6 Top Performing 6.5 Grendel Ammo Choices

March 12, 2022

Whether you’re sniping swine or looking to go the distance with your AR-15, these 6.5 Grendel Ammo options are sweet shooters.

What Are The Top 6.5 Grendel Ammo Options:

Hornady Custom 123-grain SST
Underwood 110-grain Controlled Chaos
Nosler Trophy Grade 129-grain AccuBond
Hornady Black 123-grain ELD
Federal Premium 130-grain Gold Medal
Alexander Arms 123-grain Lapua Scenar

Given recent ammunition developments, the 6.5 Grendel has gotten the red-headed stepchild treatment as of late. A shame, given if you’re in the market for a practical and high-performing AR-15, you can’t do much better than this brainchild of Bill Alexander and Janne Pohjoispää. It slays game with the wild abandon of a rogue tiger and performs at distances that surpass a majority of marksmens’ skills. In short, the 6.5 Grendel's ballistics are the complete package when it comes to a chambering for America’s favorite rifle.

Whatever your firearms passion, to get the most out of your Grendel you need to feed it right. A task that’s become more difficult in recent years. With the rise of the 6.5 Creedmoor and .224 Valkyrie, the market for 6.5 Grendel ammo isn’t as bustling as it was not long ago. Yet, you needn’t fret. Whether you’re pumping your trigger finger at a steel plate or a pesky porker, there are solid options to make your Grendel an absolute monster.

Learn More About The 6.5 Grendel:

Why Buy A 6.5 Grendel?
6.5 Grendel VS 6.5 Creedmoor: Which Is Right For You?
6 Top 6.5 Grendel Upper Options For Every Budget
A Brief Overview Of 6.5 Grendel Ballistics
4 Excellent 6.5 Grendel Barrel Options For Your Next Build

6.5 Grendel Ammo Options For Hunting

Hornady Custom 123-grain SST

In a certain respect, the Hornady Custom line is what took the company beyond just a reloading components manufacturer. And it doesn’t fail the 6.5 Grendel. Topped with Hornady’s 123-grain Super Shock Tip (SST) bullets, the ammo proves flat shooting and devastating on target.

The bullet itself endows the 6.5 Grendel ammo with much of these attributes. Its polymer tip not only improves its ballistic coefficient (an impressive .510 in the G1 model) but also initiates and ensures excellent expansion. At 400-yards—most game is taken there or in—the round delivers an impressive 1,028 ft-lbs of energy on target, making it ideal for skittish game such as pronghorn. It’ll also do a number on whitetails and hogs if that’s more your speed.

Muzzle Velocity (fps): 2,580
Muzzle Energy (ft-lbs): 1,818
Velocity 500 Yards (fps): 1,796
Energy 500 Yards (ft-lbs): 881
Ballistic Coefficient (G1): .510
Trajectory at 500 yards (200-yd zero): -51.3 inches
MSRP: $25.99 box of 20

Underwood 110-grain Controlled Chaos

You needn’t live where lead-free ammo is the law of the land to reap the benefits of Underwood’s 6.5 Grendel hunting option. The 110-grain Controlled Chaos performs no matter what neck of the woods you hail.

Perhaps one of the best varmint options on the list, the solid-copper round was specifically made for this job at the request of animal control agencies and outdoes other frangible ammunition in nearly every conceivable way. What makes it a dandy is explosive terminal ballistics.

Essentially designed to radiate out fragments once it reaches a particular depth, the bullet creates multiple wound cavities, as well as an extremely large temporary one. The results are nearly instantaneous, dropping running dogs and hogs in their paw and hoof prints. Given it’s designed to break up in the animal, it’s not only an excellent choice for culling, but also collecting fur-bearers, given it does less damage to the pelt.

Muzzle Velocity (fps): 2,800 fps
Muzzle Energy (ft-lbs): 1,915 ft-lbs
Velocity 500 Yards (fps): 1,788
Energy 500 Yards (ft-lbs): 781
Ballistic Coefficient (G1): .405
Trajectory at 500 yards (200-yd zero): -48.21
MSRP: $35.50 box of 20

Nosler Trophy Grade 129-grain AccuBond

There are some standbys when it comes to hunting ammunition. Nosler AccuBond is at the top of the heap.

Renowned for exceptional expansion and the toughness of a welded joint the bullet makes the Trophy Grade among the most turned to for fill tags.
And as for the 6.5 Grendel, it’s a superb choice if you’re looking for a certified medium to large game round.

Heavier than a majority of hunting rounds presently on the market, it puts a ton of energy on target. It particularly responds for close-in shots, both in terms of external and terminal ballistics. While it’s not appropriate for all North American large game, it certainly is fit for much of it. Trophy Grade most definitely makes your Grendel a game getter.

Muzzle Velocity (fps): 2,350
Muzzle Energy (ft-lbs): 1,582
Velocity 500 Yards (fps): 1,625
Energy 500 Yards (ft-lbs): 756
Ballistic Coefficient (G1): .530
Trajectory at 500 yards (200-yd zero): -64.4
MSRP: $35.50 box of 20

6.5 Grendel Trajectory Chart: Hunting Ammo

6.5 Grendel Hunting Ammo Ballistic ChartChart — Produced on shooterscalculator.com

6.5 Grendel Ammo Options For Precision Shooting

Hornady Black 123-grain ELD

Tailored for AR-15s, Hornady’s Black line not only shoots for downrange performance, but every other factor present in the rifle. “Fit, feed and function,” as the company puts it.

The 6.5 Grendel offering not only does all that, but also offers an interesting twist. It’s topped off with the company’s Extra Low Drag (ELD) Match bullet. In addition to a polymer ballistic tip, the projectile also features a long and streamlined secant ogive and boat tail. These give the projectile an excellent ballistic coefficient (.506 in the G1 model) and the ability to buck the wind. In short, the 6.5 Grendel ammo has the stuff to perform downrange.

Muzzle Velocity (fps): 2,580
Muzzle Energy (ft-lbs): 1,818
Velocity 500 Yards (fps): 1,790
Energy 500 Yards (ft-lbs): 876
Ballistic Coefficient (G1): .506
Trajectory at 500 yards (200-yd zero): -52.85
MSRP: 24.99 box of 20

Federal Premium 130-grain Gold Medal

Any edge you can get on a long shot you need to take. Federal gives you an incredible one with its 6.5 Grendel match ammo—Berger Extra Low Drag (ELD) bullets. A hybrid, the projectile is the best of both worlds: the superior aerodynamics of a secant ogive and the bearing surface of a tangent bullet to index the rifling. A design pioneered by Berger, the bullets are ideal for AR-15s, and perform admirably.

Versus a 10-mph crosswind, it drifts 20 inches at 500 yards and 98 at 1,000. Not bad given the factory loaded Grendel ammo isn’t noted for blistering velocities, in this case 2,400 fps at the muzzle. Certainly, pushing the 1,000-yard mark with the 6.5 Grendel is no easy task, but is made a magnitude easier with Federal Gold Medal.

Muzzle Velocity (fps): 2,400
Muzzle Energy (ft-lbs): 1,663
Velocity 500 Yards (fps): 1,711
Energy 500 Yards (ft-lbs): 846
Ballistic Coefficient (G1): .560
Trajectory at 500 yards (200-yd zero): -59.83
MSRP: $36.99 box of 20

Alexander Arms 123-grain Lapua Scenar

Given Alexander Arms is the birthplace of the 6.5 Grendel, the concern should have an idea of what fodder it performs off. Like most rifles, it does plenty well grazing on Lapua. Topped with the Finnish company’s hollow point, boat-tail Scenar bullets, the 123-grain Alexander offering has the goods to go the distance.

Loaded for a respectable velocity given the bullet weight—2,400 fps at the muzzle—the ammunition is excellent at enhancing shot-to-shot accuracy. The Grendel is already mild-mannered when it comes to recoil, even tamer with Alexander’s medicine. Additionally, an excellent ballistic coefficient—.527 in the G1 model—helps it perform nearly on par with heavier options. Overall, it checks all the boxes for precision 6.5 Grendel ammo.

Muzzle Velocity (fps): 2,400
Muzzle Energy (ft-lbs): 1,573
Velocity 500 Yards (fps): 1,673
Energy 500 Yards (ft-lbs): 765
Ballistic Coefficient (G1): .527
Trajectory at 500 yards (200-yd zero): -61.16
MSRP: $31.97 box of 20

6.5 Grendel Trajectory Chart: Precision Ammo

6.5 Grendel Precision Ammunition — Produced on shooterscalculator.com

Usurping The King: .224 Valkyrie Vs 5.56 NATO

Josh Wayner

March 11, 2022

A NATO standard since 1980, will 5.56 continue to reign supreme or can it be usurped by .224 Valkyrie?

Back in 2008, I recall there was a substantial argument over two competing AR cartridges, each supposedly an answer to the problems the 5.56mm NATO experienced in battle. These rounds were the 6.5 Grendel and 6.8 SPC, and many writers and end users flocked to one or the other … at least for that moment in time.

Fast-forward to 2022 and neither round occupies a substantial market share of the AR-15 world anymore. They each ultimately failed to replace the 5.56 NATO in military service. The legacy of these rounds is still evident, and their associated parts and magazines have allowed some interesting innovation.

Enter Federal’s 224 Valkyrie.

224 Valkyrie Ammo — Left to right are Federal factory .224 Valkyrie loads: 60-grain VMAX, 60-grain Varmint Nosler Ballistic Tip, 75-grain TMJ, 80.5-grain Match, 90-grain Fusion and 90-grain SMK.

