Does Russia’s Newest Combat Rifle Kinda Suck?

[@BrandonHerrera]

Thanks for watching guys! So after seeing this, what are your thoughts on the AK-12, and what could be improved? Let me know in the comments! Thanks to USCCA for sponsoring this video! usccapartners.com/Brandon

[@crabman69]

Well that was quick

[@rubenperez989]

Issa nice

[@floridaman_6079]

Hola, como estas.

[@bigboi8426]

Rifle fine, iron sights good, slant break Prefect

[@namesurename3441]

49? Ty

[@slavicemperor8279]

Russians be like: Let's make a new rifle whose main advantage over the other models is more space for customization. Oh yeah, also do not put a single optic on it, iron sight is good enough!

[@killerbug05]

Cod players irl

[@MrMezmerize]

A lot of the money for the optics was probably lost in corruption. Same as in the case of their fuel and tire problems 💁‍♂️

[@Moss_196]

niet comrade rifle is fine

[@AlexsEquipmentCorner]

1P87s are issued, and not even in small numbers

[@ForOne814]

A lot of the operators that have the choice to get whatever they want on their gun choose the iron sights. Because a red dot is better than irons only at sub-100 meters distances, and actual combat happens usually at distances further than that even in cities. That's for motorized infantry, counterinsurgency/CQC specialized units pretty much all run red dots.

[@PolenarTactical]

Wow, now people will think that we are stealing your video idea. Funny enough that we, 9hole reviews and you filmed similar content with the same rifle almost on the same day... but what is really mind-blowing is that we independently came to the same conclusions 😅

[@mikhailkalashnikov3400]

I will watch both to see how Vladimir has disgraced my rifle

[@roryross3878]

Probably because the large war going on where this weapon is making it's first major combat debut....

[@christiankirkenes5922]

"independently" -_~

[@soonerfrac4611]

These Russian blyat’s had 20 *YEARS* to watch the West and see how to modernize a military.m and they have failed. If you fail to plan your planning to fail.

[@edjecollins4141]

He made an AK-12 video 4 weeks ago. I thought this video was a re-upload.

[@BeefMeisterSupreme]

Basically solving the need for modularity by designing a gun with the illusion of modularity

[@voidseeker4394]

Typical Russia. Illusion of freedom, illusion of wealth, illusion of power...

[@kurousagi8155]

The rifle is very modular, but the Russians just didn’t bother modulating it for some reason.

[@evgeniydragondog]

Sounds really russian. Anything here is illusion.

[@BeefMeisterSupreme]

@@kurousagi8155 exactly, the illusion of modularity by way of illusion of choice

[@neilmartin5029]

🤣😂😂😅

[@coconutcarl28]

as a man who fought in the Siege of Shanghai and Operation "Dawnbreaker" The AK-12 Saved my life a few times and saved my squad A LOT.

[@DBIIJ0U]

Thank you for your service, better than EA's

[@aaronbarrance6963]

No it didn't u hid and cryed like a lil girl saving Private Ryan style

[@awesome1996]

@@aaronbarrance6963 ok

[@Dalufemby]

@@aaronbarrance6963 the only one crying here is you lol

[@urzassaga]

is this a video game?

[@riah6918]

The AK-12 is a perfect example of the military adopting something that has problems which the civilian market has already solved before its adoption

[@Tadokat]

inb4 the AK gets a forward assist

[@jbed6]

@@Tadokat you mean a table or wall? beat it into submission

[@tommyc5740]

@@Tadokat Already has one, it's called the charging handle.

[@longbow6416]

@@jbed6 or mortar that thing with your foot! I love the accuracy and light recoil of my AR's, but end of the day, AK all the way!

[@makukawakami]

lol is the ak-12 the russian version of the ACU

[@AdministrativeResults]

I just Wish Brandon would pick me up on the battlefield

[@BrandonHerrera]

I’ll pick you up anywhere ❤️

[@ApexChimp]

Big Chimp hetero love, you sexy, KZbin mothergunners.

[@AdministrativeResults]

@@BrandonHerrera 👁👄👁

[@papadoomguy7412]

When do we get a Spiderman-esque kiss?

[@LanternOfLiberty]

Personally, I wouldn't want to be picked up by Brandon, cuz I don't swing that way. However, if I was discovered on the battlefield by Brandon, I would feel quite safe. He will probably want to hump my AK instead of me. 😂😂😂😂

[@WarFrog935]

It seems they took "Nyet, Rifle is fine!" To heart after realizing that the dust cover won't hold zero.

[@WTFisTingispingis]

They bolt the rail on using the hinge, as opposed to just hoping the dust cover will stay on.

[@bobthebuilder1360]

After realizing it won't hold zero y didnt they add like a little metal brace in the handguard under the barrel to hold it or reinforce the handguards or idek shit about making guns but something lol

[@NewTypeDilemma01]

At that point, just adding more dovetail mounts would have been more efficient.

[@Bialy_1]

They just made decision to not buy anything that you would be able to use on that rail... not only there will be no problem with the lack of zero on your aiming device but you can also steal all the money for that extra aiming device... two birds with one stone!🤣

[@ericcook7622]

@@bobthebuilder1360 it would hurt the rifle’s accuracy, not that Russians care about that anyway

[@anders1621]

One reason for the short handguard could be that Russians like to use the GP-30 grenadelauncher. It will not fit if the handguard is longer

[@fedoresko]

Another reason is that another option shown has very expensive machined handguard, just not suitable for mass production. In army you need something cheap that still works. But selector still sucks IMAO ))

[@КурлыкКурлык-ь4щ]

Так точно, товарищ

[@danopasny4485]

Всё правильно

[@cvpigunguy773]

​​@@fedoresko m16a4 and m4a1, both mass produced, both have metal quad rails. Also, make a GL that mounts to a rail and that's solves both issues

[@Defort-jd8xe]

@@cvpigunguy773 US military industry doesnt care if something is expensive. Look at their fighter jets that crash when its raining. Its money laundering for the elites. Russia wants stuff efficient so they dont have to worry to run out of equipment. Thats exactly why they're winning the war rn.. and thats why the US lost wars against literal farmers with 60 year old guns.

[@goose4342]

It’s one of my favorite weapons; I’ve used it extensively in battlefield 4, and I’ve never experienced one malfunction.

[@personnamed2764]

bro this is real life

[@mikabakker1]

@@personnamed2764 didnt get the joke

[@cristi.3057]

@@personnamed2764 no humor?

[@personnamed2764]

@@cristi.3057 Just shitting on a bf 4 player as a cod player myself

[@paulmogos9468]

@@personnamed2764 bf4 PVP is better than all the PVP in all the COD game combined

[@jarwins649]

That selector is such a dangerous oversight. If im in combat i want my primary rifle to be much more panic proof.

[@antotizwell9215]

you are trained to not panic so not needed

[@christianstadler6099]

@@antotizwell9215 doesn’t matter how much training, people will still panic

[@tonyredgrave1570]

@@christianstadler6099 exactly. Those pictures from the front proves this notion not only that, they prove the selector is a problem. Things like that happens when you go to the lowest bidder

[@Ravix4Horn]

@@antotizwell9215 "CONSCRIPT"

[@serujiphonx9070]

@@christianstadler6099 he is just smartassing...

