Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/483661
NEw MAGAzINES There's nothing wrong with steel magazines, which are classics in themselves – unless one has to carry eight or more of them. You cannot do much about the weight of the ammunition, but the deadweight of a multitude of sturdy AK steel magazines very soon becomes a burden. Thus an idea to create lighter, plastic magazines. The older hard, brittle plastic magazines with steel inserts (which were, BTW, first mass fielded not with an AR-15 or any other 'advanced' Western rifle, but with the 'primitive' AKM, as early as 1970s) were long ago replaced with modern all-polymer magazines, much more durable, resilient, lighter and more ergonomic. American companies, like US Palm, Magpul or the Israeli FAB-Defence offer their AK models alongside their AR-15 offerings. MAGAzINE ExCHANGE The ultimate test of proper placement of the pouch and its compatibility with the magazines is a fast reload with magazine change. That would also check whether which magazine gripping method is proper: if the magazine will be grabbed too close to bottom, it would face a long lever, making inserting the magazine difficult – and one has to remember, attaching the AK magazine is not only about inserting. It would be much better to grasp it rather mid-length, which would make operating it much easier. Of course it all depends whether we are exchanging the magazine with muzzle towards the target, or raising the weapon 45 degrees up. An advanced training course should call for various techniques so that in adverse conditions the most fitting one of these could be chosen and implemented with respect to the tactical scenario – e.g. firing static or on the move. JAMS – MAlFUNCTIoNS The basic immediate action for AK is a 'Check-Tap-Rack!' routine. That should become trainee's second nature, a subconscious habit – as with other weapons. It seems quite straightforward, but nevertheless it ranks a separate future treatment. ExTRACTING A MAGAzINE lYING PRoNE Shooting static or on the move, even against the timer is one thing, but it takes much more to realistically mirror the real world shoot- ing – in which e.g. the enemy might shoot at us. For all who plan to use the weapon in real combat, the prone reloads without undue exposure are really the must. www.fragoutmag.com