Carrying Fallen Warriors To Valhalla

The role of the Valkyrie in old Norse mythology was to monitor the battlefield, acting as something akin to the Fates; when a warrior fell honorably, they carried him to Valhalla, where he would feast with the heroes of all time for eternity.

Since the 6.8 SPC fell from general favor some years back, it has struggled to maintain popularity and relevance, and ammo has become increasingly hard to find. This isn’t to say that the round was a total failure; designs come and go, and sometimes it’s easier to improve what you have—in this case the 5.56mm—than it is to start over completely new. Convenience killed the 6.8 SPC on the commercial market, not lack of power or accuracy.

What the 6.8 SPC did well was introduce a set of internals and magazines that worked with the AR platform, essentially allowing for a new family of rounds designed around its larger case head and tapered body. Among these is the .224 Valkyrie, and Federal wisely chose the 6.8 SPC as the parent case. Not only does the .224 Valkyrie offer serious advantages over 5.56mm, it’s also an incredible, low-recoil alternative to 6.5 and 6 Creedmoor in long-range events.

Jack Of All Trades

The .224 Valkyrie has been around for a few years now, and it has been holding steady in popularity—though the current troubles have certainly put a damper on its growth. I really wanted to see what other writers were saying about this round, and what surprised me was that there seemed to be a general consensus that it was a great thing.

224 Valkyrie Lower — The SilencerCo lower is a solid base for any AR build and offers many great features.

However, few, if any, writers have extrapolated on the true engineering marvel this round actually is. This is a round that’s capable of virtually anything. There are better rounds out there for individual tasks, but a person can easily accomplish 95 percent of all shooting tasks with this cartridge.

The first thing I want to address is that the .224 Valkyrie likely has the widest range of bullet weights available in a single bore: The lightest bullets weighing as little as 35 grains and the heaviest at 90 grains. That’s a range of weight almost triple the minimum value. A prairie dog hunter friend of mine with a custom bolt-action chose the .224 for this reason alone. He’s able to get insane speeds with 30-grain specialty copper alloy bullets, somewhere in the ballpark of 3,800 fps. (Factory loaded 60-grain Federal Predator & Varmint chronographs at 3,321 fps from my 22-inch rifle for reference. That’s double the bullet weight!) And yet, he’s still able to stick factory loaded 90-grain bullets in the same rifle for antelope. The versatility is extraordinary on the merit of bullet selection alone.

Faxon Barrel — This Faxon barrel, with a fast 1:6.5 twist, can stabilize virtually all .22-inch-caliber bullets.

Recoil is another major factor with the .224 Valkyrie that’s not talked about much. This round, even with 90-grain bullets, has pretty much no recoil; it’s almost exactly the same as shooting 5.56mm. This might seem like a moot point, but for young hunters, people with shoulder injuries and those of use who don’t pretend to like recoil, it’s awesome.

The best part is that this low recoil comes with light rifle weight and extremely efficient ballistics. This round might very well be the ultimate learning cartridge for modern long-range sports. It’d even dominate in silhouette matches and offhand competition with its excellent energy on target. Shooting the Valkyrie with a suppressor is nothing but enjoyable; I can spot every impact and make immediate corrections. The gun barely moves and hardly makes a cough at the muzzle.

The ballistic matter is something that I find to be of great interest as well. Federal advertises the Valkyrie as having superior drop and drift at 1,000 yards over any other AR cartridge. After running the numbers and shooting the Valkyrie at these distances and beyond, I can prove the marketing to be true.

The 80.5 factory match load from Federal indeed shoots just like a 6.5 Creedmoor and, together with the newer 90-grain Sierra MatchKing load, delivers trajectories at a grand substantially flatter than any AR round I’ve ever tested. If you’re used to 5.56, you’ll probably consider it to be best at 600 yards, perhaps out to 800 shooting Black Hills 77-grain MK262.

224 Valkyrie Scope — Vortex’s new optics are great for use with the .224 Valkyrie; 4.5-22X is the perfect magnification range for the versatile cartridge.

The Valkyrie, for equal recoil and rifle weight, is still supersonic at around 1,200 to 1,1400 yards and offers greater hit likelihood at virtually all ranges. I’m very impressed with this, having taken the advertisements with a grain of salt upon first reading them.

Too Small For Big Game?

For hunting, I’m on the fence with using the Valkyrie for big game. I’ve seen this round used on varmints and have been coyote hunting with it, but not on deer. Using a 90-grain Fusion load, I’d take a shot less than 200 yards, but I’m weary of the .22-inch bore in general—not the .224 Valkyrie as a cartridge.

224 Valkyrie Mags — The .224 Valkyrie uses 6.8 SPC mags, here from PRI. Capacity is reduced compared to 5.56mm, but larger mags are available.

The Valkyrie may very well be the best small and medium game round on the market today, considering that it’s inherently accurate, has a very short learning curve due to low recoil and relatively inexpensive ammo. I’d hands-down consider this for all game 100 pounds and under at normal hunting distances, and most whitetails weigh well more than that.

In my years deer hunting, I’ve probably shot more of them than many people do in their lifetime. I have to be humble and honest about this …because I’ve also made more mistakes than most hunters ever do in their lifetime as a result. The biggest mistakes I’ve made have been centered on underestimating my game and overestimating my bullet. I have, for the most part, become a fan of big, heavy bullets in calibers that start with .45 inch and end with .45 inch. I like a Keith bullet, even in rifle rounds like 450 Bushmaster.

I’m of the impression now, having had trouble with lighter, faster bullets, that it’s nearly impossible to bring too much mass—regardless of speed. A 255-grain bullet at 900 fps has never failed to put a deer down for me, but I’ve certainly had an undeniable amount of trouble from small-bores at any speed, including rounds like 6.5 Creedmoor.

224 Valkyrie Ammo Comparison — The .224 Valkyrie (middle), as compared to the 5.56 NATO (left) and 6.5 Creedmoor (right). The .224 is a remarkable round, offering recoil like the 5.56 and trajectory akin to the 6.5.

For me, the jury is out on the effectiveness on deer using the Valkyrie. Everything I’ve read from Federal on the round has been proven true, down to how close to their listed velocities are compared to my chronograph readings, so I’ve no doubt that it’d, in fact, perform well.
In perfect honesty, I’ll probably never take it out for deer. I’ve just not had a positive experience with small-bore rifles, in general, on these surprisingly tough and proud, yet common, animals. But with that said, the .224 Valkyrie has everything it takes to usurp the 5.56 NATO king.

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the January 2022 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

Raise Your Ammo IQ:

Beyond The 6.5 Creedmoor: The Other 6.5 Cartridges
The Lonesome Story Of The Long-Lost 8mm
Why The .300 H&H Magnum Still Endures
.350 Legend Vs .450 Bushmaster: Does One Win Out For Hunting?

SKS Collecting And Identification: A Buyer’s Guide

Adam Borisenko

March 10, 2022

With so many different kinds imported over the years, it can be difficult to know what kind of SKS you’re looking at, this guide will help you identify all manner of Simonov carbines and roughly estimate their value.

There was a time when an SKS could be had for around $100. Regardless of the specific make or model, the sheer abundance of these rifles and the circumstances under which they were imported made them Fudd fodder. Their extremely low prices caused many Americans to view them as poorly made garbage guns not worthy of respect, leading some to victimize them with amateur gunsmithing projects that resulted in poorly welded-on scope rails, home-modified stocks and distasteful rattle can jobs. You can still find abominations like this at just about any gun show, usually sitting in front of someone who says things like “I know what I got.”

Bubba’s Curse — Bubba, no! When shopping for an SKS watch out for atrocities like this. Some can be fixed while others cannot.

Irrespective of the confidence with which they assert such claims, individuals like this typically do not know what they got. To be fair, identifying and appraising an SKS is not always the easiest of tasks, but it is very doable if you know what to look for. This guide will show the easiest ways to determine an SKS’ country of origin and what you should generally expect to pay for one in the current market.

SKS Import History

The first SKS carbines to come into the U.S. were brought back by veterans during the Vietnam War as trophies. For several years these were the only ones that could be found in the country. With ammunition for them being both rare and expensive, they were far more collector’s items with interesting historical provenance than they were shooters. In the 1980s, however, that began to change. As relations between the U.S. and China improved they began to take advantage of Americans’ love of cheap, reliable firearms. Literally, millions of SKSs (along with plenty of cheap 7.62×39 to feed them) were imported from China between the mid to late ‘80s and 1994 when President Clinton signed the Norinco Ban, making them the most abundant SKS variant in the United States by far.

Vietnam Bringback Tula — A Russian Tula SKS brought back from Vietnam. Photo: Rock Island Auction Company.

The end of Chinese imports was conveniently timed with the fall of the USSR, however, resulting in the newly formed Russian Federation satisfying SKS demand until it too was cut in 1998. Most of the Russian SKS examples in the United States were imported during these four years (as well as several other classic Soviet military surplus firearms). While not nearly as abundant as Chinese models, a healthy number of Russian guns were brought in as well.

Following the cutoff of imports from Russia, SKSs from other nations began to fill the void. Yugoslavian models began to come in along with Romanian and Albanian guns. While these were also very affordable at the time, they never reached the same levels of abundance or inexpensiveness as the Chinese guns.

Russian Simonov ad 94 — A 1994 Shotgun News ad for probably some of the first Russian SKS rifles to be officially imported. Photo: northeastshooters.com user Thirwell1216.

