@@raulthepig5821the same Clinton who had a foreign donor that was implicated in illegally shipping PRC military AKs into the USA back in the 1990s. Don't recall if Clinton first or second term.
I remember the ian McCollum saying on a Q&A that American manufacturers had to compete with the artificial cheapness of surplus weapons. Customers started thinking AKs are naturally cheap when in reality they can be pricey to build. American manufacturers had to choose between cheap and low quality or expensive and high quality
Yeah, I agree. AK's are actually extremely expensive to build because of the amount of labor and material costs that go into the alloys used in mil-spec rifles. A guy on the AKFiles had a metallurgical analysis done on the Vepr Bolts and it turned up to contain Tungsten (which is crazy expensive).
Mechanically an AK requires higher quality parts to rely on so you don’t have a catastrophic failure. You can build a Cheap AR and it may not be the best shooting rifle but if it fails it’s usually in a way where the shooter is mostly unharmed, but cheap out on the wrong part of an AK and boom op rod to the face. I’d take a high quality AK over an AR platform any day, but if my budget is under a grand I’ll take the AR 15 all day because of the fact you can spend 900 bucks on a decent quality one like a Windham weaponry that will do the job and function where I wouldn’t wanna chance my life on a 900 dollar AK
@@WebSurfingIsMyPastime yeah you'll still find people claiming that AKs are cheap to produce. All those surplus rifles were expensive as hell to originally manufacture but we got them all cheap when the cold war ended
This is what I mean when I say we can thank the baby boomers. Most of my contemporaries couldn’t have changed anything if they wanted to. Not even their own pampers. A lot of folks got to enjoy the rights and privileges, but tacitly welcomed in the regime we live in😅
My problem with AKs in America is that the cheap imported ammo is gone. No more $180 cases of 7.62x39. My second problem is that Russian AKs are no longer imported and the prices on the existing ones have gotten stupid.
Remember when Mosins were being sold for less than $50? Lots of Soviet-bloc era crap everywhere. That's why PMCs working Iraq in the mid-2000s were using AKs and PKMs over there. I suspect with all the American hardware leftover in Afghanistan will shape the future GWOT and the terrorist militias until the ammo and gear run their course.
An SKS which could be bought for 50 to 75 back in the 90s now costs $1500...that's a real issue. If you bought a couple of crates of ammo, they'd give you an SKS for free.
I believe John Moses Browning also died of a heart attack (or maybe a stroke) while busy at his workbench finishing up the designs to a new firearm development project, Browning Hi-Power semi-auto pistol. That brilliant man never did settle down for retirement ever because he passionately craved more busy things to do in the industry he cared so much about. A genius and prodigy doesn't ever quit their work while they're alive on this Earth.
The book, The Guns of John Moses Browning provides a lot of insight into the man. Browning actively avoided reporters as he saw them as a waste of time. That said they finally managed to get something out of him when they asked why he doesn't perfect the car. The answer. " There may come a time when man may not need weapons but for now I'm going to build the best weapons ever made by man". Not an exact quote but still. The other factor is his family life took a hit. After Browning was done with his mission, the gates of knowledge opened up for him and the man started patenting and building at a speed that worried his family. His siblings noted that John was actively racing himself to get his designs developed and new ones created. We could have had intermediate cartridges and Assault rifles before anyone else but FN didn't think it would sell. Reading the book from a spiritual perspective you get the impression that Browning was getting knowledge from the Lord Almighty. Seriously, his family took him to a theater and while his body was there his mind was in the shop. Honestly, JMB should be added into public school textbooks like the Wright brothers, Tesla, Bell, Nobel, and others. Thank you and have a great day.
We need a gunsmithing related book from Jim Fuller. I'd love to aquire some of his knowledge. To much of the gunsmithing knowledge is being lost these days. Almost all the gunsmithing books available are 10 to 50 years old.
He doesn't like sharing the secrets of building an AK. Sure he does build classes, but that doesn't convey what you would expect. Occasionally he'll let up and something slips out (like adjusting the length of the piston on the carrier to reduce overgassing) but most of the time he's actually very vague on what makes his AK better than the competition.
@@WebSurfingIsMyPastime Maybe after he gets this last project out of the way he'll consider it. It's be a shame to have that knowledge lost. It'd be a great addition to his legacy to share that knowledge for the people that are passionate about firearms like he is.
@@brianhoxworth3881No he just made a one part how-to-build which didn't go beyong field stripping and verbal instructions on how not-to-rivet. Not a build video at all. Mentioned he would make more if 'they' (panteo productions) paid him more in the future.
