Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

One sure way to start the LMI equivalent of a flamewar is to go the 7.62×39 vs. 223 vs. 308 route. And, really, I have no interest in getting into it with you. I will say, however, that today a high-end AK variant found a new home.

Why the AK? Well, the AR has better accuracy and ergonomics. The Ak’s only real claim to fame is that it is as reliable as a rock. Most folks that get into that whole AR’s-are-crap arguement start off with something about how seven million soldiers were killed in Vietnam the M16’s jammed and then when they tried to use them for bayoneting the guns bent in half or some other nonsense. Did stuff like that happen? Sure..M16’s jammed all the time. And Orville and Wilbur Wrights planes crashed more often than not. Whats your point? After 40 years I think the reliability issue is almost academic. But, like I said, I really dont wanna argue this with you..if you disdain the AR, then dont own one.

Anyway, these Bulgarian AK’s are hammer forged chrome lined barrels, milled receivers, nice furniture and come with the slide rail for optics. Theyre about twice the price of the Chinese AK’s but you really can see the quality.

For my(our) needs the Ak has a couple selling points:
* Ammo is dirt freakin’ cheap and comes in sealed spam cans. And its dirt cheap.
* Magazines are cheap, cheap, cheap. And reliable.
* If something happens to it, it isnt as great a loss as if an AR had taken a hit.

I’ll be taking the AK out this evening for a spin. I’ve about 6,000 rounds of ammo here in front of me so I think we’re doing okay in that department. Minute-of-badguy is the level of accuracy we’re looking to obtain and hopefully it should meet that requirement. (Thats one big nod to the AR….all things being equal [scope vs. scope, iron vs. iron] they tend to shoot better groups than the AK. (At this point someone will jump up and say how they once saw an out-of-the-box Norinco that would print 1″ groups….uh-huh, how many of them have you seen? Thats what I thought. )

Mind you, Im not disdaining the AK, Im merely saying that both rifles have strong points and both have weak points. What one rifle isnt, the other is.

So, now I’ll have to sock away some of those wonderful sealed spam cans of 7.62×39, which I should do anyway since everyone seems to have an SKS these days.