AK-12 assault rifles are actively entering the army and are being used in the current conflict. The interest in this weapon is understandable: there are too many differences from the AKM and AK-74M that are familiar to many. Acquaintance with the AK-12 left contradictory impressions. To complete the picture, I gathered the opinion of a number of friends who had been using the new machine guns for a relatively long time, in real combat conditions, and not just at the training ground. This added a number of practical nuances. I offer a summary of reviews and impressions about the AK-12 by the end of 2022. Naturally, AK-12 readers are invited to comment with their own additions and impressions.
Unlike many other weapon reviews, this material is special. It will not carry categorical and final statements. For a trivial reason: the AK-12 is a CRUDE submachine gun! Its refinement continues. Some disadvantages of the AK-12 (released in 2018) have already been eliminated on the AK-12M since 2020. A number of changes for the near future have also been announced. A whole bunch of well-known claims will probably be closed later. It is unknown how long it will take to "grow up" and "become" an AK-12. So far, according to my personal feelings, we have not yet reached the "equator" of this process. It is necessary to talk about weapons that are no longer just a prototype, but are mass-produced, moreover, they are supplied to a belligerent army systematically. You can't just say that the AK-12 is a masterpiece. It won't be true. A "raw" weapon cannot be a masterpiece. And completely defeating it is also wrong. Since the final version is still far away, and the AK-12M is strikingly better in a number of nuances. There are pros, there are cons, and there will be many more changes. And they should be considered separately. In order not to confuse the warm with the soft.
I'll divide my review into three sections: - The concept. - Individual technical solutions. - Materials and execution.
The AK-12 concept
The years passed. Domestic weapons designers are firmly attached to the "fixed idea" of weapons with balanced automation. But the prototypes did not suit the military in terms of reliability and compatibility with models already available in the military. The epic dragged on. Meanwhile, the AK-74M remained the main assault rifle. Wonderful, beloved by many, but too outdated in a whole host of aspects.
The main ones are: - accuracy and accuracy; - ergonomics; - compatibility with modern sights.
At some point, I had to "know the honor." That is, to postpone the idea of a balanced machine gun and produce a product that embodies the maximum of modern solutions and at the same time suits the military in terms of reliability. Therefore, there are two completely different concepts under the same name AK-12. There are even more intermediate options.
Of course, we will be talking about the 2016 model of the year, which was adopted. Serial production started in 2018 (AK-12). And also since 2020 (AK-12M), when the weapon underwent a number of changes. And the upgrades continue. The AK-12 concept is not a completely new assault rifle, but it is definitely a completely new Kalashnikov. There is no interchangeability of parts with the AK-74M (except for magazines).
It was precisely this understandable requirement of the military that fell victim to the lockdown delay that some wanted so much. Personally, I still don't understand why they need it on a combined arms machine gun.… The developers have worked on accuracy, convenience, and implemented many small "chips" that have been asking for a long time. Some features of the first Kalashnikovs have been preserved, but only in the form of ideas, a general scheme of weapons, not in terms of technical implementation. The option is clearly a compromise. And such decisions can never be accepted by everyone with a bang. Therefore, there is a lot of criticism.
Improved accuracy and accuracy were achieved: - processing of the gas block; - receiver and its cover; - by hanging out the barrel, relative to the forearm; - new muzzle brake compensator.
Other solutions have probably been applied. I listed what is understandable and catches the eye of even a non-professional gunsmith. AK-12 technical solutions
Let's go through the nodes of the AK-12, briefly describing the changes. The butt
The butt is side-folding. Adjustable in length and height of the backplate. It is possible to install an adjustable cheek on the AK-12M stock. The butts of the first AK-12 received a lot of negative responses. Big, clueless, bulky. Unreliable layout on a round tube. Strange placement of controls. Backlashes, flimsiness of the structure. A pencil case with a folding ramrod, which spontaneously falls out in some positions of the back. Poor interchangeability of back plates between different machines.
After 2020, a new flat stock was used on the AK-12M. He became lighter, got rid of the backlash. The ramrod has moved to the forearm. But questions remained about the execution and materials of the butt, despite the statements about the tests passed.
