AK Accessories Abound

Perhaps the best place to start is to acknowledge the fact that accessories can’t replace training.  One can have the latest and greatest hardware (rifle & accessories), yet without the proper software (quality training and regular practice) accessories are merely a distraction.  With efficient and robust software on board, some quality accessories can enhance your ability to efficiently shoot and utilize your rifle as needed.  The key is choosing the ones that actually enhance performance without negatively affecting the weight and reliability of your AKM pattern rifle.

Some may argue that the AKM pattern rifles should be left alone and that they are fine as they are.  Others may say quality accessories are a waste of money and that Tapco furniture is cheaper.   Even others insist on changing everything from the basic controls (safety, mag release, charging handle and trigger) to replacing the gas block and sights.  Personally, I believe being able to effectively run an AK in its base configuration is a good skill to develop.  You can shoot fairly long distances with AK iron sights and most of the original AK furniture will work fine.  However, if you want to be sure of your target at night, I believe you need a reliable light and a solid way to mount it.  If you are not interested in watching tapco furniture melt in your hands after extreme use, I recommend sticking with quality furniture that has a heat shield or is properly designed to deal with extreme heat.

A few years ago, there was about a 100/1 ratio of M4 (AR) accessories when compared to those for the AKM pattern rifles.  While the M-4 rifle choices far exceed those of the AK, the gap is now less and there are lots of great AK accessories to choose from.  I won’t attempt to list all the good and bad accessories, but I’ll simply share information about the ones I have personally owned and found to be of good quality and worthy of an investment.

Outside of selecting quality magazines (example:  Circle 10) with metal feed lips and a reinforced frame, I would recommend at least a few accessories.  Every fighting rifle (AK or M4) could benefit from a sling and quality light.  Below are the 4 baseline choices I’ve made for my AKM pattern rifle.

1. Trigger pin retaining plate (kreb customs & tapco make good ones) $12

Why?  Because the classic ‘shepherd’s hook’ found in a typical AKM will sometimes fail.

2. Ultimak rail, magpul or other quality furniture for mounting a light and forward optic ($60 – $95)

Why?  Because they offer solid light mounting options…note that the Ultimak sits low enough for you to co-witness a red dot with your iron sights if you choose to add one.
 
                

3. Weapon light (Inforce, Streamlight, or Surefire) & mount if needed (VLTOR, Haley Strategic, or Magpul)

Why?  Most deadly encounters happen at night.
 

4. Quality Sling…(savy sniper & magpul MS3 allow you to easily go from a 1 to 2 point sling configuration)

Why?  Because it can assist in stabilizing your shooting platform, allow you to go hands free, climb, etc.

If you do choose to go beyond this, below are some additional options/upgrades that I’ve found useful.

5. ALG Defenses AKT trigger ($50)
6. Red Dot (Aimpoint H1 or T1/T2 or Primary Arms micro dot) with ultimak or similar rail that allow co-witness.
7. Magpul AK + MOE hand grip ($25)
8. Effective flash hider or brake based on your preference (I currently use a Gemtech Jake Brake)
9. If you are into magnified optics, RS Regulate makes excellent mounts for those with a traditional optic mount on the left side of the receiver. (At times I utilize the RS Regulate with Primary Arms 4X prism with ACSS reticle)
10. Unless you have an issue with your cheek weld or length of pull, most standard AK stocks are sufficient. If you are partial to M4 style stocks, rifle dynamics makes an AK to M4 stock adapter which mounts buffer tube to the rear of stamped AK receivers.

Interesting in upgrading your software (quality training)?

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