As with all surplus firearms, SKS stockpiles eventually began to run dry across the world. While China, Russia and a few other nations still likely have warehouses full of the things, U.S. law prevents any new batches from being imported from these countries. With relatively few remaining SKSs around the globe that can legally be brought into the U.S., prices began rising as soon as availability went down. While there are still plenty of places in the world where an SKS could be had for a goat or a few chickens, in America, they have unfortunately garnered “collector” status and are no longer the dime-a-dozen truck guns they once were.

Some SKS variants are easier to tell apart than others, and even some minor differences between models and years can have a big impact on their value. So, let’s take a look at the different kinds of SKS that you’re likely to encounter on the American second-hand gun market, how to identify them, and what they’re generally worth. The good news is that regardless of the exact model you end up getting, they were all very well made. Some are more valuable or collectible than others, but when it comes to actually shooting the things, they will all serve you equally well.

SKS Variants

This list will cover the major differences between SKS variants, but it is not exhaustive. Differences between factory markings, years of production and the manufacturing methods of specific individual components can all result in an SKS being worth more than average, but those details are only important to serious collectors. There are plenty of online forums where people discuss these things, and that’s where you should go if you’re looking how to tell an early-style trigger guard from a late-style, or other equally pedantic details. For an introduction to more surface-level SKS analysis, however, read on.

Russian SKS

Izhevsk Simonov — A Russian SKS from the Izhevsk factory. Photo: Rock Island Auction Company.

The original, upon which everything that came after was based. The acronym in English reads as Samozaryadny Karabin sistemy Simonova, 1945, or Self-loading Carbine of Simonov, 1945. It was developed alongside the new M43 cartridge in the final years of WWII, even supposedly having a few early-production models seeing field trials in Belarus and Berlin before the European theater finally came to an end. They were produced at both the Tula (arrow in star factory symbol) and Izhevsk (arrow in triangle in circle factory symbol) and depending on the year of production they could have either hardwood or laminate stocks. Tula produced far more over the years, making them the more common and less desirable of the two factories. The earliest Russian SKSs used a cruciform bayonet like the ones found on M44 Mosins, but they quickly switched to a blade style. Many Russian SKSs underwent factory refurbishment before being imported as well, and it results in some examples having non-original features like a blued bolt and/or bayonet which were originally left in the white.

Russian SKS black bolt — An arsenal-refurbished Russian SKS with a blackened bolt. Photo: Rock Island Auction Company.

An SKS carbine from its country of origin is obviously more collectible than any other common Simonov variety, so they command some of the highest prices on the second-hand market. Early models, Izhevsk-produced models and very nice condition examples easily sell for a grand or more these days. Some even fetch as much as two thousand dollars in online auctions. A far cry from the prices of the ‘90s, but there is a finite supply of Russian SKS carbines in the country and their collectability has driven up both their demand and value. These days, unless you specifically want an SKS made in its country of inception, Russian models probably aren’t what to look for. Examples from other countries can be found for lower prices and will shoot just as well, so at this point, it's best to leave Russian SKSs to the collectors if you’re only looking for a range toy or ranch gun.

Tula Star stamp — A Tula “arrow in star” stamp with a faded year of production beneath. Found on top of the dust cover, this is the easiest way to ID a Russian SKS year of production. Photo: Wikipedia.

Chinese SKS

Chinese Type 56 — A Type 56 Chinese SKS with spike bayonet. Photo: Rock Island Auction Company.

There exists the greatest level of variation between models when it comes to the Chinese SKS. The Chinese clearly had an affinity for this design, not only producing it in the largest numbers of any nation but for the longest duration and with the most amount of experimentation and development. China was the only nation to ever produce an SKS with a stamped receiver, and they also experimented with things like different stock materials, shorter barrel lengths and the ability to feed from AK mags. Chinese SKSs are the most common kind in the U.S. by far, but identifying the exact model can be challenging with so many slight variations. Standard commercial variants with spike bayonets are the most common, but they were manufactured by and imported from several different factories. Military surplus Type 56 models were brought in as well, along with some of the rarer commercial variants like the SKS-D or Model M which feed from AK magazines.

Chinese SKSM — Chinese commercial SKS-M variant with a small AK mag inserted, although they can accept 30s, 40s and drums as well. Photo: Rock Island Auction Company.

The majority of Chinese SKSs in the U.S. were exported by Norinco, although Polytech sent some over too. These defense conglomerates were acquiring rifles from a variety of sources for the American market, but the most common source seems to be the Jianshe Arsenal with factory code 26. Other factories in China produced the SKS as well, but all use a similar symbol to identify the factory, typically a stylized number inside of a triangle. Any logo like this on the left side of the receiver means that it’s Chinese, but identification is often made easier by the inclusion of Chinese characters or “Norinco” printed in English as well. Most, but not all, Chinese SKSs have a spike or “pig-sticker” type bayonet as well.

The most recent batches of SKS imports have been Type 56s bought from Albania, as they received many as military aid from China some years ago. While the bulk of these recent imports had very poor condition stocks and finishes, most were still serviceable and fine shooters. These were typically sold for about $400 to $450. While expensive for their condition, in today’s surplus market that seems to be as low as any dealer is willing to sell them for. What the rifles from these import batches lack in terms of prettiness, they make up for in historical provenance. They saw active service with the Albanian military and many were likely used during the Balkan civil war. Some feature “trench art”, personal decorative touches from the soldiers they were issued to, and some find that to be even cooler than having an all-matching, original-condition rifle.

Chinese Albanian Import SKS trench art — A Chinese SKS from the recent batch out of Albania. This example with trench art was sold through PSA.

Yugoslavian SKS

Like all things Yugoslavian, they did their SKS just a bit different than everyone else. Yugoslavian SKSs are one of the more common kinds in the U.S. after Chinese guns, and they’re the most distinctive and easy to identify as well. The most common Yugo SKS pattern is the Zastava M59/66 PAP which was built under license from the USSR. The most notable change they made to the design was the addition of rifle grenade-launching capabilities, resulting in a distinct grenade launcher spigot added to the end of the barrel and a gas cut-off lever/grenade sight to the gas tube. When a blank round is loaded and the gas cut-off lever is lifted, a Yugo SKS can be used to launch 22mm rifle grenades of several different varieties. Another Yugo-specific quirk is that they never chrome-lined the barrels of their SKSs. Very early Russian examples didn’t have chrome-lining either, but it was quickly added and copied by every other nation to produce the design.

Yugoslavian SKSs are typically the most affordable kind after Chinese examples, and they will usually be in better condition than what you would pay for a Type 56 of the same price.

Romanian SKS

Designated as the M56, Romanian SKSs can be some of the hardest to identify due to how similar they are to the Russian SKS it was directly copied from. Unlike Yugoslavia, whenever Romania received technical data packages from the USSR, they didn’t change much. This is why their AKM clones are some of the closest to Soviet spec as well. At first glance, a Romanian M56 will be indistinguishable from a Russian SKS, but certain markings and their location will allow you to differentiate between them. On a Russian SKS, the factory stamp can be located on the top of the dust cover, but Romanians instead put theirs on the left side of the receiver. While the Romanian Cugir factory stamp is very similar to Izhevsk’s, they are different. The Cugir “arrow in a triangle” mark is much simpler and cruder than the Izhevsk one, with the Romanian arrow looking like what one would draw to point to something rather than what is used in conjunction with a bow like the arrow on Izzy rifles.

Romanian SKSs seem to be going up in value, but they’re still not the most desirable variant out there. While they can sometimes sell for amounts that begin to approach Russian SKS prices, they can also still be found for a pretty good deal too. While not exactly “rare”, Romanian M56s are some of the less common SKSs in the country, so you may have to do some looking before you find one for sale. If you do find one, however, it would compliment a WASR or other Romanian AK very nicely.

Albanian SKS

Produced at the UM GRAMSH factory, Albanian SKSs are some of the rarest in the United States excluding the true unicorns that will be discussed below. These typically fetch a higher price than any aforementioned SKS model due to their rarity, but they still sell for relatively sane prices when compared to some other rare SKS variants. They are also very visually distinctive as well, being the only kind to change the style of the wood stock around the gas tube. The Albanians extended the handguard area to cover the full length of the gas tube, providing more real estate for the shooter’s hand but also increasing the rifle’s weight. Any SKS that has a stock that fully hides the gas tube and features three distinct, larger-than-average vent holes is undoubtedly Albanian in origin.

Albanian buttplate — Another distinctive feature of Albanian SKSs is their double-compartment buttplate. Photo: Rock Island Auction Company.

These can fetch a higher price when the seller is aware of what they have, but it’s also not unheard of for them to be sold at standard Chinese SKS prices. Some lucky few even got one of these rare birds out of the last Albanian batch when they thought they were purchasing a Type 56. There’s nothing especially high quality about Albanian SKSs, but they are quite unique, rare and collectible.

Rare SKS Variants

Every other country’s SKS variant not previously mentioned falls into this category, and if you even find one, expect to pay out the nose for it. These are the rarest and therefore most collectible SKS variants, at least when it comes to what can be found in the States.

East German SKS — An East German Karabiner-S, note its different rear sling attachment point. Photo: Rock Island Auction Company.

This includes the East German Karabiner-S, the Polish ksS and the SKS clones made in Vietnam and North Korea. East German models are distinctive due to their K98-style sling slot in the stock, and they were only produced for two or three years. Very few were ever imported into the U.S. and most examples are Vietnam bringbacks. It seems that the majority of DDR SKSs were given as military aid to North Vietnam and later Croatia, resulting in the majority being lost in the haze of the conflicts each were involved in. Most North Korean and Vietnamese SKSs that entered the country were veteran bringbacks as well.