Ergonomically, the movement is in the right direction. It remains to bring the execution in the material to acceptable parameters of reliability and strength. Handle and trigger guard
The handle has become much more comfortable. Slightly more massive than on the old AK, made by hand. The extended trigger guard makes it easier to operate with thick gloves.
A pencil case with a screwdriver, brush, gouges and an oil pan is placed in the lower end of the handle. It gets out after clicking on the button.
On the AK-12M, the case of the pencil case serves as the handle of a folding ramrod. Shop
A new form of stores. There is a full charge indicator at the bottom. Transparent windows are implemented, which can be used to control the amount of remaining BQ. As for me, it's an absolutely pointless complication of the design. During active fire contact, no one turns the machine gun or looks at the magazine. It may take time to adapt. So far, all the friends interviewed have not understood the reason. A bevel at the bottom of the magazine, which provides a stable stop when shooting lying down or from cover. Not to say that it's necessary, but let it be.
The durability of the stores has not yet caused widespread complaints (only the earliest versions had them). Although the weakening of the structure due to those very windows is worrying. Work on the stores is underway, judging by the statements of the concern. Receiver cover
Perhaps the key change in the AK-12, in comparison with the previous AK, is the rigidly mounted receiver cover. We've done a lot of work on its positioning and fixation. And that's understandable. It has a Picatinny rail, a "rail" for installing various aiming devices (optical, collimator, night, thermal imaging sights). Stability when shooting, maintaining position after disassembly and assembly are simply necessary conditions.
On the early AK-12, there were complaints about the backlash of the lid. Combined with the whole thing placed on the back edge of the lid, this introduced big problems. After each showdown, the aiming point flew off, and the weapon had to be brought back to normal combat over and over again. Which "froze out" users incredibly. But the problem has been completely solved on the AK-12M.
Translator of fire modes
We immediately note that there are four positions, compared to three on the AK-74M. Added the "double shot" mode.
This is one of the moments on the AK-12 that bothered me personally. What's in the minds of the military officials who ordered it? Where did they miss the single-shot mode? The second bullet still doesn't hit the same spot! Due to the completely non-working "chips", the design was complicated, and the uniformity of work with the fire mode translator, which was developed by several generations of shooters, starting with the first AK, was destroyed. When I saw this miracle in the adopted model, I was seriously concerned about the mental health of not only the customers, but also the designers of the Kalashnikov concern, who were not dissuaded from this nonsense even "on the shore."
Another important feature of the fire mode translator is the appearance of a shelf for operating with the same hand (right) that holds the handle of the weapon. This modernization has been requested for a long time, and now it has been implemented. The compactness decreases slightly, the "hookiness" of the weapon increases for everything. But the benefits of the innovation still outweigh it. The two-sided format, with the ability to completely reconfigure the machine for lefties, has not yet been implemented. But there are such plans. Just by removing the stupid "two by two" cutoff, it will be possible to move in this direction. Sighting devices
The front sight moved to the gas chamber. There are no questions about it, especially on the AK-12M, where, in comparison with the AK-12, the horizontal adjustment was returned. But the rear sight is dioptric. This is one of the main complaints about the AK-12. Why military officials ordered such a thing is a big mystery (this is their initiative, not the initiative of the concern). What "genius" put them up to it… By itself, the "diopter" is not bad, even good, for an experienced shooter in a firing range… But in real combat conditions, the hole gets clogged with mud, filled with water, and freezes in the cold. This is a fatal flaw! When there is a battle, you need to shoot, not purge, clean the holes on the rear sight.… In addition, the diopter sight blocks the view of what is happening around the target.
On the 2018 samples, there was a complaint about the long base of the rear sight. Because of him, the standard 1P87 collimator and magnifier did not fit on the receiver cover rail. It was possible to install, but the sight was mounted on a gas chamber cover. To disassemble the machine, the collimator had to be removed. On the 2020 versions, the base of the "diopter" was shortened, and the problem was solved. But a considerable number of AK-12s already in the military have this "joint". Gas chamber cover and handguard
The AK-12's forearm has a comfortable grip, ergonomic shape, and a tide under the arm. It is allowed to install an under-barrel grenade launcher.
