First off this section is designed to familiarize those what the AK is and does and how to buy one. This guide pertains to those legally available in the United States.

So you want to own an AK, and all you know is that you have seen them on TV a couple of times and in movies…or your friend of a friend knows some one who has one…or you buddy claims that an AK can shoot through a tank and or is a piece of unreliable crap…well this guide will set you straight and shove some of those rumors or myths where the sun doesn't shine.

The AK in a nutshell is the most reliable, simple, and low cost rifle system in the world.

The rifles reliability is almost god like, no other gun can compare I personally have put close to 5,000 rounds through the AK in a single session and not experience a single failure. According to a book title "Legends and Reality of the AK" the testing of the prototypes at that took place at the Izhevsk factory, that during the durability test each prototype had ran through more the 13,000 rounds before testing was terminated because all on hand ammunition had been fired. I would like to see an AR-15 do that!
The AK is also extremely simple, designed for a conscript in the military that can not read, it had to be simple to take apart and operate. Basic disassembly can be complete with no tools. The rifles operation could not be simpler, just set the selector lever to fire, pull back the charging handle, aim, and shoot.
The AK is probably one the lowest costing, and by low cost I don't mean cheap! It can be produced with basic machinery and some of the crudest materials. This is probably one of the main reasons poorer countries continue to produce the rifle; there is no better "buy".
Though the AK is probably as close as your going to get to a perfect military rifle, it is not perfect. First the rifle can get hot quickly, so hot that it makes it unbearable to shoot, a lot of people call this overheating, but that's not true, the rifle will continue to fire long after your hands are burned. Second the rifle is really short, considering it was designed for the average under fed conscript and made to fit in tight spaces this is understandable, but to American shooters who are used to M1s and M14s it is quite small. Third and probably its biggest flaw is the rifles safety, to change the selector lever position you have to physical take a hand off the rifle and move it, unlike most rifles where it can be operated with a thumb.
Now several myths exist about the AK that need to be put to rest. The first is that the rifle is not accurate and you can't "hit the side of a barn." This is total bullshit; it is accurate enough with zeroed sights to hit a man-sized target out to about 300 yards. With a few simple modifications, such as lapping the crown, I have seen SAR-3 shoot 1 moa or under at 100 yards. Another common rumor is that the AK is unreliable, I am not sure where this one came from, but again that is false; it is the most reliable rifle in the world. An AK can shoot through a tank or such and such, this rumor seems to be common "knowledge" for those that play games like counter strike, thought these games are fun, don't believe what the so called "weapon experts" on the websites and message boards tell you.

So why would one want an AK say over a Mini-14 or AR-15. Well first off the AK is a hell of a lot better then the Mini-14, though the Mini is really accurate for its first two or three shots, once the barrel becomes warm a lot of people have trouble getting them to group reliably. Second cheap functional Hi-Cap magazines for the Mini-14 are almost impossible to find, and when one does find a functioning Hi-cap magazine, they literally pay for it! How ever some people seem very happy with there Mini-14, but for the price of a Mini-14 you could get an AK and a ton of accessories and ammo. Ahh, the AR-15 and AR owners…the AK owners arch rival! Just kidding, a lot of AK owners own AR-15s too because it's a great gun, hell I even own one. Unfortunately the AR-15 is a really, really pricey. For the price of the cheapest AR-15 you could buy 2 AK rifles and accessories! Also the AR-15 series ranges from good reliability (not excellent like the AK) to total shit (kit guns assembled from a rainbow of company names).

Well enough of me blabbing…below is a picture that shows the names of different parts and sections of a basic AK rifle. I will use these name through out my web page to refer to the sections depicted.