MAK-90/AK-47 owners

V

VIEJO

New member
Can any of you fans of these rifles tell me what lifespan to expect? How about personal experience in regard to number of rounds fired thru one gun? Is 10-12 thousand rounds a reasonable life expectancy?

Thank you for your responses,

Viejo
 
A good friend happens to have a MAK-90 that has over 10,000 rounds down the tube. According to him, it's "just starting to get broken in." I've shot this very rifle and it's still tight. I believe the manual that comes with the rifle says the working life is estimated to be somewhere in the area of 5,000 to 7,000 rounds. It's not specific whether that is the barrel or the rifle as a whole.

The AK series rifles are not intended to be tack drivers. You'll still get decent accuracy far beyond the estimated life and the rifle will probably continue to function, due to its simplicity, when you hand it to your grandchild.

Noban
 
Noban,
Thanks for your response. My question was prompted in part by the wording of Chinese to English translation in the manual that came with my MAK. I wasn't sure if the 6000 rd. "life" meant for the rifle, the barrel or maybe the gas system. I'm going to order the new American Gunsmithing Institute video on repair/maint. of the MAK/AKs. This is a gun I know I'm going to pass on to my son.

Regards,

Viejo
 
MAN I HAD A mak 90 wish i never sold it,but that thing was bulit proof.remeber the ak-47 were made to shoot full auto so any full auto rifle shot semi auto is never going to ware out.the 3 years i had it i never had 1 failure of any sort.i would empty 5-6 30 rounders out of it as fast as i could till it got so hot i threw it down on the ground to cool.it caught some dry grass on fire.well after i retreived my mak from the fire i let her cool down for 20 minutes or so and went about shooting her like a fool again.i would never treat my AR 15 OR MINI-14 like that.that mac was a fun,tuff little rifle.i will get another one,ive seen norinco mak-90 for 350 at several of the last gun shows.thay are the best ones IMHO.but any AK will be dependable.
 
So long as you don't shoot full-auto and properly maintain the rifle, it should last on the order of 50,000 rounds or more before you should have to replace any major components. We're not talking about a match-grade rifle here.
 
How 'Bout Accuracy?

Wow!
Sounds as if some of you guys have done some SERIOUS ammo burning in the AK series.

Any of you ever done any serious accuracy testing? I'm not asking about rigging up a 14X target scope, just for-real groups shot from the bench.

My experience with a couple of MAK 90s and two AK47s indicates 5 to 6 inch groups at 100 with a mixed lot of Chinese and some Russian ammo. Best I ever did was 3-1/2 to 4 inches, but I can't deliver this on demand, with the combo of the open iron sights and my aging eyes. And I'm really not willing to invest the money in optical sights for a non-precision arm.

I was amazed at the uniformly light, smooth trigger pulls, albeit rather loooooong. Agreed--Target rifles they are not, but hitting a silhouette target at 200 yards and beyond is easily do-able.

Please hare your experiences.
Thanks,
Johnny
 
Once read that 15000 was the upper limit. I've only put about 1500 round through my AK. Have to agree with Johnny that from a bench can do 4 inch groups at 100 yards. It really isn't made to shoot from a bench though. The small stock takes some getting used too. When I first got it it was sort of frustrating trying to hit a small target but as I put more rounds through I seem to get better and better. All in all it is fun to shoot and I love the sound. Really ugly. Took days to get all the cosmoline off and it was still ugly, but it performs great. Seems to have a personality of its own. I have considered making it my weapon of choice for home defense but have to consider other factors. Defintely would be the weapon of choice if I knew I was going to be in a gun fight. That or my Defender. Make their day with an AK. Ugly and evil looking but I love it.
 
Man my Makie will shoot 1" at 100 yards!!!

She's had about 2,000 rounds through her I'd guess and isn't even hardly broken in. Still tight and sweet! :)
From a bench I can get MOA shooting Lapua FMJ's, about 2 to 3 inches at 100 yards with the Wolf stuff, and around 4 inches at 100yrds. with ****ty russian brand rounds. And this is all using open sights. Not bad at all Bobby. :)
 
Life expectancy of original AK-47 (with no U.S. made
parts in it) is huge, just because every component (except
parts of the furniture) is made out of steel and has a built-in safety factor of at least 5. I've never heard of
original AK-47 falling apart or stuff like this this. Barrel life is a different matter, 'cause it depends upon intensity of firing. My rough guess would be at least 50 years of service or 25,000 rounds, whatever comes first...
 
mak 90 do have extreamly smooth triggers.man whats the pre ocupation with groups???especially from a meat grinder like the ak.i just dont get it.
i once read and i prectice it,is this.prectice so thet you can hit a pie pan at 100 yards the first time and every time.when you hunt you dont shoot groups you get 1 shot and when that oportunity comes you better be ready.the man that can hit first shot every time will take home the bacon.groups are for bragging!!!!
 
Scoops, the "meat grinder" image assigned to the AK series isn't necessarily an accurate description, because I could also use the terminology to describe the Ruger Mini-14 and Mini-30. True, some folks do spend time and money to rebarrel and otherwise accurize their Ruger Minis, and feed them perfect handloads to get decent groupings. The purpose of the AK was never to become the target-cum-battle rifle like the 1903 Springfield, but it was the rifle of the great unwashed masses, easy to use, durable as heck, and able to put down a withering fire on the playing field out to intermediate ranges. Some of the snobbery comes from those who have neither owned an AK, or don't really understand the reason for it's existence, stirring up the AR vs. AK arguments often seen on forums. But having said that, I, too, have a "meat grinder" Bulgarian SLR AK, (as well as a couple AR's), that loves my handloads, and although I haven't gotten 1" groups at 100 yards with it, I can hit a steel chicken silhouette with it at 200 meters, and group like this on windy days:

http://www.geocities.com/gew98.geo/26sepaktarget.jpg
 
I have a MAK 90.

At a great range in central Iowa they had a 100 and a 200 yard range.

I would take a few paper plates and place them at the end of the 200 yard range.

Then I would shoot the mak from the hip and watch where the bullets hit the dirt.

Never failed to nail the paper plates after about four or five "where am I hittin" rounds.

That is what an AK 47 is for!
 
I have found the AKM to shoot (with plus/minus accuracy) under any conditions.


That is why I love the rifle, it is super dependable.


Zouave
 
Chinese AK's do have the nicest triggers of all the AK's.The rifle was designed to have a 5 or 6,000 round barrel life not only because it was intended for FA use but also from the use of corrosive ammo and steel core bullets,then it would(in theory)go back to the armorer for a new barrel.In semi-auto(with decent ammo)it should last you a very long time.I have a freind who's had a MAK 90 since the early 80's with an estimated 35 to 40,000 rounds through it and it still shoots as good as it did the day that he bought it.
 
My SAR 1 shoots minute of steel plate at 100 yds all day, so it is plenty accruate for what I use it for. My AK74 is much more accruate than the 762X39, almost keeps up with my ARs at 100 yds.
 
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