Posted on 08/08/2009 4:48:43 PM PDT by appleseed
I am a lifetime law-abiding gun owner and avid shooter. In my life I have had many occasions to buy firearms for sporting purposes. I have not had a need to own an AK-47 nor an opportunity to try one. I am told it is the finest assault rifle ever made. If I am in a situation wherein the AK-47 is the best choice, then I need to get one and I believe that I have that right guaranteed by the Second Amendment. Assuming that situation is in defense of my home or country, if an AK-47 makes the difference in my family’s survival, then so be it.
If I need an AK-47, then I would logically buy one now. When called to defense there will be no time to shop. I believe this is the logic that law-abiding people use when they buy assault rifles. I also believe this is the logic used in the writing of the Second Amendment. If ordinary citizens need to defend our nation at any level, then they not only need guns, they need the best. It is for this reason that bans are wrong: They are an infringement on our right to keep and bear arms.
Bans don’t work because Americans are among the few people in the history of the world to taste freedom. They love it and they defend it with their lives. Freedom needs boundaries, which are constantly tested.
Civil rights heroes were pushing these same boundaries and so were the moonshiners of prohibition and Proposition 8 demonstrators. We sometimes paint these individuals positively or negatively, but the spirit is the same. Therefore, building a modification of a banned gun (“What assault weapons ban?” July 16) is not a criminal act so long as the result is compliant. We often paint the individuals who do negatively, when we shouldn’t.
Regardless of the type of weapon, all people shot to death were killed by a person. No gun loads, aims, and discharges itself. No gun is mean, scary, or evil. No gun is a villain, but unfortunately some people are. The man who shot up that schoolyard with an AK-47 was a sick criminal. Other guns were used to stop him. Ask the parents of those kids if they would choose for a neighbor to have shot that guy in time to save their children. Ask them if they care what gun was used.
Guns are a beautiful part of this country. They won it, they defend it, and when bad people use them it takes good people with guns to stop them. These laws vilify heroes and manufacture felons where patriots once stood. They help no one except our enemies. Ban criminals, not guns.
get the pistol gripped buttstock...unless you live in a 6x10 room...
Wise choice grasshopper !!
Sage advice. Absolutely no one can maintain a 300 yard perimeter forever.
Why do so many people feel a need to qualify their gun ownership by stating that they are "law-abiding"?
Do people who own matches or butane lighters preface the fact by stating that they are "not arsonists"?
Do farmers who use ammonium nitrate fertilizer refer to themselves as "non-terrorists"?
Why do we have to be almost apologetic for owning firearms?
That's how I feel about my AKs, too.
Not sure I was much help, but no problem. I did see one for $850 brand new in the box. Guy had just bought it and then got laid off. I kick myself for not picking it up.
I really like mine. They really aren’t bad weapons if you know how to clean them and cleaning them isn’t hard.
the AK-47 is a direct derivitive of the Sturmgewher 44 — the rifle and ammunition having been optimized by people who knew what they were doing...
do not plan to use an AK for shooting targets though — they ain’t meant for that
AK is not meant to be used that way
“The AK is a good rifle. However, I think the M14 is a superior weapon. Same caliber (7.62mm), but the M14 has a larger case, and more ooomph.”
M-14 has same problem the Germans had with the FG42 (Fallschirmjaegergewehr): them 8mm Mause rifle ammo was too much ctg. to use in an automatic hand held rifle. Same is true of the 7,62mm rds in the M14. The BAR was a better effort at a rifle of that class
that is why the 8mm kurtz ammo was developed for the sturmgewehr — which is continued in the 7,62x39 ammo
I wasn’t speaking of the AK. I was speaking of all firearms.
I have fired both the M14 and the AK. The AK has lighter recoil, but the M14 is far more accurate. Selective fire on a battle rifle is pretty much a waste, and the task of such fire should rest with the SAW.
About the only positive of an AK over an M14 is that it can get dirty as hell and still operate. The tolerances on an AK are more generous than on an M14.
Hey, what can I say? I like the M14 and the M1A (non-selective fire version) over the AK. But the AK is fun to shoot.
That depends on what the target is.
First is a Rock River Arms, second is a DPMS, third is a Bushmaster. Yes, there’s a Winchester Model 97 in the mix fitted with a modified choke barrell.
That’s my step-sons Mossberg 500 with the pistol grip. When he first got it, him and his buddies came over and knocked down one of my locust trees shooting at it.
Good advice on practice. Also know how to break it down and clean it. The more you know, the better off you are.
This morning my husband and I saw a news story covering one of those gun buy backs. These idiots were turning in guns in exchange for gift cards to Target. They ran out of the cards too soon. Kind of like the Clunker Cash ran out so fast. Anyway, we were sitting there watching these idiots turn in something that had potential to save their lives someday, for a card to buy crap made in China. Geesh. I was hoping they were not going to meltdown the weapons, but I am sure they will. What a waste. Some really cool stuff was turned in.
My best shooter is a 1917 Swedish Mauser, bolt action in 6.5 MM claiber. Once I figured out how accurate it was, I stocked up on ammo.
You are correct. I view the Nagant as a heavy duty tool, much like a shovel. It sure can take a beating.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.