@@raulthepig5821the same Clinton who had a foreign donor that was implicated in illegally shipping PRC military AKs into the USA back in the 1990s. Don't recall if Clinton first or second term.
My problem with AKs in America is that the cheap imported ammo is gone. No more $180 cases of 7.62x39. My second problem is that Russian AKs are no longer imported and the prices on the existing ones have gotten stupid.
Remember when Mosins were being sold for less than $50? Lots of Soviet-bloc era crap everywhere. That's why PMCs working Iraq in the mid-2000s were using AKs and PKMs over there. I suspect with all the American hardware leftover in Afghanistan will shape the future GWOT and the terrorist militias until the ammo and gear run their course.
An SKS which could be bought for 50 to 75 back in the 90s now costs $1500...that's a real issue. If you bought a couple of crates of ammo, they'd give you an SKS for free.
I remember the ian McCollum saying on a Q&A that American manufacturers had to compete with the artificial cheapness of surplus weapons. Customers started thinking AKs are naturally cheap when in reality they can be pricey to build. American manufacturers had to choose between cheap and low quality or expensive and high quality
Yeah, I agree. AK's are actually extremely expensive to build because of the amount of labor and material costs that go into the alloys used in mil-spec rifles. A guy on the AKFiles had a metallurgical analysis done on the Vepr Bolts and it turned up to contain Tungsten (which is crazy expensive).
Mechanically an AK requires higher quality parts to rely on so you don’t have a catastrophic failure. You can build a Cheap AR and it may not be the best shooting rifle but if it fails it’s usually in a way where the shooter is mostly unharmed, but cheap out on the wrong part of an AK and boom op rod to the face. I’d take a high quality AK over an AR platform any day, but if my budget is under a grand I’ll take the AR 15 all day because of the fact you can spend 900 bucks on a decent quality one like a Windham weaponry that will do the job and function where I wouldn’t wanna chance my life on a 900 dollar AK
@@WebSurfingIsMyPastime yeah you'll still find people claiming that AKs are cheap to produce. All those surplus rifles were expensive as hell to originally manufacture but we got them all cheap when the cold war ended
I believe John Moses Browning also died of a heart attack (or maybe a stroke) while busy at his workbench finishing up the designs to a new firearm development project, Browning Hi-Power semi-auto pistol. That brilliant man never did settle down for retirement ever because he passionately craved more busy things to do in the industry he cared so much about. A genius and prodigy doesn't ever quit their work while they're alive on this Earth.
The book, The Guns of John Moses Browning provides a lot of insight into the man. Browning actively avoided reporters as he saw them as a waste of time. That said they finally managed to get something out of him when they asked why he doesn't perfect the car. The answer. " There may come a time when man may not need weapons but for now I'm going to build the best weapons ever made by man". Not an exact quote but still. The other factor is his family life took a hit. After Browning was done with his mission, the gates of knowledge opened up for him and the man started patenting and building at a speed that worried his family. His siblings noted that John was actively racing himself to get his designs developed and new ones created. We could have had intermediate cartridges and Assault rifles before anyone else but FN didn't think it would sell. Reading the book from a spiritual perspective you get the impression that Browning was getting knowledge from the Lord Almighty. Seriously, his family took him to a theater and while his body was there his mind was in the shop. Honestly, JMB should be added into public school textbooks like the Wright brothers, Tesla, Bell, Nobel, and others. Thank you and have a great day.
I have an Ak 105 built by this man their company is top notch my favorite in all my collection runs flawlessly. He called me multiple times personally about my build to make sure it was everything I wanted and more . I can’t say enough about the kind of quality craftsmanship time and commitment that goes into his builds and am so proud to have something build by the Ak godfather himself . Appreciate you Jim fuller sir you are one of a kind and a gem in the ak community .
I love my SKS it's all original from 1980 with all the field stripping parts in the butt stock hole (butthole)😂 but it costed me 700 bucks when I bought it...but the quality and condition was the main reason i got it...and my neighbor brags that he bought his in the late 80s for 88 bucks from sears...but its a great gun and i love that it completely beats the salty ban the Democrats are trying to push while using 7.62 x 39 and in my opinion is more accurate than a run in the mill AK... No offense to AK guys...
I have a buddy that just bought a mosin. M but he payed a little under a grand for it and about 150 rounds...I have some newer firearms but I absolutely love shooting older guns it's just a totally different feeling than one of my ARs...it's like it's just more fun plinking steel plates with something that has some age to it...
That’s my first and only solid AK that I have. Those AKs made by Zastava are like tanks and very well built. I highly recommend them also. They are going to outlast us. If I decide to get another one it will be by Zastava. Great, great rifle👍🏿
Bought a wasr10 brand new in 2006 when I came home from Iraq. 18 years and thousands of rounds later, it's been flawless....and accurate on man size targets at 300 plus yards....it goes bang when you need it to go bang, and your life depends on it.
Got mine in 82 after my 10 year's of army service. I call her baby a paratrooper under folding stock weapon and she will give it hell never miss fired either.
I bought one for $500 in 2008-2009 and sold it for $300 and really regret that I didn’t keep it. But then I again I don’t have any of the 15-20 guns that I had before 2010… I was young and dumb and poor
We need a gunsmithing related book from Jim Fuller. I'd love to aquire some of his knowledge. To much of the gunsmithing knowledge is being lost these days. Almost all the gunsmithing books available are 10 to 50 years old.
He doesn't like sharing the secrets of building an AK. Sure he does build classes, but that doesn't convey what you would expect. Occasionally he'll let up and something slips out (like adjusting the length of the piston on the carrier to reduce overgassing) but most of the time he's actually very vague on what makes his AK better than the competition.
@@WebSurfingIsMyPastime Maybe after he gets this last project out of the way he'll consider it. It's be a shame to have that knowledge lost. It'd be a great addition to his legacy to share that knowledge for the people that are passionate about firearms like he is.
@@brianhoxworth3881No he just made a one part how-to-build which didn't go beyong field stripping and verbal instructions on how not-to-rivet. Not a build video at all. Mentioned he would make more if 'they' (panteo productions) paid him more in the future.
How many people here even know what a phone booth is? Or even more telling here a phone booth is? I used to live in the twin cites area of Minnesota. This phone booth with out a phone was outside in a small strip mall. It was either in Golden Valley or Plymouth...that is the last one I have seen. Probably over five years ago.
Maybe first learn the NRA leadership structure, before nominating Colion Noir to a figurehead position. Hint: Wayne LaPierre ran the NRA for over 30 years and was never the NRA President.
If Colion pushes the NRA to a MORE HARD LINE stance, I would rejoin the NRA and gladly give my hard earned money......REPEAL THE NFA AND NATIONWIDE CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY......
Jim and his wife Karen are two of the best people that we know and love dearly in our family. Amazing people. I’m absolutely happy to see that you had him on. When it comes to the AK, you’re right bro. Jim is the authority. Good stuff! You and I need to collaborate by the way!
I've encountered many of these obstacles firsthand, from sourcing parts to navigating state laws. Fuller's insights shed light on the intricacies of the firearms industry and the need for greater understanding and advocacy. Despite the hurdles, the enduring appeal of the AK platform in America persists, a testament to its reliability and versatility.
I retired 2 years ago. The gun collection has tripled. Ive been dabbling in leatherworking. I finally have time to play all the video games I missed out on. I have time to go see friends and family. For me, its like summer break year round and im loving it.