I love my SKS it's all original from 1980 with all the field stripping parts in the butt stock hole (butthole)😂 but it costed me 700 bucks when I bought it...but the quality and condition was the main reason i got it...and my neighbor brags that he bought his in the late 80s for 88 bucks from sears...but its a great gun and i love that it completely beats the salty ban the Democrats are trying to push while using 7.62 x 39 and in my opinion is more accurate than a run in the mill AK... No offense to AK guys...
I have a buddy that just bought a mosin. M but he payed a little under a grand for it and about 150 rounds...I have some newer firearms but I absolutely love shooting older guns it's just a totally different feeling than one of my ARs...it's like it's just more fun plinking steel plates with something that has some age to it...
How many people here even know what a phone booth is? Or even more telling here a phone booth is? I used to live in the twin cites area of Minnesota. This phone booth with out a phone was outside in a small strip mall. It was either in Golden Valley or Plymouth...that is the last one I have seen. Probably over five years ago.
That’s my first and only solid AK that I have. Those AKs made by Zastava are like tanks and very well built. I highly recommend them also. They are going to outlast us. If I decide to get another one it will be by Zastava. Great, great rifle👍🏿
Bought a wasr10 brand new in 2006 when I came home from Iraq. 18 years and thousands of rounds later, it's been flawless....and accurate on man size targets at 300 plus yards....it goes bang when you need it to go bang, and your life depends on it.
Got mine in 82 after my 10 year's of army service. I call her baby a paratrooper under folding stock weapon and she will give it hell never miss fired either.
I have an Ak 105 built by this man their company is top notch my favorite in all my collection runs flawlessly. He called me multiple times personally about my build to make sure it was everything I wanted and more . I can’t say enough about the kind of quality craftsmanship time and commitment that goes into his builds and am so proud to have something build by the Ak godfather himself . Appreciate you Jim fuller sir you are one of a kind and a gem in the ak community .
Maybe first learn the NRA leadership structure, before nominating Colion Noir to a figurehead position. Hint: Wayne LaPierre ran the NRA for over 30 years and was never the NRA President.
If Colion pushes the NRA to a MORE HARD LINE stance, I would rejoin the NRA and gladly give my hard earned money......REPEAL THE NFA AND NATIONWIDE CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY......
@@TexasNationalist1836 Tried replying a few times, sorry if this is a dupe. About 10 : 30 into Donut's Bullet Storm SHREDS Hostage Taker! video he mentions Brandon.
Zastava been makin real AK's since 1960s...an estimated 4,000000 used in actual wars world wide....highly regarded by soldiers from the Balkans to Africa...Asia and beyond...ZPAP made with all original Serbian parts..in same factory...you can usually get them on sale under a grand....just sayin
The problem with AR's in America is that they have 31 moving parts the AK has 7 or 8 depending on if it has the special repeat mode. AR's are fun guns and they are effective and accurate but if you have to fix it in the field you may as well pick up another gun off the ground. I can replace every single part on my AK except the barrel, including the springs. You can use bed springs or for the trigger you can use bailing wire.
We’ve gotten way too screwed on AK Imports over the past decades. I can see them completely going away from us with what we still have left (Zastava, WBP, Wasrs, etc). It’ll be up to people like Jim and others to keep AKs alive in this country.
Someone with some drop forges and proper dies and steel alloys. Hammer forged barrels also. That isn't cheap. PSA might be able to swing it. Daniel Defense has the CHF barrel equipment.
PSA GF5-E and AK-E are really great rifles. Seriously. I haven't seen or heard of a GF5-E or AK-E that was bad. I even saw Rob Ski do 1.5 MOA with one which is UNREAL! Like, that kind of accuracy out of a AK is just unheard of. I think it was 3 round groups but still way better than any other I have seen. Not to mention the full auto burn down videos that did so well they just ran out of ammo. Those PSA variants did better than any COM Block AK EVER tested and by a wide margin. The platform has been out so long that like the Glock it should be easy for them to build a well built AK. Just needs to right kind of leadership, tooling materials, budget and QC. I mean seriously look how good the 9mm striker fired polymer frame pistol has gotten. Its gotten so good that pistols like the CZ P10 series can be had for less than $350 and its literally a better pistol in every way vs a Glock. That's how it should be with AK's. The design has been out long enough that a American company has the ability and IS (like in the case of PSA) building a better rifle than the original and offering it for way less money than a original Russian version.
