AR or AK which is superior?

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AR or AK to be or not to be...


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    48
  • Poll closed .

xtremerange

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I read this thread and think "What year is it?"

I feel like I have been instantly transported back 20 years to 2002 on the internet. AK vs AR. AK ammo might not be available. ARs are maintenance intensive.

The more things change the more they stay the same.

I must be old!
 

JD8

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I read this thread and think "What year is it?"

I feel like I have been instantly transported back 20 years to 2002 on the internet. AK vs AR. AK ammo might not be available. ARs are maintenance intensive.

The more things change the more they stay the same.

I must be old!

Here's the thing though.....I think the "maintenance intensive" aspect or even the reliability aspect of the AR is way overblown. 20 years ago? Maybe not. Now? Seems if you buy from a quality manufacturer or know what you're doing when you build one then it doesn't need a ton of maintenance.

 

OHJEEZE

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I always felt the ar15 was just the right combination in the ergonomics department. A rifle that many can pick up and shoot well.

As previously stated, here stateside, the likelihood of finding ammo for the ar is more to favor for shtf troubles, than for the ak!
 

dennishoddy

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Here's the thing though.....I think the "maintenance intensive" aspect or even the reliability aspect of the AR is way overblown. 20 years ago? Maybe not. Now? Seems if you buy from a quality manufacturer or know what you're doing when you build one then it doesn't need a ton of maintenance.


Most of the reliability issues with the M-16 comes from its issue with the military in the 60's when they were not issued with cleaning kits and the powder was changed from the stick powder the rifle was designed to fire with to a ball powder that changed the cyclic rate of the automatic weapon among buffer weight issues, and do on.
Rifles would only fire about 1000 rounds before the BCG would be covered in a sticky mess, failing to function after that. A lot of Americans lost their lives doing a field strip clean during a firefight. The issue was solved with cleaning kits, training, and new ammo issued.

The congressional committee that went to Vietnam to investigate the M16 failures tragically discovered that a Marine was killed in combat because he was the only member of his squad with a cleaning rod obtained by writing home to his family and requesting a cleaning kit.
He died running up and down the line while using his cleaning rod to unjam his fellow Marines’ rifles.
Vets came back with a distrust of anything in that platform although later in the war, the rifle was proven reliable.

https://archive.org/details/M16IchordReport1/M16 Ichord Report 1/
https://www.pewpewtactical.com/m16-vietnam-failure/
 

Gideon

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The only "maintenance" concern between the two is service life in differing conditions.

If I have a good logistical chain I'm choosing an AR, I can swap a barrel after 20k rounds with hand tools.
If I'm not sure I'll ever see a workbench again I'm taking my AK.

Reliability in similar contexts, chances of parts breakage, etc. are all basically the same.

I'd also have questions these days about 1911 syndrome with both platforms. A Russian AK is not the same as a Century Arms kit build. An overgassed PSA is not the same as a BCM or Knights AR.
 

HarryBear

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Dug a hole, buried an AK, will wait a while, dig up, see if it still functions.
I'm going to do a Brandon Herrera and see...

Don't know about an AR just yet.
 

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