This looks like a perfect gun for some near-future FPS looking to fill out its roster. "an AK that's actually designed to have all of our attachments slapped on it? Great!"
It's called the Arex too. Tell me that isn't a name you could complain about? Arex this, Arex that, nerf Arex, stupid camper with the Arex, the Arex is never good when I Arex the Rex. Arex
I'm surprised it didn't take off given that it's the only 'modern' AK to actually solve the AK platforms biggest flaw, the dust cover and lack of a decent scope mount.
@@jackvernian7779 Nope, the AK12 still has a dust cover they just tried to make it more solid. Same goes for the galil ace. They don't solve the problem. This monolithic upper actually does solve it making it as solid as an AR etc.
@@jackvernian7779 it doesn’t really do a great job the top cover isn’t the best at holding zero and the hand guard is really only good for a grip since it’s so flimsy you could never get a laser to have any chance of ever holding zero
That fellow behind the pillar should start a company and call it Pillarnar Tactical or something like that, pillar-nar, or maybe column-nar or pole-a-nar...yeah something in that line, I dunno why but I think it would do quite well. Just a gut feeling.
When that dude pops up from behind the pillar at 20:00 I thought - good job this isn't a hicock 45 video. He'd have gone the way of the cinder blocks, soda bottles and iron targets
@@dropkickedmurphy6463 There were variants of the AKB that had a slightly different upper that did use a SCAR style stock. Like this one modernfirearms.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/akb151.jpg
Arex: We'll never make any money selling this on the civilian market. Ian: I'll review it as a "modern" Forgotten Weapon. Every AK Boi in the US: I want one! 🤔
I think you underestimate the amount of sales they were looking for, they probably hoped once they had manufacturing wet up they may get a military contract, that’s never going to happen just selling diy kits. I do think it’s a good idea, maybe for a smaller company though.
@Jaka Celhar Makes sense. Almost all of the "European suspects" with AKs in inventory and use have their own national arms industries and military complexes. Thusly any such "he do us a custom AK development" would first and foremost go to the national players. So if it wasn't for slovenia, the work is most likely to out of Europe. Since giving that kind of contract to domestic player is how they keep the "state rifle factory" (thought which by now is most likely privatized entity) in employ. Plus if they contracted out of country there would be a whole storm around about "unpatriotic defense contracting decisions".
I would bet the Country was Bosnia, because just a couple of years after AREX proposed the AKB15, a Bosnian company called "AC Unity" teased the "AC Alfa SMG-1" and "AC Alfa SMG-2" rifles, which were essentially the AKB15 with different stocks and barrel lengths.
That's really a great way to bring the AK into the modern era. Still an AK but with the features that one would expect out of a modern sporting or military rifle. Sad it didn't get more traction. Well done Arex
Sureshot makes basically the same product, but only requiring the removal of the rear sight block. That system also free-floats the barrel, improving accuracy.
i cant help but giggle at the guy behind the pillar in the tripod shot of ian and the table, that aside this is a fairly handsome ak its a shame it never went anywhere
This whole system is amazing. The idea is pretty simple, but still a lot of effort is put into getting the AK modernized. I just wonder how much cheaper this whole rebuilding process would have been in the end compared to buying new rifles
Yeah, that's Ziga from the Polenar Tactical channel, which is Slovenia's #1 TH-cam gun channel 😁👍 Please check their videos out because it's always good to see another country's take on things in a world dominated by US channels, and there's a lot of humour and irreverance in their content: for example, running a practical pistol course (using an airsoft pistol for safety reasons 😉) stone-cold sober, then repeating it after several drinks, then again after several more drinks, and several more until he's totally hammered 🥴🍻🥃🍻🥃, before comparing times and scores. That was really interesting and a proper eye-opener, and all their content has nice touches of comedy mixed-in with the serious stuff, a little bit like Top Gear for gun-geeks but without being as OTT or "forced" as Top Gear's content, or having their crazy budget to work with, hence Ziga casually standing behind a pillar in the background for 10 minutes and occasionally poking his head out and disappearing again -subtle, but still very funny indeed IMHO... 😜
I think you should go through the entire Forgotten Weapons history checking for Ziga hiding behind columns in every factory Ian has ever filmed from 😉👍
@@Bacteriophagebs The release version, yes. The concept seemed a lot better but as we all know, most concept designs never come out fully the way it was intended
@@Bacteriophagebs For me, the AK-12 feels more cheap and plasticky compared to the old AK-74 with wood furniture, which i own. The AK-74 also seems to be more reliable for me, especially in extreme cold conditions, where the AK-12 got me a few jams here and there.
Probably better than the AK12 since Russia made so much corrosive 5.45 ammo that they just issue it still with the new AK12 at the detriment of hamstringing the rifle and probably not as good as a Galil ACE. If Russia would've put the effort of making a new Non-Corrosive 5.45 ammo for the AK12 the reviews would've likely been more favorable.
