AK-103 all day long, love the looks. Fantastic video by the way, it's super helpful for AK noobs like myself to have a seasoned expert walk through AK history and see correct examples of the different variants. I'd love to see a full AK history video!
You gave me a better understanding of my hybrid century... Slant brake, 45° gas block with the sling loop, stamped receiver with the optic mount😅 16-in mid weight chrome lined barrel, Magpul furniture, smooth dust cover, with double link action spring... 🇺🇲AK-47
Thanks for the history lesson. I first became aware of the AKs in the late 1960s. I was drafted into the Army in 1968 and when I arrived in South Vietnam, the terminology of the AK47 changed. We had captured weapons and the Army referred to these AKs as Chicoms or AK56. I remember the AK56 had milled receivers plus a spike bayonet. It wasn't until about 10 or 15 years ago that I discovered while reading some history books about the war, the reason the Army referred to these AKs as a AK 56. The Communist Chinese received a license to manufacture the Russian AKs in 1956 from Russia. Again, Great video.
Love videos like this, we get to see more of your collection and learn even more about the ak / akm. Thanks Klayco! Edited to add, I never owned an ak pattern rifle until I found your channel a little over a year ago. Now my Zastava M70 is my favorite rifle.
Now working on the modifications, love the look of the one you did on the channel. Currently tuning fixed triangle stock, folders were OOS when I was looking, different furniture, and running different steel mags painted for effect. Can’t wait to get ahold of a few Bakelite mags though it will just complete the look.
small correction at 11:45, they used 4.5mm hinge pins until swapping to the 100 series where they changed to 5.5mm hinge pins. EDIT: worth noting that 5.5mm triangle stocks were made by russia but those were developed for the bizon/vityaz and not the old ak74
I bought a PSA AK 103 years ago on an impulse buy that I still regret till this day. Never had any problems with it, I just wish I would’ve bought the folding stock version instead of the fixed stock version. I would have to say that my favorite AK’s that I own are my Wasr10 and my Yugo M70AB2 underfolder. Good video!👍
The fixed stock version is much better. The stocks can get flimsy and loose on the foldable ones, especially from PSA. They are not high quality like the Russian ones.
great video always wondered how they changed and found your video was a informative but still for people who just know enough about guns in general. thx alot!
Thanks for what you do! When AR guys ask me why I dig AKs so much, I send them to your channel. This overview video is just what the doctor ordered. Thanks!
I remember a lot of people back in the day saying that milled AKs are superior to stamped AKs, which is mostly false. With the milled AK-47s, Russia noticed that full auto fire was not that controllable and the rifles tended to climb. To combat this they gave the AKM a stock that has less drop, the lower handguard a palm swell to add some grip, and they gave it a muzzle brake. Even with semi-auto civilian versions you will notice that your follow up shots are quicker with a AKM compared to milled AK-47s. One of the only advantages to a milled AK-47 is that the rigid receiver tends to lead to slightly better accuracy but often this aspect is exaggerated. The other advantage is that milled AK-47s tend to be sexy as hell. The smooth lower handguard, lack of rivets, and overall cleaner look is known to make a grown man act up.
I have a 10/63 wasr 1971 underfolder, a 1966 polish akm, and a 1960 type 3 polish build. Only draw backs are the underfolder barrel is not cold hammer forged and the type 3 does not have a chrome lined barrel. I do appreciate the fact that all the rifles are in the vickers guide to Kalashnikov volume one. Love that book, if your serious about ak's you need that. It's your bible to everything Kalashnikov...
Im glad i finally came across a KUSA 103. Just finished giving it the full makeover internal/external tacticool and it feels great. Love the 103. Now to get one of those rare 103 mags
Great video! Love the information! I have a customized PSAK-103! I'm loving it! Jim Fuller and family are personal friends, so I have the AK ROCKSTAR, as a teacher!
Allways good to review the basics and history. Hard to say , i do have a variant of all three. Guess the first AK i bought SAM7 has to be it. Heavy, but Smoooth and she pertty too. ALG trig is in there, gonna add new ALG rod spring, and ALG hammer spring to refresh. I hope you and your buds/associates do a vid on just AK mags. Maybe Top 3 mags, a shit mag list, and maybe US mags. A whole world in it self. ✌🏻
I somehow managed to get a ban compliant 7.62 Saiga almost a decade ago, Russian made in 2009. Looks like a 103 with the threads ground off the front sight, the bayonet lugs not machined, and no folding stock. I love that rifle, but... I think my quintessential 7.62 AK would be an ISIS Special; classic AKM rifle with a folding wire stock, slant break, and with plenty of wear. My first rifle was a cheap WASR and the look just stuck for me. My 103 is a joy to shoot but being the gun nerd I am I know it shouldn't have the wood furniture I have on it. If it wasn't a legal headache I'd absolutely convert my 103 to a 104. That's my SBR of choice, mix some old wood with modern lower handguard and optic... Maybe if I move out of the ban state I'm in I'll give it some more consideration, no flashhider on a 12.5" barrel and having to notify the ATF weeks in advance if I go shooting over state lines (which I do half the time) are just too much of a dealbreaker. For now she's my AWB spite-gun that people can't believe is legal.