[@dingusdean1905]

The Russia Loop: “All out stuff is cold war vintage, let’s make something new” “We have designed modern up to date equipment, let’s outfit out forces with them” “Shit this is expensive, let’s scale this down to save money” “All of our equipment is cold war vintage-“

[@olegivanov7491]

we create a new weapon, again we get AK we begin to create democracy again we get communism

[@AJZulu]

Aaaaaaaah. IC what you did there

[@eriklarson9137]

Are ts cheaper than rs?

[@yokai1235]

you forgot the to add make propaganda saying it's better than vintage could war stuff"

[@baneofbanes]

And then when you bring all of that vintage Cold War stuff out of storage because you’re in an actual war it turns out none of it was maintained because maintenance is expensive.

[@syklongboards2]

The "Point, Post, Sprawl" shooting technique we were taught at Ft. Benning "Sand Hill" absolutely calls for posting your magazine directly into the ground and using it as a point to traverse from like a monopod.. At the time they stressed that this was a big policy change.

[@justforever96]

I didn't think AR mags were even rugged enough for that. They are flimsy as shit. Maybe with the new poly mags it would be okay . But even slight magazine damage is what causes most function issues with ARs. AK mags are fine to use as hammers, on the other hand.

[@syklongboards2]

@@justforever96 The increase in accuracy far outweighs the possibility of failure. "Point, Post, Sprawl" Is for fighting over open ground with little to no cover..

[@jiminysnicket86]

​@@justforever96can't ftf if it's deep in the magwell

[@eagletuba9362]

It is actually now an approved method of firing the M4/M16 series rifles in the US military to rest the magazine on the deck when in the prone. Source: USMC Combat Marksmanship Coach

[@devintaylor8608]

That, and the seated firing position is also allowed by the army now too. Used to have an old crusty 1sg get passed when I'd Qual with that firing position. Like sorry dude my knees are bad enough I'm not going to try to shoot quals in an extremely uncomfortable kneeling position. Not to mention how much more stable it is

[@TresTrefusis]

I remember getting destroyed for that with my A2 in 2004 in boot camp. I think if I'm remembering correctly the fear was that resting weight on the mag could cause feed issues or other jams, but that's been a few minutes ago lol. ...was before the days of the C-clamp grip too. Hell we mostly had vietnam era camo on our gear still in boot. Semper Fi

[@leonardwei3914]

When I was the in the Army it was frowned upon in the beginning, but the longer I was in, I heard from more marksman coaches it was ok to do.

[@bower31]

@@devintaylor8608 And ironically the USMC banished the sitting position cause it's not practical in combat, but is adding barricades to rest your rifle on for quals.

[@devintaylor8608]

@@bower31 we did some barrier shooting and I felt good about it but we never used it for quals

[@The1TrueEcho]

The AK12 is what you get when you completely ignore one of the most important lines from "the art of war" "To defeat your enemy, you must become your enemy" Like, early models of the AK12 were pretty modern and had several neat features like a bolt hold open, freefloat barrel, and ambidextrous controls. But then they said "it's too western" and made an AK47 but with rails they don't bother using.

[@andrehashimoto8056]

AK-12 was also a Mechanical nightmare (so a field strip for maintenance would TAKE TIME to have recruits learn how 2) and the price tag per unit wasn't appealing to Russian army, also it would be like if you gave a US army trooper who got used with WESTERN AR interface to learn how to operate a Soviet esque Bulpup AK knockoff without the manual..... too westernized indeed. Also a reminder that Government contracts of ANY area, even Army, are mostly to hide money laundering/theft done by government officials.... US army had a TON of shit like Russia is doing with the AK-12

[@egomania2792]

The AK-12 afaik has a free float barrel. Just wanted to add that.

[@facundocorradini]

modern AK-12 still has free float barrel. Bolt hold open has been found to be a huge opportunity for the gun to fail. It's not like Russians don't know how to do a simple device such as a bolt hold open, it's that every single time they put it to trial, they found it to be detrimental. Ambi controls? this is an army weapon we are talking about, not a fancy range day gun. You will find such nuances in their competition guns such as the SR-1. In the military? no need for that shit

[@TheArklyte]

@@facundocorradini GALIL is a fancy range gun?

[@TheArklyte]

@@andrehashimoto8056 1)allow soldiers to purchase their rifles. 2)train soldiers better. Oh, wait, neither is an option for Russia:D

[@СашаКумылганов]

the problem with the hand guard is an underbarrel grenade launcher which is currently issued it is fixed directly on the barrel of the gun and I suppose that changing that would have been even more troublesome well, as the Russian saying goes "stingy pays twice"

[@jamesoprey6330]

мда, пиздец там сверхразумы сидят...

[@Overlord99762]

In Mexico we also have a version of the same phrase

[@superfamilyallosauridae6505]

yeah, the handguard is generally very disappointing. Can't do laser stuff for night fighting, not as small and comfy as an AR handguard with similar purposes, doesn't free-float the grenade launcher the way for instance DD RIS II freefloats barrel-mounted M203s, etc. All it does is eliminate deflection and let you put a grip or flashlight on it. My brother in Christ, you could do that with tape

[@aridicaexmontaudon1296]

"Buy once Cry once

[@ottersirotten4290]

In German that Saying is "We are to poor to buy cheap"

[@СергейАлександровичисынДенис]

This is the first version of the AK-12. The new version (it has been released since about 2019) has a different stock and a plastic trigger guard. Fixed issues with the fire translator. Although not everything is possible yet.

[@СергейАлександровичисынДенис]

@lostline01 скажи по русски. Я так понимаю ты русский.

[@CoffeeAndPaul]

​@lostline01, so the new gun will have only Full Auto or Single Shot? that seems dangerous, in addition to seeming wasteful. You know Russian conscripts won't ever select Single Shot. They'll select Full Auto & waste their ammo. Two-Shot fire mode on this gun is for a logical reason. The Russian Army is conscripted for the most part. The Russian Army know that their conscripts won't have much fire discipline, that in battle they're going to naturally react to threats by cooking off bullets at everything rather than reacting calmly & slowing themselves down. That's why this fire mode exists, to force the average infantryman to slow down under duress & keep fire discipline.

[@JustChill-zd4ib]

@@CoffeeAndPaul You seem to know everything what Russian conscripts would do. Like you are them or something. Weird.

[@avachkai]

Не могу сказать за всю армию, но в моей бригаде морской пехоты призывники отстреливали по 12 магазинов в неделю.

[@correctionguy7632]

@@avachkai is that a lot?

[@n0z4a243]

I don't understand why Russia didn't just upgrade their ak74ms with zenico furniture instead of making the ak12.