Holy crap!!! They even staked the castle nut correctly!!! Bravo!!!! And yes, like others have said, they'd sell very well over here in the US either as a whole rifle or a conversion kit!
The CASV was rereleased in MLOK for AR pattern rifles (carbine and mid), and the CMRD handguard for AKs was also re-released with MLOK. As I'm writing this, the carbine length of the CASV is out of stock, but it'll be re-stocked soon. Midlength CASV and CMRD are in stock.
I wonder if a outfit like Palmetto State Armory, Rifle Dynamics, Fuller Phoenix, Riley Defense, Meridian Defense or even the "cheap" outfits like Century Arms would consider importing these "kits" to build out a AK that I might consider buying..which is saying something because I prefer the AR platform over anything else.
I mean if a decent American AK manufacturer can get the design documents or even make it as a collaboration with Arex I could see this working on the U.S. Market.
This paired with some of Dublin AK's upgrades,( like the thumb mag release, safety, front charging handle,) and there is your 21st century AK. Both ergonomics and optic stabilization fixed.
Of all the "modernizaton" projects out there, thumb mag release is the one that's been incredibly useful yet under-implemented. Who needs a full top rail for mounting 18 red dots in series? Give me that fast mag drop. The one modification I have on my competition AKs is a thumb mag release and it's the best thing ever.
Very cool to see that your trip yielded ripe fruit. Polenar Tactical seems like a great guide and showed us Americans many AK product and prototypes we would never get to see Stateside. Interesting information and really just shows how widespread and varied AK modernization has been and with results better than its home country has had.
What would have been really cool would be if they had designed a new front trunnion with an extension to mount a free float lower handguard. While they were at it they could have updated the safety to something like the galil ace
That's Ziga from the Polenar Tactical channel -it's a fantastic channel with some really interesting content from a European point of view, which is a refreshing change from all the US gun content on TH-cam. He also appears in the Slovenian Brutality video Ian shot, and has also collaborated with Brandon Herrera a few times, so please check their channel out 😁👍
An educated guess would indicate Vietnam as the mystery country. As it's around the same time the US lifted it's arms embargo and I feel the upgrades were rejected in favour of manufacturing the domestic STV rifles.
As if was designed from an M70 and uses 7.62mm, it was probably designed for ex-Yu countries as a replacement for the M70s which are in every reserves' inventory. I suspect it was either for Slovenia itself, which figured it was too expensive and unlikely to go into armed conflict - or for Serbia, which decided that 6.5mm is the future, and since the domestic M19 uses both 6.5 and 7.62, it was the more economic choice.
@Nigma No, not for Serbia, as we have our own technology and production line at our Zastava factory, where we developed Zastava M21 (AKM in 5,56 for the military in early 2000's) and the new Zastava M19 (modular assault rifle with sawppable firing barrel in 7,62x39 and 6,5x39), as well as Zastava M05 derivatives. All three designs have been fielded by Serbian Army and all three callibers are in circulation both for military and law enforcement. Plus, our brothers from Republic of Srpska designed their own variant of AKM. So no, we Serbs definitely don't need this redundant measure from a young nation such as Slovenia. Feel free to check Serbia - Zastava Arms production history, as well as "Morana Assault Rifle" from Republic of Srpska - Bratunac factory. Heck we even have our 5,56 Zastava M90 taking over the U.S. AK market as we speak, so, no, not for Serbia, we have our own stuff we're very proud of and the market recognizes this fact.
I'd love to own 1 of these. What a shame that it didnt get the military contract so that the rest of us could get semi auto versions. I've owned and do own many AK's but this one is something special
@@tsorevitch2409 early AK12 prototypes (from 2006-2010)((what will be ak12*) had rear sight block, new furniture as ak200 series, then they made full length rail, that dont hold zero), but they could use zenit dust covers that connects to rear sight block.
@@sectero9450 Ratnik program was launched in 2011 so there were no earlier Ak-12 variants. izmash hired Zlobin to a role of lead designer and he designed what is know as Zlobin's ak-12 or early ak-12 prototype. It had many fancy features but no compatibility with existing (with exception of magazine) and it wasn't taking into account production capabilities of the factory. It was also in very early stage of development and unreliable and had no chance to win competition agains Kovrov prototype that is known as a-545. It would take atleast 5 more years to work out design of Zlobin's ak-12 so factory made a choice to replace the lead designer and start from scratch. New ak-12 was based on ak-200 series and was just in time for end of competition. Zenith furniture can't be used for Zlobin's AK and it won't solve multiple reliability issues. Zenith top covers was tested in development of ak-12 but was to heavy, to expensive.
@@tsorevitch2409 Batmitza program was launched in 1999 then after several problems (weight, cost, mostly weight) Then it became Ratnik(btw its cheap version of Barmitza). There were around 5-6 prototypes which Will became AK-12. 2 of them were basically AK-200.(one of them was upgrade kit for AK-74 for Barmitza). Zenit is example of dust cover with rail that hold zero, because its attaches at rear sight block, they could make same Type of attachment without cutting of rear sight block.