North Vietnamese SKS — An extremely rare North Vietnam-produced SKS. Photo: Rock Island Auction Company.

Poland never actually produced the SKS themselves, but they did receive some from the USSR as military aid. Most were then refurbished using Polish-made stocks, their one distinctive Polish element. These are so rare, that it's difficult to even find a good photo of one online. It’s safe to say that you won’t be coming across one of these in the wild.

Final Thoughts

While there are plenty of cases of people attempting to sell an SKS for much more than it’s worth, not every ludicrous price you see is a mistake. Like all military surplus firearms, there are small details that can cause an otherwise normal, reasonably priced SKS to be worth far more than average to the right person. Specific historical provenance such as a Vietnam bringback with papers or an extremely rare variation of a model can cause them to be worth far more than normal. Starting a serious SKS collection obviously isn’t for everyone, but that doesn’t mean you still won’t be able to pay a decent price for a good shooter.

In the current state of the market, for anyone interested in acquiring their first SKS, their best bet would be to hunt for one of the more generic Chinese models in good shape for about $400-$450. If you can do that, you’re doing well for 2022. But if you have deep pockets and an interest in collecting some of the rarer examples out there, the sky’s the limit. Happy hunting.

Kimber’s Baby Shark: The R7 Mako

Iain Harrison

March 7, 2022

Kimber came out of left field with the release of the R7 Mako CCW pistol, but can the company’s baby shark take a bite out of the competition?

With that earworm firmly planted in your swede, let’s take a look at a handgun …

Whereas stagger-stack nines are nothing new, this pistol is a rarity from Kimber. It’s a departure from their normal catalog of 1911s and hunting rifles, and while they have dabbled in the CCW world with the Solo and Evo, this is aimed squarely at the most popular market segment in the U.S. right now, namely the micro subcompact genre kicked off by the SIG P365.

Kimber’s previous attempts at a striker-fired, micro 9 were, shall we say, eventful. Last decade, the Solo was introduced as a premium carry gun, and visually it was a delight, with melted edges, a two-tone or silver finish, contoured night sights and, for the time, a decent trigger. Accurate, too. Unfortunately, it needed +P ammo to run reliably, but standard pressure rounds to avoid beating itself to death. We experienced this firsthand during a reliability test for a Solo accessory; after a case of Gold Dots, the gun’s locking lugs were so badly peened it had to be retired—pretty disappointing performance from what was supposed to be a premium product. Replaced in the lineup by the Evo SP, the new gun seemed to address the previous model’s shortcomings but with its predecessor’s bad rap hanging like a sword of Damocles, it’s not exactly lighting up the sales charts.

R7 Mako Holster — Kimber went to market with holster makers already spun up on the product, so finding something to put the pistol in shouldn’t be too difficult.

The R7 Mako is a clean-sheet design. If you sense a certain Teutonic aesthetic to its lines, it’s probably due to the influence of Willi Bubits whose creations can be found in the catalogs of Caracal, Steyr and Walther, and who brought the Mako’s initial concept to Kimber. So much for history, does it fill the intended role?

Hands On

For anyone familiar with the flashy Solo, the Mako looks like its homely sister. Sure, there’s been an attempt to mold in some contours to the glass-filled polymer frame, but it’s only slightly less ugly than a Hi-Point, albeit without the latter’s bulk and heft. The R7 Mako’s barrel locks up using an odd-looking square nub at the rear of the chamber, rather than the usual SIG/Petter shelf, making the slide a little taller than you’d expect and adding to the somewhat top-heavy appearance. Looks aside, the frame does a creditable job of handling the human/gun interface, with texturing across all gripping surfaces, a noticeable palm swell and that Wather-esque hump on the backstrap. While it may not have the world’s lowest bore axis, an undercut trigger guard gets your hand high enough to make recoil control manageable, and the pinky extension on its 13-round magazine allows for a full, three-finger grip, even with large hands. An 11-round, flush-fit mag is available for anyone requiring a minimum of grip length for concealment purposes, but it’s a pretty safe bet that most users will opt for more capacity.

R7 Mako right — Controls are full ambi and designed for the CCW role. The 13-round mag provides enough grip for even large hands.

The magazine release is flush with the frame’s surface rather than being fenced, and to allow the thumb to reach it, there’s a relieved area in the frame making inadvertent mag drops unlikely. Lefties are catered to with identical controls on both sides of the pistol. The slide release is let into a raised plastic ridge in the frame’s upper surface, so accidentally locking the slide to the rear is about as likely as dropping the mag when you didn’t mean to.

The R7 Mako’s slide has another interesting quirk, aside from its unusual lockup—there’s a separate breech face pinned into the area rear of the undersized ejection port, which makes manufacture easier. Should .40 S&W make a comeback return to its former glory, rather than just being an annoying way to screw up a progressive reloading press (thanks, XD shooters for mixing .40 and 9mm brass), then you could potentially swap in a new breech face and barrel and be on your merry way. But that scenario’s as likely as Biden’s second term. Those wanting to add a weapon-mounted light to their carry piece will be disappointed, at least until the aftermarket catches up, as there’s no Picatinny rail out front. Choosing a proprietary rail will always ruffle feathers, but the alternative of having a tiny, svelte handgun with a mini cheese grater sticking out past the slide profile will piss off just as many potential customers.

Initially, we suspected the Kimber’s slide was a MIM part, as tool marks were almost completely absent. But after receiving assurances from the manufacturer that it starts out as bar stock, we’ll chalk it up to some of the best machining we’ve seen in a while. Kudos to the engineers and production guys for that one. Up top, there’s a cut for an RMSc pattern mini red dot, and our test gun came equipped with a Crimson Trace unit. It is, however, protected from gas, oil and unburnt powder residue by the Mako’s undersized ejection port.

R7 Mako left — Available as either optics-ready or optics-installed, the R7 Mako sighting options are either excellent or OK, depending on your tastes. Note the Walther-ish hump on backstrap.

Iron sights are just what the market ordered, with a big, red dot up front and a U-notch rear, both of which are tritium-illuminated and supplied by TruGlo. The rear sight features a slightly undercut front face to aid with one-handed manipulations, and it’s set as far back on the slide as possible in order to maximize sight radius. If you don’t like the sights it ships with, then finding replacements shouldn’t be too difficult, as the manufacturer made the smart choice of not going with a proprietary footprint, instead using the same slide cuts as the world’s most often replaced, useless plastic sight-like protuberances. Looking at you, Glock.

The Mako’s trigger is one of the gun’s best features and leaves the groundbreaking P365 in the dust. Breaking at 5.5 pounds with a short, tactile reset, it’s one of the few triggers on a polymer handgun that isn’t made from the same material as the frame, instead being carved from aluminum. A nice touch is that the gas pedal safety in the trigger’s face sets perfectly flush when depressed, increasing the amount of surface area in contact with your digit, reducing the perceived pull and making solid hits at extended ranges much easier. Teamed with a red dot, the combination of sights and trigger allows the user to really stretch the gun’s capabilities way past what would normally be considered CCW distances.

Rounds Downrange

Wrangling up a few of the Kimber’s competitors, we loaded up steel, paper, shot timer, and a slack handful of ammo brands and types before heading to the range. First impressions were uniformly good, with the R7 Mako’s extra couple of ounces in comparison to the P365, Hellcat and Max 9 soaking up a bit more recoil. Sure, it’s a Micro 9 so it’s going to be snappy, but there was a slight but noticeable difference between its siblings which could just as easily be attributed to the nicely contoured and grippy frame. Whether this would ever be perceived by the shooter in a situation where the gun gets used for real is definitely an angels/pin argument, but it’s there nonetheless.

Firing Kimber R7M — The author firing the Mako with a mounted optic at the range.

Accuracy was in line with the rest of the pack, and we had no trouble hitting two-third size IPSC torsos beyond 50 yards and keeping shots within the head box at 25. Every type of factory ammo we put through the gun functioned flawlessly, whether it was NATO-spec 124-grain ball, old Remington 115-grain range fodder or different flavors of hollow-points. It wasn’t until we got into handloads that the R7 choked. Loads that were put together to barely make minor power factor for local matches refused to go into battery, despite running well in the other guns. It seems that in this test sample at least, the Kimber product has a chamber with a short throat, so if you want to load rounds slightly longer than usual to reduce pressure. Be aware that the R7 is even tighter than CZ in this respect.

Kimber Field Strip — Field stripping reveals the curious barrel nub that acts to lock up the action.

The Mako’s entry into a market segment that’s quickly filling up with worthy carry guns is welcomed, as competition drives innovation. Kimber has learned from the mistakes of others and has delivered a handgun that checks every box in terms of feature set, at a price comparable to the models it’ll share counter space with. Great sights, trigger, capacity and optics-ready right out of the box—what’s not to like? And don’t worry, the holster will cover up the homely aesthetics. Everyone’s a 10 with the lights out…

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the CCW 2022 special issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

For more information, please visit kimberamerica.com.

More Micro-Compact 9mm Pistols

The Springfield Hellcat
The SIG P365
The Ruger MAX-9
The Taurus GX4
The Savage Stance Pistol

Springfield Armory Announces Release Of Hellcat Pro

Adam Borisenko

March 7, 2022

Springfield Armory has just announced the Hellcat Pro, a new Hellcat variant that features an increased capacity and optics-ready slide.

The Springfield Hellcat has been one of the most popular concealed carry pistols on the market since its introduction, and Springfield has just announced the release of a new model in the family. The Springfield Hellcat Pro will come with an optics-ready slide, a longer barrel and an increased magazine capacity over standard Hellcat models.

