AK Accessories

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Accessories, The Do's and Don'ts

Here we will talk about the aftermarket bolt ons for the platform.

Training/Practice

Training with your rifle is easily the most important part of owning any firearm. If you don't know how to use it, then its just an expensive paperweight. If you don't use it, how do you know what you want to modify? The AK platform is a very user friendly firearm, but that does not mean that you do not need to learn how to use it and take care of it. Lets hit on a few points below that should be looked at.

  • Ease of Use: This is straightforward; you have a giant safety lever, a charging handle and a trigger. When new users are shown how to operate the rifle, the biggest issues they seem to have is putting the magazine in. Once they have mastered that, they are almost a pro. Once a new user learns how to operate the rifle, the next step is to train yourself to do all of this faster and more efficiently.
  • Ergonomics: To anyone that is used to ONLY the AR platform, going to an AK will have a steep learning curve for you. The AR15 has a non-reciprocating charging handle on the rear, a last round bolt hold open, bolt release, and a mag well that allows you to shove mags straight into place. The AK has none of those things. This does not mean the AK is a bad platform, it just means that it is different then the rifle that most Westerners are used to. Getting used to the differences with each platform will make you a better rifle user. Remember, practice makes perfect.

Rails and Mounting Accessories

Rails come in all shapes and sizes and different solutions to different users problems. Here are few examples of the different mounting solutions available for the AK platform.

  • Ultimak makes an excellent gas tube rail for the rifle system. It locks in place and many users have had great success with this setup. The advantage here is you still can use your stock lower handguard. The red dot does sit a little farther forward than some users are used to, but it takes very little getting used to. With most red dots you do not have any magnification so you can really have it where you want it. The disadvantage with this system is that cheaper red dots that aren't built to withstand high temperatures can be easily fried when mounted on the gas tube.
  • Full Rail System: If you want to mount more than a red dot to your rifle companies like Midwest Industries make a rail for just about any AK platform from most every country you could think of. They are quality products and worth taking a look at. Other companies to look at are Samson Manufacturing , Troy Industries, Zenitco, CNCWarrior, and RS Regualte and Krebs Custom. And Also popular AR parts manufacturing Magpul has stepped into the AK work with their line of handguards and folding stocks. MAke sure with Magpul Handguards that you get the version that fits your rifle (Don't be a bubba and buy the wrong handguard and cutting your gun up so that the handguard fits!)
  • Side Rail: Many companies make rails that attach to the supplied rail that is attached to the rifle. Some are good, many are junk. RSRegulate seems to be the top choice for many users, but other quality products come from companies such as Midwest Indstries and MasterMount. Using this solution is perfect if you want to mount a scope. It will give you a perfect and very strong mounting solution, while still being able to access your bolt by taking the dust cover off. Note: RS Regulate is still the only company to this day that makes a side rail that can adjust for center over bore.


Slings

Your rifle may not be heavy, but it can still hinder you if not properly restrained while you need to do other things. Heck, it’ll make your arms tired just by walking around while holding it, even though it only weighs a few pounds, so a sling would be pretty nice to have. What kind of sling are we talking about, though? There are many recommended sling setups, with each individual likely having a personal preference for a certain style of sling. However, for the purposes of this simple write-up, I will suggest a surplus sling. My favorite one would be a Russian-made sling, but the Bulgarian slings are also nice. The East German slings are nice as well, and are a very good value for the money. /u/JakesGunReviews [has an excellent gallery going over the process of installing and using a surplus sling. http://imgur.com/a/L8jmJ] I recommend checking it out.

Replacement Furniture

This is all subject to the owner of the rifle and what he/she plans to use it for. There is nothing wrong with the standard wood furniture (unless it's the stuff Century Arms ships on your GP WASR-10), but some users want to replace it and I get it. Many companies make replacement furniture in polymer and wood. Just make sure you are getting your money's worth and not buying junk. This also applies to replacement stocks. Many companies make excellent folding stocks or M4 style adjustable conversions. Some are junk. Do your research and get something of quality.

It is very important to know what standard of furniture your rifle will accept. For instance, you cannot put your WASR furniture on your NPAP. It will not work. These rifles are built to 2 different standards: the AKM standard, and the Yugoslavian M70 Standard. Sometimes you can fit oversized furniture to a smaller rifle, but it will take some sanding and fitting for sure. Usually, pistol grips are interchangeable for any stamped variant.

As a rough guide, here are the standards that you will commonly encounter:

AK47 (Milled) AKM (Stamped) AK74 (will sometimes fit AKM with some wiggling) Krinkov hand guards RPK Yugo AKM Yugo RPK Yugo M92 handguards and other short stuff. Straight back Chinese (Needs some filing to fit AK47 furniture) Slant back Chinese (AKM or AK Milled up front) Slant back Vepr (RPK up front) Proprietary guns like the PAK9 and Nak9 and Super Veprs and uncoverted Saigas.

Here is a tutorial from TimberSmith showing you how to uninstall wood furniture, and reinstall other furniture: https://www.timbersmithusa.com/instructions/AK-TS-install.pdf

Everything else

Its impossible to cover all the different bolt ons one could attach to a rifle. When deciding what you want to put on your rifle largely depicts what it's going to be used for. Having a scope, bipod, flashlight, and foregrip on the same rifle doesn't make much sense, and just adds weight. Decide if you are just building a toy, a scout, a SHTF, or something different. Each part you put on should fill a roll, and if it doesnt then its just adding weight. Remember, ounces equal pounds and pounds equal pain. Everyone goes through the phase of wanting to put everything they see on their rifle, but take not from people that have experienced this and wasted their own time and money so you dont have to.

Places to buy from

The places to buy stuff from is limitless, but here are a few places to make your wallet lighter.

Accessories, Furniture, Optics etc:

Firearms and Armorers:

Building Parts:

Local Places on Reddit

  • /r/Gundeals
  • /r/Comblocmarket/
  • /r/gunsandaccessoriesforsale

None on the companies listed paid anyone here at /r/ak47, nor do we have anything to do with them personally. We just wanted to compile a list of places to help you outfit your AK pattern rifle as best you can.

Last Edited by BigDave March 2020

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