[@Token_Black_Guy]

Valid

[@polaris6709]

Because the AK74Ms are old firearms that are beat to shit from 40 years of service. They’d need to replace them anyway, and buying a new AK74M and upgrading it would probably cost as much as the AK12. There’s only so much you can do with a firearm that has seen continuous service before it just doesn’t perform as well as new ones.

[@TK-556]

Funny thing is they actually did upgrade with the AK74m3 kit. Railed dust cover and handguard, adjustable stock etc... Not zentico quality but a decent enough upgrade.

[@majornikita1464]

as far as i understand its a bunch of internal politics. i've watched a lot of videos in russian and from kalachnikov concern (specially whit vladimir onokoy) and i noticed that every time he was asked about a feature that seemingly doesnt make sense (like the 2rn burst the stock and the flimsy handguard) he will always repond with "thats what the army requested". i think even they know that these decisions are bad.

[@funforall9741]

Maybe just money, large armies require a lot of weapons and cheaper weapons can be given to more soldiers

[@Fattoxthegreat]

You should do a whiteboard video on how burst fire works mechanically, mostly for AK platforms, but also in general.

[@MauriceLeviejr]

He did.

[@Seth9809]

Yes, but which video?

[@MG-ks1qg]

5:20 What I was taught in basic, and in every rifle qual I did with the m16/m4, in prone, I used the mag as a monopod. It works. It provides a stable firing support that makes it very easy to transition to the next target.

[@Lt._Nut]

To be honest, I didn’t know that was what the current production AK-12s looked like. The prototype was so iconic looking and that, to me, is what I think of when I hear “AK-12”

[@fishinon]

Gotta agree, whenever I hear “AK-12” I think of the prototype

[@Holret]

The AK proto looked like the future and I was probably going to own one of them, had they kept those new features.

[@alahsiaboi8909]

@@Holret ak Proto model is incredible unreliable and not fit for civillian use let alone military , its like having a Ferrari with Corolla engine and Prius interior

[@sidebazooka6900]

It's the same thing with the AEK The prototype has a special look, that gets watered down on the release.

[@ethantaillefer-meyn6535]

I like the A545 (modern aek961) it’s like an MP5 and AK75 had some weird bastard love child

[@michaelvstheworld3680]

The original AK-12 was completely different and looked totally badass from what is now the AK-12. Economics is what happened here.

[@Zlucat]

Капитализм….. счастье….. заебись

[@CrayonEater255]

@@Zlucat cry broke boy

[@CircaSriYak]

Economics/Corruption/Politics

[@merma9042]

@@Zlucat cry about it

[@relevant3773]

AK-200 was horrible

[@lazytommy0]

Honestly that selector covering the trigger at full tilt, absolutely is a reason to worry. Certain situations dictate rapid response and in a scenario where the first to shoot, last to stand is a real possibility.. im gonna have to pass on that death trap.

[@DurzaHD]

That, "First to shoot, Last to stand.." Motto is a good one, and is going to stick with me as a lessoned learned motto.

[@gcart7675]

they probly have figured that out already and field modded it to not do that somehow

[@mambapopenhoffer8706]

In what scenario? One when you're in a saloon when suddenly "charlie tangos" start "converging" on your "six" in "delta formation", jumping out of the woodwork like killhouse targets, shouting "Allah akbar!" ? That is a cowboy scenario in your head. what this AR is mean to do is be used in a war where you'll have semi-trained conscripts or even experienced soldiers, but soldiers under stress and as their leader you want them o shoot only whee you tell them to shoot and when some dumbnuts flips the safety lever, you want to see it and give him a nice kick because a kick, unlike words, is a sensation and sensations last. What also lasts is lack of discipline leading to the shooting of a fellow comrade or accidental discharge or friendly fire because some cowboy got a fast trigger. The army works in a different way. The special forces units modify their guns for that specific reason - because they want the speed and they can control themselves. The rest should be deterred from doing something fast and stupid because you'll be dealing with 1 000, 10 000, 100 000 of young dumbnuts at once with a bad attitude, lack experience and general anxiety.

[@alkestos]

@@mambapopenhoffer8706 +scared shitless Can't help but to agree for the most part.

[@cavalieroutdoors6036]

@@mambapopenhoffer8706 well...I would venture that, rather than a 'cowboy scenario in one's head,' we're talking about the *very real scenario* those previous AK12 owners found themselves in. The scenario, whatever it was, that they did not walk away from because their garbage weapon allows the safety lever to be slammed down and block access to the trigger. Generally speaking, while conscripts are a bunch of dumb nuts, when fielding an army you want *your* dumb nuts to be killing the opposing side's dumb nuts, not getting killed because the weapon you gave them to do it with is utter garbage.

[@zx169]

They just released an updated version. The main complaint actually was the diopter sights, that always clogged up when in contact with mud. That and that the sight would come loose after maintenance and would have to be recalibrated.

[@BIGSID320]

To me, that selective fire lever coming all the way down is unacceptable.

[@ShadowReaper-pu2hx]

IDK why they don’t just use a western selector.

[@Albertoscutarius]

Imagine using a Western-style selector in the Siberian winter, at -30 °C (-22 degrees Fahrenheit), wearing winter gloves and with icing all over and inside your rifle. Thinking of that explains some of the Russians' design choices.

[@BIGSID320]

@@Albertoscutarius I think that between that and the charging handle, it almost gives the gun a 3-D aspect. If you try to lay flat on it it will stab you in the chest. This is why I like the AR layout better. It is completely flat.

[@AlexKS1992]

@@ShadowReaper-pu2hx Because that would be admitting that the West is superior and that they suck.

[@zen8704]

@@BIGSID320 why would you lay on your rifle

[@ThePilot3332]

“It could have been a lot better” is something of a national idea in Russia.

[@freakingabagool3510]

As Legasov said, “the same reason we have RBMK reactors; it’s cheaper”

[@ChuckBeefOG]

I see you’ve never driven a 1971-2022 Lada.

[@matthewhalstead8817]

@@ChuckBeefOG the beauty of the lada is that they could of been alot better. Yet there still impressively reliable.

[@jwrockets]

"Better" is the enemy of "good enough."

[@ivansubbotin7779]

@@jwrockets Russians use the pareto principle before it became popular. You said old russian saying.

[@929Finn]

2016: "we have a great upgrade which takes lessons from previous experiments" "It's too pricy" 2018: "here is our budget upgrade which discarded most features of the 2016 one because it would have been too costly even though we invested a lot into this program already" "Nice"

[@quakethedoombringer]

With that amount of funding on a slightly better platform it is better to just manufacture modified dust cover and hand guard (for the AK 74 and 100 platform) with rails to mount optics and other accessories

[@ethantaillefer-meyn6535]

That happens with most militaries honestly, the US has done it at least 3 times either the first ACR program in the 80s, then the XM8, then the most recent ACR program . Militaries want the new cutting edge rifle but are unwilling to foot the bill all the upgrades and extra features cost, then they ask for a budget version and you end up with a rifle barely better than it’s predecessor, then they scrap the project cause the new rifle isn’t really a cost effective upgrade at that point

[@quakethedoombringer]

@@ethantaillefer-meyn6535 Not sure about the ACR program but the XM8 and Carbine replacement program is not that revolutionary (they basically planned to replace the M4 with an improved M4 with piston using the exact same caliber) so it's not that really that much of an improvement. The reason the AR 15 is not going away is not just because of old brass being cheap, it's also because the replacement is not worth it for minor improvements

[@dj1NM3]

@@quakethedoombringer I'm pretty sure the XM8 was an H&K G36 based rifle for their Objective Individual Combat Weapon program (OICW) entry, which went nowhere because while the M41a1 Pulserifle is cool, there isn't any practical way to turn it into a real weapon (or, at least something objectively better than AR pattern rifle with an underslung M203 pattern grenade launcher).

