need it, don't put it on." Exactly. Too many people hang all this crap on the front of their guns like they're Spec Ops. Dude, you go to the Range twice a year. Stop it.
The Yugo SKSs and AKs are so heavy that they're totally useless in combat. I'd much rather have a Chinese SKS, or EG MPi-KM, for actual combat. Much easier to carry and swing.
@@donwyoming1936you do know that we fought in Afghanistan with M4’s with lasers, ACOGs, IR laser/illuminator, and/or 203? Machine gunners humped 240s and 249s with hundreds of rounds. M14 DMRs had all of accessories of an M4, but in 308. Taliban units frequently humped PKMs and RPKs through the mountains on foot. And the Taliban RPG guys? They humped a lot more weight. I think the only combat you’ve seen is in video games.
Just an observation, not a complaint. Yugo Aks can get kind of heavy after all accessories/optics/etc are installed. I try to keep those simple with a Light, Micro T1 Style Red Dot, CNC Warrior Tubular Folder, TDI handguard, and an Ultimak or RS Regulate Rail. I believe a WASR in the same configuration will weigh close to a naked/stock M70 with only iron sights.. If you aren't careful the weight can easily add up on Yugos.
I don’t recall a time outside of basic training (w/ LBE) that I didn’t get weighed down with at least an extra 50lbs. Maybe some time after 09 they got concerned about weight but not when I was in. Peq15, aimpoint or some optic, vert grip, surefire for the rifle were standard Ach, nvg mount, carried nvgs in assault pack IBA or IOTV 13 mags sop, ifak Lets not forget mask on the hip and mop gear at least close by
Rob, we need more AK content from you to keep the AK community alive and growing! The AK market has been in a major downward spiral ever since the ammo sanctions.
Thanks Rob Ski for this video! At one time I was taught having your rifle in " fighting trim". Meaning keeping the weight of accessories in line with what the rifle will be used for. Thanks!🫡🎯👍🤝✌️
I typically say to people that they should get stronger to bear the weight of rifle, but have been dealing with this issue for first time because wife rifle is a bit too heavy for her to carry for extended period of time with accessories. Great info!
Thanks so much for this video, Rob. I recently weighed a Daniel Defense M4A1 14.5" barrel, quad rail, no front sight post, BCM Gunfighter stock, Brownells 30mm cantilever scope mount and Vortex Viper PST II 1-6x scope. It weighed 10lbs without magazine.
Literally had to go out a buy a side folder with a simple fore end that I can slap a light on if necessary. I got tired of the complexity/weight of my other ak running optics/ grips ect. Now the void has been filled and my first love has been restored.
In the 1999 movie The 13th Warrior, Herger the Joyous tells Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan, "Grow stronger" after Ahmed says he can't lift a Viking sword. That's my advice if one is complaining of a heavy rifle.
I have a couple of Krebs VEPR's, a Krebs Saiga, an Arsenal and Galil ACE. None of them are as light as my wood furniture Krebs Core or as heavy as my PTR 32.
It's not just the weight of the rifle when shooting it. It's the weight on your shoulder when slinging it for extended periods. Remember that you're probably not just going to have your rifle if you ever have to actually use it. You're likely to be wearing a plate carrier and other gear. It doesn't matter who you are or how good your sling is, that much dead weight on one small area of your shoulder for an extended period is going to get uncomfortable. What makes for a good competition and target gun does not always make for a good field weapon, it's as simple as that. Let's also not forget that a metal handguard on an AK heats up rapidly, forcing you to also install a foregrip. Switching to a metal handguard has stacking consequences.
Arsenal SAM7SF-84E with RS regulate, PA 1x SLX prism optic, RS regulate barrel clamp, streamlight protac rm2 and a cheese grater using only chinese mags. Competed with it, had it slung over for hours on end and still kicking. Literally get in shape, train with your best set up and get used to it.
My AK is set up just like this. As a matter of fact, I bought this stock my other after market accessories from Rob. The extra weight is worth it. My AR's are also likewise set up.
I got a Beryl 7.62 and added all of the military furniture/rails to it without thinking too hard about it. It was incredible how much noticeable extra weight was added to the rifle. I then started swapping things around to minimize to just the accessories I cared about (optic, light, VFG) and was able to cut over a pound. Short version - RS Regulate is magical, and the Master Mount rail plate and rubber grenade launcher “boot” as a LOP fix for a polymer AKM stock are great (the latter two being things I picked up from this channel). I agree that quick modularity has value and for sure there are always tradeoffs in this area. But the kind of targeted/specific modularity you get from more civilian (individual owner) oriented products has a real edge over military oriented “one size fits all” setups with far more rail etc. than any one person is likely to want/use. Big shout-out to barrel-clamp rail sections for this stuff.
You're right the rifle weight is a trade off. 12-13lbs rifle is not that it's too heavy it's that it's a trade off in other areas equipment to carry. Less medical, less ammunition, less secondary ammo if carrying pistol, less food, water, maybe side plates in plate carrier (some choose not to have side plates that's a choice for each person), etc. You can add or take away infantryman loadout list, but there is a breaking point of what can be carried also at the cost of speed of mobility. Even the strongest man in the world has a carry limit n would have to consider whats more important. If it was just the rifle it wouldn't be an issue for most.
My ZPAP M70 - Zhukov folder, wood lower handguard, wood pistol grip, cheese grater upper handguard, m77 flash hider, Gideon Advocate optic on a Zastava mount, full mag - is 11 lbs 0 oz. Not overly light but it I don't need muzzle brake either ;)
I just finished a wooden Rom. Wasr to Tac-K build thinking it'll be lighter without the wood. After light, mounts, quadrail, adj stock, grip I don't know what I was thinking, lighter. I also picked up a MasterMount on your website to finish it off
My shtf is a 14.5 DD m4a1 with the ris2 rail. My HD is a DD v7p 10.3 upper with a recce 5 can on it. They feel the same when I pick each up, but powerlifting or bodybuilding definetly is key to being able to hold the rifle up at attention for longer time
@easygoindood Yes, my point was that 12 lbs is two pounds heavier than some notoriously heavy rifles. They didn't need all of that extraneous stuff on their rifles, and we don't either.