We’ve gotten way too screwed on AK Imports over the past decades. I can see them completely going away from us with what we still have left (Zastava, WBP, Wasrs, etc). It’ll be up to people like Jim and others to keep AKs alive in this country.
Someone with some drop forges and proper dies and steel alloys. Hammer forged barrels also. That isn't cheap. PSA might be able to swing it. Daniel Defense has the CHF barrel equipment.
PSA GF5-E and AK-E are really great rifles. Seriously. I haven't seen or heard of a GF5-E or AK-E that was bad. I even saw Rob Ski do 1.5 MOA with one which is UNREAL! Like, that kind of accuracy out of a AK is just unheard of. I think it was 3 round groups but still way better than any other I have seen. Not to mention the full auto burn down videos that did so well they just ran out of ammo. Those PSA variants did better than any COM Block AK EVER tested and by a wide margin. The platform has been out so long that like the Glock it should be easy for them to build a well built AK. Just needs to right kind of leadership, tooling materials, budget and QC. I mean seriously look how good the 9mm striker fired polymer frame pistol has gotten. Its gotten so good that pistols like the CZ P10 series can be had for less than $350 and its literally a better pistol in every way vs a Glock. That's how it should be with AK's. The design has been out long enough that a American company has the ability and IS (like in the case of PSA) building a better rifle than the original and offering it for way less money than a original Russian version.
Retired 2015. 72 years old and bangin’ as hard or harder than ever at the things I love: Guns-training with the elites at least twice a year: Advanced tactics, Gunfighter, etc. I obviously can’t keep up with the 25 year olds but I try like hell and can shoot as well as the best of them in most situations and more days than not. I compete USPSA & Steel Challenge twice a month minimum. I shoot five days a week for ‘practice’ and work one day a week as an RSO and part time gunsmith. I teach as often as called, from pistol basics to tactics intro and church security team development. Never gonna stop. I don’t look forward to dying and don’t want to die on the range. That would be messy. But when the lights go out it won’t be because I was out of shape physically, mentally unchallenged or bored to tears. I hope it’s not waking up (early) to get to the range. I make time for a few vacations a year and always time for family gatherings and my wife. She has been my motivator to step out and go for it - no matter what ‘it’ is, be it two different careers I loved or to register for that tactics course I’m interested in. God Bless her. Love what you do and live what you love. Don’t let your dreams be memes.
I also retired in 2015 😊 from hard work. Picking up cement and blacktop broken pieces and throwing them in backhoe buckets 😊 You are so right about must keep busy after retirement 😊 bought a used backhoe in 2003 for my play toy It's huge 19000 pounder ( Dynahoe-190 She is my baby along with my 1971 SeaGrave engine. Both have Detroit Diesel I keep busy in retirement moving dirt in my back yard. And fixing leaky cylinders seal on the backhoe. Have one of the front loader dump cylinders OFF now The chrome part had a bend in it from age she is a 1978 with 8000 hours on her. I have "FUN" and keep busy 😊😊😊
@@pistolgrips Would love to have you come play with my baby In my yard I call her BIG Musky after the biggest Dragline Bucyrus Erie built. In my yard my Dynahoe looks like big Musky.
I have an Arsenal SLR104FR. I’ll never let it go, tons of ammo purchased cheap too. James Yeager made a video several years ago about 5.45 AK’s sold by KVar and that’s all I needed to make the investment.
@@TexasNationalist1836 Tried replying a few times, sorry if this is a dupe. About 10 : 30 into Donut's Bullet Storm SHREDS Hostage Taker! video he mentions Brandon.
I have a matched trio of Jim Fuller RD AKs in 7.62, 5.45, and 5.56 (rebuilt from an Arsenal). They are stone simple, yet beautifully built, and work perfectly.
I had quite a few pre 89 Chinese Kalashnikov in my opinion they were Superior to everything else I eventually decided to americanize my collection and let my beloved Chinese Kalashnikov collection go including the Norinco Bullpup bakelite side folder just to mention a few reminiscing about days gone by
The problem with AR's in America is that they have 31 moving parts the AK has 7 or 8 depending on if it has the special repeat mode. AR's are fun guns and they are effective and accurate but if you have to fix it in the field you may as well pick up another gun off the ground. I can replace every single part on my AK except the barrel, including the springs. You can use bed springs or for the trigger you can use bailing wire.
The Browning 50 uses stampings as does the Stoner 63, FN 240, and M60.. Stampings start up cost are very expensive, yet cost effective if the firearm is going to be manufactured in high numbers..Stoner stated with the newer CNC machines that they made stampings less advantages..
My first AK was a MAK 90 my neighbor sold me with 1000 rds of ammo for 165 dollars . I cut his grass all summer and worked for the man for 2 summers . He had a bunch of Chicom Aks still in the box and a whole side of a garage front to back of crates of copper wash 7.62 steel core . Some people bought cheap and stacked deep .
I got two 660 round "spam cans" stored. The Chinese stuff was a bit dirtier when fired, but the chromed barrels and finishes on them withstood the mild corrosive stuff just fine on the military guns. I had the top cover of an SKS "M" (Thumbhole stock, AK mag SKS, cost me $159, seller couldn't give it away.) rust on the inside from it though. I wouldn't want to fire it through US made, non-chrome barrels though. I kept my FEG (Hungarian) AK though so it's a non-issue with that gun. I sold my Russian SKS to my lawyer friend, but the trigger group was the defective safety type, a 1950's collector's item anyway. I wish I had of bought one of those cases of 10 Chinese "surplus" (Not fired new ones for the 1970's ) SKS's and kept them. That under $1K buy you could sell 4, make triple or quadruple the money, and have six rifles left over today.
@@sigma80 You were lucky to be alive in that time . He bought most if not all of it before the ban came down . He had some beautiful rifles . He talked about how little it cost him . He got me into combloc firearms and I’m forever thankful for that !
Very interesting interview and I enjoyed it! Here Locally in Central FL there was a fellow who in the mid-2000's took a AK Builder Flat, and bent it into the proper shape in general by an engineered method of sorts as he some how rigged an interior piece of metal or stout wood to the middle and ran over the two sides with his Ford Ranger Pick Up Truck to bend them to shape. Then welded in the rails, and installed a Romanian Parts kit and as he knew the proper nuances of riveting, Riveted the champfered front trunyon holes and riveted the correct rivets to match the champfer. The receiver had minor waves in it, but this fellow built out the parts into a Rifle that he called his "Franken Gun" and he was very meticulous with round counts and any issues that he encountered with his build. It was his intention to take his "Franken Gun" and torture test it in between sessions of firing it. I held this rifle, so am speaking from fact. Over a period of several years he fired over 5 K rounds thru it with no problems. On occasion he would take the rifle and throw it like a spear or hurl it like throwing a hurling hammer into the grass and dirt from as great a distance and force as he could exert. On one occasion, he had a slant break attached to the barrel and stuck the entire rifle in a large puddle of water and fired it, and the force of the firing and water actually slightly bulged the slant break, but other wise did not harm the barrel or rifle in general. He beat up "Franken Gun" enough that he had to replace the rear trunyon rivets, at least once. That proved to me that even a "Franken Gun" concept in an AK can be made to work well and be robust.
I have an Egyptian Maudi AKM, post ban no bayonet lug. Probably the best rifle I own, very easy to maintain and a lot of fun to shoot. I should have said HAD, I lost it in a boating accident years ago.
I had a few type 56 Norinco's back in the 80's and they were great rifles. Ran all the cheap x39 I could find. I now have a Russian and a Bulgarian Arsenal and they are well built rifles.