[@zelpyzelp]

@@dj1NM3 Pretty much: the XM8 was cool and worked, but it's not like an aesthetically different G36 was enough of an improvement to fork up the money to replace the standard issue rifle of the biggest military on the planet lol

[@autistic_elite]

7:12 that actually might be a feature so they can check to see if the chambers loaded and not pull it back too far and eject it in a battle situation

[@EmilianGrtberg]

Thats what i thought too😂

[@alcerixxia614]

It’s disappointing how Russia had a lot of prototype or low production rifles that were made to replace the main ak platform but never did, the an94, aek971, prototype ak-12, etc. I am just wondering why they went with a new rifle instead of a mod kit of zenitco stuff or something to update their 74s, like how the us army did with the m4 with the sopmod kits

[@blarg35]

Money probably, need to remember for all their boasting they have an economy of a single state

[@RosaParksWasWyt]

aek971 is love, aek971 is life. Shrek is love, shrek is life

[@colin4tor781]

Ak 12 is probably cheaper and a doctrine that is more accepting of casualties. When usable is good enough try ak 12

[@colin4tor781]

@@blarg35 to be fair most US states are large enough to be decently sized European countries

[@polaris6709]

Because upgrading an 74 to a modern system isn’t like upgrading the M4 to the SOPMOD kit, it’s like taking old Vietnam era M16s and upgrading them to an M16A4 with full kit. You can polish it as much as you’d like, but those M16s have had so many rounds out through them that they won’t perform nearly as well as a new gun. These 74 rifles have been in service for 40+ years and have seen wars and training exercises the entire time. By the time you upgrade every part on them to a modern standard you’re better off just buying a new 74. By the time you buy and upgrade a new 74 you might as well just produce a brand new rifle.

[@Eogos]

"THE MAN IN FRONT GETS A RIFLE. THE MAN BEHIND GETS AN OPTIC AND FOLLOWS THE MAN WITH A RIFLE. WHEN THE MAN WITH A RIFLE FALLS, THE MAN WITH AN OPTIC PICKS IT UP AND MOUNTS THE OPTIC."

[@Blockydrippin]

Y’know what I’m gonna replay that game now. Thank you for reminding me how funny that line was.

[@SledTillDead]

@@Blockydrippin Actually comes from the film Enemy at the Gates. COD just ripped it off

[@cocokolah8567]

@@Blockydrippin "Funny" is not how I would describe the battle of Stalingrad, but that's just my opinion.

[@peaceoutbruh7085]

@@cocokolah8567 I mean, the whole thing of Russia not issuing ammo is a myth that the movie perpetuated anyways, so

[@jaylencoats2610]

@@peaceoutbruh7085 honestly seeing russians now it might not even be outside the realm of possibility lol

[@poprocket2342]

I feel like it was designed as a conscript weapon. From this perspective the plastic handguard makes more sense. They don't get issued lasers so they don't need a rail that holds zero. The option for optics is there but it also has improved iron sights and the 2 round burst is probably more useful to someone with less training. The selector is a weird oversight to me though. If you're giving a rifle to conscripts you really want it to be idiot proof.

[@potetnamnbaknamn895]

Norway issues optics and HK416s to conscript homeguard that train like 2 days a year. Russia should be able to design a standard rifle that can actually take accessories like lazers without losing their zero, and still be usable by both the most demotivated accessoryless conscript-prostitute, and contract units alike. You also don't design weapons that on purpouse can't be completely cleaned if you are gonna issue them and corrosive ammo to conscripts. Conscripts have 12h+ that you can do anything with, 2mins more to clean a weapon properly is cheaper than buying a new gun every 2-3 years or whatever. The production AK12 just not that well designed.

[@DS-wl5pk]

@@potetnamnbaknamn895 *POLITIKS*

[@fifteen8850]

@Turaglas I mean, yah. It’s the new standard issue rife anyways

[@potetnamnbaknamn895]

​@John Doe Norway's defence is not subsidized by the US. US ships uses some ports, and the US co-operates some radars. It was not until a couple of years ago that Norway decided to host 330 US Marines, and those are on a rotational basis, before that there had been no foregin troops stationed in Norway since WWII. NATO/US did have some equipment stashed around in a couple of mountain halls, but those bases were either unmanned or manned by Norwegians.

[@TheLazyFinn]

@@potetnamnbaknamn895 Conscript from Finland in 2016,was there for a year, never saw a magnified optic, maybe with the modernized rifles they will issue those. I heard that were they were issued usually squad leaders only had them

[@schkann1384]

1:45 professionals have standards. *-sniper tf2*

[@infinitsai]

the prototype ak12 had every chance to revolutionize russia's small arm arsenal but sadly each year it took a few step back and eventually turned into just another ak rifle. Even sadder is that despite whatever innovation the engineers proposed, the russian army themselves probably only wanted a cheaper, mass production friendly zenitco right from the beginning. Still hoping we'll see the prototype returning in any shape or form, but with the current war going on i doubt there's any chance in a very long time

[@tsorevitch2409]

It failed reliability tests time and time again. Russian MoD have no use for AR that can't even survie a drop on concrete from 2 height

[@ericcook7622]

You say that it’s sad, I would say that it’s a good thing that Russian corruption/incompetence has hindered its army. Those asiatic Neanderthals can rot in hell.

[@kriegdeathrider7805]

Eh normally Russia drops new prototypes when they start getting thier shit kicked in I think the 12 is basically dead in the water as far as design goes but I wouldn't be surprised to see a prototype of the next generation in the AK series come out end of this year mid next year

[@Nick-rs5if]

The AK-12 is a brilliant textbook example of why you keep politics (and especially politicians) out of the army's business.

[@НікСмольяніновТВ-21]

*how?*

[@fort809]

How’re you supposed to do that when politicians literally run the military?

[@wizcorn9958]

They should be using the AK-12 to eliminate politicians.

[@R1chAsshole]

@@fort809 by having them consult the military on military issues instead of just doing shit

[@ilyscxrz1972]

@@R1chAsshole bros clueless

[@ArchOfficial]

"The conscripts are gonna fucking do it anyway" explains a lot of the systems employment right now.

[@rusty_from_earth9577]

The whole “the US doesn’t use mags as a monopod” is actually outdated info. The US military *used* to teach hard not to do it because they thought it would cause jams. After many years of debate, it was finally officially tested and found not to cause jams. Current US Army shooting manual has a specific note that shooting prone with a magazine as a monopod is allowed and encouraged.

