TearsOfRage
New member
Why the AK is so reliable:
1. The gas sytem is designed to be leaky. There are no o-rings, and the piston is a loose fit in the gas tube. The gas port is fairly large, and easy to clean, so its not likely to get plugged. The gas piston is forward in the gas tube, which has vent holes and leaks. Little gas gets back to the bolt area, so the bolt doesn't get too dirty (no carbon buildup).
2. The fire control group doesn't have many parts, and they're all large and sturdy. There are no tight tolerances or enclosed areas where a bit of grit could cause a problem. The engagement surfaces of the hammer, sear and secondary sear are so large that dirt, wear or other damage won't affect the function. The extractor is pretty large too, and the ejector is just part of the rail.
3. The mag feed lips are solid chunks of metal, not sheet metal, so they don't get bent out of shape. The way they positively snap into place prevents a common problem with some guns, where a mag can be in the gun but not fully locked in.
If you ever did have a problem, it'd be easy to fix. You have a solid handle on the bolt carrier, so if it didn't quite go into battery you could just push it in. If you ever did get a serious jam, you could just pop the receiver cover off to clear it (its just a dust cover, the gun will work without it).
1. The gas sytem is designed to be leaky. There are no o-rings, and the piston is a loose fit in the gas tube. The gas port is fairly large, and easy to clean, so its not likely to get plugged. The gas piston is forward in the gas tube, which has vent holes and leaks. Little gas gets back to the bolt area, so the bolt doesn't get too dirty (no carbon buildup).
2. The fire control group doesn't have many parts, and they're all large and sturdy. There are no tight tolerances or enclosed areas where a bit of grit could cause a problem. The engagement surfaces of the hammer, sear and secondary sear are so large that dirt, wear or other damage won't affect the function. The extractor is pretty large too, and the ejector is just part of the rail.
3. The mag feed lips are solid chunks of metal, not sheet metal, so they don't get bent out of shape. The way they positively snap into place prevents a common problem with some guns, where a mag can be in the gun but not fully locked in.
If you ever did have a problem, it'd be easy to fix. You have a solid handle on the bolt carrier, so if it didn't quite go into battery you could just push it in. If you ever did get a serious jam, you could just pop the receiver cover off to clear it (its just a dust cover, the gun will work without it).