This reminds me of Reborn Arms with its Morana upgrade for the m70. In the end, Serbia decided not to upgrade its stockpile of m70s but start production of a brand new assault rifle called the m19. You can check out the Morana AK modernisation here: th-cam.com/video/zO17UPMjqok/w-d-xo.html
I like that the Morana can use the SCAR butt stock, has QD sling locations, and has a monolithic lower. Not sure how secure that upper is being held in by a button. The AREX method seems more secure. I also like the AREX safety lever, if they could make it easier to operate. Bolt locks back, flip up safety while grabbing new mag with other hand, swap mags, when ready switch to safe simultaneously releasing the bolt. Could use some dust cover solution, however.
I would love for something like this to come to market. I think the ak is gaining more popularity in the US than ever before and the one piece rail seams a better solution to the dust cover zero retention than what zenitco or anyone else offers.
My shot at guessing what the country was: Malta. The Maltese army's small arms are a mix of old Type 56s and a hodgepodge of surplus from East Germany and Romania. For such a small country the military is brigade sized and so it has a good need for rifles, and aside from the Finns (who have native production capability) are the only European countries still using 7.62x39. Makes sense for their arms, makes sense that they'd go to the Slovenes, and makes sense timing wise because the Maltese defence strategy was being revamped circa 2014-2015 before their decennial review and the Maltese opted for limited small arms modernization around the same time.
Interesting detail about the 3-hole buttstock for storing non-captive pins so they don't get lost. Curious, any manufactures use magnetized pins so they don't get lost and just stick to the gun (yes, won't work with aluminum & composites) Kinda reminds me of the old auto-mechanic trick of holding engine bolts against the alternator to magnetize them so they don't fall (or if they do fall and you have a gravel driveway, you can find them easily by dragging a steel crescent wrench around).
Shame they didn't carry over the folding stock option. I'm not sure how I feel about seeing AR style buffer tube stocks on firearms that don't have a buffer tube. Just feels like you're wasting potential.
@@bradweinberger6907 They were already redesigning how the stock attaches and maybe could have retained the stocks they already had by using the same attachment. Vs using new stocks which is a cost. Then the cost of dealing with the old stocks since these are conversions.
Bit weird, isnt it? With an AK you could just have a folding and telescoping stock at the same time. Maybe that was too expensive tho. This wouldve likely been a rifle for reserves, I think most eastern countries that used M70s switched to differen guns for their primary armed forces. Slovenia even uses F2000s I think?
I would have loved to seen Ian's reaction when he started reviewing this video for the first time only to see Ziga poking his head out from behind the pillar.
@@therogers4432 lol I had it on in the background mostly. I knew Ziga had made an appearance, so it wouldn't surprise me, but it's still funny of course.
This concept occurred to me some years ago. It solves the optic mount problems but field strip would be impractical since the gun now breaks in two halves. That’s fine when you’re cleaning it, not good if you have to clear a jam under fire. Would be a good sporting rifle but a flawed fighting rifle.
It's funny, I remember seeing a variant of this in Airsoft form, went by the name Arcturus Centaur. Never knew it was based off of a real concept! Certainly an interesting one.
I wonder what percentage of total machining time such a conversion would actually save vs a totally new weapon, also is there any saving in actual man hours after you include the time to break down and clean up the donors?
I'm guessing the country/countries that were looking into it didn't want to take the leap to new platform mostly because of associated costs and necessary training. If you already have a bunch of AKs laying around, might as well modernize at least some of them but still have a familiar manual of arms, same old mags and ammo etc. Could be entirely wrong though
You're not including the R&D time in making a new platform. As Ian said, all the internal parts here are standard AK. Same receiver, front trunnion, fire control, same bolt, carrier, piston, recoil spring, all that. Some minor changes to external dimensions of the gas tube and barrel, but nothing that has any bearing about how it operates. It's essentially a body kit. Modifying an existing design isn't too hard, but it can still require considerable R&D. Even simple changes can impact spring tension, surface contact and friction, necessary gas system pressure and volume to operate, and more. Engineering a new platform from scratch means you don't have any existing info or measurements to start from and takes a lot more time.
![ลองสั่งของจากแอพ temu ถูกจริงหรอ?? ( part : 1/2 ) [โกงไหมครับ ep.89 ] | DOM](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RTcZSQTiDZw/mqdefault.jpg)
Ziga spending 10 minutes behind a pillar for a joke like a champ
ziga is the ultimate cameo guy
i thought that was a crew member of that factory
but no, that's actually Ziga photobombing lol
Ziga needs the hex key for the lathe but is afraid to ask
Who is he and where does he come from? Many people seems to know him but I got no idea.
@@anteshell Polenar Tactical
some love to the guy behind the pillar
🤫
Yeah. Some love for Ziga ;-)
hope he has a nice day.
