Magwell for 7.62 AK? Legit?

[socom688 217]

I was bored surfing Google seeing if there were any magwell concepts for the AK and sure enough I found one. IDK if it is legit or not, but here's a pic.

 

I am surprised there already isn't a magwell out there. I believe it would sell out like hotcakes, I know I would definitely buy one. Are these things already out there, and I have just been living under a rock? This one supposedly needs just a mag mod, same in concept to the JTE magwell for our S-12s, but also reshaping of the rear tang too, and no modifications to the receiver.

Edited May 25, 2012 by socom688

[dayofruin 425]

That is a pretty cool idea. At least I think so. I'm guessing probably not as useful for steel mags. I wouldn't want to cut mine up. There is a "mag funnel" availiable that doesn't require any modifications to the magazine. It's more of a guide for easier rock n' lock.

[Potus2000 7]

Can you give us the website to order these? I'll get one and try it. Could be cool.

[socom688 217]

It was just on XD talk and it was a concept a guy made. Someone asked about the Krebs AK flange, and he came on saying that the above magwell was his concept. He seems sorta troll-ish though on that sight, so that's why I hesitate to call it legit. I could post a link, but I dunno if that is allowed (posting another forum's link).

 

I have heard and seen a magwell for the 5.56 AKs that allows it to take standard AR and M16 magazines. That would be pretty cool but I only own the 7.62

[storm6490 2,768]

maybe kn a s12 for three gun... thats totally gay on an ak

[gunfun 3,931]

Yeah! A Straight AK should be outdated and needlessly clumsy! What's wrong with you?

[storm6490 2,768]

Yeah! A Straight AK should be outdated and needlessly clumsy! What's wrong with you?

Nothing outdated about the original design. It's dependable and easy enough for a 12 year old in Africa to pick up and use. They would have changed it in 74 if it were a bad design. Magwells on AK's are not my bag of tea. I think they're stupid and wreck a really good weapon.

 

- need to modify weapon so that it will only work with mag well

 

- need to modify magazines so that they will only work with that rifle

 

- feeding reliability is compromised

 

- stability of magazine is compromised

 

Basically, you have to destroy your AK for the mag well, then you have to destroy your magazines. They will not be bomb proof like they were and if you get it wrong you wont feed them well. If you run one in competition it may be a good idea. But, if you use it for anything else besides plinking, modifying your rifle to use quick change magwell magazines is as fucking stupid as it gets.

Edited May 28, 2012 by storm6490

[gunfun 3,931]

If it were not outdated, it would have had an extended magwell from the factory. In that case, none of your objections would apply. Notice how many military guns designed in the last 30 years make you use 3 motions instead of 1 to insert or remove a magazine?

[storm6490 2,768]

If it were not outdated, it would have had an extended magwell from the factory. In that case, none of your objections would apply. Notice how many military guns designed in the last 30 years make you use 3 motions instead of 1 to insert or remove a magazine?

 

If it were outdated, the newest AK military rifles that have saturated the world market would have magazines wells. It takes a little longer to load for most people but prevents problems with loading by locking the magazine into place at the same point every time. The m16 variants I was issued depended on a hole in the magazine to be caught by the magazine catch which also favored right handed shooters. The magwell system basically turns your system into a floating magazine system. You can't put pressure on the magazine when it's loading or you can mess up the feed. The AK mag can be used as a monopod while firing and is not floating around. It's locked in and stays there.

 

There's a damn good reason the AK has this pesky system of loading magazines. It works better in the situation it was designed for. A magwell AK would be great for plinking steel targets and cutting down on your time but would really cause problems if you were to use it in any other situation.

 

For every new military rifle produced that uses a magazine well system like the m16, there's 1000 AK variants that use the same old outdated magazine system.

 

To answer your first question, There's nothing wrong with me. I just have a different opinion of military firearms based on my experience with them around the world. I have been fortunate enough to use many types of weapons. Ft. Benning has a surprising ammount of foreign weapons for grunts to train on. I fell in love with the AK variants at the age of 17 when they had them out for demonstration towards the end of boot camp on sand hill. They were amazingly effective even after being abused and neglected. The first thing I noticed was the magazine could be used as a forward grip unlike on my A2 which would jam if you put rear pressure on the mag while rapidly firning.