@@Anceleron well it’s still better than going on a 2 hundred dollar vacation or buying something else that would be wore out or broke back then instead of buying this rifle.
I bought my AK’s back in 2004-2005. When I lived in Florida and could get quality import AK’s from all over the world for really good prices $$$. I remember those as the “good old days” Jim is a legend. I was recommended him years ago as the guy to follow on anything AK related 😎
Making a good AK ... -Replace the rear sight with a picatinny rail for the optic. - picatinny rail over the dust cover for magnifier. - free floated handguard - collapsible stock so people with different arm lengths can shoot it.
I had a couple built when kits were $139 and nodak spud receivers were $100 and you could have an AK built and parkerized for $350. So for $600 and the 922r parts you had a custom built gun.
Colion just reminded me about how I hid my firearms from my parents because they were so anti gun to nowadays they ask me about builds and refer family members to me if they have questions about firearms and corresponding laws
It’s because of columbine and the Clinton gun ban. Guns were highly highly stigmatized until around 2010. You were seen as a potential school shooter if you had guns, it was a wierd time for guns because of the commies gun ban
I have a moderately priced AK. $800. Functions very smoothly never had a feed jam or anything. Have no fear of catastrophic failure. But that's just me. I also have two AR-15s and two more lowers.
@@jonathanstevey1748 it's silly snd the barrell isn't even chrome lined like my old cheap chicom sks. Still have the awesome little cleaning g kit that was In the buttstock.
I have mixed feelings about my Yugo SKS. I like it but I don't know. The best thing about it is just how cool it looks with the grenade launcher sites still on it. But all in all I like it. My Chinese SKS is not bad either. Although I tried to modify it so it would take the larger mags but I never could get it to work.
Although I appreciate some of the superiorities in the design of the AK, and the cost reduction, I actually handle them very well on full auto, etc. My mental block for not accepting them was three tours of folks shooting them at me LOL, other than that a good weapon
I just built my first, It was built with a mix of random parts and yeah, it took alot of work to make it all fit. I learned alot of valuable lessons and will replace the rear trunnion. I think the garbage rod might work, as least for a couple thousands rounds. it was my practice one. Jim if need an appenticence I will volunteer for tribute. I've been in the gun industry for 16 years and woke up 1 day decided I want to learn how to build aks. One day I hope I can my dreams come to and build rifles for a living.
If you love what you do for a living you’ll never work a day in your life and if you’re really successful hey don’t ever quit. (But) take some time off on occasion and don’t burn out. We’ll be here when you get back.
Jim gets it. He has the proper mentality. Build it, run the piss out of it, inspect and once you’ve obtained the appropriate info, then you move to the next stage. Thanks to Jim, I’ve been a proud owner of a NOS slant cut MAK90 (paid $850 years ago). Bless you both my brothers….. ✌️ and ❤
Not long ago i acquired a Kalashnikov USA KR103S, side folding. I mounted a red dot on it using their quick release mount. For me it's just a Sunday Funday gun. However, I might be using it this year for deer hunting as the place I'll be hunting doesn't require long range shooting. Also rather close to me is Krebs Custom Guns who specializes in AK's. My open division USPSA gun was built by Krebs when he was still working on pistols. Might start hand loading for 7.62X39. Love shooting my AK as well as my AR's.
Once his contract with them expires, can't talk bad about them without risking getting sued. Colion is a lawyer, hed know the particulars of his contract.
I purchased a RifleDynamics Ak and Jim couldn't have been better! I placed an order for a divorce present for myself and Jim's wife if I remember right, called me and let me know they were building their very first batch of "production" rifles...but the production rifles was pretty much exactly what I'd wanted on my custom order...so I saved money and got it like 9 months sooner! So I had one of their very first batch, before they even named it I recall! Rifle was amazing! And was sadly stolen from my home. Devastated!
@@vladboy1 It’s just inconvenient and operators need to train more to compensate for that ergonomic flaw. Other platforms are more intuitive to insert and remove magazines. A novice operator will take more time to achieve similar reload times when compared to other easier platforms.
This is true. I eventually looked up a video on how to do it effectively, and got a good one. Assuming you handle the magazine with your left hand, use your left index finger to touch the side of your rifle, hook front of the magazine into the well, and guide the magazine up and backwards.
"rocking" into the mag well or "locking"...? Pardon my lack of understanding. I just bought my first handgun and the AR is my next. I've never used a semi auto rifle at all. How it handles is extremely important for me with low hand strength.
I built two AKs out of parts kits that came from the Desert Storm War. I got a headspace gauge. "No go" and "go" gauge. That was a long time ago. Both guns are working great. Being a watchmaker and clockmaker may have helped. The machine work on a watch is much more accurate than any gun. Everything came with the parts kit. Including the full-auto parts. I trashed the full-auto parts and bought American made triggers, etc. I got a flat sheet of metal with all the holes in the proper places. But they were very small and had to be drilled out. I got rivets from a hardware store. I had to bend the flat sheet of metal into shape. I bought a dozen or more of 30rd mags and two 40rd mags and two 75rd drum mags. And about ten thousand rds. of Russan ammo. There was some kind of a law about how much of a gun could be shipped to the US, before it was considered a complete gun. At least back then, it was legal to make your own guns for your own use.
Remember back in the 80’s and 90’s when you could buy an AK for $200-$300? If I only had the foresight. Same with Gold and Silver. Although back then I was young and broke so it would have been a moot point anyway.
I was going to say, $300 back then was still a fair sum of money. According to The U.S. Inflation Calculator, $350 in '95 had the purchasing power of $713, today (103.6% inflation). But I do wish I'd have picked up a few $89 cosmo-caked SKSs, though.
Look on the bright side, yes, silver is no longer in the $5-8 range, but it hit $49 in 4/2011 and is currently $24.57. It hasn't lost any of its fundamentals and is being suppressed....so who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth at these rates?😏
Don't give a shit what anyone says , I 100% trust everything Colin says. Every weapon he has recommended has been great. I know because I've purchased almost 80 percent of them.
It's a valid question. Though few remember the years when Brandon ran a company that was always out of stock and indefinitely unavailable services, maybe Brandon was touting himself as THE AK Guy - FFL with intentions to compete in the market, failed, and chose to be an influencer instead?
Although it may seem convenient to convert everything to .223,.308 and 9×19mm or .50BMG from original calibers but it makes for completely different characteristics,shooting experience and on my opinion It's just stupid!Because there already exist enough firearms in these calibers so like when you have an M-24 or M-14 than why do you want a vandalized .308 SVD?Or if we talk about transferables-why vandalizing a PKM or MG-34 by converting it to .308(even without diddling original parts and just replacing original barrel,bolt head and whatever else)-when there is an M-60 and M-240??And the most idiotic thing would be turning a damn PTRS-41 into a dull,boring and inferior .50BMG conversion while there are already damn M-82,M-107,BFG-50A and others??It even puts it into different class of a firearm altogether-from an anti-tank/anti-APC rifle into a heavy sniper(if you can call it that since making it actually precise enough and mounting a scope to it will be a challenge)-and absolutely changes the performance,defeats the purpose of the weapon and turns it into something pathetic and entirely useless?
Colion needs to adjust the audio on his videos. These current videos are so hard to hear vs his old videos. I don't know if it's the gain, but I don't think so. I believe it's the Equalizer settings..