Pure gold :)
I think you might have a stalker
This looks like a perfect gun for some near-future FPS looking to fill out its roster. "an AK that's actually designed to have all of our attachments slapped on it? Great!"
It looks like a hammerburst from gears of war
Escape From Tarkov would fit the bill amazingly
This would be the description if it had been in FC5.
let's be real, the AK will be the modern era Mosin Nagant fighting wars 300 years from now.
It's called the Arex too. Tell me that isn't a name you could complain about?
Arex this, Arex that, nerf Arex, stupid camper with the Arex, the Arex is never good when I Arex the Rex. Arex
Is he recording yet? *pokes head around the pillar*. Wellllllll shit, guess I’m hiding here now.
I think that was the guy from Polenar Tactical :D a Slovenian gun youtuber
@@Doyle1611 yep Ziga, he's very fun :)
I bet he dropped to his hands and knees and crawled away
@@mnharris10 He's there the entire video
I'm surprised it didn't take off given that it's the only 'modern' AK to actually solve the AK platforms biggest flaw, the dust cover and lack of a decent scope mount.
isn't AK-12 just that?
It's not the only one, kk made an ak with an upper receiver
@@jackvernian7779 Nope, the AK12 still has a dust cover they just tried to make it more solid. Same goes for the galil ace. They don't solve the problem. This monolithic upper actually does solve it making it as solid as an AR etc.
@@jackvernian7779 it doesn’t really do a great job the top cover isn’t the best at holding zero and the hand guard is really only good for a grip since it’s so flimsy you could never get a laser to have any chance of ever holding zero
Dove Tail is decent scope mount, not for western part of the world ofc
That fellow behind the pillar should start a company and call it Pillarnar Tactical or something like that, pillar-nar, or maybe column-nar or pole-a-nar...yeah something in that line, I dunno why but I think it would do quite well. Just a gut feeling.
😂
I feel like every AK fan in America is heartbroken knowing this ALMOST made it to the civilian market. What an excellent rifle!
When that dude pops up from behind the pillar at 20:00 I thought - good job this isn't a hicock 45 video. He'd have gone the way of the cinder blocks, soda bottles and iron targets
I like the way Polenar dudes interact with Ian, it's entertaining.
Another cool tactical AK variant. 0:22 "shit I'm in shot, I'm gonna hide behind this pillar till the breakdown footage is done".
Thats Žiga from Polenar Tactical.
I think that photobomb was intended judging by the way he slowly leans in
Maybe. Just a completely random thing to do.
I'm not some idiot that needs a attention break every 10 seconds, I watched because I have a passion for guns. I was just pointing it out.
That guy peeking around the column at 1:28 made my day.
He also peeks around the column at 8:36. Only now do I recognize the face, and I am not surprised.
A wild Ziga can be seen stalking the Ian in its natural habitat examining it's newly caught prey
It sucks this never really came to market. This is exactly the upgraded variant that I want.
The only change would be in 5.45 instead of 7.62.
I'd take it, As-Is.
I definitely agree. I'd put a SCAR stock on it if I could, but other than that, I love this thing.
Go look at Galil. Not only in 7.62x39, also 5.45x39, 5.56x45, and 7.62x51.
Easily the most accurate out of the box AKs out there.
@@JD-tn5lz Do Galils use AK mags? I have a bunch of those, and cant get normal capacity magazines anymore. If not, I'd rather have the above.
@@dropkickedmurphy6463 There were variants of the AKB that had a slightly different upper that did use a SCAR style stock. Like this one modernfirearms.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/akb151.jpg
The guy peeking out from behind the column at 1:28 and 8:37 really made this video.
I think they grossly underestimated the US market. With a little bit more development I think a conversion kit would have taken off!
Palmetto State Armory should try make a clone of this or buy the schematic of it, then I suspect all American AK makers will follow suit
Arex: We'll never make any money selling this on the civilian market.
Ian: I'll review it as a "modern" Forgotten Weapon.
Every AK Boi in the US: I want one!
🤔
Agreed. I think if this conversion's done right could solve a lot of problems when it comes to modernizing the AK platform
Fuck yes PSA.
I think you underestimate the amount of sales they were looking for, they probably hoped once they had manufacturing wet up they may get a military contract, that’s never going to happen just selling diy kits. I do think it’s a good idea, maybe for a smaller company though.
This "secret country" was probably Slovenia as it makes sense to shop around inside your own country first for military upgrade projects.
Was thinking it could be Ukraine...
My first guess was Hungary
I was thinking Ukraine - makes sense in 2015, after the invasion of Crimea.
Elbonia is my guess.
@Jaka Celhar Makes sense. Almost all of the "European suspects" with AKs in inventory and use have their own national arms industries and military complexes. Thusly any such "he do us a custom AK development" would first and foremost go to the national players.