@@jimvac77they didn’t have access to modern optics, 600-1k lumen LED lights, pretty much any muzzle devices, list goes on. Things have changed a bit since 1942, and it’s comical how often that point needs to be made in this community now almost entirely made up of people born long after.
I was just at the gun store and they had a Zastava ZPAP-M70 there I grabbed to feel. I've owned one before and they have some heft but this sucker had a HUGE midwest industries all metal forend that made the rifle very front heavy and overall like 12+ pounds.
Fixed 5x with a red dot on top is a big difference as compared to a 1-6 lpvo. I bet no one uses 2x-5x on a lpvo, so it's a logical weight saving effort.
lol yes, even on that short video I posted previously. Speaking about people freaking out about active IR, that deserves discussion on its own in the future
I think it doesn't matter, this is a good sports setup and the wieght helps with recoil, esp if you give it a nice muzzle break. Plus its not like you're gonna be carrying it in low ready during combat all day.
7.62x39 AK's will always be heavy. Even if you carry a lightened AK, you're still carrying (7) 30rd magazines. It's a trade off that you'll have to accept.
I have built an AR and an AK with "equivalent" parts, same scopes, same scope mounts, same muzzle devices, similar barrel profiles, similar rails/stocks, the weight came out about the same, right around 10 pounds without a can. That being said the AK is more front heavy, so while the weight is almost identical, the AK is harder to hold up. The biggest weight savings you will have are a thin barrel, and a small optic or no optic. If you want that LPVO, if you want that medium barrel, if you want that can ... Its going to be between 10 and 12 pounds, though you can lose a pound or two by using the lightest components, but then it will not be a very tough rifle.
Only if you try to make an AR out of it, then add tons of kit. A classical AKM, maybe modernized with MagPul furniture and fitted with a side folding stock is heavier than an M-16/M-4/AR-15, but not not obnoxiously so. A PARA FAL is much heavier than either of them.
I am a huge fan of the etched reticles and I hope the become more prevalent in optics. Batteries and access to electricity may be interesting for a short time.
12lbs for capability rich 545... ok. Not feeling bad that my 308AK with Zenitco, ACOG or 1-6ACSS, 2100 or 4200lm light, Green Laser, Bipod, and back up 600Lm/offset Thumb Over Grip, is 13lbs. (including 20rds of 147grn) Certainly everything is QD, and there is a pouch for the Bipod on the vest, other things will fit in an admin pouch, with rails you do not need to be married to much. The Laser is the only thing I am touchy about, and if you know where that falls on the ACSS, it can be re-adjusted without firing. Green lasers to me are really only for a point and shoot stress out to 50m night, do not expect to see it beyond 25m day time anyway. It is also powerful and efficient enough to see where you are stepping at night. you might be able to blind certain threats with it for a minute or so. When things get crazy, you will be glad you had everything on the gun and started the subtraction as events unfold, rather than regret not even leaving with the options to begin with. In my world, the only thing that has changed in civilian level tech is the Flashlight weight spec now gives 3020Lm at over half a Kilometer for almost 1.5hrs. This was unimaginable in the 80's-90's, unattainable in the early 2000's, and then it took 20 more years. Now that we are at the advent of weapon mountable laser based flashlights with 1600m ranges and 2 min blind times that do not weigh 5lbs, actual shooting becomes an all else fails option.
Rather have an AK with 7.62x39 than any other round. Yes, weighs more but rather carry heavier ammo and heavier gun that just puts someone's lights out with double tap. Got AR 15 because everyone was saying I should. I can not believe what a baby round that is and that are boys in combat use that baby bullet. If I would go into combat, either my favorite round is 7.62x39 or 308. Also, trust my AK more than any other rifle I have. Now, AR 15 fun to shoot, but if I was in combat, I want my AK. Never worry about the weight. The lighter the bullets, the more bullets you use. The heavier the gun, the more durable the rifle.
Guys complain about the weight of the Yugoslavian variant yet that variant has probably been used in more wars than any other variant. Guys that were actually issued them have said they didn't notice the weight once they carried long enough to become conditioned to it. We have the luxury of complaining about an extra pound or two being too much to carry or swing. Some better hope they don't have to carry their rifle for real because they probably ain't ready for anything real. I get cutting weight in un-needed gear or accessories but the little extra weight in those M70s make for a very smooth shooting AK which can be useful.
My AK is at 17lbs with sig romeo 7, bipod, light, forgrip, fully loaded 75 rnd mag and suppressor, its at around 13.8 with regular mag . No suppressor its around 12lbs
AKM and AK-74 aren't heavy at all. I had an Australian Steyr AUG, which was significantly heavier than AK and the only thing it had was the pic rail with a tube x1.5 optic. Zenitco have a vid where they compare their railed furniture to standard AK-74M plastic furniture and it's same weight. AK-12 and M-4A1 both weigh 3.5kg in military trim with all the rails. That's as light as combat firearm can realistically be due to ruggedness considerations. Accessories add weight. People need to deal with it, understand what they need each and every accessory for, and work from there. Military minimalism wasn't born from someones arbitrary decision. It was born from painful and bloody experience.
11+ pounds unloaded? Damn that's in loaded battle rifle territory. Not really acceptable for fighting rifles that you will be carrying for long distances. Closet queens sure, but yeah that's still heavy as f*k
