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New bullpup AK for me, plus a few tweaks.

18K views 13 replies 10 participants last post by  ocalhoun 
#1 ·
My old AK got its receiver smashed, and was deemed unrepairable by the gunsmith. :cry: (Though, being an AK, it was still capable of firing most of the time! ... Jammed on about every 15th round, not good when using 40rd magazines.)

So, the solution? Get an awesome, new AK!
I started with this:

Which is pretty cool to begin with, but then I had a bit more fun with it;

Added: barrel-mounted front rail, 40rd magazines, folding front grip, laser sight, upper hand-guard rail, and red-dot sight.
Removed: Gas tube cover, old upper handguard

Which gives me THIS:


The bullpup AK does away with the full-stock, and moves the trigger forward, making the whole weapon 7 inches shorter, and somewhat lighter, yet it still has a full-length barrel, and has all the capability of a normal size AK.
Also, since the iron sights had to be replaced anyway for this configuration in order to move them forward and higher, M-16 style peep-sights were installed by the factory. I actually prefer the original AK style sights, but these sights also work okay.
I've heard some reports of the front grips getting overly hot when shooting this rifle... I plan to make that less of an issue by the removal of the front handguard and by wearing gloves.

The front rail is used for mounting the laser and the front grip:


The laser is a very nice one that was attached to my old AK, now moved to the new one.
Most laser sights are 5mW in (input) power, but this one is 35mW in output power!
It is extremely bright; can be seen very easily in all but the brightest sunlight, and in the dark, even the beam itself is visible.
(And even in full-brightness sun, it can be used, though it is more difficult then.)

Its position on the rail gives me the ability to use the thumb-switch to turn it on to just use it for a moment, though I can also twist it a bit to have it constant-on.


The front grip compliments this rifle very well, it can be locked into 5 different positions with the push of a button. The flat forward and flat back positions give it a nice, ordinary rifle feel, the angled to front position allows me to put a lot of pressure against it for steady aiming, the straight vertical position is comfortable for quick movement, and the angled to rear position is my favorite; it makes it easy to aim the rifle and hold it up, and I find it to be the most comfortable position.






In order to mount the red-dot sight where I wanted it, I had to install an upper-handguard rail. This turned out to be very difficult to install, and required me modifying the parts a bit, but I finally got it to fit properly, and it works great. Attached to that, is a 45 degree offset rail, to move the sight over to the side, so as to not interfere with the iron sights:


The red-dot sight isn't quite where I wanted it... I was hoping to be able to use it with the left eye, but it is too far in for that, yet a tiny bit too far out for right-eye aiming... I will probably try to tweak the exact position of it later, but for now, it works well enough with the right eye.
Thanks to the clever positioning though, I have 3 quick-and-easy to use types of sights that don't interfere with each other at all, and can be switched between very quickly and easily.
(The red dot could probably be set up to co-witness with the iron sights, but I don't want to do that; being a peep sight, it would negate much of the advantage of having a red dot in the first place.)




The idea behind my choice of and modification of this rifle is to take the AK's viability for short-range engagement, and then build on that... And what might you need most for short-range? The ability to maneuver easily, and acquire targets quickly, since (especially) at short range, speed is the most important thing you can have. The bullpup design gives great maneuverability even in tight spaces, and the addition of a laser and red-dot sights gives three different ways (iron, red-dot, laser) to line up a target, all of which are very fast methods (particularly the red-dot and laser, which don't require lining your eye up with the sights).
So, hopefully, should I ever need to use this in its full capacity, I'll be able to outmaneuver the other guy, and be able to aim and shoot before he does... Even if I'm inside or in dense brush, where full-size rifles can be clumsy.


My next project will be to use one of the hollow grips to make a battery-storage area, since both the laser and the red-dot use (different) batteries. With a storage area, the worry of dead batteries becomes less bothersome, since I'll always have extras close at hand.


Weather permitting, I should be taking it out Sunday to zero in the sights and test it out.
I'll post back again and let everybody know how it goes.


(Yeah, I know, kinda mall-ninja-like, and it's a travesty to put plastic on a Kalashnikov... Has a nice balance to it though, and the ergonomics seem better than my old AK.)
 
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#5 ·
Well, the only added complication that couldn't be simply ignored if it malfunctions is the extra trigger linkage.
Granted, that is a major weak point that normal AK's don't have, but in all the reviews I read about this model, I couldn't find any complaints of trigger linkage malfunction.
I hope that your AK bullpup is just a range gun and not a SHTF gun. I just don't see how you can use that rifle with a 40rd mag in the prone position.
I'll probably be getting a few either 5 or 10 rd mags just for that purpose; I am a fan of prone shooting, in some situations.