I've encountered many of these obstacles firsthand, from sourcing parts to navigating state laws. Fuller's insights shed light on the intricacies of the firearms industry and the need for greater understanding and advocacy. Despite the hurdles, the enduring appeal of the AK platform in America persists, a testament to its reliability and versatility.
Retired 2015. 72 years old and bangin’ as hard or harder than ever at the things I love: Guns-training with the elites at least twice a year: Advanced tactics, Gunfighter, etc. I obviously can’t keep up with the 25 year olds but I try like hell and can shoot as well as the best of them in most situations and more days than not. I compete USPSA & Steel Challenge twice a month minimum. I shoot five days a week for ‘practice’ and work one day a week as an RSO and part time gunsmith. I teach as often as called, from pistol basics to tactics intro and church security team development. Never gonna stop. I don’t look forward to dying and don’t want to die on the range. That would be messy. But when the lights go out it won’t be because I was out of shape physically, mentally unchallenged or bored to tears. I hope it’s not waking up (early) to get to the range. I make time for a few vacations a year and always time for family gatherings and my wife. She has been my motivator to step out and go for it - no matter what ‘it’ is, be it two different careers I loved or to register for that tactics course I’m interested in. God Bless her. Love what you do and live what you love. Don’t let your dreams be memes.
I also retired in 2015 😊 from hard work. Picking up cement and blacktop broken pieces and throwing them in backhoe buckets 😊 You are so right about must keep busy after retirement 😊 bought a used backhoe in 2003 for my play toy It's huge 19000 pounder ( Dynahoe-190 She is my baby along with my 1971 SeaGrave engine. Both have Detroit Diesel I keep busy in retirement moving dirt in my back yard. And fixing leaky cylinders seal on the backhoe. Have one of the front loader dump cylinders OFF now The chrome part had a bend in it from age she is a 1978 with 8000 hours on her. I have "FUN" and keep busy 😊😊😊
@@pistolgrips Would love to have you come play with my baby In my yard I call her BIG Musky after the biggest Dragline Bucyrus Erie built. In my yard my Dynahoe looks like big Musky.
I retired 2 years ago. The gun collection has tripled. Ive been dabbling in leatherworking. I finally have time to play all the video games I missed out on. I have time to go see friends and family. For me, its like summer break year round and im loving it.
Jim and his wife Karen are two of the best people that we know and love dearly in our family. Amazing people. I’m absolutely happy to see that you had him on. When it comes to the AK, you’re right bro. Jim is the authority. Good stuff! You and I need to collaborate by the way!
He seems like a guy I’d really like to share a beer with Colin, except for the fact that he’s all hopped up on something or tweakin’…. I’d still have a beer with him though..,
I have a matched trio of Jim Fuller RD AKs in 7.62, 5.45, and 5.56 (rebuilt from an Arsenal). They are stone simple, yet beautifully built, and work perfectly.
I had quite a few pre 89 Chinese Kalashnikov in my opinion they were Superior to everything else I eventually decided to americanize my collection and let my beloved Chinese Kalashnikov collection go including the Norinco Bullpup bakelite side folder just to mention a few reminiscing about days gone by
The Browning 50 uses stampings as does the Stoner 63, FN 240, and M60.. Stampings start up cost are very expensive, yet cost effective if the firearm is going to be manufactured in high numbers..Stoner stated with the newer CNC machines that they made stampings less advantages..
After 2 Century AK rifles that were garbage.I bought a Zastava, and what a difference. I decided Americans can't make an affordable, high-quality AK. They are custom-built with custom quality for custum prices. Or cheap poorly made rifles that run ok but not worth the price. Zastava makes,( imo) the best AK ,price irrelevant.
I have an Arsenal SLR104FR. I’ll never let it go, tons of ammo purchased cheap too. James Yeager made a video several years ago about 5.45 AK’s sold by KVar and that’s all I needed to make the investment.
id like a AK but is it better then my BCM? no not at all. and then 762 ammo just not around. if you kicked in 100 doors in my state TX. 556 all day go to the range what you see 556.. you get the random guy thats like i shoot 308 because 180 gr puts them down.. im like 556 been putting people in the dirt for nearly 100 years.... not really sure whats up///
Remember back in the 80’s and 90’s when you could buy an AK for $200-$300? If I only had the foresight. Same with Gold and Silver. Although back then I was young and broke so it would have been a moot point anyway.