@macemaster In Massachusetts, it’s difficult to find 7.62x54r, we can get ammo by mail either, so if you aren’t reloading, it can be a challenge, I should’ve used a different word than impossible
@@johnsheppard1476 I agree with you, I have a friend that had a Dragunov in 7.62x54r, he was having trouble getting ammo so he sold it and got a Dragunov in .308, it just didn’t seem right
...the only real problem with AK´s is the fact that my country does not allow me to own them :D would love to have a full zenitco build! 2A SHOULD BE IN EVERY CONSTITUTION AROUND THE WORLD.
Best thing about AKs: automatic come with a 2 stage trigger Don't require cleaning Can run dry with out lubricant Functions in any kind of weather or climate Rock and lock magwell prevents mags from falling to the ground (AR magwells are terrible. Seen so many mags fall to the ground on ARs) And AKs came from Russia so their not gae (Lol)
My first AK was a Soviet AKMU-74 ,USSR Infantry General Issue, deployed in (Operation for Liberation of the Socialist Republic of Afghanistan ) service time ca. 87’-89’ 7th Div 3rd Com VDV. I’m glad my gun is loved here in US.
Only combloc soys hate US made aks. I would recommend Palmetto gf5 line, or their ak 102 or Palmetto Krinkov. Rileys are fine too, not too familiar with them.
@@TiliDoll lol another mad combloc soy 😆 mine runs steel fine. I only have 300 steel case left tho, gonna get brass anyways steel case made sense when is was cheaper than brass. If you can't afford brass , don't get into firearms. Cope harder now soyo
I'm retired, I kick back, after a day of paddling the yak on the river, or a day at the gun range, or a hike with my dogs, or a day playing with my Grandkids and a hundred other things I do and enjoy, NONE OF THEM INVOLVE WORKING. I worked for 50 years I've had my fill. I love kicking back as much as I love my Norinco MAK 91!
My biggest issue with AKs is that simply are not serviceable by the end user. For example, my rear trunnion cracked. That rifle has been sitting for years because nobody near me will work on it and the cost to have it fixed is about the same as just replacing the rifle at this point. The ammo has gotten way too damn expensive. And the AKs themselves are too damn expensive. There’s absolutely zero reason to buy an AK other than guys that wanna be different and stand out. Prove me wrong 🤷🏽♂️
In 2006 you could still get barreled 70's /80's Romanian parts kits for $100-125 (and it dropped to $79 each if you bought 10). One of my biggest gun regrets was not buying 10 or 100 and "setting them aside." Then again, I don't have to worry about ATM showing up in wee hours of the morning.
The problem with the AK rifle isn't the rifle it's fine, the problem is the 7¢ surplus ammo dried up.
Are your referring to Norinco ammo banned by Clinton?
@@raulthepig5821 I don't know who made it I can't read Chinese but what I do know is it was a lot of fun.
@@raulthepig5821the same Clinton who had a foreign donor that was implicated in illegally shipping PRC military AKs into the USA back in the 1990s. Don't recall if Clinton first or second term.
Word
I used to buy Chinese ammo, now it’s Russian ammo.
My problem with AKs in America is that the cheap imported ammo is gone. No more $180 cases of 7.62x39. My second problem is that Russian AKs are no longer imported and the prices on the existing ones have gotten stupid.
Remember when Mosins were being sold for less than $50? Lots of Soviet-bloc era crap everywhere. That's why PMCs working Iraq in the mid-2000s were using AKs and PKMs over there.
I suspect with all the American hardware leftover in Afghanistan will shape the future GWOT and the terrorist militias until the ammo and gear run their course.
You can get $1 a bullet from Horniday....
the Prices On Everything These Days Gun Or Rifle Always Way To Much
An SKS which could be bought for 50 to 75 back in the 90s now costs $1500...that's a real issue. If you bought a couple of crates of ammo, they'd give you an SKS for free.
There are still good American AKs.
I remember the ian McCollum saying on a Q&A that American manufacturers had to compete with the artificial cheapness of surplus weapons. Customers started thinking AKs are naturally cheap when in reality they can be pricey to build. American manufacturers had to choose between cheap and low quality or expensive and high quality
Yeah, I agree. AK's are actually extremely expensive to build because of the amount of labor and material costs that go into the alloys used in mil-spec rifles. A guy on the AKFiles had a metallurgical analysis done on the Vepr Bolts and it turned up to contain Tungsten (which is crazy expensive).
Mechanically an AK requires higher quality parts to rely on so you don’t have a catastrophic failure. You can build a Cheap AR and it may not be the best shooting rifle but if it fails it’s usually in a way where the shooter is mostly unharmed, but cheap out on the wrong part of an AK and boom op rod to the face. I’d take a high quality AK over an AR platform any day, but if my budget is under a grand I’ll take the AR 15 all day because of the fact you can spend 900 bucks on a decent quality one like a Windham weaponry that will do the job and function where I wouldn’t wanna chance my life on a 900 dollar AK
@@WebSurfingIsMyPastime yeah you'll still find people claiming that AKs are cheap to produce. All those surplus rifles were expensive as hell to originally manufacture but we got them all cheap when the cold war ended
The tooling costs, labor costs, and the quality of steel are the biggest hurdles for American manufacturers in pricing AK’s affordably.
@@WebSurfingIsMyPastimeRussia is rich in natural resources.
I believe John Moses Browning also died of a heart attack (or maybe a stroke) while busy at his workbench finishing up the designs to a new firearm development project, Browning Hi-Power semi-auto pistol. That brilliant man never did settle down for retirement ever because he passionately craved more busy things to do in the industry he cared so much about. A genius and prodigy doesn't ever quit their work while they're alive on this Earth.
The book, The Guns of John Moses Browning provides a lot of insight into the man. Browning actively avoided reporters as he saw them as a waste of time.
That said they finally managed to get something out of him when they asked why he doesn't perfect the car. The answer. " There may come a time when man may not need weapons but for now I'm going to build the best weapons ever made by man".
Not an exact quote but still. The other factor is his family life took a hit. After Browning was done with his mission, the gates of knowledge opened up for him and the man started patenting and building at a speed that worried his family.
His siblings noted that John was actively racing himself to get his designs developed and new ones created. We could have had intermediate cartridges and Assault rifles before anyone else but FN didn't think it would sell.
Reading the book from a spiritual perspective you get the impression that Browning was getting knowledge from the Lord Almighty.
Seriously, his family took him to a theater and while his body was there his mind was in the shop.
Honestly, JMB should be added into public school textbooks like the Wright brothers, Tesla, Bell, Nobel, and others.
Thank you and have a great day.
His heirs live nice lives
And his office was next to his son’s office so that probably had a lot to do with dying in the office.
Remember, when Demons and beasts cast their shadow upon you. You have Gods love and Brownings wrath to guide you.
He was touring a factory in Belgium.
I have an Ak 105 built by this man their company is top notch my favorite in all my collection runs flawlessly. He called me multiple times personally about my build to make sure it was everything I wanted and more . I can’t say enough about the kind of quality craftsmanship time and commitment that goes into his builds and am so proud to have something build by the Ak godfather himself . Appreciate you Jim fuller sir you are one of a kind and a gem in the ak community .
Got mine at K-Mart. 1985, 86. $199.99. .303 Enfield, $119.99, SKS $99. The Good Old Days.
and now when i’m of age i’ll have to drop over $1,000 for at minimum a decent rifle. fuck
That's actually wild - a time when "the land of the free" was somewhat true.