Springfield is advertising that the biggest advantage of the new Hellcat Pro is its large magazine capacity despite the gun’s small size. The pistol retains the slim and concealable 1-inch width from previous Hellcat models but now has a larger grip that is more comfortable to hold and facilitates the use of new 15-round flush-fit magazines. It also features a longer barrel and proportionally longer slide, providing fired projectiles with greater velocity and the shooter with a longer sight radius. Speaking of sights, the Hellcat Pro also includes a co-witness U-Dot Tactical Rack rear sight, tritium front sight and an optics-ready slide ready to accept RMSc-pattern red dots. The accessory rail on the Hellcat Pro has been extended as well.

Steve Kramer, Springfield Armory’s Vice President of Marketing, had this to say on the new Hellcat Pro:

The Hellcat Pro delivers full-size performance in a concealable, EDC-ready package with unmatched ergonomics…This is a pistol that shoots like a much larger handgun while still being extremely easy to conceal, offering you the best of both worlds.

Each Hellcat Pro will include two 15-round magazines and the MSRP will be $634. All other features on the Pro model are comparable to those of existing Hellcats.

For more information, please visit springfield-armory.com.

The Diamondback DB9: One Sneaky Snake

Richard A. Mann

March 4, 2022

The Diamondback DB9 is an often-overlooked ultra-compact 9mm CCW pistol that's been around for a while, but its small size may make it still worth considering.

Currently, the most popular handguns for personal protection are what are often called ultra-compacts. Handguns of this size are nothing new, but what’s relatively new are handguns this small that are chambered for the 9mm Luger. The reason this type of firearm has become so popular is because as the popularity of concealed carry rises, so too does the realization that a full-size pistol is uncomfortable to carry and hard to conceal. So, every year, we see new introductions into this segment of the market.

Diamondback DB9 Feature — The Diamondback DB9 with its 6-round magazine.

Ironically, one of the smallest and easiest to conceal 9mm handguns has been around for a while, and it’s often ignored by those looking for something small, easy to conceal and comfortable to carry. It’s the DB9 from Diamondback. My first exposure to this handgun was more than a decade ago while I was hunting alligators in the Florida swamps. Not only did I use the DB9 to shoot alligators that were hauled up along the side of an airboat, but I also got to tour the factory. As a result of that visit, I’ve had a DB9 that I keep handy anytime I need a handgun for deep concealment.

Diamondback DB9 hand — How small is the DB9 Well, if you have normal-sized hands for a man, you could call it “hand-sized.” It’s a very compact 9mm pistol, hardly bigger than a smartphone.

Over that past decade, that little pistol has served me well and has proven to be very reliable. A friend begged me out of it, so I acquired another, newer DB9. This pistol is less than 6 inches long, less than an inch wide, less than 5 inches tall and tips the scales—unloaded—at less than 14 ounces. It holds 6+1 rounds of 9mm ammunition, and there are 15 different variants to choose from. The DB9 comes with one magazine and two base pads. One of the base pads extends below the grip for little finger support, and the other fits flush.

Sights on the DB9 vary depending on the model. Several have what I’d call bumps or pocket pistol sights. They work, but they’re small. Four versions of the DB9 come with more conventional handgun sights of the three-dot variety, and these DB9s are compatible with aftermarket Glock sights. Unless you’re going to pocket carry, I’d for sure recommend one of the versions with the better sights. At 10 yards, I was able to keep my shots inside a 3-inch circle and run the Forty-Five Drill—five shots, inside a 5-inch circle, at 5 yards, in less than 5 seconds—in an average of about 4 seconds, and that’s drawing from a coat pocket.

Diamondback DB9 firing — The Diamondback DB9 hardly fills your hand, but you’ll need to hold on to it. For some shooters, 9mm recoil from a 13-ounce pistol can be intimidating.

The DB9 is thin and light, and with full power 9mm loads, it’ll bite your hand a bit. But, honestly, what would you expect from such a small pistol? I wouldn’t want to take a 250-round per day training course with the DB9, but, of course, that’s not what this pistol was designed for. It’s intended to provide you security without bulk; it’s a deep concealment handgun. My friend carries his every day at work in an office environment, and in the appendix position and in one of those little Sticky holsters. He tells me he often forgets the gun is even there.

Diamondback DB9 Fanny Pack — For those of you who like to carry in a fanny-type pack, like the Galco Fastrax Pac Waistpack, the DB9 adds very little weight.

Some will tell you that the DB9 isn’t very reliable. That hasn’t been my experience at all. However, I’ll append that with the advice this is a pistol you must hold on to when you pull the trigger. If you try to shoot it with a relaxed grip, like you might be able to do with a duty-size 9mm pistol, don’t be surprised if reliability lessens. The smaller 9mm pistols get, the firmer they must be held and the stiffer the wrist must be kept. My daughters recently discovered this during a training course they took with one of the new Mossberg MC2sc pistols. I think this is one of the reasons the DB9 and other ultra-compact 9mm pistols sometimes get a bad rap for reliability. Shooter-induced stoppages aren’t reliability problems inherent to the handgun.

For more information, please visit diamondbackfirearms.com.

More Micro-Compact 9mm Pistols

The Springfield Hellcat
The SIG P365
The Ruger MAX-9
The Taurus GX4
The Kimber R7 MAKO

SKS Vs AK-47: If You Could Only Have One

Adam Borisenko

March 4, 2022

The SKS vs AK-47, if you could only have one, which would it be? We assess the pros and cons of these two iconic Soviet carbines.

Of all the firearms that have ever been fielded, the AK and SKS are two designs that have seen some of the most action. Since they were first developed in the wake of WWII, these iconic Soviet carbines have been used the world over, and they’re not through fighting yet.

If it’s been a while since you last checked in on the state of the Combloc surplus market, you may be shocked to discover just how radically it’s changed over the past couple of decades. While many can remember the days of $99 SKSs at their local hardware store, that era has unfortunately passed. The average price of both rifles has increased considerably, and those who are in the market for a 7.62x39mm gun may now be forced to choose one or the other. With many factors to consider besides cost, however, we’re going to dive into the SKS vs AK-47 debate to help you determine which is the better option if you could only own one.

SKS vs AK-47 feature — The SKS vs AK-47, Chinese PolyTech (top) and Russian Tula SKS (bottom). Photo: Rock Island Auction Company.

SKS vs AK-47 Development

From the moment the AK-47 was born, its qualities were being compared to those of the SKS. Ready to modernize their armed forces following WWII, the Soviet Union was dedicated to developing a new family of weapons to replace the bolt-action Mosin Nagants and crude submachine guns that comprised the bulk of their inventory. Settling on the M43 cartridge that would become 7.62x39mm early in its development, the USSR was planning on adopting four new weapons chambered for it: a submachine gun, a belt-fed machinegun, a semi-auto carbine and a bolt-action rifle for reservists. It was quickly decided that the bolt-action was redundant and subsequently abandoned, but development moved forward on the other three designs. Sergei Simonov’s SKS was formally adopted as the new carbine in 1945, and Mikhail Kalashnikov’s AK-47 filled the role of submachine gun when it was adopted in 1949.

SKS Vietnam vs Russia — A Viet Cong soldier with an SKS in the field vs a Russian soldier with an SKS during a parade. Photos: Wikipedia.

There’s a good chance that if the original pattern of AK-47 had been more successful, the SKS would not have been produced in the numbers that it was, but as is true with most new firearm designs the Type 1 AK-47 had some kinks to work out. With the AK not being perfected until the development of the AKM in 1959, it left about a 10-year period where AK-47s were made with expensive milled receivers, defeating much of their original goal of being cheap to produce (it was originally intended to have a stamped receiver like the AKM, but Soviet manufacturing wasn’t up to snuff until ’59). When looking at the SKS vs AK-47, the Soviets determined that the AK could do just about everything the SKS could do in an infantry role, so the SKS was only produced in Russia as a stopgap measure until the fully realized AK could go online. Once that came true with the adoption of the AKM, SKS production dropped nearly to zero in the USSR.

During this interim period, the Soviets did issue the SKS to many troops, but as this was during peacetime, the rifles did not see much action in Russian hands. In Russia, it would go on to mostly be used for ceremonial and parade purposes, and it still fills that role today. Outside of Russia, however, Simonov’s carbine led a much more difficult life. The USSR shared the technical data package of the SKS early on with several allies, including China, Yugoslavia, Romania and the DDR. It was primarily China’s large-scale production of the SKS (which they called the Type 56, the same as their AK) which let the design see the amount of action that it did. Widely proliferated throughout Southeast Asia and Africa while the continents were experiencing frequent conflict, the SKS would prove to be a very effective weapon that was well-liked by most of its users. They’ve taken part in most major conflicts around the globe since their inception and they will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

Just because the Red Army decided that they did not need the SKS once the AKM became viable to mass-produce, that doesn’t mean that the SKS still couldn’t be the better rifle for you.

SKS vs AK-47 Design Features

When comparing the design features of the SKS vs AK-47, it’s important to keep in mind the role that each was intended to fill. The SKS was envisioned as being the USSR’s next infantry service rifle that would replace the Mosin Nagant. Because of this, it was given a traditional rifle layout, a fixed internal magazine that was to be loaded by stripper clip and a barrel length of about 20-inches (the same as the Mosin Nagant M38 and M44 carbines). By keeping these new gas-operated weapons as semi-auto only, soldiers were clearly intended to utilize good marksmanship. Besides some later Chinese variants, SKSs feature wood stocks, milled receivers and folding bayonets, again clearly taking design cues from the Mosin carbines that had been widely issued up until the SKS’ adoption at the end of the war.