I was going to say, $300 back then was still a fair sum of money. According to The U.S. Inflation Calculator, $350 in '95 had the purchasing power of $713, today (103.6% inflation). But I do wish I'd have picked up a few $89 cosmo-caked SKSs, though.
Look on the bright side, yes, silver is no longer in the $5-8 range, but it hit $49 in 4/2011 and is currently $24.57. It hasn't lost any of its fundamentals and is being suppressed....so who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth at these rates?😏
This is a 38 minute video that spent maybe three minutes actually addressing the topic highlighted by the title. I appreciate what Mr. Fuller has done for promoting the AK platform among American shooters, but for me he is not the “ultimate AK guy” in the way that he is for you, Mr. Noir. For me that would be Rob Ski over at AKOU. Mr. Ski approaches the AK in a way that I can relate to, in that he uses and tests models that are accessible to me, that are built in the way that was originally meant for the platform, as a relatively inexpensive - or at least affordable - fighting arm for Everyman. Mr. Fuller serves a very small niche market and he has been very successful with that, so good for him. But listening to him talk about his products is like walking into Rolls Royce showroom. It all sounds very nice but it means nothing to me, as I could never imagine spending three or four grand on an AK that I’d then have to wait at least six months to see. Nice that you have one; most of us never will. But he’s right that the basic problem with American-made AKs is that the manufacturers don’t take the design seriously enough, thinking “It’s just an AK, a simple peasant’s weapon. What can be so hard about that?” without understanding that while the AK is designed to be simple to operate and maintain for an illiterate peasant, it is very far from simple to produce so it can work as intended. Easy to use, easy to maintain, but hard to make the right way, that’s the AK.
If you love what you do for a living you’ll never work a day in your life and if you’re really successful hey don’t ever quit. (But) take some time off on occasion and don’t burn out. We’ll be here when you get back.
The problem with an AK.... it's an inferior weapon as a semi-auto. It is not accurate but was always intended to lay down lots of lead at the enemy. The ar 15 is FAR superior as a semiautomatic. I've owned both.
Jim fuller is totally wrong on his claim about 8-10" barrel for 7.62x39. It's not "little more than 45acp" it's actually over 3 time more powerful Even 7" 5.56 absolutely blow 45acp out of water.
Best thing about AKs: automatic come with a 2 stage trigger Don't require cleaning Can run dry with out lubricant Functions in any kind of weather or climate Rock and lock magwell prevents mags from falling to the ground (AR magwells are terrible. Seen so many mags fall to the ground on ARs) And AKs came from Russia so their not gae (Lol)
Colion just reminded me about how I hid my firearms from my parents because they were so anti gun to nowadays they ask me about builds and refer family members to me if they have questions about firearms and corresponding laws
It’s because of columbine and the Clinton gun ban. Guns were highly highly stigmatized until around 2010. You were seen as a potential school shooter if you had guns, it was a wierd time for guns because of the commies gun ban
I like AK'S, I got into them because Bush tried to ban them. I have had a variety on models, I didn't keep the NHM 91 or the Arsenal model with the machined receiver. A Galil is an AK based but decent, I also enjoy the marksman rifles based upon the AK.
Although I appreciate some of the superiorities in the design of the AK, and the cost reduction, I actually handle them very well on full auto, etc. My mental block for not accepting them was three tours of folks shooting them at me LOL, other than that a good weapon
My first AK was a MAK 90 my neighbor sold me with 1000 rds of ammo for 165 dollars . I cut his grass all summer and worked for the man for 2 summers . He had a bunch of Chicom Aks still in the box and a whole side of a garage front to back of crates of copper wash 7.62 steel core . Some people bought cheap and stacked deep .
I got two 660 round "spam cans" stored. The Chinese stuff was a bit dirtier when fired, but the chromed barrels and finishes on them withstood the mild corrosive stuff just fine on the military guns. I had the top cover of an SKS "M" (Thumbhole stock, AK mag SKS, cost me $159, seller couldn't give it away.) rust on the inside from it though. I wouldn't want to fire it through US made, non-chrome barrels though. I kept my FEG (Hungarian) AK though so it's a non-issue with that gun. I sold my Russian SKS to my lawyer friend, but the trigger group was the defective safety type, a 1950's collector's item anyway. I wish I had of bought one of those cases of 10 Chinese "surplus" (Not fired new ones for the 1970's ) SKS's and kept them. That under $1K buy you could sell 4, make triple or quadruple the money, and have six rifles left over today.
@@sigma80 You were lucky to be alive in that time . He bought most if not all of it before the ban came down . He had some beautiful rifles . He talked about how little it cost him . He got me into combloc firearms and I’m forever thankful for that !