[@BigDogRenzel]

Not at my unit it wasn’t. Good way to get smoked.

[@rusty_from_earth9577]

@@BigDogRenzel I believe it happened to you, but that doesn't make your leaders correct, just Boomers stuck in their ways. Local leadership is OFTEN incorrect about technical things. TC 3-22.9, page 6-24, 2016 edition is explicit about this. irp.fas.org/doddir/army/tc3-22-9.pdf

[@swampdonkey1567]

Reminds me of Galilin way, they realized it be hard to stop all the conscripts from not using the lips of there mags as a bottle opener, so Gallatin made it so the bipod was one. Soliders going to use there gun anyways, so why not facilitate it.

[@swampdonkey1567]

@Yoda yep auto correct is a pain some times, especially since I live near a town called Gallatin. Phone updated how the auto correct worked so I recall I was confused and angry, and knowing myself hungry, it MAY have been at a business convention(kinda wish comments said the exact date, although there is bigger fish to fry for KZbin)

[@andreiyusupov6790]

This is a replica of the early AK-12. There is either the 3rd or 5th iteration. They definitely replaced the fire translator, removed the two-shot cutoff, replaced the butt, it seemed like they replaced the forend, replaced the DTK, changed the diopter sight, changed the receiver mount to a more reliable one, it seemed like they shammed the gas tube, changed the placement of the ramrod and the zip set again, replaced the pistol grip. Maybe there were more improvements, I still don’t remember. The only thing that needs to be understood is that the AK-12 in its current state will change, because work is still underway on it. For those who want to play around on the topic that designers are crooked macaques, I can advise you to look at the problems with the caiques were the wounds of the AK-74. There, on the first copies, too, not everything was thank God. For example, there were a lot of problems with the introduction of plastic, this is if we talk about the AK-74M. But there were plenty of braids on the original. And about the original Kalashnikov assault rifle model 47g. I'm generally silent. At first there was stamping, but as a technology there was not developed because of this there were many defects. Then the receiver began to be milled, as a conclusion, the mass of weapons, the price of production, plus high steel consumption, etc. increased. In general, I’m tired of it, so Yandex Google helps, I expressed the main idea.

[@davidbecker1708]

You're one of the best out there. Don't quit. Ever. We are with you!

[@dgroot]

A new Brandon video always makes my day! Always informative AND entertaining! And this one is no different! Great job!

[@zackprice3047]

He does do a pretty good job at blending fun and information huh?

[@E1ev1n]

I agree with David Groot. David Groot is our god!

[@dgroot]

@@E1ev1n 🤣🤣🤣

[@E1ev1n]

I still pray to you

[@Bandito7537]

Always a good morning when Brandon posts.

[@iota-itoa9635]

Yes

[@FloridaBoyJJ]

yes

[@navyblue2572]

yes

[@Sparrow51403]

Да

[@cekut2394]

We watch it at 7 pm in Turkey. Still dope.

[@montwestblack3678]

We definitely need a video on that Luty gun in the bottom left corner there Brandon

[@kingkoleog8756]

Hey Brandon, The AK info stuff is amazing. 100’s of AR channels but no AK channels like this. Appreciate the entertainment!

[@anthonyross9276]

I love the gun community. I really like how almost all the gun channel guys work together and show up in each others videos.

[@wizcorn9958]

You like when people are in videos huh?

[@anthonyross9276]

@@wizcorn9958 ya sure bud

[@hanskranz9897]

Fokd up hobby for fokd up minds.

[@anthonyross9276]

@@hanskranz9897 your fokd up,now back to your moms basement trollboy.

[@Average-Friday-Enjoyer]

@@wizcorn9958 Xddd that feels super passive aggressive

[@wyattbreedlove7001]

I would love a weapon review series to be called "Does it suck, or does it Fuck? Make it happen 🤣🤣🤣

[@Hellsong89]

What about when it fucks... you over?

[@jeffylikecake]

Hell yeah brother

[@ahmaddalgatov3451]

This version is from 2012, it has been discontinued, now the 2020 version is in the series. It would be a good idea for a video of the difference between these versions, and there are a lot of differences. ps. I used Google translator so if there are errors it’s not my fault)

[@sleazy_9435]

I just bought a Zastava ZPAP M70 with the Houge accessories. It's my first ever AK and your my go to guy for all my advice and questions! Keep up the great content my brother I'm honestly honored to be part of the AK community, a gun I thought I'd NEVER own lol

[@762x69]

Brotha, welcome to the ZPAP fam. I have one with black furniture, Congratulations 🎉

[@sleazy_9435]

@@762x69 I Appreciate you man I'm already talking crap to my AR buddy's 😂💪

[@Sov.Beowulf]

When Brandon showed off the Zenitco AK I was like "holy shit, I actually recognize those parts now!" Ever since I started getting into Tarkov a week ago

[@mantraseven5164]

Tarkov is honestly a great way to learn about guns and gun parts, I’ve learned a ton from it.

[@stormlah]

yeh literally ay hahahaha tarkov taught me alot about firearms..being an aussie and all with a criminal recortd (WAADAYAKNOW) yeh i cant own the BB guns they sell us

[@Sov.Beowulf]

@@mantraseven5164 I'm a huge gun enthusiast so I already knew a bunch of models and such, but this game really put that knowledge to the test when they brought in armors, ammunition, and the extensive gun workshop

[@andyliu7922]

the ak12 is so great that even in tarkov they dont have it

[@Sov.Beowulf]

@@andyliu7922 but I'll be damned if they didn't have 50 variants of the same caliber

[@honzabalak3462]

AKS-74 had the sidefolder earlier than the AK-74M. Plus some of the very old AK-74 rifles actually had AKM gas blocks.

[@the_manderson_4812]

Idk if anyone besides Mikhail himself should correct Brandon sir.

[@honzabalak3462]

@@the_manderson_4812 Unfortunately, Brandon is an American. Which in the world of AKs is a diagnosis. Americans hardly ever know stuff. And that means not just Mikhail is (was) entitled to correct them. For example, Brandon's Type 1, being an underfolder, is a Soviet AKS-47. Not a Russian AK-47.

[@the_manderson_4812]

@@honzabalak3462 taking into account that Brandon has built almost his entire life and business off of knowing AK’s, I don’t think being an American is an issue for Brandon

[@honzabalak3462]

@@the_manderson_4812 Look at his gun wall. About 90% of his AKs are hybrids. The build quality is amazing but they aren't historically correct. His AKs are mixes of various patterns. And Brandon's knowledge mirrors that completely. On a technical level he knows his stuf flawlessly. On a historical one? Not so much. One more thing to consider: combining wood and "tacticool" parts is something a European would never do. We see it as aesthetics butchering.

[@the_manderson_4812]

@@honzabalak3462 I’d say he knows his stuff pretty well for an American but I wouldn’t know either. I’m a Canadian 😂😂

[@Vegas61rus]

This is the first revision bro, many things have already been fixed including the fire switcher

[@_b_x_b_1063]

Так и не решены, многим первый вариант АК-12 нравится больше.