So if it wasn't for slovenia, the work is most likely to out of Europe. Since giving that kind of contract to domestic player is how they keep the "state rifle factory" (thought which by now is most likely privatized entity) in employ. Plus if they contracted out of country there would be a whole storm around about "unpatriotic defense contracting decisions".
The good old leaning into picture in the background. Intro gold
I would bet the Country was Bosnia, because just a couple of years after AREX proposed the AKB15, a Bosnian company called "AC Unity" teased the "AC Alfa SMG-1" and "AC Alfa SMG-2" rifles, which were essentially the AKB15 with different stocks and barrel lengths.
> "AC Unity
Assassins Creed: Unity lol? wut?
@@nicolaiby1846 it's the guys who make that quad-stack 60-rds polymer AK mag.
I think the AK Alfa is israeli
Really cool to see how long it took to develop all the way to AKB-48.
i was looking for a joke like this lol
Basically a Japanese guy observed it and like many Japanese stuffs, they try to make it kawaii, and so AKB-48 was made.
Wait, that's no gun
@Power Alimin it's a Japanese idol group.
ちなみにAKB48はもう日本国内では名前を聞かなくなるほど衰退した。
同系列のグループは見かけるけども……
That's really a great way to bring the AK into the modern era.
Still an AK but with the features that one would expect out of a modern sporting or military rifle.
Sad it didn't get more traction.
Well done Arex
Sureshot makes basically the same product, but only requiring the removal of the rear sight block. That system also free-floats the barrel, improving accuracy.
M+M AND IWI both have flat top "AK" rifles that take modular furniture.
The moment that guy peeked around the corner the pink panther theme song started to play in my head.
Thanks, that's gonna be stuck in my head now 🤣
Arg, mine too , now.
i cant help but giggle at the guy behind the pillar in the tripod shot of ian and the table, that aside this is a fairly handsome ak its a shame it never went anywhere
This whole system is amazing. The idea is pretty simple, but still a lot of effort is put into getting the AK modernized.
I just wonder how much cheaper this whole rebuilding process would have been in the end compared to buying new rifles
I just find it hilarious while Ian is explaining the rifle, theres a guy in the background just sticking his head out every once in a while.🤣
Yeah, that's Ziga from the Polenar Tactical channel, which is Slovenia's #1 TH-cam gun channel 😁👍
Please check their videos out because it's always good to see another country's take on things in a world dominated by US channels, and there's a lot of humour and irreverance in their content: for example, running a practical pistol course (using an airsoft pistol for safety reasons 😉) stone-cold sober, then repeating it after several drinks, then again after several more drinks, and several more until he's totally hammered 🥴🍻🥃🍻🥃, before comparing times and scores.
That was really interesting and a proper eye-opener, and all their content has nice touches of comedy mixed-in with the serious stuff, a little bit like Top Gear for gun-geeks but without being as OTT or "forced" as Top Gear's content, or having their crazy budget to work with, hence Ziga casually standing behind a pillar in the background for 10 minutes and occasionally poking his head out and disappearing again -subtle, but still very funny indeed IMHO... 😜
I would like to imagine that any time there is a piller in his videos piller guy has always been there
I think you should go through the entire Forgotten Weapons history checking for Ziga hiding behind columns in every factory Ian has ever filmed from 😉👍
This is such a cool take on the AK, I wonder how it measures up to the AK12 and other "modernized" variants.
The AK-12 has very mixed reviews. This seems hands-down superior.
The monolithic upper rail on the AKB-15 is definitely better for mounting all kinds of accessories than the rails on the AK-12.
@@Bacteriophagebs The release version, yes. The concept seemed a lot better but as we all know, most concept designs never come out fully the way it was intended
@@Bacteriophagebs For me, the AK-12 feels more cheap and plasticky compared to the old AK-74 with wood furniture, which i own. The AK-74 also seems to be more reliable for me, especially in extreme cold conditions, where the AK-12 got me a few jams here and there.
Probably better than the AK12 since Russia made so much corrosive 5.45 ammo that they just issue it still with the new AK12 at the detriment of hamstringing the rifle and probably not as good as a Galil ACE. If Russia would've put the effort of making a new Non-Corrosive 5.45 ammo for the AK12 the reviews would've likely been more favorable.
01:28 the guy behind the pillar...LOL
@8:48 Guy peaking around column: "Oh hey, didn't see ya there"
Does anyone else get that nice tingly feeling when they hear "trunnion?"
Holy crap!!! They even staked the castle nut correctly!!! Bravo!!!! And yes, like others have said, they'd sell very well over here in the US either as a whole rifle or a conversion kit!
I'm going to have to watch this twice. Once to see Ian, and once to see the guy hiding behind the column
Nice! I agree, the AREX AKB-15 is a forgotten weapon. I think there is potential but heh!
The rail design reminds me of VLTOR stuff aesthetically speaking, like the CASV which for some reason they don't make anymore sadly.
Nice looking AK.