I love my SKS it's all original from 1980 with all the field stripping parts in the butt stock hole (butthole)😂 but it costed me 700 bucks when I bought it...but the quality and condition was the main reason i got it...and my neighbor brags that he bought his in the late 80s for 88 bucks from sears...but its a great gun and i love that it completely beats the salty ban the Democrats are trying to push while using 7.62 x 39 and in my opinion is more accurate than a run in the mill AK... No offense to AK guys...
Yeah I remember buying an M44 mosin nagant for just $77 and a SMLE for just $120, I wonder if we'll ever see those prices again.☹️
I have a buddy that just bought a mosin. M but he payed a little under a grand for it and about 150 rounds...I have some newer firearms but I absolutely love shooting older guns it's just a totally different feeling than one of my ARs...it's like it's just more fun plinking steel plates with something that has some age to it...
My first and so far only AK is a Zastava ZPAP M70. Great gun, built well, I firmly recommend it.
I have one. A nice one.
I got two because my first one worked out so well. NPAP and ZPAP.
That’s my first and only solid AK that I have. Those AKs made by Zastava are like tanks and very well built. I highly recommend them also. They are going to outlast us. If I decide to get another one it will be by Zastava. Great, great rifle👍🏿
I love my NPAP. It's not only sexy, but rugged! Great AK!!
I assume is a Tank-milled???? Aw them good ol days, built for the man of mans!
Bought a wasr10 brand new in 2006 when I came home from Iraq. 18 years and thousands of rounds later, it's been flawless....and accurate on man size targets at 300 plus yards....it goes bang when you need it to go bang, and your life depends on it.
Its the one to buy if you need a dependable AK for sure love them.
Got mine in 82 after my 10 year's of army service. I call her baby a paratrooper under folding stock weapon and she will give it hell never miss fired either.
I paid 299$ for a SAR-1 in 2009
Same. Mine has been flawless.
I bought one for $500 in 2008-2009 and sold it for $300 and really regret that I didn’t keep it. But then I again I don’t have any of the 15-20 guns that I had before 2010… I was young and dumb and poor
We need a gunsmithing related book from Jim Fuller. I'd love to aquire some of his knowledge. To much of the gunsmithing knowledge is being lost these days. Almost all the gunsmithing books available are 10 to 50 years old.
He doesn't like sharing the secrets of building an AK. Sure he does build classes, but that doesn't convey what you would expect. Occasionally he'll let up and something slips out (like adjusting the length of the piston on the carrier to reduce overgassing) but most of the time he's actually very vague on what makes his AK better than the competition.
@@WebSurfingIsMyPastime Maybe after he gets this last project out of the way he'll consider it. It's be a shame to have that knowledge lost. It'd be a great addition to his legacy to share that knowledge for the people that are passionate about firearms like he is.
I think he made a 4 part build series on DVD years ago.
@@brianhoxworth3881No he just made a one part how-to-build which didn't go beyong field stripping and verbal instructions on how not-to-rivet. Not a build video at all. Mentioned he would make more if 'they' (panteo productions) paid him more in the future.
@WebSurfingIsMyPastime well, that's sucks..l guess maybe some day
“Draco’s are good for a fight in a phone booth” I love it.
He’s talking about a micro Draco a regular is 12” theirs 3 modela
Theyre much better for a gunfight between vehicles in stop and go traffic
How many people here even know what a phone booth is? Or even more telling here a phone booth is? I used to live in the twin cites area of Minnesota. This phone booth with out a phone was outside in a small strip mall. It was either in Golden Valley or Plymouth...that is the last one I have seen. Probably over five years ago.
I heard someone say that about the MAC 10, lol
@@garykappes4654lol you beat me to it.
I agree, Colion Noir should be president of the NRA!
Totally agree!!!
Maybe first learn the NRA leadership structure, before nominating Colion Noir to a figurehead position. Hint: Wayne LaPierre ran the NRA for over 30 years and was never the NRA President.
NRA is trash! It's not salvageable.
If Colion pushes the NRA to a MORE HARD LINE stance, I would rejoin the NRA and gladly give my hard earned money......REPEAL THE NFA AND NATIONWIDE CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY......
this, i agree with. he’s well spoken, educated, passionate and young enough to leave a lasting impact.
Jim and his wife Karen are two of the best people that we know and love dearly in our family. Amazing people. I’m absolutely happy to see that you had him on. When it comes to the AK, you’re right bro. Jim is the authority. Good stuff!
You and I need to collaborate by the way!
My RD701 was one of the last Jim Fuller worked on before he left. I cherish it.
Yeah, I'm sure it is.
Wait. He left rifle dynamics?
@@FXIIBeaver yeah some years ago now. Sold the company.
@@Lowtan damn.
He’s started Fuller Phoenix now.
I've encountered many of these obstacles firsthand, from sourcing parts to navigating state laws. Fuller's insights shed light on the intricacies of the firearms industry and the need for greater understanding and advocacy. Despite the hurdles, the enduring appeal of the AK platform in America persists, a testament to its reliability and versatility.
I retired 2 years ago. The gun collection has tripled. Ive been dabbling in leatherworking. I finally have time to play all the video games I missed out on. I have time to go see friends and family. For me, its like summer break year round and im loving it.
Congrats 👏 Hoping to get there myself in this lifetime 🙏🏻 but I got long ways to go 😧
@@rackNslidez_24 just keep at it and dont look back. You'll be there before you know it.
@@dnandez79appreciate you
Geez I gots like 30 more years less the Christ returns......
@@DavidWhite-eh3wu brother, thats all im waiting on at this point. To see him coming in the sky and hear the trumpets and know that im going home : )
That was a great conversation and I appreciate you and the myth the legend Jim fuller thank you so much for being vocal for all of our rights brother🙏
We’ve gotten way too screwed on AK Imports over the past decades.
I can see them completely going away from us with what we still have left (Zastava, WBP, Wasrs, etc).
It’ll be up to people like Jim and others to keep AKs alive in this country.
Someone with some drop forges and proper dies and steel alloys.
Hammer forged barrels also.
That isn't cheap.
PSA might be able to swing it.
Daniel Defense has the CHF barrel equipment.
PSA GF5-E and AK-E are really great rifles. Seriously. I haven't seen or heard of a GF5-E or AK-E that was bad. I even saw Rob Ski do 1.5 MOA with one which is UNREAL! Like, that kind of accuracy out of a AK is just unheard of. I think it was 3 round groups but still way better than any other I have seen. Not to mention the full auto burn down videos that did so well they just ran out of ammo. Those PSA variants did better than any COM Block AK EVER tested and by a wide margin. The platform has been out so long that like the Glock it should be easy for them to build a well built AK. Just needs to right kind of leadership, tooling materials, budget and QC. I mean seriously look how good the 9mm striker fired polymer frame pistol has gotten. Its gotten so good that pistols like the CZ P10 series can be had for less than $350 and its literally a better pistol in every way vs a Glock. That's how it should be with AK's. The design has been out long enough that a American company has the ability and IS (like in the case of PSA) building a better rifle than the original and offering it for way less money than a original Russian version.
@@UncleSam-7.62 You are thinking of Pioneer
Yep buying a $300 AK in 2005 was risky.
Retired 2015. 72 years old and bangin’ as hard or harder than ever at the things I love: Guns-training with the elites at least twice a year: Advanced tactics, Gunfighter, etc. I obviously can’t keep up with the 25 year olds but I try like hell and can shoot as well as the best of them in most situations and more days than not. I compete USPSA & Steel Challenge twice a month minimum. I shoot five days a week for ‘practice’ and work one day a week as an RSO and part time gunsmith. I teach as often as called, from pistol basics to tactics intro and church security team development.