I had a couple built when kits were $139 and nodak spud receivers were $100 and you could have an AK built and parkerized for $350. So for $600 and the 922r parts you had a custom built gun.
My biggest issue with AKs is that simply are not serviceable by the end user. For example, my rear trunnion cracked. That rifle has been sitting for years because nobody near me will work on it and the cost to have it fixed is about the same as just replacing the rifle at this point. The ammo has gotten way too damn expensive. And the AKs themselves are too damn expensive. There’s absolutely zero reason to buy an AK other than guys that wanna be different and stand out. Prove me wrong 🤷🏽♂️
Once his contract with them expires, can't talk bad about them without risking getting sued. Colion is a lawyer, hed know the particulars of his contract.
For me, im in love with the G3. Unpopular opinion but while the AK is a fantastic rifle, i think there ugly and i dont like em. But I dont hate on it, justy a preference thing. But i Love the G3 and i WILL have one somehow, some way, god damnit lol
I had a few type 56 Norinco's back in the 80's and they were great rifles. Ran all the cheap x39 I could find. I now have a Russian and a Bulgarian Arsenal and they are well built rifles.
The only way an AK makes sense is when they were inexpensive and so was the ammo. 15 years ago no one could imagine that an AK would cost 50% or even double the cost of an AR when it was literally the opposite back then. ARs are easier to attach accessories to, easier to change uppers and use different ammo.
When I crono'd an ak pistol, it had about an 8.75" barrel, 124gr russian fmj @ 2050 fps average. Do the math on that. It's about 1157 ft lbs of energy, slightly more than a 1911 which is around 390 ft lbs of energy, and thats a good 1911 load. So, I call bullsh!t on that one.
It's a valid question. Though few remember the years when Brandon ran a company that was always out of stock and indefinitely unavailable services, maybe Brandon was touting himself as THE AK Guy - FFL with intentions to compete in the market, failed, and chose to be an influencer instead?
I live in France, i own a real Izmash Kalashnikov MKK-104 made in Russia. With E.U. ban, now it's impossible to get one. Prices for used one are crazy. 2500/3500€. 2 years ago, a brand new one was 990€.
Only combloc soys hate US made aks. I would recommend Palmetto gf5 line, or their ak 102 or Palmetto Krinkov. Rileys are fine too, not too familiar with them.
@@TiliDoll lol another mad combloc soy 😆 mine runs steel fine. I only have 300 steel case left tho, gonna get brass anyways steel case made sense when is was cheaper than brass. If you can't afford brass , don't get into firearms. Cope harder now soyo
colion just needs to disclose at the beginning of every video whether hes getting paid by the company or if they sent him the gun for free... that way he can stop crying about ppl rightfully calling him a shill. His 2a activism is amazing... his gun reviews are a joke. All these utubers took money for years and years and now their upset we are calling them out and catching on. Love to know how many guns hes had to send back or had problems with but never mentioned in his videos.
I have a moderately priced AK. $800. Functions very smoothly never had a feed jam or anything. Have no fear of catastrophic failure. But that's just me. I also have two AR-15s and two more lowers.
@@jonathanstevey1748 it's silly snd the barrell isn't even chrome lined like my old cheap chicom sks. Still have the awesome little cleaning g kit that was In the buttstock.
I have mixed feelings about my Yugo SKS. I like it but I don't know. The best thing about it is just how cool it looks with the grenade launcher sites still on it. But all in all I like it. My Chinese SKS is not bad either. Although I tried to modify it so it would take the larger mags but I never could get it to work.
Aks kinda suck.. shot a few and there fun but the fact almost every country adopting the same footprint as the Armalite it's just proves the point that AKs are just not that guy...
Has he built a .50 cal AK platform? Or designing one?..... Brandon Herrera is. This guy is a legend and has many great feats. I just dislike his eye roll to the Brandon Herrera mention, with no explanation.
@@Anceleron well it’s still better than going on a 2 hundred dollar vacation or buying something else that would be wore out or broke back then instead of buying this rifle.
I purchased a RifleDynamics Ak and Jim couldn't have been better! I placed an order for a divorce present for myself and Jim's wife if I remember right, called me and let me know they were building their very first batch of "production" rifles...but the production rifles was pretty much exactly what I'd wanted on my custom order...so I saved money and got it like 9 months sooner! So I had one of their very first batch, before they even named it I recall! Rifle was amazing! And was sadly stolen from my home. Devastated!
