December is my favorite month of the year. I love Christmas and I don’t care who knows it. But I love it so much that I always feel let down when it’s over. Yeah, New Year’s, blah, blah, blah. A big lit-up ball drops in Times Square. Big deal. Gimme a Ric Flair “woo.” With a small “w.” But…January heralds something akin to Christmas for people like me, and probably you too since you’re reading this: the return of SHOT Show! Now, gimme a big ol’
Let’s look back at the best of SHOT Show 2020 with the band of merry ruffians from GunMag Warehouse, who generously delayed hitting the bar circuit to record this helpful video on their favorite Kalashnikov variants. No word on whether they lifted a glass to St. Mikhail later on.
First up is Daniel Shaw, who says “My favorite thing at SHOT is almost always playing with AKs that I don’t normally get to see. I love the Kalashnikov rifle, it’s one of my favorite guns. It’s like a hobby to me.” He notes that he’s been seeing stuff from Meridian Defense but had never handled one. Unfortunately, Meridian was not at SHOT Show, but CMC Triggers had a Meridian Defense Project Alpha on display at their booth, so Daniel was able to drop by and check it out. So, basically, CMC got used, but whatever.
The Meridian, a 74 variant, seemed as good as advertised with a milled receiver, smooth action, and a fit and finish that looked on par with Rifle Dynamics, the gold standard of US-built AKs. Daniel says he was pretty excited to get his hands on one. He notes that he has owned a Krebs and several from Rifle Dynamics, which he loves. Who doesn’t?
Meridian is another US company making seemingly high-quality AKs, though he would prefer one in 7.62×39. There was no price available then, but I checked, and depending on the model, the Meridian Defense website MSRP is $2499.00 to $2650.00. So, they carry a Rifle Dynamics price tag too.
Paul Carlson asked the ever-important question about ammo price and availability, specifically 5.45×39 Russian for the AK-74. 7.62×39 has always been more common and cheaper, or should I say, “less expensive,” than 5.45. The good news is that some US companies have stepped up and are starting to make steel-cased ammo to replace the Wolf and Tula that we’ve gotten used to.
Daniel then asks a question that I’ve asked numerous times: Does Kalashnikov USA have an actual AK rifle? Well, they didn’t at the time. They had (and still have) the KR-9 9mm PCC and Travis Pike points out their shotgun line, specifically the “Komrad.” But Daniel has a point. It seemed to take K-USA WAAAAYYY too long to bring that thing to market, especially given the import ban that’s been around since 2013.
Paul was next and says he really dug the Century C39V2. “That gun just appealed to me.” The gun has a milled receiver and standard AK parts that are all US-made, so there are no 922r compliance worries. At which point Daniel makes the shrewd observation that Century should just call themselves “Kalashnikov USA.” Paul says the C39V2 also features an enhanced optics mounting surface so, in theory, optics can be removed or switched out and still return to zero. Daniel points out that it depends on the mounting system since there are numerous choices of varying quality. I can confirm this from hard-won experience.
Paul also comments that he needs to do some AK training. In response to Daniel’s query, he confirms that he knows a guy. Most likely himself since that’s kinda his gig. MSRP on the gun is a more doable $899.00
David Reeder is up next and immediately makes the great point that PCCs often serve as a “gateway gun,” especially for ARs, but there’s no reason they can’t do the same for AKs. He specifically likes the AK-V from Palmetto State Armory, whose AK line has been improving by leaps and bounds. The AK-V is based on a Russian subgun, takes CZ Scorpion mags, as well as proprietary PSA mags, and is available with the SB Tactical SBA3 brace, which Reeder likes best.
He does say he would like to see one that takes Glock mags. Travis points out that the Scorpion-style mags are more natural for people than Glock mags might be since they employ the same paddle release that AK mags do. Plus, you can do that cool AK “rock-n-roll” mag change. It’s also noted that Scorpion mags are available at someplace called Gun Mag Warehouse.
Reeder lets us know that the AK-V is available in different polymer finishes and paint schemes. It has a stamped receiver and there is an available wood finish. When asked, Reeder says the AK-V is one of the two guns he saw that he will definitely be buying. The other is the M-1 tanker rifle. Daniel echoed that and said he liked both guns. MSRP on the PSA AK-V is $799.00.
Finally, Travis goes from Reeder’s PCC to the other end of the spectrum by saying he likes the RPK from the Fime Group booth. If you don’t know, the RPK is the attempt to make a light machine gun from an AKM by adding a 23-inch barrel and a bipod. It’s a great weapon and Travis notes that he and his fellows found more RPKs in Afghanistan than anything else, including regular AK rifles.
The Fime Group product features a folding stock integrated into the receiver, which is pretty cool. Travis says the first thing he’ll be getting for it is a drum magazine to go with the forty-rounders it comes with. Daniel pipes up to say he would lose the bipod and chop the barrel down to make a “sick” AK out of it. He doesn’t like the barrel-mounted bipod because, admittedly, it probably creates some accuracy issues. Travis thinks it will be fun to have it as an “LMG wannabe,” but Daniel says, “On the wall, yes.”
Reeder then asks if Travis is okay with having a gun that people used to try to kill him, but Travis says that’s the point. “It’s like a really crazy ex-girlfriend. You just can’t get rid of it.”
Anyway, the RPK is a robust and tough platform and more accurate than a regular AK with the 23-inch barrel. It’s not necessarily better ballistically, but the longer barrel provides a longer sight radius. “It’s just fun.” No argument here. The Fime Group gun appears to be the first American-made RPK, which is a cool thing to have. Paul chimes in to say that full-auto RPKs are “a hoot,” especially since the 7.62×39 ammo is relatively inexpensive. Travis comes back with how he doesn’t use an AK for anything “super serious,” with Daniel responding that they make “a very distinctive sound.”
So that does it for this highbrow roundtable discussion on the goodness that is Kalashnikov from the Gun Mag Warehouse Gurus. At least as far as 2020 SHOT Show goes, anyway. Hopefully, 2021 will witness even more, like the elusive K-USA rifle. So, we’ll leave you with the also inevitable