Never gonna stop. I don’t look forward to dying and don’t want to die on the range. That would be messy. But when the lights go out it won’t be because I was out of shape physically, mentally unchallenged or bored to tears. I hope it’s not waking up (early) to get to the range.
I make time for a few vacations a year and always time for family gatherings and my wife. She has been my motivator to step out and go for it - no matter what ‘it’ is, be it two different careers I loved or to register for that tactics course I’m interested in. God Bless her.
Love what you do and live what you love. Don’t let your dreams be memes.
You’re an inspiration to a guy in his mid 30’s, old man. God bless you.
I also retired in 2015 😊 from hard work. Picking up cement and blacktop broken pieces and throwing them in backhoe buckets 😊 You are so right about must keep busy after retirement 😊 bought a used backhoe in 2003 for my play toy
It's huge 19000 pounder ( Dynahoe-190
She is my baby along with my 1971
SeaGrave engine. Both have Detroit Diesel
I keep busy in retirement moving dirt in my back yard. And fixing leaky cylinders seal on the backhoe. Have one of the front loader dump cylinders OFF now
The chrome part had a bend in it from age she is a 1978 with 8000 hours on her. I have "FUN" and keep busy 😊😊😊
@@rp1645 I kinda wish I had a backhoe!
@@pistolgrips
Would love to have you come play with my baby
In my yard I call her BIG Musky after the biggest Dragline Bucyrus Erie built. In my yard my Dynahoe looks like big Musky.
@@rp1645 if I am ever in the neighborhood…!
I have an Arsenal SLR104FR. I’ll never let it go, tons of ammo purchased cheap too. James Yeager made a video several years ago about 5.45 AK’s sold by KVar and that’s all I needed to make the investment.
2nd shout-out to Brandon Herrera in the last few days .. Donut Operator & Colion Noir .. Go Team!
When was the first one
My buddy seen Brandon Herera at the Denver Capitol like a week ago, testifying against the Assault Weapons Ban.
@@hardcore4476 Yep, he has a vid up on his channel showing some of it.
@@TexasNationalist1836 Tried replying a few times, sorry if this is a dupe. About 10 : 30 into Donut's Bullet Storm SHREDS Hostage Taker! video he mentions Brandon.
Notice Jim’s eye roll when colion brings up Brandon lol
I have a matched trio of Jim Fuller RD AKs in 7.62, 5.45, and 5.56 (rebuilt from an Arsenal). They are stone simple, yet beautifully built, and work perfectly.
Mr. AK himself! Thanks.
What a bad ass guy. Love listening to him talk guns. Can't wait to see what Fuller Pheonix releases. Awesome conversation!
Phoenix...
One of your best guests/interviews ive seen! Two dudes with real talk!
This was an amazing conversation, between two awesome dudes! 🇺🇲 I would love to see more of this long-form content in the future.
*Colion Noir* Bravo well done gentlemen, thank-you for taking the time to bring us along. GOD Bless.
I had quite a few pre 89 Chinese Kalashnikov in my opinion they were Superior to everything else I eventually decided to americanize my collection and let my beloved Chinese Kalashnikov collection go including the Norinco Bullpup bakelite side folder just to mention a few reminiscing about days gone by
I heard a quote that went something like this:“The aggressive pursuit of comfort is the road to aging”.
The problem with AR's in America is that they have 31 moving parts the AK has 7 or 8 depending on if it has the special repeat mode. AR's are fun guns and they are effective and accurate but if you have to fix it in the field you may as well pick up another gun off the ground. I can replace every single part on my AK except the barrel, including the springs. You can use bed springs or for the trigger you can use bailing wire.
Gotta love that Jim Fuller. Good luck on the project Jim.
Good interview, love the AK platform, may it long live!
Jim is a solid and authentic dude. I wish him the best. Great interview Colion.
The Browning 50 uses stampings as does the Stoner 63, FN 240, and M60.. Stampings start up cost are very expensive, yet cost effective if the firearm is going to be manufactured in high numbers..Stoner stated with the newer CNC machines that they made stampings less advantages..
The world needs more of you two!
I love AKs. Jim fuller is awesome
That was a great conversation! Im happy to say I’ve got 7.62 Saiga converted. Great rifle.its my baby.
My first AK was a MAK 90 my neighbor sold me with 1000 rds of ammo for 165 dollars . I cut his grass all summer and worked for the man for 2 summers . He had a bunch of Chicom Aks still in the box and a whole side of a garage front to back of crates of copper wash 7.62 steel core . Some people bought cheap and stacked deep .
I got two 660 round "spam cans" stored. The Chinese stuff was a bit dirtier when fired, but the chromed barrels and finishes on them withstood the mild corrosive stuff just fine on the military guns.
I had the top cover of an SKS "M" (Thumbhole stock, AK mag SKS, cost me $159, seller couldn't give it away.) rust on the inside from it though.
I wouldn't want to fire it through US made, non-chrome barrels though.
I kept my FEG (Hungarian) AK though so it's a non-issue with that gun.
I sold my Russian SKS to my lawyer friend, but the trigger group was the defective safety type, a 1950's collector's item anyway.
I wish I had of bought one of those cases of 10 Chinese "surplus" (Not fired new ones for the 1970's ) SKS's and kept them.
That under $1K buy you could sell 4, make triple or quadruple the money, and have six rifles left over today.
@@sigma80 You were lucky to be alive in that time . He bought most if not all of it before the ban came down . He had some beautiful rifles . He talked about how little it cost him . He got me into combloc firearms and I’m forever thankful for that !
Very interesting interview and I enjoyed it! Here Locally in Central FL there was a fellow who in the mid-2000's took a AK Builder Flat, and bent it into the proper shape in general by an engineered method of sorts as he some how rigged an interior piece of metal or stout wood to the middle and ran over the two sides with his Ford Ranger Pick Up Truck to bend them to shape. Then welded in the rails, and installed a Romanian Parts kit and as he knew the proper nuances of riveting, Riveted the champfered front trunyon holes and riveted the correct rivets to match the champfer. The receiver had minor waves in it, but this fellow built out the parts into a Rifle that he called his "Franken Gun" and he was very meticulous with round counts and any issues that he encountered with his build. It was his intention to take his "Franken Gun" and torture test it in between sessions of firing it. I held this rifle, so am speaking from fact. Over a period of several years he fired over 5 K rounds thru it with no problems. On occasion he would take the rifle and throw it like a spear or hurl it like throwing a hurling hammer into the grass and dirt from as great a distance and force as he could exert. On one occasion, he had a slant break attached to the barrel and stuck the entire rifle in a large puddle of water and fired it, and the force of the firing and water actually slightly bulged the slant break, but other wise did not harm the barrel or rifle in general. He beat up "Franken Gun" enough that he had to replace the rear trunyon rivets, at least once. That proved to me that even a "Franken Gun" concept in an AK can be made to work well and be robust.
That’s cool AF
I remember when I was younger the local gun shops would have a wood box full of surplus rifles. Seems to have changed quite a bit now.
I have an Egyptian Maudi AKM, post ban no bayonet lug. Probably the best rifle I own, very easy to maintain and a lot of fun to shoot. I should have said HAD, I lost it in a boating accident years ago.
My favorite shooting class I’ve taken thus far has been the 3 day AK class with Travis Haley.
Very nice and informative video with two knowledgeable legends. Thank you both!