[@swayzefan3600]

​@@_b_x_b_1063 my dad is special forces and says the AR-15 platform is better.

[@ismellmandude6401]

What about the zeroing?

[@hellobuddy2414]

From my personal experience: those new russian AK-12 mags looking kinda new and cool but.... Well, while patrolling trough urban we found a lot of mags from AK-12, and we had no clue, why ffs russians just dropped they brand new mags like its a clip from M1. The answer is - those mags crushing better, then glass bottles. Firstly we haven't mentioned that, but i guess like 3 from 4 mags got crashed bottom plates and lost their spring cause they simply falled on the ground from the chestrig/while reloading. Absolutely shame, when you're reminding yourself, that that's are a grandkids of AK bekalite mags

[@AJZulu]

Ah it's not soldier proof.

[@randomidiot8142]

Huh, it's almost like old heavy metal almost literally bullet proof mags are better than plastic. Whodathunk.

[@qwormuli77]

@@randomidiot8142 Polymer can work easily for that job. You can also fuck up a perfectly good steel design. The issue you see here is in design, not in "Muh-muh-muh plastic bad!"

[@nerodia]

@@qwormuli77 Not to mention the weight savings. But yes, this - good quality polymer mags are extremely durable, but easy to cut corners on to save a few pennies per magazine (by using a cheaper material). Which is probably what happened.

[@agoogleaccount2861]

Unlike bakelite or steel mags . I bet these get hot and melt or bottom plate cracks and breaks

[@jahrn6]

"True Russian doctrine: You either get an optic or you get a rail to mount it on..." You made my day with that - thank you! I subscribed right at that point

[@kenz2756]

Talk about a doctrine.

[@thehoodedteddy1335]

Back in my day, we didn't have fancy optics and rails! We had sticks. Two sticks and a rock for the entire platoon! And we had to share the rock! You should consider yourself very lucky, conscripts!

[@zacharyramsli8002]

"You carry the bullets and you carry the rifle."

[@mowtow90]

That is what you get when your army procurement devision is consisting of the most currupt bastards in your gov. Because on documents you get all but in fact someone in the chain has been taking a cut of the cost. That is why we have seen the most absurd stuff from the russian army - when everybody from the foot soldier to the top brass is scraping something.

[@ДимасАсташоу]

Основная доктрина в ОПК - это коррупция.

[@lemmefeelyerjibblets8856]

I'd love to hear Brandon's opinion on the Finnish RK series rifles. Especially the newest RK-62M2 and RK-62M3 models.

[@nr1NPC]

Makes sense why you wouldn't change out parts from the AK-12 to other rifles, why would they? Its not like the Russian soldiers will change out their weapon parts to other guns

[@vilpez]

Very hard to get in the US, or at least that is what I have heard.

[@jackmolh6598]

As Finn i guess.. Its hard to get.. 🤔 Im not sure but i think they dont sell guns..like to an individual in another country.

[@vilpez]

There are several different civilian semi-automatic versions of the valmet-rifles that have been sold for example to the united states, but as far is I know they are very rare there

[@Ho_Lii_Fuk]

@@vilpez And I'd imagine that the new RK-62M variants are even more rare.

[@GBURGERgrad]

This is a replica of the early AK-12. It’s either the 3rd or the 5th iteration. They have definitely replaced the fire selector, removed the two-shot burst mode, changed the stock, and it seems they have replaced the handguard as well. The muzzle device has been changed, the diopter sight has been modified, the receiver mount has been replaced with a more reliable one, they seem to have tweaked the gas tube, and the placement of the cleaning rod and the kit has been changed once again, along with the pistol grip. There may have been other improvements, but I can’t recall them all. The only thing to understand is that the AK-12 in its current state will continue to evolve because work is still ongoing. For those who want to make snarky comments about the designers being clumsy monkeys, I would recommend looking into the issues faced by the earlier AK-74 models. The first examples had their own share of problems, too. For instance, there were significant issues with the implementation of plastic, especially regarding the AK-74M. Even the original model had plenty of its own flaws. And I won’t even start on the original Kalashnikov rifle model from 1947. Initially, they used stamping, but since the technology was not fully developed, there was a lot of defective production. Then they began milling the receiver, which resulted in increased weight, production costs, and a high consumption of steel, etc. In general, I’m tired of this, so I’ll leave it to Yandex and Google for help; I’ve expressed the main idea.

[@wulfricofwessex147]

I've often thought after looking at the production AK-12s, that Russia was trying to modernize their infantry to what the US standard was in like 1990s/early 2000s during GWOT. Looking at Ratnik, looking at the AK-12, that is the conclusion that I get: get a way to easily mount lasers (even though it's a terrible mount), get a way to easily mount electronic sights and scopes, get a way to easily mount bipods and foregrips, and get a folding stock for the different troops that have different arm lengths and body builds with full kit. All of which is like 20 years behind what the US is doing with full length free floated aluminum and steel handguards, lasers and sights and foregrips and adjustable stocks on every rifle, and more importantly with the new orders for LPVOs, ability to engage targets at red dot distance and at ACOG distance without the need for a magnifier that takes away your BUIS. Also, the US is going away from Interceptor and IOTV style vests and moving towards plate carriers for increased mobility and decreased fatigue (although they might go back in case they have a no shit war with Russia or another near peer power). All in all, a solid step forward for the Russian army, but a fancy new rifle and infantry kit doesn't make a military good, doctrine and training does that. As does a healthier relationship between lower enlisted, NCOs and officers, and anti-corruption efforts.

[@kekula69]

Shit, you can argue that the US doesn't do that with your last point

[@killdude26]

Infantry and Combat MOSs get issued the MSV carrier. I got issued the IOTV but it's because I'm support. Honestly, the new system is better for mobility and can still take a hit. But, I actually prefer the IOTV because all that soft armor I'm carrying is stopping that plate from entering my ribcage.

[@Slavolko]

@@kekula69 For sure.

[@Leon_Orlov]

@Dani Al shit you beat me to it

[@colbunkmust]

@@kekula69 In comparison with the situation in UA it's on a completely different scale. All government entities will have corruption and other problems but the extent to which that effects the performance is quite apparent.

[@konstantin070797]

Brandon, it was for these reasons that they released the AK-12 Generation 2. With a new butt (unified), they abandoned the cut-off, and made new mechanical sights, for the normal installation of optics, not that they are not there, it was not normal to put it there ... Well, there is also the concept of AKV-521

[@borisslyt]

AKV-521 is designed as civilian (and Vlasenko is the director of KK civilian program after all). A little chance the military will be interested, IMO.

[@alexm566]

is the Gen 2 standard issue tho?

[@Max_Da_G]

@@alexm566 Yes, once the factory switches production. The initial stock was always a temporary measure.

[@Foreskin-Bandit]

just learning russian, may I ask if your name is pronounced "Konstantin Blagorodniy"?