The CASV was rereleased in MLOK for AR pattern rifles (carbine and mid), and the CMRD handguard for AKs was also re-released with MLOK. As I'm writing this, the carbine length of the CASV is out of stock, but it'll be re-stocked soon. Midlength CASV and CMRD are in stock.
@@TeletubbiesRcute thanks for the heads up. I've been trying to find a used one with no luck but would love a new one with MLOK points for my ARs.
Ghost over Ian's left shoulder at 08:42 Very smooth. ;-)
Ziga popping up got a good laugh out of me hahaha! Interesting design/ partial reconfiguration, very cool.
dude playing peek-a-boo at 8:39 cracks me up
Some weird fellow kept creepily popping out from behind that pillar.
Yeah... He looked like a right frikkin wierdo... 🥴
But maybe it takes on to know one? 🤔
I like the guy trapped behind the pillar in the background peeking out occasionally 🤣
Ha ha... Love the guy peeking from behind the pillar... 😁
the dude behind the pillar gave me a good chuckle. thanks for not editing it out.
I wonder if a outfit like Palmetto State Armory, Rifle Dynamics, Fuller Phoenix, Riley Defense, Meridian Defense or even the "cheap" outfits like Century Arms would consider importing these "kits" to build out a AK that I might consider buying..which is saying something because I prefer the AR platform over anything else.
Prefers ARs yet you called yourself akmarksman😉
But your idea is pretty good 🍺👍🏻
I mean if a decent American AK manufacturer can get the design documents or even make it as a collaboration with Arex I could see this working on the U.S. Market.
@@R.Sole88109 Calls himself akmarksman but lists psa and riley as not "cheap" outfits lol.
Polenar looking at this a few years back was what introduced them to me, funny to see it all come full circle.
What a beautiful rifle. I own an Arex Delta L pistol and I have to say that they do a fine job in manufacturing.
Bro peaking it out at 08:45 scared the crap out of me! Really interesting gun, though.
This paired with some of Dublin AK's upgrades,( like the thumb mag release, safety, front charging handle,) and there is your 21st century AK. Both ergonomics and optic stabilization fixed.
Of all the "modernizaton" projects out there, thumb mag release is the one that's been incredibly useful yet under-implemented. Who needs a full top rail for mounting 18 red dots in series? Give me that fast mag drop. The one modification I have on my competition AKs is a thumb mag release and it's the best thing ever.
@@rlb3418 Who makes it? Dublin AK stop selling his years ago unfortunately, he had some ingenious stuff.
The guy behind the pillar is my new hero.
This is a rifle with great potential, a true modernized AK. Shame it never got into production.
Peaking lurker in the background is hilarious!
Came for the gun, stayed for the Ziga in the background.
Very cool to see that your trip yielded ripe fruit. Polenar Tactical seems like a great guide and showed us Americans many AK product and prototypes we would never get to see Stateside. Interesting information and really just shows how widespread and varied AK modernization has been and with results better than its home country has had.
I feel like this is the ultimate modernized ak. If this was available on the market. I would buy it in an instant.
I love the "wheres wally" sidebars.
An actual AK15?! The anti's heads are exploding
So nobody is acknowledging how funny the dude peeking around the pillar is in the beginning ?
Žiga is professional photobomber! :)
LOL, the dude in the background doing the Homer into the hedge thing 🤣
What would have been really cool would be if they had designed a new front trunnion with an extension to mount a free float lower handguard. While they were at it they could have updated the safety to something like the galil ace
8:43 A wild Polenar appears in the background!
True last-shot hold open would be the #1 thing that would help modernize the Kalashnikov. I don't think he would have an issue with that.
can i just say to whoever the photo-bomb guy is in all of the Arex videos so far...you are my hero!
That's Ziga from the Polenar Tactical channel -it's a fantastic channel with some really interesting content from a European point of view, which is a refreshing change from all the US gun content on TH-cam.
He also appears in the Slovenian Brutality video Ian shot, and has also collaborated with Brandon Herrera a few times, so please check their channel out 😁👍
The upgrades make this rifle look less like an AK than the rifle recently featured in the Andor trailer.
That guy awkwardly peeking round the corner is much funnier than it should be.
An educated guess would indicate Vietnam as the mystery country. As it's around the same time the US lifted it's arms embargo and I feel the upgrades were rejected in favour of manufacturing the domestic STV rifles.
If someone feels this is incorrect I am anxious to hear otherwise.
@@Nick-zh3ui It's serbia and montenegro, not vietnam.
@@swedhgemoni8092 Tara aerospace was already making an M4 clone for Montenegrin forces by that point
@@agricola Yes but they wanted to modernize Kalashnikovs of which they had a huge stock. It's likely these would have been kept in reserve.
You can see Ian's conscience checking in on him from behind the column.
As if was designed from an M70 and uses 7.62mm, it was probably designed for ex-Yu countries as a replacement for the M70s which are in every reserves' inventory. I suspect it was either for Slovenia itself, which figured it was too expensive and unlikely to go into armed conflict - or for Serbia, which decided that 6.5mm is the future, and since the domestic M19 uses both 6.5 and 7.62, it was the more economic choice.