I had a few type 56 Norinco's back in the 80's and they were great rifles. Ran all the cheap x39 I could find. I now have a Russian and a Bulgarian Arsenal and they are well built rifles.
Jim is a very nice and kind guy.
Also, R.I.P. Front Sight. It was a cool place.
Jim! I love my Fuller Phoenix 74!
Thank you for having Jim on!
My first AK was an Egyptian Maadi back in the mid 80’s for $2 hundred something and I still have it.
I have a Maadi as well. Nothing else comes close to looking like a real AKM.
Not so fun fact if you count for inflation of the dollar and if you paid a plat $200 that $200 is $764 in 2024's dollar.
@@Anceleron well it’s still better than going on a 2 hundred dollar vacation or buying something else that would be wore out or broke back then instead of buying this rifle.
Personal opinion aside, its so refreshing to hear Mr. Fuller speak about the AK platform. Thank you for this interview Colion.
Was introduced to Fuller by James Yeager some years ago at Tactical Shotgun in Bastrop Texas.
I bought my AK’s back in 2004-2005. When I lived in Florida and could get quality import AK’s from all over the world for really good prices $$$. I remember those as the “good old days” Jim is a legend. I was recommended him years ago as the guy to follow on anything AK related 😎
Making a good AK ...
-Replace the rear sight with a picatinny rail for the optic.
- picatinny rail over the dust cover for magnifier.
- free floated handguard
- collapsible stock so people with different arm lengths can shoot it.
I had a couple built when kits were $139 and nodak spud receivers were $100 and you could have an AK built and parkerized for $350.
So for $600 and the 922r parts you had a custom built gun.
My first AK variant was a saiga 308. That was a pretty decent rifle. I have to say. Didn't have any problems With that setup. Got that back in 2000.
Jim and I built my Egyptian Maadi, he’s the salt of the earth. Jim’s a walking talking encyclopedia of AK and AR.
What a legend Jim fuller is been following him since the late 00s back when he used to collaborate with James yeager rip. Best of luck Jim 👍
Interesting and informative Definitely 👍
Yep...RIP DDI....great start...I even own one...all it took was a few QC issues and one failed extractor; internet canceled them cold heartedly.
Colion just reminded me about how I hid my firearms from my parents because they were so anti gun to nowadays they ask me about builds and refer family members to me if they have questions about firearms and corresponding laws
It’s because of columbine and the Clinton gun ban. Guns were highly highly stigmatized until around 2010. You were seen as a potential school shooter if you had guns, it was a wierd time for guns because of the commies gun ban
Jim is a no bullshit guy! The true and only master of the AK!
I have a moderately priced AK. $800. Functions very smoothly never had a feed jam or anything. Have no fear of catastrophic failure. But that's just me. I also have two AR-15s and two more lowers.
Id hate to buy my yugo sks again today.
@matthewotis3594 anything eastern block is really expensive rn. I saw a few Makarovs selling for 500 each the other day.
@@jonathanstevey1748 it's silly snd the barrell isn't even chrome lined like my old cheap chicom sks. Still have the awesome little cleaning g kit that was In the buttstock.
@@matthewotis3594 it is and it's all thanks to our government
I have mixed feelings about my Yugo SKS. I like it but I don't know. The best thing about it is just how cool it looks with the grenade launcher sites still on it. But all in all I like it.
My Chinese SKS is not bad either. Although I tried to modify it so it would take the larger mags but I never could get it to work.
As always, Jim is awesome! Great interview
Although I appreciate some of the superiorities in the design of the AK, and the cost reduction, I actually handle them very well on full auto, etc. My mental block for not accepting them was three tours of folks shooting them at me LOL, other than that a good weapon
Thank you for your service.
Yes bro. That will "Let It Happen"
I just built my first, It was built with a mix of random parts and yeah, it took alot of work to make it all fit. I learned alot of valuable lessons and will replace the rear trunnion. I think the garbage rod might work, as least for a couple thousands rounds. it was my practice one. Jim if need an appenticence I will volunteer for tribute. I've been in the gun industry for 16 years and woke up 1 day decided I want to learn how to build aks. One day I hope I can my dreams come to and build rifles for a living.
If you love what you do for a living you’ll never work a day in your life and if you’re really successful hey don’t ever quit. (But) take some time off on occasion and don’t burn out. We’ll be here when you get back.
Jim gets it. He has the proper mentality. Build it, run the piss out of it, inspect and once you’ve obtained the appropriate info, then you move to the next stage. Thanks to Jim, I’ve been a proud owner of a NOS slant cut MAK90 (paid $850 years ago).
Bless you both my brothers….. ✌️ and ❤
Not long ago i acquired a Kalashnikov USA KR103S, side folding. I mounted a red dot on it using their quick release mount. For me it's just a Sunday Funday gun. However, I might be using it this year for deer hunting as the place I'll be hunting doesn't require long range shooting. Also rather close to me is Krebs Custom Guns who specializes in AK's. My open division USPSA gun was built by Krebs when he was still working on pistols. Might start hand loading for 7.62X39. Love shooting my AK as well as my AR's.
How much do you love USCCA as a sponsor? They seem to be a dangerous option in this day and age.
Liked the honesty in the video.
Great interview. Glad I listened all the way through.
My biggest concern would be ammo shortage in the s*** hit the fan scenario for people dependent on AKs.
Great Podcast Colion!! Jim Fuller is the man with all things AK!! I appreciate you both!!
Listening to Jim reminds me of Uncle Ted. Have to wonder if they are related. Lol.
Thought: how about having the two of them on a show?
Great interview. I think you would be the best choice for running the NRA. A real enthusiast representing the gun culture. God bless.
When’s the USCCA video coming out
Once his contract with them expires, can't talk bad about them without risking getting sued. Colion is a lawyer, hed know the particulars of his contract.
So what your saying is money before the truth.
@@newt2445 imagine not wanting to be sued by lawyers on pay roll or any lawyer at all, or any person at all. how ridiculous
Can’t help but love this guys!! I want a Fuller AK so bad!! My next buy is going to be one of his!!
I believe the Liberator was also a sheet metal gun
Another great video! Thanks Colion!
AK’ work!
I purchased a RifleDynamics Ak and Jim couldn't have been better! I placed an order for a divorce present for myself and Jim's wife if I remember right, called me and let me know they were building their very first batch of "production" rifles...but the production rifles was pretty much exactly what I'd wanted on my custom order...so I saved money and got it like 9 months sooner! So I had one of their very first batch, before they even named it I recall! Rifle was amazing! And was sadly stolen from my home. Devastated!
Sorry to hear it was stolen… 😔
The most inconvenient thing is rocking the magazine into the mag well. It’s another skill you need to train repeatedly in order to become proficient.
And?
@@vladboy1 It’s just inconvenient and operators need to train more to compensate for that ergonomic flaw. Other platforms are more intuitive to insert and remove magazines. A novice operator will take more time to achieve similar reload times when compared to other easier platforms.
Many other rifles are the same..... M1A, FAL etc.
This is true. I eventually looked up a video on how to do it effectively, and got a good one. Assuming you handle the magazine with your left hand, use your left index finger to touch the side of your rifle, hook front of the magazine into the well, and guide the magazine up and backwards.
"rocking" into the mag well or "locking"...? Pardon my lack of understanding. I just bought my first handgun and the AR is my next. I've never used a semi auto rifle at all. How it handles is extremely important for me with low hand strength.