 

I've spent a lot of time in CZ, SK and PL. They all use different variants. All using the old outdated method.

 

Simply put, modifying something that works for millions of people around the globe to make it work like a m16 is only logical for looks or competition target shooting.

 

Try to keep your emotions out of the debate process and you might learn something.

[gunfun 3,931]

Who said anything about a straight insert magwell having to be just like the AR? Not me. I am not interested in rehashing that old diatribe. That is an old design too. I have no loyalty to either platform. I am saddened by modern updates that get derailed because they don't exactly mirror the manual of arms of the older guns (i.e. that HK substitute for the M4 that was killed because it had nicer Ambi controls, so they replaced it with a lamer version with AR controls) I just want any feature that actually works better. Your critcism about ambidextrousness of that design is valid. There are military quality firearms that use straight insert magazines that have made everything ambidextrous.

 

However, magazine related failures are the main problem with AKs. And guess what some of the Izhmash AK variants do have straight insert magazines. I guess they think it is an ok system too. They have also used some really cool helical magazines that are not very quick to change, but hold so much ammo in a convenient location that it is a worthwhile trade off. However the cost to make each magazine is much higher. Stamping a cheap steel funnel and tack welding or riveting it to each AK at the factory would not make any real difference in cost. It would improve utility. It would not harm reliability in any way.

 

As for emotion-- I am not emotional here. The line "what's wrong with you" was sarcastically agreeing with your sentiment in post #5 (which called socom's interest in magwells "gay") not asking a question about what is wrong with you (storm6490).

 

As I see it, Better=

• Simple and intuative under stress of battle conditions or daily plinking.
  
• Easily achieved with either hand from any position.
  
• Allows you to stay on target while reloading
  
• Reloading is not affected by different bullet shapes.
  
• Fewer surfaces need to engage a locking point. i.e. only one latch, to a large cutout or lug, or rib.
  
• large controls that can be operated by gross motor skills without concentration but not sticking out where they can be hit accidentally.
  
• Able to accept a variety of different magazine designs and shapes with a minimum of surfaces that need to conform to a design parameter,
  

Even better is if these can be done cheaply so much the better. A simple steel magwell riveted to the receiver at the factory and a longer lever for the release catch in the standard AK location would accomplish all of these things at almost no increase in cost per unit. It could be done with existing mags or with new specific magazines. There are good reasons for either of these paths that have nothing to do with platform loyalty and only consider what makes the gun better to use.

Edited May 28, 2012 by GunFun

[uzitiger 193]

Yeah! A Straight AK should be outdated and needlessly clumsy! What's wrong with you?

Nothing outdated about the original design. It's dependable and easy enough for a 12 year old in Africa to pick up and use. They would have changed it in 74 if it were a bad design. Magwells on AK's are not my bag of tea. I think they're stupid and wreck a really good weapon.

 

- need to modify weapon so that it will only work with mag well

 

- need to modify magazines so that they will only work with that rifle

 

- feeding reliability is compromised

 

- stability of magazine is compromised

 

Basically, you have to destroy your AK for the mag well, then you have to destroy your magazines. They will not be bomb proof like they were and if you get it wrong you wont feed them well. If you run one in competition it may be a good idea. But, if you use it for anything else besides plinking, modifying your rifle to use quick change magwell magazines is as fucking stupid as it gets.

 

AK magazines are a lot more rugged than AR-15 mags. The steel ones have reinforced lips and can take abuse more than an AR one can. I don't like the idea of modifying the AK for magwell use because it limits the magazines which can be used. Just look at the Saiga S-12 magwell conversions which have the same problems when they are modified. You are forced to use converted magazines.

The M-14 and Mini-14 also use this king of magazine release because they work and are reliable. The AK magazine release is also ambidextrous which is important to me being a lefthander. I don't like some of the ambidextrous magazine releases on some pistols or ARs due to their complexity and being prone to failure.

[pyzik 597]

Here is the mag "funnel"... I think it looks like a decent product.

 

 

That's the only decent pic I can get the link to from my phone.

[socom688 217]

Here is the mag "funnel"... I think it looks like a decent product.

 

 

That's the only decent pic I can get the link to from my phone.

 

I like that a lot, seems like a good compromise for a magwell for the AK platform. Who makes this?

[pyzik 597]

Solar Tactical, I believe they are still offering it at a discounted "intro" price.