This wasn’t designed from an m70 tho. M70s have bulged trunnions
It uses an AKM pattern receiver, not M70.
@Nigma No, not for Serbia, as we have our own technology and production line at our Zastava factory, where we developed Zastava M21 (AKM in 5,56 for the military in early 2000's) and the new Zastava M19 (modular assault rifle with sawppable firing barrel in 7,62x39 and 6,5x39), as well as Zastava M05 derivatives. All three designs have been fielded by Serbian Army and all three callibers are in circulation both for military and law enforcement. Plus, our brothers from Republic of Srpska designed their own variant of AKM. So no, we Serbs definitely don't need this redundant measure from a young nation such as Slovenia. Feel free to check Serbia - Zastava Arms production history, as well as "Morana Assault Rifle" from Republic of Srpska - Bratunac factory. Heck we even have our 5,56 Zastava M90 taking over the U.S. AK market as we speak, so, no, not for Serbia, we have our own stuff we're very proud of and the market recognizes this fact.
@@doublepiedavid8908 It was designed from m70. See Polenar's earlier videos on this rifle...
@@plavalegia the polanar rifle was a different gun built off of an M70 receiver. You can see the bulged trunnion in the first two seconds of the video
8:37 The guy behind the pillar had me lmao.
Who is the peaky guy in the back ?
I believe it's Ziga :-)
TH-cam polenar tactical
Shia LeBeouf
I just love that polenar tactical is making cameos, it’s such a treat
Polenar Tactical sneaky crossover?
Easy yet incredible fix for the top receiver issue. I’m astonished by engineer’s ingenuity
I'd love to own 1 of these. What a shame that it didnt get the military contract so that the rest of us could get semi auto versions. I've owned and do own many AK's but this one is something special
The guy peaking at Ian in the first few sec of the video is like, O Gun Jesus is here!!!
It's crazy to think about how much a company invests into a project and then an entity goes "eh nevermind". Plus how often that happens, lol.
Kudos to the guy in the background peeping from behind the column at 0:20, big potential for memes folks
Reminds me early AK12 prototypes which basically was ak200
Early ak-12 prototype have very little in common with ak-200. Probably the only thing it have in common with other AKs is magazine
@@tsorevitch2409 early AK12 prototypes (from 2006-2010)((what will be ak12*) had rear sight block, new furniture as ak200 series, then they made full length rail, that dont hold zero), but they could use zenit dust covers that connects to rear sight block.
@@sectero9450 Ratnik program was launched in 2011 so there were no earlier Ak-12 variants.
izmash hired Zlobin to a role of lead designer and he designed what is know as Zlobin's ak-12 or early ak-12 prototype. It had many fancy features but no compatibility with existing (with exception of magazine) and it wasn't taking into account production capabilities of the factory. It was also in very early stage of development and unreliable and had no chance to win competition agains Kovrov prototype that is known as a-545. It would take atleast 5 more years to work out design of Zlobin's ak-12 so factory made a choice to replace the lead designer and start from scratch. New ak-12 was based on ak-200 series and was just in time for end of competition.
Zenith furniture can't be used for Zlobin's AK and it won't solve multiple reliability issues.
Zenith top covers was tested in development of ak-12 but was to heavy, to expensive.
@@tsorevitch2409 Batmitza program was launched in 1999 then after several problems (weight, cost, mostly weight) Then it became Ratnik(btw its cheap version of Barmitza). There were around 5-6 prototypes which Will became AK-12. 2 of them were basically AK-200.(one of them was upgrade kit for AK-74 for Barmitza). Zenit is example of dust cover with rail that hold zero, because its attaches at rear sight block, they could make same Type of attachment without cutting of rear sight block.
@@sectero9450 ak-12 and ak-mk dust cover and hold zero without need to attach to sight block
He just stands there....menacingly....
This reminds me of Reborn Arms with its Morana upgrade for the m70. In the end, Serbia decided not to upgrade its stockpile of m70s but start production of a brand new assault rifle called the m19. You can check out the Morana AK modernisation here:
th-cam.com/video/zO17UPMjqok/w-d-xo.html
Pa znas sta ovo B na kraju znaci ko je dizajner
I like that the Morana can use the SCAR butt stock, has QD sling locations, and has a monolithic lower.
Not sure how secure that upper is being held in by a button. The AREX method seems more secure.
I also like the AREX safety lever, if they could make it easier to operate. Bolt locks back, flip up safety while grabbing new mag with other hand, swap mags, when ready switch to safe simultaneously releasing the bolt. Could use some dust cover solution, however.
Best channel, no stupidly loud intros and outros.
Similar M70 was modernised in in Bosnian company Ac unity (AC alfa smg2) from Gorazde, maybe Arex was collaborating with EMKA or Ac unity.