I built two AKs out of parts kits that came from the Desert Storm War. I got a headspace gauge. "No go" and "go" gauge. That was a long time ago. Both guns are working great. Being a watchmaker and clockmaker may have helped. The machine work on a watch is much more accurate than any gun. Everything came with the parts kit. Including the full-auto parts. I trashed the full-auto parts and bought American made triggers, etc. I got a flat sheet of metal with all the holes in the proper places. But they were very small and had to be drilled out. I got rivets from a hardware store. I had to bend the flat sheet of metal into shape. I bought a dozen or more of 30rd mags and two 40rd mags and two 75rd drum mags. And about ten thousand rds. of Russan ammo. There was some kind of a law about how much of a gun could be shipped to the US, before it was considered a complete gun. At least back then, it was legal to make your own guns for your own use.
Remember back in the 80’s and 90’s when you could buy an AK for $200-$300? If I only had the foresight. Same with Gold and Silver. Although back then I was young and broke so it would have been a moot point anyway.
I remember those prices if for no other reason than the non-firing display replicas produced at the time had a higher retail price😮
I was going to say, $300 back then was still a fair sum of money. According to The U.S. Inflation Calculator, $350 in '95 had the purchasing power of $713, today (103.6% inflation). But I do wish I'd have picked up a few $89 cosmo-caked SKSs, though.
@@svaz2006 actually, I do have one of those SKS as well…lol.
Look on the bright side, yes, silver is no longer in the $5-8 range, but it hit $49 in 4/2011 and is currently $24.57. It hasn't lost any of its fundamentals and is being suppressed....so who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth at these rates?😏
This is such a wonderful treat!
The problem with AKs in America is that they don’t go “ak-ak-ak-ak-ak” like Billy Joel when you fire them.
You outta know by now.
Why would a gun make the Mars Attacks sound?
@@fettel1988 It’s a human joke. It can’t be explained to a bot.
And iiiiiiiiiim moving out
Learned a lot about Jim Fuller in this interview and I like the dude.
Don't give a shit what anyone says , I 100% trust everything Colin says. Every weapon he has recommended has been great. I know because I've purchased almost 80 percent of them.
Why’d he roll his eyes when Brandon Herrera was mentioned?
Probably because he's like "We all know Brandon."
I heard from someone that they actually might be related. Like distant cousins or something 🤷♂️ Not sure if I believe it, though.
It's a valid question.
Though few remember the years when Brandon ran a company that was always out of stock and indefinitely unavailable services, maybe Brandon was touting himself as THE AK Guy - FFL with intentions to compete in the market, failed, and chose to be an influencer instead?
He doesn’t care for him.. lol
Successful/young
So much knowledge and wisdom. Big Ak fan for years. Agree with Everything Mr. Fullers take.
I’ve always wanted a Dragunov, they’re so expensive and ammo is impossible to find, but you can get them in .308 I believe, cool gun to own.
Although it may seem convenient to convert everything to .223,.308 and 9×19mm or .50BMG from original calibers but it makes for completely different characteristics,shooting experience and on my opinion It's just stupid!Because there already exist enough firearms in these calibers so like when you have an M-24 or M-14 than why do you want a vandalized .308 SVD?Or if we talk about transferables-why vandalizing a PKM or MG-34 by converting it to .308(even without diddling original parts and just replacing original barrel,bolt head and whatever else)-when there is an M-60 and M-240??And the most idiotic thing would be turning a damn PTRS-41 into a dull,boring and inferior .50BMG conversion while there are already damn M-82,M-107,BFG-50A and others??It even puts it into different class of a firearm altogether-from an anti-tank/anti-APC rifle into a heavy sniper(if you can call it that since making it actually precise enough and mounting a scope to it will be a challenge)-and absolutely changes the performance,defeats the purpose of the weapon and turns it into something pathetic and entirely useless?
Colion needs to adjust the audio on his videos. These current videos are so hard to hear vs his old videos.
I don't know if it's the gain, but I don't think so. I believe it's the Equalizer settings..
@@jonslg240 Hmm,I can hear him well, I wonder what’s up with that?
@macemaster In Massachusetts, it’s difficult to find 7.62x54r, we can get ammo by mail either, so if you aren’t reloading, it can be a challenge, I should’ve used a different word than impossible
@@johnsheppard1476 I agree with you, I have a friend that had a Dragunov in 7.62x54r, he was having trouble getting ammo so he sold it and got a Dragunov in .308, it just didn’t seem right
...the only real problem with AK´s is the fact that my country does not allow me to own them :D would love to have a full zenitco build! 2A SHOULD BE IN EVERY CONSTITUTION AROUND THE WORLD.
Best thing about AKs: automatic come with a 2 stage trigger
Don't require cleaning
Can run dry with out lubricant
Functions in any kind of weather or climate
Rock and lock magwell prevents mags from falling to the ground (AR magwells are terrible. Seen so many mags fall to the ground on ARs)
And AKs came from Russia so their not gae (Lol)
Poor b8 m8.
@@FXIIBeaver Lol
Don't lie, get pmags, rock n lock is wasted time, flared AR magwells are objectively superior
@@ChicagoPD-c8m you can have your opinion, but the main thing is that we as gun owners stay friends so that the enemy doesn't win. God bless you.
Two of the best right there.
(rolls eyes when mentions brandon). i like this guy already 😂
@macemaster indeed.
Thank you Colin for this and Jim, you look great! Wishing you both the best. 💪
Jim Fuller is an AK God, may he never retire! And I have helped build hundreds of AKs and I still consider myself a novice.
My first AK was a Soviet AKMU-74 ,USSR Infantry General Issue, deployed in (Operation for Liberation of the Socialist Republic of Afghanistan ) service time ca. 87’-89’ 7th Div 3rd Com VDV. I’m glad my gun is loved here in US.
As I’m about to go pick up my American made ak lol perfect timing
Only combloc soys hate US made aks. I would recommend Palmetto gf5 line, or their ak 102 or Palmetto Krinkov. Rileys are fine too, not too familiar with them.
@@mrdato116That Palmetto Krink is grade A shi*t
Can only run brass, how convenient, junk👎🏻
@@TiliDoll lol another mad combloc soy 😆 mine runs steel fine. I only have 300 steel case left tho, gonna get brass anyways steel case made sense when is was cheaper than brass. If you can't afford brass , don't get into firearms. Cope harder now soyo
I'm retired, I kick back, after a day of paddling the yak on the river, or a day at the gun range, or a hike with my dogs, or a day playing with my Grandkids and a hundred other things I do and enjoy, NONE OF THEM INVOLVE WORKING. I worked for 50 years I've had my fill. I love kicking back as much as I love my Norinco MAK 91!
My biggest issue with AKs is that simply are not serviceable by the end user. For example, my rear trunnion cracked. That rifle has been sitting for years because nobody near me will work on it and the cost to have it fixed is about the same as just replacing the rifle at this point.
The ammo has gotten way too damn expensive. And the AKs themselves are too damn expensive.
There’s absolutely zero reason to buy an AK other than guys that wanna be different and stand out. Prove me wrong 🤷🏽♂️
Pretty pitiful when you can't find a qualified gunsmith. Doesn't sound like you looked very hard.
In 2006 you could still get barreled 70's /80's Romanian parts kits for $100-125 (and it dropped to $79 each if you bought 10). One of my biggest gun regrets was not buying 10 or 100 and "setting them aside." Then again, I don't have to worry about ATM showing up in wee hours of the morning.
The problem is they are over priced. The stamped ones should be half the price
3k for an AK is nuts.