[@cinacclaim]

@@Foreskin-Bandit Yes, that's correct

[@phantomthiefirwin9631]

The AK-12 is probably the most unfortunate symbol of the current state of the overall russian military. Great in theory, looks mean as hell but in the field performance is...somewhat lacking.

[@TCK-9]

Yea, if they aren't meticulously kept up at all times they go to shit, and putting them in the hands of the average untrained russian conscript isn't that. And the barrels have a tendency to do bad things when they get rode hard.

[@defendrr_ru]

Yeah more like the entirety of Russia. Everyone says everything is fine (in theory), the government plays the mean as hell card (spooking everyone and their citizens), but in reality it's... Kinda lacking is an understatement.

[@fifteen8850]

Idk field performance seems fine? This video is mostly about the ergos and ease of use of the weapon, not the accuracy or reliability

[@baneofbanes]

@@fifteen8850 Thing is it doesn’t have much over an AK-74 in that regard, and the places where the AK 12 is lacking are the places that the rifle was deigned to fulfill.

[@fifteen8850]

@@baneofbanes in terms ergos and the ability to mount attachments? I disagree if you mean that. Besides kalashnikov released an updated version in 2020 which replaced the stock and probably addressed the hand guard issue. Now in terms of accuracy and recoil, well let’s be honest, the ak74m is already excellent in terms of that.

[@artemlarin6509]

For ak charging handle lovers. 6:41 AK ping 6:47 another ak ping 6:52 another 6:56 ahhhhhh i love ak ping 7:10 yeaaaaa

[@justacanadianguy07]

thanks m8

[@tuck234]

I always thought it was strange Russia having Zenitco basically making the very upgrades to what the AK12 is now and didn't just ask Zenitco "Hey, we have an offer. We give ya this sack of money for all the B33s, B10Ms, B19s, RK-0s, RK-3s and PT-1 stocks you can provide for our AK74s and AK100s. Good deal, no?" A friend of mine who's been into AKs for a long time had told me... "It's like they were given all the answers to the test. Lets say a Calculus test and not only the answers to it, but all the proper work formulas and work to show you actually know how you got the answers... But you decided not to use it at all."

[@welovegarro]

That’s just not how things in Russia work. The guys over at Zenitco have to be friends or relatives with the officials in the defence ministry to even start talking about such a deal. No government official would ever let a single rouble go to waste, which in their mind means if the profits won’t end up in mine or my friends’ pockets, there’s no need to make a deal.

[@WhooshWh0sh]

@@welovegarro dude, as a russian, I can tell you have no idea what government officials in Russia are all about. It's true that they wouldn't let a single rouble go to waste, it's just that their pockets are not considered a waste by them, which is a considerable amount of roubles... So it's more like they wouldn't let a single rouble go to anyone but themselves. And that is the best way to put it down.

[@Soridan]

@@WhooshWh0sh you're saying the same thing he did. Reading comprehension isn't just some hoity toity posh pastime. Practice it.

[@WhooshWh0sh]

@@Soridan the thing about pockets was not there, when I typed that. I think he added that later which is evident by that "edit" mark being there.

[@andrey2604]

The answer is widespread corruption. Tenders and government deals being won by people who are making lets call it "chargebacks", not by people who make best value for money.

[@kbo8029]

Going on a limb here... The money that was supposed to put Zenitco handguards, a selector stop, etc. instead went to buying luxury cars and mistresses for some generals.

[@tipoutuber4590]

Ну, у нас с 20-ых (С 2000 годов) процветает коррупция. Пока это не закончится, у нашей страны всегда будут слабые позиции. Потому что, наши политики скорее страну Западу продадут, и армию саботируют. Чем сделают что то толковое. ( Я не имею цели, разжечь конфликт, я просто высказываю свою точку зрения на вещи в моей стране )

[@Max_Da_G]

@@tipoutuber4590 S 00ih? Patsan, tebe skolko let? Korruptsiya nikuda ne devalas s tsarskih vremyon. I esli ti nihrena ne soobrazhaesh v oruzhii i tom kak na nego smotryat v mire to do tebya ne doydyot NIKOGDA chto 1) AK-74M i AK-200 serii na rinke sproson NE POLZUYUTSA. 2) Zenitko nesposobna proizvodit obves v takih kolichestvah chto nizhni VS RF, 3) AK-12 teper uzhe doveli do uma. AK-12 budet polzovatsa sprosom, osobenno AK-12M1 chto pokazali v Mae 23 goda. I soldati kotorie s AK-12M 2020 goda i pozzhe voevali vili o nyom horoshego mneniya.

[@yeetadog]

@@tipoutuber4590 thank fuck they sell your country to the west so the fascist dictator in charge can't invade his neighbours successfully

[@raketny_hvost]

​@@tipoutuber4590и точка бредовая. Могли бы сдать-давно бы сдали, как русско-японскую или ПМВ. А тут вон такой разгон пошёл, что теперь даже республиканцы мнением Путина интересуются. Коррупция же-она неистребима, и я боюсь, на западе за время "мира" и войн с тапочниками коррупция расцвела не слабже. Взять там хотя бы зелёных и ЛГБТ. Это глобальная тенденция, и на неё всё списывать такое себе

[@chiefkeef74]

​@@tipoutuber4590damn our countries really are alike.

[@mountainswithmilton4810]

Hi, big fan of your channel, but I would like to recommend you install a winter trigger similar to the Swiss PE-57 and BM-59 on an AK to perfect its winter combat effectiveness. Also, more mountains. Mountains are great. Did you know AKs have been used in mountain combat? Fun Fact!

[@F4Wildcat]

the SIG 510 or PE 57 has to be one of the coolest battle rifles ever

[@BrandonHerrera]

Nah I’m good, I also live in Texas…not really as issue for me lol

[@vega1287]

@@BrandonHerrera there is even a (rare) version of the sig 510 in 7.62x39 called the sig 510-3 and if you want to know how rare: i've never seen one and i live in switzerland

[@JamesHolmez]

@@BrandonHerrera Should always have a backup rifle for your tundra bug out bag. 😂 Prepared for all scenarios and climates.

[@bobsnob3073]

Is there any type of combat an AK hasn't been used in?

[@moon5472]

I just noticed your AK "Tommy gun" behind you, I love it.

[@swissguy2514]

Both The firing selector going fully down and middle resistance when pulling back bolt issues I don’t have with the Civilian AK-15/TR3 (or at least I never noticed) so I think you are right saying it’s due to the burst mechanism.

[@AntPictures]

Most of the issues Brandon mentioned that Russia's government preferred to keep in original ak-12 are explained by: it's cheaper. It's extremely important for a standard issue gun to be affordable and that's why it was eventually preferred vs better analogues existing in Russia.

[@mikkel066h]

There is a certain level of cheapness you are allowed to do when designing weapons. However if it starts getting to the point where it hinders your troops of fighting effectively compared to saving a few bucks. I would say the investment of making it cheap is a bad one at that. If you loose a soldier due to a poorly designed rifle that is a big loss.

