Thursday, July 31, 2014

Range Report #5: M+M M10 AK

Hey folks, 12-Gauge Chimp here with a brand new edition of Range Report

Well, I finally had a chance to hit the range with a friend and I brought along the M+M M10 AK that I reviewed a little while back. I only have three mags for the gun, so my time behind the trigger was a bit limited. With that in mind, I loaded up the rifle and took aim at my target set up.

We had various targets set up at a range of probably 100 feet or so, not exactly a perfect range to test the rifles accuracy, but good enough to see if the gun worked properly or not. I fired one mag through the gun and let my friend have a go with the second magazine. Both were loaded with 30 rounds of Wolf 123 grain Military Classic 7.62x39 ammunition that has been kicking around in one of my ammo cans for about five years. I did have a couple issues with the ammo, but more on that later.

There were no jams whatsoever in the first 60 rounds and I'm pleased with the rifle. Of course, it'll take many more rounds sent downrange before I'm ready to give the rifle my seal of approval, but overall I'm happy with my purchase and with the rifle itself. A few of the stock parts are going to be replaced, but that's mostly a matter of personal preference. I know one thing that's getting changed out and that's the muzzle brake. The thing sounds like a tuning fork after every shot and it gets annoying really quick. I also need to pick up a few more mags so my time behind the trigger is spent learning how to shoot the rifle better and not wasted loading magazines. All three mags I had functioned like they were supposed to and while going from a stripper clip loaded rifle to a magazine system was a bit weird, I eventually got the hang of it and was switching mags like it was second nature to me.

As I mentioned before I had some issues with the ammo I was running. Wolf is pretty much known for being cheap ammo and that's one big reason folks buy the stuff. My issue wasn't with the price (I'm sort of a cheapskate when it comes to ammo, by the way), but with the way my SKS functioned with the ammo. I've used Wolf in my SKS numerous times before and I've never had bright blue smoke pour out of the receiver after a shot. I've also never had a round fail to fire after the primer was whacked hard. I'm probably going to have a gunsmith replace the firing pin on my rifle anyway, so I hope the FTF's will cease after that.

Overall, a fun day at the range was had by all and I hope to have many more range days with my friends in the future. Now if I could just find .22LR ammo locally, that'd be awesome.

Stay tuned to the site for an upcoming video review of the KHHI Scourge kukri I reviewed awhile back. I'm hoping to get some good footage of the blade uploaded soon. I've had a few folks asking me for video of the blade in action and I'm not one to disappoint my fans. So, keep an eye on the site for an announcement soon.

As always, this is 12-Gauge Chimp signing off. 




Friday, June 13, 2014

Guns and Gear Review #16: M+M M10 7.62 AK-47

Hey folks, it's your old pal 12-Gauge Chimp here with a brand new gun review.

It's been awhile since I've done one of these, but I've had good reasons as to why that is. You see, buying a gun is something that takes me awhile to do. Mostly because I tend to research my choices and try to narrow them down to what I can afford and what is the best choice for me. This gun purchase actually took the course of two years to accomplish seeing as how the gun came and went from various sites inventories (and at either really rock bottom prices or prices that made buying a $1,200 Arsenal a better option).

So, I finally found a site that had the gun in stock and at a price that was within my budget. I placed my order, called my FFL dealer to verify the purchase and transfer, and waited. A week later, I get a call from my FFL dealer saying my rifle was in the shop. I rushed over there and picked it up after filling out the 4473 required by the Feds and paying the transfer fees. It was at that moment, I became the owner of my very first AK-47 style rifle.

Getting to the rifle itself, it's pretty much an upgraded WASR-10, but instead of being made of used surplus parts with a few new US made parts thrown in for compliance reasons, this AK uses all brand new parts. Everything on this rifle is brand new and there's enough US made part to comply with the US 922r regulations. No surplus parts of dubious age, origin or wear and tear amounts here.

The M+M M10 features a 16 inch chrome lined hammer forged barrel topped off with a Tapco Razr muzzle brake. It's got the usual stamped AK receiver fitted with a Hogue pistol grip, a Hogue railed fore end set and a Phoenix Technologies 'Survival' stock with hinged buttplate that opens to reveal a space for survival items (I store an AK cleaning kit in the one on my rifle). It only comes with one mag, which is a plastic Bulgarian made mag, but AK mags are pretty much everywhere and are going for decent prices now. Granted, the mags aren't quite as cheap as the HK G3/CETME mags, but they're still affordable. The sights are RPK style, which means the rear sight is adjustable for windage and elevation. It takes some getting used to, but it's no harder than using the sights on an AR-15. The front sight is a bit different than the traditional AK set up because it's built into the gas block instead of on its own like on a regular AK.This reduces the sight radius a bit, but just like the RPK sights one can get used to them. Either that or add some different sights later on.

 I haven't had the chance to get out to the range to shoot this rifle yet, but that's mostly because summer is officially here in my AO and that means temperatures that regularly hit 95 plus degrees and don't go anywhere near bearable until late in the evening. I think I saw a bird burst into flames just flying around the other day because it was so hot. Anyway, once the weather cools down (or I suck it up and coat myself in really high SPF sunscreen and risk a sunburn), I'll be testing the rifle and giving y'all a full review.

Would I suggest buying one of these rifles ? Yes, I would.

The prices are coming down from the insanely high prices we were seeing them go for last year and they're still a great bargain for those of us who want an AK, but don't want to roll the dice and buy a WASR-10 and hope we get a good one.

As always, this is 12-Gauge Chimp signing off.

Stay tuned to this site for a range review of the M+M M10 AK-47, folks.