I would love for something like this to come to market. I think the ak is gaining more popularity in the US than ever before and the one piece rail seams a better solution to the dust cover zero retention than what zenitco or anyone else offers.
I know one thing for sure, that foregrip improves stability by reducing first shot recoil by 33%.
Love the guy playing peek-a-boo.
“This sucks right handed, why do any of you use it this way?”
Not my fault its an outdated design.
Because it was designed so you use your trigger hand to operate it.
@@mulrich Again, un-ergonomic, slow, and outdated.
My shot at guessing what the country was: Malta. The Maltese army's small arms are a mix of old Type 56s and a hodgepodge of surplus from East Germany and Romania. For such a small country the military is brigade sized and so it has a good need for rifles, and aside from the Finns (who have native production capability) are the only European countries still using 7.62x39. Makes sense for their arms, makes sense that they'd go to the Slovenes, and makes sense timing wise because the Maltese defence strategy was being revamped circa 2014-2015 before their decennial review and the Maltese opted for limited small arms modernization around the same time.
Ummmm...I think Ian forgot locking the door and let Polenar Tactical guy broke in xD
Interesting detail about the 3-hole buttstock for storing non-captive pins so they don't get lost. Curious, any manufactures use magnetized pins so they don't get lost and just stick to the gun (yes, won't work with aluminum & composites)
Kinda reminds me of the old auto-mechanic trick of holding engine bolts against the alternator to magnetize them so they don't fall (or if they do fall and you have a gravel driveway, you can find them easily by dragging a steel crescent wrench around).
My Galil Ace in 5.56 is everything I always wanted my AK to be, I can't imagine a better version of this rifle design.
Ziga was here! 🤗
Ziga should have done a “Kilroy was here!” pose. 😂
Shame they didn't carry over the folding stock option. I'm not sure how I feel about seeing AR style buffer tube stocks on firearms that don't have a buffer tube. Just feels like you're wasting potential.
Agreed.. but at the time it was probably the best way to provide numerous options.
Wouldnt a folding stock add weight and cost? Something this already was high on?
@@bradweinberger6907 They were already redesigning how the stock attaches and maybe could have retained the stocks they already had by using the same attachment. Vs using new stocks which is a cost. Then the cost of dealing with the old stocks since these are conversions.
Bit weird, isnt it? With an AK you could just have a folding and telescoping stock at the same time. Maybe that was too expensive tho. This wouldve likely been a rifle for reserves, I think most eastern countries that used M70s switched to differen guns for their primary armed forces. Slovenia even uses F2000s I think?
He said in the video that the military version would have an ACR stock, I doubt it would have been the fixed version.
1:28 I SEE YOU BACK THERE.
I would have loved to seen Ian's reaction when he started reviewing this video for the first time only to see Ziga poking his head out from behind the pillar.
I'm pretty sure Ian knew he was there -have you watched the Arex factory tour video yet? 😁👍
@@therogers4432 lol I had it on in the background mostly. I knew Ziga had made an appearance, so it wouldn't surprise me, but it's still funny of course.
There was some weird dude in the background constantly. Good thing you're armed.
Arex should have teamed up with Palmetto State Armory to bring that to American civilian market.
This concept occurred to me some years ago. It solves the optic mount problems but field strip would be impractical since the gun now breaks in two halves. That’s fine when you’re cleaning it, not good if you have to clear a jam under fire. Would be a good sporting rifle but a flawed fighting rifle.
It's funny, I remember seeing a variant of this in Airsoft form, went by the name Arcturus Centaur. Never knew it was based off of a real concept! Certainly an interesting one.
The whole time I was looking at Ziga, when he peeks out from his cover
I wonder what percentage of total machining time such a conversion would actually save vs a totally new weapon, also is there any saving in actual man hours after you include the time to break down and clean up the donors?
I'm guessing the country/countries that were looking into it didn't want to take the leap to new platform mostly because of associated costs and necessary training. If you already have a bunch of AKs laying around, might as well modernize at least some of them but still have a familiar manual of arms, same old mags and ammo etc.
Could be entirely wrong though
It doesn't look cost effective to upgrade existing rifles. Would probably be all new manufacture.
@@mike-yd4py but this project was for one or more military contracts initially.
You're not including the R&D time in making a new platform. As Ian said, all the internal parts here are standard AK. Same receiver, front trunnion, fire control, same bolt, carrier, piston, recoil spring, all that. Some minor changes to external dimensions of the gas tube and barrel, but nothing that has any bearing about how it operates. It's essentially a body kit.
Modifying an existing design isn't too hard, but it can still require considerable R&D. Even simple changes can impact spring tension, surface contact and friction, necessary gas system pressure and volume to operate, and more. Engineering a new platform from scratch means you don't have any existing info or measurements to start from and takes a lot more time.
I have heard of AKB-48, but this one is new to me.
What is akb48?
every time you think there are no more, another version of AK better than AK-12 pops out
“Always creeping, never sleeping”