SKS vs M44 Mosin — Russian M44 Mosin Nagant Carbine (top) vs Chinese SKS (bottom). Photo: Rock Island Auction Company.

The AK-47, and by extension the now-prolific AKM, was designed to fill a different role. Originally issued with both fixed wood and underfolding metal buttstocks, the AK-47 was a select-fire weapon from the get-go. While Stalin himself supposedly requested that the SKS feature a fixed-magazine (10 rounds) to save money and simplify logistics, Kalashnikov’s design was always intended to use detachable 30-round mags similar to the submachineguns in service that it was intended to replace.

It also was given a shorter barrel of about 16-inches. While some may expect that the longer barrel of the SKS will impart greater accuracy, in reality, the differences in mechanical accuracy between the two designs are negligible. While most shooters can achieve slightly better accuracy with an SKS than with an AK, this is mostly due to the longer sight radius and ergonomics of the Simonov. Furthermore, 7.62x39mm achieves near maximum velocity out of a 16-inch barrel, only gaining an average muzzle velocity of about 60 FPS more from a 20-inch barrel.

7.62 ballistics by barrel length — 7.62×39 ballistics by barrel length. Graph: Rifleshooter.com.

Another notable design difference includes the fact that AKs use long-stroke gas pistons while the SKS uses short-stroke. While the SKS is still considered to be very reliable, it’s not on the same level as the AK mostly because of this difference. SKSs also feature a last-round bolt-hold-open device while AKs do not.

SKS vs AK-47 dissasembled — A field-stripped SKS. Photo: Wikipedia.

SKS vs AK-47 Prices

While the goal of this article is to compare the physical qualities of the SKS vs AK-47, this discussion can’t be had without some mention of respective prices. Choosing an SKS over an AK made more sense when the former could be acquired for less than $200, but that is no longer the case. The cheapest SKS you will likely be able to find for sale in 2022 will be at least $400, and it will probably be a very poor condition Chinese model. Assuming that it’s mechanically sound and is only in need of some refinishing, this is still about $400 less than what the most basic, yet decent, AK will cost. The Romanian WASR fits that description and can currently be found for a bit over $800 typically.

SKS-price-Shotgun-News-2003 — A Shotgun News ad from 2003 showing a Yugo SKS available for $109.95, and they were even cheaper than that at one point.

While it’s great that SKSs were once sold for so little, it has skewed the American perception of their quality. These are milled receiver rifles built in the old-school way, reminiscent of firearms used during WWII. The truth is that they were always worth more than what they were being sold for, but international political circumstances led them to be surplussed for pennies on the dollar. Americans who were old enough to be there got to reap the rewards, but these rifles’ prices are now starting to reflect their build quality more accurately.

It would be wonderful if these were still available for $99, but if you decide that you really want an SKS you shouldn’t feel bad about paying a bit more for one as long as it’s in decent mechanical shape. Another point on the price of each is that when one buys an AK, especially a new production WASR, it is accepted that the furniture they come with will need to be replaced with something better. Most will also want to buy at least a few spare magazines. Unless modified by a previous owner, most SKSs will include their original-issue wood stocks, folding bayonets and fixed magazines, meaning that the rifle is already a complete package save for maybe some stripper clips and a sling.

If You Could Only Have One

Depending on the reasons you have for wanting a 7.62x39mm rifle, the cost may or may not be relevant. Are you on a tight budget? Are you in the market purely for collecting or historical purposes? If either is true for you, the SKS is the clear winner due to still being both cheaper and more authentic than the commercial AK variants available in the States. If you plan on using the gun for practical purposes, however, there are other factors worth considering.

If you want either one of these rifles for practical purposes, your desired application should be well thought out. Are you looking for a varmint rifle to tote around your ranch? A truck gun? Or maybe you just want something for putting holes in paper with at the range.

If you are looking for a handy or compact rifle, the SKS is worse by most metrics, but not by much.

When comparing the unloaded weights of a standard SKS with an early, milled AK-47 (with steel magazine inserted), they are nearly identical. When compared to the more common stamped-receiver AKM, however, the SKS is about a pound heavier. The SKS has a longer barrel and a fixed stock too. AKs are available from the factory with folding stocks in some cases, and short pistol variants have become readily available as well. While AKs use 30-round mags as standard, they can also use magazines as small as five rounds to reduce the package’s bulk. If you want your 7.62×39 gun to be as compact as possible, the AK has greater potential for it. That being said, the SKS is also very sleek and handy due to its fixed internal magazine and lack of a pistol grip. Ultimately, the winner here depends on exactly where you plan on storing it.

SKS vs AK-47 Length — SKS vs AK-47 underfolder size comparison. Photo: Rock Island Auction Company.

Personal preference also plays a role in determining which would be better for you. If you’re more used to the handling of traditional rifle platforms or want your gun to be less intimidating to folks who may view an AK as “the bad guy gun”, the SKS is the clear winner. The only thing on a wood-stocked SKS that screams “military rifle” is its bayonet, and it can be removed if one so desires. Another consideration is that if having a high ammo capacity isn’t a concern of yours, the SKS has an edge in simplicity and reliability. Faulty detachable magazines can cause issues for any gun, and AKs are no different. Plus, if your only magazine is lost or damaged, you’re left with what is functionally a single-shot rifle. As long as one has loose ammunition to feed their SKS, however, it can continue to operate as intended.

Local laws may play a role in your decision as well, as there are unfortunately many jurisdictions in the United States that have either banned the AK family of weapons by name or have severely restricted their form by banning certain features. If the only AK that you can legally own will have a neutered pistol grip and a 10-round magazine, you might as well just get an SKS instead. The AK has a much greater aftermarket for adding optics and other accessories of course, but customizing each gun is a conversation for another day.

Cali Compliant WASR — California-compliant Cugir WASR-10 from Century Arms.

Final Thoughts

In short, when looking at the SKS vs AK-47, the SKS still may be the better choice for you. Despite being more expensive now than they were previously, they can still be found for much cheaper than a good AK, and the SKS has greater potential for collectability as well. Those who live in areas with legal restrictions on AKs or their features have good reason to consider the SKS, too.

SKS stripper clip — SKS being loaded via stripper clip. Photo: Wikipedia.

For essentially any role that is not defense or combat-oriented, the SKS can at least perform on par with the AK, if not better in some areas. If the gun you want may ever be forced into a tactical application, however, the AK still has more potential to be the better modern fighting rifle. Ultimately the choice is yours and there are far too many factors at play to definitively claim that one is a better purchase than the other, but if you understand exactly what you want the gun to do for you, that choice should be an easier one to make.

Video: Rimfire Rifle Cleaning—How And How Often?

Gun Digest Editors

March 4, 2022

A somewhat controversial topic, the how and when of rimfire rifle cleaning shouldn't tie you in knots. Here are the tips to get it done.

Some say never clean a rimfire, others obsessively scrub their bore after every shooting session. So, who's right? Like so much in life, the answer falls somewhere in between.

Michael Shea, author of Rimfire Revolution, and Mike Bush of premier rimfire manufacturer Vudoo Gun Works unravel exactly when is the proper time to break out the jags and solvent and how to give your cherished plinker a good scrubbing.

First off, take a deep breath, because what they suggest isn’t some complex formula, requiring exactitude to Nth degree. Instead, it’s common sense rules of thumb that are applicable for the everyday fun gun up to the precision rig. Bush breaks it down into three simple commandments:

Though shall clean your rifle.
Though shall keep it simple.
Though shall use a bore guide.

Overall, the process is similar to any gun-cleaning job, where you aim to remove the fouling while protecting the bore. The only caveat with rimfires is carbon/lead buildup can greatly exceed what’s found in centerfires. This is a function of the lower heat that’s generated by rimfire cartridges, resulting in more extreme cases in the infamous carbon ring in the bore just outside the chamber. It’s a devil to clean, as most sore-elbowed rimfire shooters can attest.

Bush suggests saving the mechanical cleaning, and your arm, by letting chemicals do the work. A non-corrosive solvent—he suggests Bore Tech for average cleaning and C4 Carbon Remover for heavy jobs—is the secret sauce. That and time. Employing a bore plug, Bush will fill the bore with solvent and let it stand for up to a day. The result, a carbon ring that wipes out with a few strokes of a nylon brush.

Armed with these simple tips, any rimfire shooter should be able to keep their iron in tip-top shape and hitting the mark.

Interested in raising your rimfire IQ? Pickup Michael Shea's exhaustive study on modern rimfire rifles and shooting: Rimfire Revolution: A Complete Guide to Modern .22 Rifles. Avialable at GunDigestStore.com.

First Look: Wilson Combat SFX9 5-Inch Model

Adam Borisenko

March 3, 2022

Wilson Combat has just announced a new 5-inch barrel model of the SFX9, providing greater velocity and accuracy for those who prefer full-size 1911s.

Bill Wilson of Wilson Combat is one of the names most responsible for keeping the 1911 a seriously viable fighting weapon in the 21st century. While there’s plenty to love about old G.I. .45s, for a self-defense option in 2022 they can leave much to be desired. As believers in the genius of John Browning’s original design, Wilson Combat felt that the pistol could be made to be just as reliable as anything else using modern manufacturing methods and technology. Those who own them seem to believe Wilson Combat accomplished its mission, with the company now offering several custom 1911 models that are lauded for their reliability and overall quality. The SFX9 series from Wilson Combat was an effort to continue to modernize the platform, giving them solid aluminum frames, double-stack magazines and chambering them for 9mm. Intended for concealed carry, the SFX9 was previously only available with 3.25- or 4-inch barrels, but Wilson Combat has just announced a new full-size model of the SFX9.

