AC Competition Shooters at the Alabama Multigun

Here's another tactics and skill video from one of the posters on AK47.net  This video features some nice AK's.

The Way of the Sniper - Men's Journal Article

One of my friends at work let me borrow his latest issue of Men's Journal, which features a well written story about the way a sniper operates and how they think. It provides some interesting insight to both of these, as well as other facets of the life of a sniper. It's a nice short read.

Check it out here:

http://www.mensjournal.com/sniper

German Mauser K98 Rifle (Kar98k)

Ladies and gents, it's time to sell one of my rifles to fund another purchase for my firearms addiction. This one just so happens to be the very first firearm that I every purchased. It's the first one I've ever owned for that matter. This is the gun that started it all for me, the truly awesome German Mauser K98 rifle (Kar98k).

I've loved the Mauser K98 rifle ever since I was a kid. My grandfather was a captain in the U.S. Army, in Europe during WWII. Among other actions, he was served as the lookout for an m18 Hellcat tank destroyer. The Hellcat took a direct hit from a German panzer, which sent him flying out of the open turret and over a wall. He ended up with a broken leg, but that was about it. He stayed in Europe until 1946 and then came back home with a bag full of goodies.



As a kid, my family would go to Ohio to visit my grandparents. At some point in our visit we'd ask my dad if we could go up to the attic and see our grandpa's war souvenirs. Some of the items were there because my dad got them by trading some of the stuff his dad brought back from WWII for the stuff that the neighborhood kid's fathers brought back. So, he ended up with the following items: a Japanese fighter pilot's cap and goggles. A Japanese officer's steel helmet, a Luger pistol, a fallschirmjager helmet, a NSDAP part flag, and a J.G. Anschutz 4mm training rifle that was built to instruct the German youth in the art of war. I loved that rifle. It was a faithful, smaller facsimile of the Mauser K98 rifle. It had the look and feel of the K98. I loved the bolt action. There was something so cool about it, with all the history behind it. I'd always look forward to our time in the attic with that rifle.

Well, about 15-20 years later, still enamored with the K98 (and pretty much all German weapons from WWII) I purchased my first firearm, the Mauser K98. I looked for a good quality Mauser K98 for quite some time before I decided to purchase this one. The rifle is in very good condition and has been well taken care of over the years. The laminate wood stock is also in very good condition, with some scratches and wear (this rifle did see combat). The gun bluing is very good. The top of the receiver is marked with a maker's code, date, and proof marking. However, I unfortunately forgot to make note of this information before I had the scope mounted and it now covers these markings. I was told that this particular rifle came from one of the factories known for its excellent workmanship and was favored for use as a sniper's rifle. That being the reason I bought it.




I wanted more than a conversation piece though. I wanted a rifle that could actually be fired, and one that was accurate. It turned out to be a great shooter, with a very good bore and I sighted in at 100 yards with a BSA scope. Before the scope was added I just shot it using the iron sights, which I actually prefer. It has a good bit of recoil, but that just took some getting used to. The rifle is just so much fun, and one of my all time favorites. But alas, as I don't have the chance to do much distance shooting, which the rifle was designed for, I've decided to sell it to purchase another firearm. Maybe I'll get another one in the future, and I'll stick with the iron sights. I've really enjoyed owning and firing this weapon over the years and I recommend it to anyone looking to own a piece of history that's also lots of fun to use.

AK-74...finally comes around stateside

I've been interested in the AK-74 rifle for quite a while. Over the past year or so, corrosive, cold war era 5.45X39 ammo has been made available in bulk and become quite popular. Wolf imports some non corrosive 5.45X39 ammo as well. The corrosive stuff cost about $89 for 1,080 rounds when it first came out. Now that's a steal, as long as you don't mind doing a hardcore cleaning of your weapon to combat those corrosive salts. During the Obama ammo and weapon madness (which still isn't quite over)the price on 5.45X39 ammo just couldn't be beat. This ammo became so popular that S&W even started making upper receivers chambered for this round. An "AR" type rifle firing a commie round? You better believe it! Well, aside from the Polish Tantal rifles, and the odd AR upper, there weren't many choices for AK-74 type rifles...until now. There are several importers and companies building AK-74 rifles now. The prices are really good to. I saw some AK-74 kits at the gun show today for $299, so the option to build your own is there, but there are some nice all ready built rifles too. AIM Surplus has several models for sale. I've seen a Century Arms model for around $470.



Another company called TGI is selling their builds. One web site has them for $499. I have yet to see the TGI built AK-74's in person, but have heard varying reports on the quality of these builds (poor rivotting jobs, and spotty tack welds).



In Range models go for about $100 more, but the report on these builds seems to justify the price difference.



I just love the way the AK-74 rifle looks. The flash hiders are my favorite feature. Even the non-corrosive 5.45X39 ammo is less expensive than most 7.62X39 ammo. However, in trying to consolidate ammo calibers (I have 2 rifles in 7.62X39 and two in 5.45X45), I may have to hold off on an AK-74 purchase for the moment. They sure look like fun though.

Here are some videos comparing the standard M-16 to the Ak-74.





Here's one of some soldiers using an AK-74 during training.

Saiga .223 conversion dilemma continues...

I just got back from the Dixie Gun & Knife show here in Charlotte, NC. It was pretty decent this time. I could kick myself for not taking my camera. Forget about the firearms, I could spend all day just people watching. I don't have the guts to just start snapping off photos though. Somehow, me taking picture of random folks armed to the teeth would work.

Anyway, I've been thinking about getting an Arsenal SLR-106 "F" model AK clone in 5.56 ever since I traded in my WASR-3. Although that rifle was poorly made, while it worked, it was really fun. The Arsenal brand is well known for the quality work they do on their AK builds, however they also charge a pretty penny for it. So, in order to cut back on costs, I've been considering buying a Saiga .223 rifle and converting it. After doing the math, seems that it may almost cost the same to convert the Saiga into an AK-101 look alike, as just buying an Arsenal 106F. I know that a partial conversion of the Saiga can be done, and made to look pretty cool, for around $630 (gunsmithing labor cluded), but I'd like to go all out. The guys at DPH Arms specialize in all things AK related, and Saiga conversion in particular. They have even come up with a flash hider that bolts onto the front sight block of the Saiga. This would save you from having to changes the FSB or thread the fron of the Saiga barrel.

There really are some cool modifications that minimize the gunsmithing necessary to convert a Saiga from the "hunting rifle" look that they arrive in the States in, and into more of an AKM weapon. If you're intersted in doing so there are several sights that cater to the conversion enthusiast. I do recomend DPH Arms, as their staff was really friendly and very knowledgible about doing the coversion. They also have that nice "hook on" flash hider. So, check them out.


http://dpharms.com/



Saiga Phantom Flash Hider and Retaining Clip

http://dpharms.com/saiga-phantom-flash-hider-and-retaining-clip-p-1045.html



Here's another really well illustrated Saiga .223 conversion.

http://www.cross-conn.com/Saiga_Conversion/