The handguard and upper gas chamber cover have four Picatinny rails: top, bottom and sides. The upper one creates a single line with the "rail" on the receiver cover. The sides can be unscrewed. A lantern or a fire transfer handle is placed on the lower one if you do not plan to use an under-barrel grenade launcher. There is a liner to protect against excessive heat during intense shooting.
The forearm is hung. On new models (AK-12M from 2020), it houses a folding ramrod. On early models, the backlash of the forearm and lining was very annoying. We fought with backlash on the AK-12M. The upper pad is still moving a little, but the forearm has become rigid. Perhaps due to the placement of the ramrod there. The material and the quality of the execution of this module are not impressive. As one of the commentators noted, it seems that an old Chinese tape recorder from the 90s was melted down and these fore-ends and lining were cast. That's about the feeling, I agree.
The pad is attached with a special lock. There are also questions about the reliability and durability of such a solution. Time will answer. DTK AK-12 (muzzle brake compensator)
The muzzle device is completely new. It does not twist, as on previous AK, but is fixed with a special fastener. To remove it, press down on the pin with a hammer or bullet. After removing the DTK, you can replace it with the "muffler" included in the kit.
There are problems with cleaning the DTC bayonet mount if it was not possible to do this immediately after intense shooting. It turns sour, and "entertainment" is provided. It is planned to replace this solution with another one in the near future. A non-removable DTC, on top of which, if necessary, a muffler will be attached.
The section of the DTK is decorated in the form of a crown. The designers can only guess why exactly this is so: weight relief, dissection of a cloud of gases. A side possibility is to be used as a glass breaker. It is also convenient to press down the barbed wire with notches, expand the passage in it, giving way to comrades. But I don't recommend shooting while trying to break the wire. Although someone has put forward such a version of use, but this is already too much. You can catch the ricochet yourself.
Belt
The standard belt is not bad, quickly adjustable. It has convenient quick-release brackets. Can be installed on both sides. The groundwork for lefty, for the future, is already being made.
Alas, the straps are not interchangeable with popular commercial belts. At this point, as in a number of others, Kalashnikov is clearly pulling the blanket over himself. He plans to produce all non-standard body kits and tuning alone. Commercial motives are understandable, but user friendliness suffers. Gas system
The non-removable gas tube was used as part of measures to improve accuracy and accuracy. But this solution seriously makes it difficult to clean one of the dirtiest areas of the machine.
The gas chamber plug is of questionable design and reliability. Many are changing it to existing commercial solutions for gas regulators. So far, the manufacturer is not itching in this direction. The problem remains with the AK-12M. On early AK-12s, there were cases of the recoil spring flying out of its seat under intense fire. This is no longer the case with the AK-12M. Such glaring moments clearly indicate the "dampness" of the weapon and the active refinement right now. Execution of the AK-12
In addition to 2-3 directly very controversial technical solutions, a lot of negativity towards the AK-12 is related to the quality of execution and materials. Chrome plating fades, rust develops noticeably faster than on AK of earlier times (USSR, early Russia in the form of inertia of AK-74M quality). Plastic with insufficient strength. Reliability has always been one of the main trump cards of AK. If in terms of the mechanisms on the AK-12, and especially the AK-12M, this property has been preserved. The poor quality of materials can set the stage for the development of a legendary name and brand. I would like to believe that when the small structural "jambs" are closed, the creators will take care of the quality of metal and polymers. In the meantime, I would like to state that the production culture has been lost (or it has been deliberately and temporarily put on...). In terms of materials and their processing, the AK-12 is not exactly an AK. And it's annoying. Conclusions
It's strange to hear claims like, "we needed a brand new machine, and this is a half-measure." Do you want an AR-15? Well, it won't be, and it couldn't be. At least for ideological reasons. And the tolerances are too low, which have a bad effect on reliability – they clearly go against the concept of AK. Which, though not completely, is preserved in the AK-12. Only some elements were borrowed from the M4 (diopter sight, Picatinny rail interface, adjustable stock). Continuity is preserved. The requests of the military are generally satisfied. Minor defects are promptly eliminated. Although, as a result, we will get a lot of already manufactured machines with one or another set of problems. But the final version promises to be quite good. Remember that the machine is still raw, so we also make a discount on this.
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