By Sam Hoober, Alien Gear Holsters
Most semi-auto rifles on the market are either in the AR-15 or AK-47 families, as they are the most profligate military rifles on the planet. There are some others, of course, but they are less common in stores and often more expensive, but never mind all that.
Which is going to be better?
The quick version goes something like this:
The AK has simpler controls but requires more practice to operate efficiently and most models aren’t ready for optics or attachments out of the box. The AR-15 is easier to operate efficiently and many – but not all! – models are much more adaptable for use with optics or attachments such as a light or a laser, but again, not all of them are.
Both rifles are more than adequate for home defense when it comes to the standard cartridge that both fire, but careful selection of ammunition is essential. Both 7.62x39mm and 5.56mm NATO/.223 Remington (the standard chamberings for these rifle platforms) are potent cartridges and will go through drywall like a hot knife through butter, as will any ammunition designed for penetration such as M118 ball (“green tip” NATO ammunition) and 7.62x39mm FMJ.
Therefore, be sure to select proper ammunition for the task. Soft-point projectiles are one of the most appropriate choices, such as Remington CoreLokt (please don’t make me say the mushroom thing again; it’s such a cliche) and similar projectile designs. Ammunition costs are comparable, but the word on the street is 7.62x39mm is slightly less affected by current ammunition demand.
However, it is also imperative that you be able to hit the target at home defense distances. Missing the target will send a projectile at very high speed through walls.
So, let’s go ahead and get into some of the specifics.
The AR-15 is more ergonomic due to the controls. The bolt release lever is on the left side of the rifle, which is used to close the bolt and thus load the rifle. The safety lever on most rifles is on the left side of the rifle, in easy reach of the shooting hand thumb unless one is left-handed. The charging handle is on the top of the rifle instead of being just on one side. The magazine release is within easy reach of the trigger finger, and the magazine is inserted straight into the magazine well.
What this adds up to is a rifle that has a lot of controls that are on both sides of the rifle. This seems intimidating to the total newbie, but once you start handling it a bit reveals itself to be very easy to run. If you’re a complete and utter newbie with guns, that’s actually a benefit.
The AK-47 (or more accurately the AKM; almost every AK-pattern rifle on the market is actually an AKM, since most are made with a stamped rather than milled receiver, but who cares?) has simpler controls, but requires more practice to master them. There’s a bolt handle, a safety lever, and a magazine release paddle just ahead of the trigger guard.
The controls are simpler, but again require more practice to gain proficiency. Since the controls are entirely on the left side of the rifle, the shooter has to come over or under the receiver to operate the bolt handle with the support hand or break the shooting grip to do so with the strong side hand.
The magazine has to be inserted with the rock-and-lock method to lock the magazine in place, which also means the magazine does not drop free if the padde release is depressed. The shooter has to push the magazine forward to free it from the magazine well.
AK-pattern rifles also lack a bolt hold-open feature, which means you won’t know you’re out of ammo until you hear or feel a “click.”
Point being that the AK is going to have more of a learning curve for the total novitiate. If you’re completely new to firearms, it isn’t so much that “AK is not for you, comrade” but more that you’re going to need to put in some time with it to learn how to run it efficiently.
If your intention is just to keep the gun as it came from the factory, then the customization aspect is perhaps not as important. However, for those who want to add some upgrades and extras, there are a few things to be aware of.
The AR-15 platform is easily customized or altered, with little more than hand tools required for changing many components. The AK platform can be easily altered albeit in fewer ways than an AR-platform rifle.
A modern AR-platform rifle, with a quad rail, MLOK or KeyMod handguard, can easily have a light or vertical grip or whatever you might want added to it. If the rifle has a railed receiver, adding optics is a piece of cake and – since many optics these days come replete with their own mounting system – often enough rather cheap. However, it’s a little more difficult if not, and then you’ll have to deal with the ginormous height over the bore of a handle-mounted optic, which creates its own problems.
A more classic handguard on an AR is not thusly accommodating, but can be easily changed. The same is true for AK-pattern rifles; the classic furniture can’t really accommodate any accessories but an upgrade to a different handguard will give you those capabilities.
Furniture is easily changed on both rifles, but adding optics to an AK is a little more complicated.
Doing so requires use of a side rail mount, or adding a railed gas tube, handguard or dust cover that will allow mounting of an optic. Unless the rifle you purchase has them already installed – and most of the inexpensive ones don’t! – you’ll need to buy that RS Regulate mount, Ultimak rail, Texas Weapons Systems dog leg or railed handguard and then install it, and get the optic as well.
So what’s the point of all that? AR-15s can be slightly easier to customize and add optics to, but you can do pretty much all the same stuff with an AK if, that is, you’re willing to put a little money into it.
One area in which the AR has capabilities the AK just doesn’t is when it comes to changing calibers. You can simply install a different barreled upper receiver and change, say, a rifle in 5.56mm with, say, a 16-inch barrel to an SBR in .300 Blackout by pulling a couple of pins and dropping the new upper on so long as it fits the lower. The AK platform, however, lacks the same modularity; the barrel is set into the trunnion (which itself is riveted into the frame) and then the barrel is pinned in place using a hydraulic press.
In other words, you can swap uppers with an AR if you decide you’d like to do something different with it. With an AK, you need to buy a whole new rifle.
Which also informs upgrading the internals. With an AR, you can easily change pretty much everything. With an AK, the barrel trunnion, barrel, and rear trunnion are set; you can change almost anything else, but those aren’t going anywhere. Want a better barrel? Unless you have the necessary equipment, the cost of parts plus the labor of a competent gunsmith will add up to about what you’d pay for just buying a rifle with a better barrel.
Incidentally, that is also the case with other rifle platforms such as the HK G3/HK91/CETME family as well as the FN FAL and others.
Ultimately, if you plan to not change anything or make minimal changes just for the purposes of adding a light or an optic, both will work. If you anticipate using the rifle like a LEGO set, the AR is really the only option there is.
Whichever you choose, learn to shoot it.
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Sam Hoober is a Contributing Editor to AlienGearHolsters.com, a subsidiary of Hayden, ID, based Tedder Industries, where he writes about gun accessories, gun safety, open and concealed carry tips. Click here to visit aliengearholsters.com.