I only have one, it’s an AMD65, far as I can tell it’s a really nice one. Never given me an ounce of trouble. Hopefully I’ll be able to get another AK at some point. Mine has the original 12 inch barrel with the 4 inch brake pined to it. I’m proud to have it!!
@@jerodTSI yea I traded a pretty decent 6.5 Creed chassis rifle to get this one about 2 years ago, haven’t seen another one available anywhere since.. I did put a small rail under mine so I could change the front grip. Still got the original one, just wanted something different
@@joehuff4025 Indeed, it was my 3rd AK variation but I had never seen the gas block and and front hand guard like that and immediately wanted it.$500 and close to 2000rds thru it flawlessly.looked on gunbroker for a few and they have skyrocketed lately.
If I had to choose one true AK variant it would probably be an AK74 folder with side rail for scope. If I'm confined to what's currently offered on the U.S. market right now though, definitely going with VZ 58 or Galil Ace gen 2. Only "AK" type rifles worth anything near what's being asked currently. Sad times.
I can’t pick really. I’m just collecting because I like different styles and flavors from different country’s. I would take any of my AK’s into a self defense situation though, over any of my other platforms. I don’t have a 103 yet, but it’s in the rotation after a Polish and a Yugo for guns I want to add to my collection.
Thanks Clay for the history lesson! I have now learned that my two Mak90 rifles are just AK47/AKM bastard child rifles front sling swivels, vent holes on gas tube.1.5mil receivers. Guess china wanted AKM but didn’t want to pay Russia for rights…. They have the smoothest triggers. Still want a 5.56 ak and someday may sell one to get one on trade.
Still not seen anyone in the west get their hands on the AKV-521 yet. Would love to kusa selling them in the US and see how it stacks up against the 100 series, AK12, Galil ect. Excellent presentation, lots of info, thanks.
I Don't know what my two are. Well the one I bought was a century arms probably 15 years ago. It came with a Tapco trigger that's great. I replaced all the wood with all Tapco Furniture. Including a folding stock, Streamlight TLR 1 HL and an expensive scope, Blue force gear sling and and a ITAC for grip. AK's will blow apart cheap lights and optics. I learned that the expensive way. I understand the ballistics of the 762x36 round so I know my limits. Up to 400 yards I'm Dead On. I do know there from 2 different countries.
I still love my SLR-107F, would love to get into an AK-74 clone. But sadly, most people never got into the 5.45 so the market/ammo-availability just never got with that program here in the US... Having shot a number of full auto rifles, the AK-74 is the best. IMHO, beats the socks off an AR/M4.
I’m trying to pickup an ak from every country. Living in California makes this a much harder endeavor than it should be as I only have one from Bulgaria Serbia Romania USA Still need quite a few more
Prioritize imports over kit builds, and try to get a pattern commonly associated with that country vs a standard AKM clone. US, respectfully, isn't worth considering. US AKs have never been a thing, other than famous builders like Jim Fuller or Mark Krebs.
I had a Chinese stamped underfolder about 20 years ago, but I had to give it back to the dealer who sold it to me, after the ATF called me and said I had to turn it in, or else. It had ALL the receiver pins present and accounted for showing and the ATF classified it as full auto. Needless to say I turned it in imediately. The Dealer gave me a full refund as I knew he would. When I purchased it at the gun show, he said I might have trouble keeping this gun, and he was right!
I'd take an AKM all day long. I prefer the 100 series but a vintage AKM is totally acceptable. I also like the AK-74 and its 5.45 round but it just never took off here in the States, so ammo availability is sus and that keeps it from being #1 (imho)
AK-200 series. Same line of guns with Vityaz style railed top covers and optional railed polymer hand guards. They also have the same telescopic stock that was used on the AK-12. People usually confuse them for AK-12’s in pictures. There’s alot of pictures out there of Chechen SF guys with AK-205’s.
I still have my 104FR and it’s less recoil than any 5.56 I’ve ever shot plus mags are 5x lighter than AR mags. Only draw back is 5.45 heats up quicker then 7.62
In the civilian market in Ukraine we have all the variants of AKs including AK-104, AKS-74U, RPKs and so on, and the most valuable (and cheap) are the Soviet AKMs, it is easy to find one in storage unfired condition. The russian AKs are more expensive and no so good in quality and term of life, they can be compared to Polish WBP AKs.
Peak AK for me would be an AK-104 with either a Sureshot chassis or Zenitco rails. That's what I would grab if you were throwing me into a warzone in either the middle east or Africa.
I have an Izzy reweld that’s the top prize of my collection but by numbers alone that Chinese “junk” takes first place. As long as imports are around I’ll choose them over other options
I will give props to KUSA for making clone correct rifles vs PSA. PSA gets props too but they put their own flavor to it and it is not clone correct. I need a saiga or a KR103 lol
My ideal AK would be a 105. I'm torn on converting a 5.45 Saiga, between 105 with pinned-and-welded extended muzzle device, or AK-74M. If we didn't have the NFA, it would be 105 no questions.
So why did they have the presence of mind to thread the barrels for a muzzle device on the type 3s only to offset that by placing a thread protector on them?
Same reason the stg44 was that they. They expected to update them and eventually use BFAs, flash hiders, ie polish did that, Breaks, suppressors. They simply didn't execute those plans on the old guns
