I previously published this a few years ago and with new people visiting the site thought it would be a good idea to bring it back around. – Rourke
This is going to be a very short post. Typically I despise posts like this as my answer is always, “Yes!” What I mean by that is simply “yes” get what you want – either one. I’ve seen this topic brought up recently in a couple of places and beyond the irritation, I’ve decided to throw my 2 cents in.
You get what you pay for and you’re paying absolutely nothing for my thoughts on this. 😉
The AK is a great weapons system and I don’t fault anyone for choosing it. I’ve had two AK’s in 7.62x39mm and plan to get another soon, so I’ve not developed my opinion based entirely on theory. A quality AK is an incredibly reliable and fine weapon.
Now – let me ask this question and the answer is very telling:
What law enforcement agencies in the United States are issued AK-47’s?
I believe the obvious answer speaks volumes and does not nullify just how great a weapon the AK-47 is. The fact that nearly all major law enforcement agencies use the AR and not the AK sums it up. 
These are the reasons why I prefer the AR over the AK:
- Ergonomics
- Accuracy
- Reliability – yes, reliability
- Weight of the weapon systems
- Adaptation to user
- Effective handling
I find the AR the better choice to put rounds down range in quick succession, accurately and reliably. Reloads are faster and handling quicker and more natural. Muzzlerise is easier to negate and I feel the AR makes me look completely #badass.
It’s all in how you look, right?
I know at least one reader(hello Capt. Michael) that will completely disagree with me. It’s perfectly fine for him to be wrong….LOL. In all seriousness, this is my preference and my opinion and it’s based on my own experiance. Yes – it is based on facts and logic(more jabs at AK people) but I love the AK too!
The true answer to the question of AK versus AR versus “throw in a long gun of your choice” is YES.
Stock up and stack ’em high and keep your powder dry!!
Rourke
I can agree with you on most points but I scratch my head about the reliability issue. Not that the AR isn’t reliable but you have to know that the AK is the stone axe of light battle rifles. I do think there is a new plus to the AR side now with the fake pResident making the Russian ammo more expensive. But then again there’s another point to the AK side that I don’t mind running steel cased garbage through it where as I will not do the same for my 5.56 rifles. Cheers!
AK’s have a long-standing reputation for reliability. In my own experience, I’ve not seen it. Your mileage may vary. I’ve attended tactical response classes where AK’s failed far more often than AR’s. My experience is just that mine and certainly not all-inclusive. As I’ve stated in another comment – I love the AK and plan t get another. I’m just passing on my own thoughts based on my experiance.
Dang, I was excited and thought this was going to be an article about Alaska verse Arkansas!! Well just for the record Alaska is the winner in my book!!!
Ok, now to the article at hand, I love my ARs, but I am also fond of my recently acquired AK 74.
So, to the reliability issue that CaptTurbo mentions above. Reliability is not just about the firearm itself, but also the reliability of the logistical support required to keep it running. If you can not get ammo, spare parts, or magazines to keep it running than it is simply not reliable. For, us the most reliable domestic firearm is the AR platform, because it has long and reliable logistic support network, it really is just that simple!!
Excellent points Jimmy!
I took a AK class back in August and learned a great deal running the AK better. While they are fun, durable and reliable, when AK’s go down, they go down hard and hard to fix in the field. We had some pretty expensive rifles there too, not just surplus part gun junk. One had a sight issue where it wouldn’t properly sight in without being 4″ high, a old 90’s era Mak90 wouldn’t feed after a few magazines and it’s thumbhole stock cracked. My personal WASR10 that has been run a lot over the years (thanks to the $99 a case ammo I stocked deep) decided to break. Upon further inspection afterwards it had eroded the muzzle crown so bad that halfway through the class causing the bullets to start keyholing to the left and it’s groups opened up to 6-12 inches at 20 feet. Near the end of the class my rifle was out of commission (from accuracy standards, not reliability) and I ended up using a friends rifle to finish the drills. The whole AK over AR debate may have been good a half dozen years ago, especially with the cheap AK ammo and accessories however today the AK is a niche rifle IMHO. The prepper/survivalist today should look at the AR platform since the majority of police, military and civilians use it in one variation or another all across the country. Parts/ammo availability, reliability, accuracy and cost the AR wins. I won’t debate the brass case/steel case issue. AK’s are designed to fire steel cased ammo all day long. However I personally saw more malfunction drills with those using brass cased ammo during the class I took vs steel. I’ll also happily put steel cased ammo through my AR as I have over the years.
Thanks jh. Your experience has been mine. Reputations are hard to break. I had an ex-military AK lover tell me on the phone one night that if the AR was not cleaned every couple hundred rounds it would start jamming. It was all I could do to be respectful and simply try to profess my own experience and educate this person as to the technological improvement made with AR’s since Vietnam. I have owned a couple AK’s and loved them for what they were – AK’s. I also am in the market to get a PSA AK. Why? I simply want one. My own SHTF carbines are AR’s and are incredibly reliable. Have I ever had an AR that sucked? Yup – once. It was horrible right out of the box.
Think about how many makers of AKs (and ARs for that matter) one will not be the same as another. I have a very Norinco that has never malfunctioned with anything I ever fed it. I love he ARs and I even love the Rugers Mini-14s. I actually own a stamped select fire version of one of those and I can promise you it is reliable as a hammer. When I was young I used to fire that thing until I could light my cigarettes off the barrel and it is no worse for the ware. Any of these fine rifles will do the job though for me the AK was for fun open sights plinking. It is amazingly ergonomic and easy to aim. Of course that was when that steel cased Wolf stuff was 79.00 a case. Cheers.