The full-size SFX9 will feature a 5-inch barrel, providing greater velocity and better potential accuracy due to its longer sight radius. It ships with the same 15-round flush-fit magazines as the other SFX9 pistols, but extended 18-round mags are available as well. Most of the other features are comparable to those of existing SFX9 models. The MSRP for the new 5-inch SFX9 is $2,995, and it will be a solid option for anyone interested in the SFX9 series’ features but prefer full-size 1911s.

The full press release from Wilson Combat can be read below:

[ Berryville, Arkansas, March 1, 2022 — ]
For those who prefer a full-size traditional 1911 sight radius and the velocity of a longer barrel, we are now offering the 5” SFX9. This version has a 5” bushing barrel top-end mated with our new SF (Solid Frame) lightweight full-size aluminum grip frame design with a 15 round flush or 18 rd extended magazine capacity. The SFX9 frame is machined from solid T6-7075 aluminum that is rugged, comfortable, and sports an enhanced grip shape that enhances recoil control during rapid-fire and extended range sessions.
More rugged than competing guns made with two-piece grip/frame construction, the slim and flat SFX9 solid frame with the Wilson Combat X-Tac tread pattern improves control with a non-abrasive, comfortable grip in all shooting conditions. The SFX9 is available for order with various trigger, finish and sight options, including machining for red dot sights.
The robust 15 or 18rd EDC X9 magazine is retained for the SFX9 and offers best in class reliability with a tube and follower system that was designed specifically around the 9mm cartridge by Mec-Gar, the industry leaders in double column magazine design.
The SFX9 slide assembly retains Wilson Combat’s “Enhanced Reliability System” (ERS) for 9mm 1911’s. The ERS is tailored to the varying power levels of 9mm ammunition and maintains impressive reliability in all conditions, even when heavily fouled and low on lubrication.
Other cosmetic and performance features include a tri-top slide profile with user-replaceable front sight, match-grade 1911 barrel and bushing, reliability enhancing reduced frame rails, and a rugged, user-serviceable external extractor. The stainless steel slide wears the most advanced black DLC (Diamond-like-Carbon) physical vapor deposition finish available with chromium and tungsten underlayers for long-lasting corrosion and abrasion resistance.
The hand-fitted 5” barrel is painstakingly tuned by our gunsmiths for flawless reliability with a wide variety of target and defensive ammunition. Like the other EDC X9 models, the SFX9 can be field stripped without tools and can be completely disassembled using only a single punch. Rugged, light, and easy to shoot-the 5” SFX9 by Wilson Combat will redefine your range experience.

For more info, please visit wilsoncombat.com.

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MDT Introduces The MAMBAMAG Line

Adam Borisenko

March 2, 2022

MDT has just launched MAMBAMAG, a sister brand that will manufacture aftermarket 10-round magazines for popular hunting and sporting rifles.

MDT is known for its precision chassis systems and shooting accessories, including magazines, but the company has just announced the launch of a new sister brand that will focus exclusively on the latter. Called MAMBAMAG, the company will be dedicated to producing 10-round detachable box magazines for popular makes of bolt-action and pump-action rifles.
MAMBAMAG can provide shooters with not only an increased ammo capacity in their rifle, but the ability to reload by changing magazines as well. While most factory hunting and sporting rifles have fixed magazines and low capacities, they can now be upgraded without any permanent modification with the addition of a MAMBAMAG.
The magazines feature aluminum uppers and glass-reinforced nylon lowers, making them both light and durable. They are designed to fit directly into most factory rifle stocks, though some rifle models require the bottom metal to be replaced by a MAMBAMAG bottom metal adaptor. The adaptor is made out of aluminum but features a steel mag catch for greater durability and also has a front mag catch for increased stability and better feeding. So far, adaptor models are available for the Remington 700 SA and the Howa 1500 SA and both have an MSRP of $179.95.
On their website, MAMBAMAG currently offers 10-round magazine options for the Remington 700 SA, the Howa 1500 SA, Lithgow SA, Remington 783 SA, Tikka T3/T3X and Remington 7600 SA. All are available in both .223 and .308 except for the Remington 7600 SA which is only available in .308. More caliber options for each are promised for the future and they all share an MSRP of $119.95 regardless of model.
For more information, please visit mambamag.com.
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The Perfect Travel Companion
By
Philip Massaro
-
March 1, 2022
2
Choosing a rifle suitable for the traveling North American hunter.

I’ve lived in Upstate New York my entire life. I truly enjoy hunting my native ground, and both the Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountains offer many different hunting opportunities. But I also love collecting different experiences around the U.S. and other countries around the globe … and I couldn’t be happier that folks are once again starting to travel to hunt.
North America can offer a wide variety of climates, and your rifle needs to be able to handle the rigors.
North America is a wonderfully diverse continent, offering hunting opportunities in radically different environments. From the steamy swampland of Florida, the arid badlands of the West, the sunbaked prickly pear flats of South Texas, the frozen Tioga of Quebec, Alaska’s rain-soaked coastal thickets to the hemlock forests of the Northeast, the weather and temperature can change considerably.
The “all-around” rifle is almost a myth; to find one single rifle/cartridge combination that’ll check all the boxes can be nearly impossible, though it has been done. Being honest with yourself about those species you truly intend to hunt will help mold the rifle that works best for you. For example, if a hunt for a coastal brown bear or a Plains bison just isn’t realistic, you may not need a cartridge on the heavier end of the spectrum.
The classic bolt-action rifle—like the Browning X-Bolt shown here—is the logical choice for an all-around rifle.
What Actions Work Best?

We’re talking a universal rifle, so I feel that the bolt-action rifle is the obvious choice, as they handle the fastest and most powerful cartridges, as well as the standard offerings. I can hear the single-shot crowd starting to grumble already, so if a Ruger No. 1 or similar rifle tickles your fancy, so be it. Like the bolt-action, they can handle just about any cartridge. I appreciate the rapidity of a follow-up shot, so my choice is the bolt-action rifle. They’re relatively light, wonderfully accurate and utterly reliable.
The classic Mauser-style controlled round feed bolt face, with non-rotating claw extractor.
We could also argue the push-feed versus controlled-round feed feature, and both have their advantage. Personally, I prefer a controlled-round action with a fixed magazine for the simplicity. I tend to lose things—like detachable magazines—so I like the idea of less moving parts. That said, the modern push-feed rifles seem to be reliable; I’ve seen fewer broken extractors in recent years. If you feel the Mauser 98-style actions aren’t for you, there are some hybrids like the Ed Brown M704, which combines features of push-feed and CRF for a rock-solid design.
The M704 action is a hybrid design, blending the features of controlled round feed and push-feed rifles. The author has found it utterly reliable.
Triggered

There are some rifles that’ll absolutely check all the boxes … but have a terrible trigger. Nothing ruins a good rifle like a heavy or mushy trigger. If you’ve found the rifle you like has an unacceptable trigger or is a detriment to accurate shooting, either have it professionally adjusted to break cleanly or replace the trigger altogether.
The author’s Winchester Model 70 has an adjustable trigger, and he had a gunsmith tune it properly.
I’m a fan of Timney triggers and have relied on them to replace some triggers that took over 6 pounds of force to break, making a dog of a rifle into a gem. Other aftermarket brands to consider include TriggerTech and Velocity.
Taking Stock

I love walnut. It’s warm, can offer an incredible figure one could stare into for hours, ages wonderfully and can be shaped into works of art. But, and that’s a big but, it can and will swell in truly wet weather. Its finish will wear off under heavy use and, in the worst scenarios (like a fall while hunting), can crack to the point of being unusable. I have some walnut-stocked rifles that I wouldn’t trade for anything, but those guns don’t make the best choice for a do-all North American rifle.
This Kimber wears a rugged synthetic stock in a digital camo pattern, suitable for any hunting situation.
The synthetic stock has come a long way in the past couple of decades, and while they’ll never have the soul of a premium walnut stock, they’re utterly reliable. Mated with aluminum pillar bedding, the synthetic stock will keep the action snugly cradled without demonstrating any changes due to the environment.
For a rifle destined to see a wide variety of temperature/humidity combinations, synthetic is my suggestion. If you absolutely can’t stand the idea, look to one of the laminate wood stocks, as they’re rather solid and can take a beating. From the scree-slides of Alaska, carrying your rifle in a scabbard on an errant horse, to climbing in and out of sketchy tree stands, a synthetic or laminate will hold up best.
What Cartridge?

