"The Death of a Working Class Icon."
1988 WASR 10/63 GP AKM
The Avtomat Kalashnikova: a universal symbol of utilitarianism, revolution, and terror alike. A simple, rugged amalgamation of stamped steel and minimal moving parts that continues to fight almost 80 years after its introduction. Its ubiquitous nature owed not just to its affordability, but to its unmatched reliability in every environment it's ever been called upon to fight in.
In every other country, the AK is the bottom-rung of affordable armament. In the US, the story is quite different. Here, the AK is faced with a unique set of challenges, handicapped by 30 years worth of import restrictions, overpriced ammunition, inept domestic manufacturing, and a shifting civilian gun culture that has all but rendered it obsolete.
The AK was the last gasp of WW2 era firearm technology. Its manufacturing tolerances are loose, with canted front-sights, crooked rear sight blocks, and misaligned barrels being the norm even on examples approved for military service. The AK made sense when it was a cheap alternative to arm those who couldn't afford an AR-15, but with its affordability and availability a thing of the past, it has become an overpriced historical novelty unable to justify its glaring deficiencies.
A drastic culture shift has seen the AR and AK abruptly switch sides, with the AR-15 taking center-stage as the affordable weapon for the masses and the AK becoming a symbol of decadence. A weapon once sneered at by highfalutin collector types has now become their darling, as cringeworthy AK owners compete in vulgar spending contests, overpaying for rotting surplus parts while foolishly clout-chasing who's got the most expensive brand of receiver from the most expensive builder with the most convincing fake "battle-worn" finish.
The AK as a fighting rifle will never be obsolete, but its heyday as a working class icon is a thing of the past. The future of working class armament belongs unquestionably to the AR-15 and its superior performance, modularity, and support infrastructure.
