11-17-2011, 07:03 PM
My experience with the M14, even ones right out of the wrappers that we had in Korea, is that it is much less reliable than the AR15 family. The AR15 family is actually one of the top performers in reliability of ALL assault rifles, and my experience with AK variants places the AK on a lower rung of reliability compared to the military M16/M4 series, and I've shot insane volumes, and continue to see high volumes of both systems in training courses with different military and LE organizations. We frequently see FTFire, FTFeed, & double-feed issues with AK Variants, more so than with M4's/AR's.
When I helped with a spendex range burning thousands of round through AK's, several of them were shot into a "Deadline" status, as they were damaged from the mere act of firing. Also, finding enough mags that work in your particular AK can be a task when all the different models, countries, production series, and mag types is considered. The reality is that the Kalashnikov reliability record is a testament of good propaganda, not actual performance. Very few people have the experience with multiple variants of the AK series, and the AR15 series to see this, and most comments about the AK's reliability are made from a very limited scope of use with the different models that are available in the world.
In a dust storm, even the M24 and our breacher shotguns could not have the bolt closed on a cartridge, so the perceptions of AK reliability and any mechanical system to function in extreme dust/sand conditions is unrealistic. Take a sandstorm bath in that region, and your expectations will be brought down to earth.
When I helped with a spendex range burning thousands of round through AK's, several of them were shot into a "Deadline" status, as they were damaged from the mere act of firing. Also, finding enough mags that work in your particular AK can be a task when all the different models, countries, production series, and mag types is considered. The reality is that the Kalashnikov reliability record is a testament of good propaganda, not actual performance. Very few people have the experience with multiple variants of the AK series, and the AR15 series to see this, and most comments about the AK's reliability are made from a very limited scope of use with the different models that are available in the world.
In a dust storm, even the M24 and our breacher shotguns could not have the bolt closed on a cartridge, so the perceptions of AK reliability and any mechanical system to function in extreme dust/sand conditions is unrealistic. Take a sandstorm bath in that region, and your expectations will be brought down to earth.