To be fair, the old AK used the same mags, so it wouldn't be any better for prone shooting... Even a stock AK with 30 rounders is going to be pretty high off the ground.
 
#6 ·
Okay, took it out to the range today.

STOOPID me forgot to bring the sight adjustment tools, so I was unable to zero it in, and therefore unable to give any good estimate of its accuracy.
It did, however, shoot very nice, close-in groups, although these were always below and to the right of what I was aiming at, so once the sights are adjusted properly, I think it should have pretty good accuracy. (for an AK)

I also found out that it doesn't like the herter's ammunition I bought... and unfortunately I stocked up on it! (500 rds) It often fails to feed or fails to extract with this ammunition, though it worked beautifully with some leftover american eagle ammunition I had. So, I'll just use the herter's exclusively for practice, and experiment to find some other cheap ammunition it likes, then stock up on that instead. I will give the herter's another chance once I've cleaned and lubricated it though... Perhaps it will work better with a good coat of oil in the works? Or perhaps it will simply work better once broken in; this is a brand new gun... and I shot the american eagle ammo last, after the herter's had already broken it in a little.

The heating handguard problem wasn't as bad as some reviews made it out to be.* I shot off about 90 rounds in just a few minutes, and the trigger/grip got a little warm, but not uncomfortably so, and nowhere near putting me in danger of burns. Some of the reviews were complaining of getting burned after only 60 rounds.

*Or perhaps my removing of some of the extra plastic guards helped cool it better than I expected it to.

As expected, the trigger pull is substantial (a problem common with bullpup guns of all varieties), but it isn't too bad, just takes some getting used to... And while it may be more difficult than most to pull, it does have a nice, crisp and consistent break point.

The slant brake muzzle works quite well, just like it did in my old AK. Follow-up shots can be aimed and fired almost instantly, because the barrel has no tendency to rise.
Also like my previous AK, recoil is 'just right'... Substantial enough to give good feedback that a shot went off, yet light enough to be very forgiving; it is not a problem to shoot it from unorthodox positions, and it doesn't hurt when not shouldered properly.

Some have complained about the bullpup design making reloading, using the safety, and using the charging handle more difficult, but I actually found it to be generally easier than my old AK. The balanced design lets me easily hold it with one hand (trigger hand). I just hold it sideways with that hand, palm down, stock against my hip, which puts the safety and charging handle very conveniently located on top of it at waist level. Makes working the charging handle easy, as I just pull it with the left hand while pushing the gun forward with the right hand. Changing the magazine also seems easier in this position... And the trigger grip is actually helpful in getting the magazines in and out, not harmful; it is in just the right position that sliding the edge of the mag along the handle puts the magazine at just the right angle for insertion, then just pull it back.
 
#8 ·
I also found out that it doesn't like the herter's ammunition I bought... and unfortunately I stocked up on it! (500 rds) It often fails to feed or fails to extract with this ammunition, though it worked beautifully with some leftover american eagle ammunition I had.
Interesting. I've never had any AK fail on any ammo.

As expected, the trigger pull is substantial (a problem common with bullpup guns of all varieties)
Not all bullpups. It depends on the design of the linkage. I had an M1A bullpup that had a better trigger than a stock M1A.

How does the bullpup conversion affect field stripping/takedown?

A true AK bullpup field strips like a standard AK - very easily.



But they are fairly rare and expensive.
 
#9 ·
I ran into a batch of bullpupped AKMs a few years ago. I didn't like the grip, which easily would get in the way when trying to can home a new magazine. This looks a lot roomier there. I personally wouldn't run an optic or a laser on an AK. Not one that required batteries anyway. I'd also keep the forend on it. Those barrels and gas tubes get ridiculously hot, I personally would want more protection for the hand and arm.

All in all, looks great and has a supply of spare parts from your old heap. Should keep you rolling....forever.
 
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#10 ·
I ran into a batch of bullpupped AKMs a few years ago. I didn't like the grip, which easily would get in the way when trying to can home a new magazine.
It can, especially if the mag is larger than 20 rounds. A drum mag is pretty much unusable because of how your arm has to go around it when shooting - it is just too wide. Other than that it is pretty good.
 
#12 ·
I bought the same gun a little over a month ago. Fun to shoot and pretty accurate. I stripped the front heat shield off and installed a barrel mount tri-rail then put a grip pod system on it. Removed the rear sight, then installed the same gas tube rail, but opted for a reflex sight. Have not been to the range since adding the sights.

From previous range trips the trigger does get pretty hot after about 100 rounds. I've found 20 round mags insert and remove easier, as well as allowing to use the gun with the bipod extended and in a prone position.

As for where to buy one, most dealers are sold out and I only found them on Gunbroker. Paid $535 for mine including shipping & FFL fees.
 
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