Looking at the variety of big game species we have here in North America, picking a single cartridge can be a difficult proposition. Like it or not, many have used the same Remington .30-06 rifle to take all of the available North American big game species, and this choice is a perfectly logical one. With 130-grain bullets, the good old ought-six shoots flat enough to reach out for Coues deer, Dall’s sheep and pronghorn antelope. With a good 180-grain bullet, there isn’t too much that can’t be done at sane ranges, especially with today’s premium bullet designs.
Some common “all-around” cartridges: the .30-’06 Springfield (still the king), .308 Win., .280 Rem., .270 Win., .300 WSM, 7mm Rem. Mag., .300 Win. Mag and .338 Win. Mag.
With the 200- and 220-grain slugs, moose, bison and even the coastal brown bears can be taken. With the latter, however, I feel you’re definitely on the lighter side of the spectrum. I also feel that if the .30-06 Springfield can do it, the .280 Remington and 7mm Remington Magnum can also: Look to the premium 175-grain bullets in 7mm—and the .300 Winchester Magnum, .300 Weatherby Magnum and .300 Remington Ultra Magnum will handle the spectrum a bit better than the .30-06 due to higher velocities and flatter trajectories.
The .338 Winchester is the Alaskan catch-all cartridge, but the recoil can be severe in lighter rifles, and the .338 Win. is a bit heavy for pronghorn, even with the 180-grain bullets. If you’re the traveling hunter whose interests stop at the deer species (save moose), the case could be made for one of the 6.5mms or a .270 Winchester.
Ammunition availability is another important factor. I used to say you could find a box of .30-06 or .308 in any sporting goods store or gun shop, but that might not hold water anymore, considering nearly all the shelves are universally empty. When ammo is available, I’ve seen just about as much .300 Winchester Magnum and 7mm Remington Magnum, so don’t count those magnums out.
Glass and Mounts

With the exception of lever guns and dangerous-game rifles, iron sights are—sadly—going the way of the dodo. The riflescope, once considered suspect in its reliability, has taken over, and modern scopes are more reliable than they’ve ever been. Tube diameters are growing in size, magnification ranges seem to increase each year and there are models with objective lenses large enough to detect life on other planets.
This Nosler rifle wears a Leupold VX-3i scope in Talley bases and rings; it doesn’t get much more reliable than this.
I prefer the most versatile magnification range I can get, in a bright scope, that I can mount as low to the bore as possible and light enough to maintain the balance of the rifle (that’s a lot to ask, I know). The 30mm main tube scopes give plenty of elevation adjustment and lets in a bit more light than their 1-inch counterparts.
I don’t really see the point of having an objective lens much bigger than 40 or 42mm, as the exit pupil becomes larger than what our eyes can use. One thing I do want, however, is enough eye relief so that there’s no chance of getting “bit” at any angle. I prefer a magnification range in the realm of 2-10x or 2-12x for an all-around scope.
If it’s a premium-quality scope—and I highly recommend spending a good portion of the budget on the scope—a top end somewhere between 10x and 14x should handle long shots on elk, sheep, Coues deer, etc. I also want a low end of no more than say 4.5x. Sooner or later you’re going to be presented with a close shot in thick vegetation, and if the magnification is too high, all you get is a blur of leaves and fur, making shot placement difficult.
For one scope to cover all the bases, I’d say one of the modern scopes that offers an elevation turret easily dialed for longer distances, a reticle with graduations for wind deflection adjustments and a parallax adjustment/focus knob will serve you best.
Your mounting system is responsible for one thing: keeping the scope where you put it. I prefer steel bases and rings, as they seem to handle the rigors of recoil best. I use many brands but prefer Talley over the rest of the field, as I've had them on rifles chambered for varmint cartridges all the way up to the big safari cartridges without issue. For the purposes of a traveling rifle, one could use Talley’s detachable mounts (or a similar model from another brand) to keep two scopes—each its own set of mounts—zeroed, so that in the event you bump or damage your scope, you can simply screw the spare scope on and continue your hunt. Hopefully you won’t need it, but I know Mr. Murphy and his laws way too well.
Finish It

Like walnut, blued steel is beautiful to look at and is relatively durable. Yet, the spray-on coatings like Cerakote offer a new level of resistance to the elements. Cerakote now comes in a wide range of colors, so a traditional-looking finish is as readily available as one of the more radical-looking finishes.
This Heym Express by Martini is chambered in .404 Jeffery and wears a low-powered fixed 2.5x scope in detachable mounts, making for a very flexible rig.
If you want a custom look, it isn’t difficult to have a qualified gunsmith coat the exposed metal work in a nearly impervious finish. Stainless steel is another option and was popular in the 1990s as a weather-proof option—though it’s a bit bright in the field. I don’t mind a stainless finish, providing it’s a matte finish to cut down the glare while hunting, but see the advantage of a good Cerakote finish.
This One is Mine

My main “traveling” rifle—set up almost 2 decades ago—is a Winchester Model 70 Classic Stainless, with the black polymer stock (I’d like to revise that to a Bansner stock in the near future), chambered in .300 Winchester Magnum and topped with a Leupold VX-6 2-12x42mm scope.
One of the author's favorite traveling rifles: a Winchester Model 70 Classic Stainless in .300 Winchester Magnum, topped with a Leupold VX-6 2-12×42 scope.
This rifle shoots many different loads—both factory and handloaded—into sub-MOA groups, and has been all over North America with me. It has taken whitetail deer, black bear, pronghorn antelope, aoudad and more, and it’s by no means done yet. With a controlled-round action, a great trigger (factory, but properly adjusted) and the capability of hunting at any range I feel comfortable, it’s just one of many answers to the “all-around” traveling rifle question.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the September 2021 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
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AMMO, Inc. Offers To Donate One Million Rounds To Ukraine
By
Gun Digest Editors
-
March 1, 2022
0
AMMO, Inc. has offered to donate one million rounds of ammunition to the Ukrainian armed forces.
AMMO, Inc. of Scottsdale, Arizona has offered to donate one million rounds of their ammunition to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Announced on February 28th, this marks the latest pledge from the West to send lethal aid in support of the Zelensky government.
You can read the full press release from AMMO, Inc. below:
AMMO, Inc. Offers to Donate One Million Rounds of Ammunition to the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Support of Their Fight for Freedom
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., February 28, 2022 — AMMO, Inc. (Nasdaq: POWW) (“AMMO” or the “Company”), a leading vertically integrated producer of high-performance ammunition and components and operator of GunBroker.com, the largest online marketplace serving the firearms and shooting sports industries, today announced that it heard Ukraine’s President Zelensky’s plea for ammunition and would like to help. Ammo Inc. is offering to donate 1 million rounds of ammunition to the Armed Forces of Ukraine in support of their fight for independence and freedom.
Ammo Inc. will formally offer to manufacture ammunition to donate to the Ukraine Armed Forces as they fight for their country’s continued independence.
Fred Wagenhals, CEO of Ammo Inc., said “Ammo Inc., and we as Americans stand firmly in support of Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence, as we stand for freedom and democracy everywhere. While we fervently hope for a quick and peaceful resolution to the crisis and that diplomacy will win the day, we condemn the Russian aggression and its threat to Ukraine’s territorial integrity and freedom. We recognize that events are unfolding rapidly on the ground in Ukraine, and we are prepared to move quickly as possible to support Ukraine as it continues to defend itself and its freedom.”
For more information, please visit ammoinc.com.
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WBP 5.56 AK Rifles And Pistols Now Available Stateside
By
Adam Borisenko
-
February 28, 2022
0
A new 5.56 AK rifle and pistol model are now available in the U.S., freshly imported from WBP Rogów of Poland.
Kalashnikovs of all types have exploded in popularity among American gun owners these past few years, with many new and young shooters looking to the platform for their first semi-auto rifle. Despite this, WBP of Poland has remained relatively under the radar. Of all the different factories that are currently exporting AKs to the U.S., WBP is the youngest, but despite this they have established themselves as a reputable producer of reliable, true-to-spec Kalashnikovs. Zastava of Serbia seems to currently be winning the battle for first-time AK buyers, having models available in both 7.62 and 5.56, but WBP is doing its best to challenge the status quo. The Polish company has had their 7.62x39mm Fox, Jack and Mini Jack models available for some time now, but they’ve recently begun importing 5.56 WBP Jack AK rifles and pistols as well.
AK-enthusiasts have had concerns about the future availability of Soviet-designed calibers following the Russian ammo ban, leading many to look towards 5.56 AK models to ensure a reliable supply. 7.62×39 isn’t going to go anywhere, and even after Russian supplies dwindle Stateside there will still be a steady stream coming from both foreign and domestic producers. It will almost certainly cost more than what we’ve been getting from Tula, but what isn’t more expensive these days? Regardless, more 5.56 AK import options are never a bad thing, and the WBP Jack 556SR and Mini Jack 556SR now join the relatively small list of models currently available new in the U.S.
Like the other AKs in the WBP Jack series, the new 5.56 models are essentially just classic AKMs, only now chambered for the smaller NATO cartridge. Both the pistol and rifle can accept standard AKM-pattern furniture and they both also include a side scope rail for mounting an optic. The 5.56 AK pistol obviously can’t legally accept a stock from the factory, but it does come with an underfolder rear trunnion. This means that after paying the proper dues to Uncle Sam, one could legally convert the 5.56 Mini Jack to an underfolder SBR. Both guns come with 14×1 LH threaded muzzles, but the pistol’s muzzle is covered by a spot-welded thread protector that can legally and easily be removed once in your possession. Blending classic AKM features with some modern ones, the 556SR Jack rifle includes both an enhanced selector and mag release as well as a classic slant muzzle brake. The rifle’s bayonet lug has been left intact as well.
These new 5.56 WBP Jack AK models look as solid as they do handsome, and the general consensus surrounding their release has been mostly positive. Some detractors have latched on to the fact that the barrels, made in-house by WBP, are nitrided rather than chrome-lined. While an understandable concern, many people forget that the main advantage of chrome-lining is to prevent wear from shooting corrosive ammo and sustained full-auto fire. Since these guns are for American civilians mostly stuck shooting in semi-auto with new commercial ammo, nitrided barrels should last just as long as a chrome-lined ones.
Like the company's other guns, the new 5.56 WBP Jack AK rifle and pistol models are imported by Arms Of America and converted by Atlantic Firearms. MSRP for the WBP Jack 556SR is $1,299 and MSRP for the Mini Jack 556SR is $899, both are available now.
For more information on the manufacturer or American distributors, please visit wbprogow.com, atlanticfirearms.com, and armsofamerica.com.
More 5.56 AK Imports
The Polish FB Beryl Rifle from FB Radom
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