[@AntPictures]

@@mikkel066h I seriously doubt that's the case with ak-12. There is a reason why Kalashnikov corp sent this specific rifle variant to gov tender and it won the contract as the main combat rifle for Russian forces. They test their rifles industriously.

[@hackabusa]

@@AntPictures Izzy (kalashnikov concern) won the contract and the issues were known at the time. They failed time and time again to properly address them.

[@AntPictures]

@@hackabusa just a month ago there was a report that Kalashnikov concern has received the official list of corrections based on experience in Ukraine. Next batches of equipment are made with these corrections in mind. The point is you make a correction in the whole production line only after you are certain that they are significant in number and tested in combat. Otherwise you'll be producing dribs and drabs of equipment like 50 leopard tanks per year.

[@hackabusa]

@@AntPictures testing on conscripts is not the normal R&D process for a firearm. They should have deployed the AK-12 en masse with known functional issues that were “fixed” in 2018. Kalash should not have won the contract and likely the only reason they did was because of politics and money. A lot like how Sig works.

[@gunterstraus606]

Kalashnikov Concern has in their media since 2019 shown a different stock on their AK-12 that far more greatly resembles the older prototype version, or the Magpul Zhukov stock. I think they also changed the rear iron sights with that update. If you were to add the Zenitco basis rail handguard, it might fix the accessories issue.

[@mreftn0163]

yes this is a different version of the rifle: AK-12 2020, in the video AK-12 2016

[@colbunkmust]

Yeah, the Zenitco rail looks clean on the AK-12, and the Gen2 stock looks way more snag-free.

[@cyka7705]

I think I saw it before the longer mlok hand guard for AK-12

[@лопух-ф5я]

yes,that adopted version is not good at all,but they fixing it every year,and the chief designer of a modern Ak12 is a different man

[@shauno7582]

Should do a video with all ya AK variants in your collection bro!!

[@jonathankuykendall7622]

Honestly, I feel like this is extremely similar to the basic colt m4 a lot of soldiers and marines are issued. Sure its a good gun but there is a lot of things that can be improved such as better stocks/foregrips, longer rail, better pistol grip, and even small things like the safety selector switch. The zenit co AKs are the equivalent to our spec ops hk 416s, mk18s, and all the other weapons they use. Not to mention the far superior attachments provided to spec ops.

[@madstan8948]

I’d take a old school colt over this bullshit anyday fuck all the new outsourced colt crap

[@jonathankuykendall7622]

@@madstan8948 LMAO I respect that 😂

[@diligentone-six2688]

I would just accept the FN Made M4A1 Carbines. They made good quality products. If I wanted a custom made Block 2 then I would go for Daniel's Defense.

[@burnyburnoutze2nd]

Nah, it's more like all the guns the US army almost adopted to replace the M4. What happened with the AK 12 is what would've happened if the US replaced the M4 with the OICW, the XM8, the ACR etc.

[@SlavGod47]

It reminds me of the M4s in the Army Sure there's a HUGE amount of aftermarket stuff you can add to the M4/AR-15 platform for accuracy, comfort, and ease of shooting...but we didn't get any of that shit. Like 75% of M4A1s in the Army's active service have the shit basic stock, the 8" quad rail, and the CCO red dot. If you were luck, you got basic rail covers. If you were luckier, you got enhanced SOPMOD stock instead (my favorite to this day). If your role called for it (I was a tanker, so this would be for the Commander and maybe Loader), you would get a PEQ-15 and/or an ACOG (though my unit had next to none) to go along with your M320 Grenade Launcher If you're in an Infantry battalion/company, you got a basic ass vertical foregrip As far the free floating handguard, supposedly (based on what I've read), it's supposed to be for better accuracy so whatever weird shit you're doing to abuse the handguard, it's not affecting the barrel (I think that's what a few more modern guns like the Sig MCX are going for) So the cool stuff people do with ARs/M4s either irl or in games like Modern Warfare...throw all that shit out the window, buy the cheapest, most basic AR-15 that has a carbine quad rail, and you have what a $777 billion defense budget issues

[@X4Alpha4X]

US Army M4A1's cost $650/ ea. they literally are basic bitch rifles. The only thing of "quality" on them are the barrels made by FN. Everything else can be had for dirt cheap by basically any reputable manufacturer. The trigger, sans full auto, is worse than a mil-spec trigger from spikes. I recently got to shoot an M4A1 basically right out of the box and the trigger pull was the worst ive ever felt. gritty and a discrete catch half way through the pull. (actually used that to my advantage akin to a 2 stage trigger, but each stage is 3 lbs). They are wayyy over gassed for M855A1, but that might partially be by design as it will let the rifle function even when very dirty. Still using the basic stock and grip, but i kind of understand that they come like that by default for the avg joe and anyone seriously using them can change them out as they wish. the fore grip is nothing special aside from the fact its easily removed (read: lost) with the screw dial on the bottom. Those parts kits you find on PSA for like $399 that come with toolcraft BCG's are honestly the exact same or even better once you add a FN barrel.

[@WillyStinkman8593]

You guys got M4? I still ran a fucking m16 in 2020

[@SlavGod47]

@@WillyStinkman8593 We had M16A4s in our Brigade armory. And we were the first unit to receive the new M1A2 SEP v3 Abrams If that makes you feel better lol

[@bower31]

@@WillyStinkman8593 I liked my M16A4 better than a limp dick M4. At least when you shoot someone with an M16 they might die instead of just getting small drain holes

[@wraithwyvern528]

To be fair, when you have to give every POG some semblance of combat training, I wouldn't give them anything more expensive than that.

[@LarryJL]

In the Finnish army with an AK (RK95TP and RK62) system we are taught to use the mag as a monopod when prone. If you apply pressure on one side, it's stable.

[@chairpersonofthecharlotteh5646]

I'm not sure if I remember correctly but I think I was told that it could jam (or something like that) and it was not recommended. That was before our galils were replaced by R20 though. Greetings from Estonia

[@LarryJL]

@@chairpersonofthecharlotteh5646 Okay could be! We were instructed to do that from day 1, so I think our Finnish AK variant made in Finland must not have that problem! At least I know hundreds of people who were taught this and I've yet to hear it would've caused a jam for anyone!

[@p4nnus]

Can confirm.

[@witherwolf3316]

I know it's a small thing, but I do appreciate how you go out of your way to show that a weapon is clear while you're handling it

[@Eziio_Morningstar]

#akgnotificationsquad it’s Always A Blast Hearing Brandon Explain AK History.

[@theaxgame]

It looks to me that the Russian government fell to the classic "I know more than you Mr. Professional Gun Designer" that many governments do (not that the West is immune), and settled on a rifle incorporating several features that said Professional gun designers said to implement, but like, shittier. The Zlobin design was absolutely Chad and seems to me like Zlobin would have seen the need for availability of mounts and forward hand-placement grip surface.

[@zbbaugher]

Definitely not in Ukraine because there’s an optic on it 😂

[@Blinkin71A]

Rifle no need optic, rifle is fine

[@charlescourtwright2229]

@@Blinkin71A nah, he means people would take the optic, those aint cheap

[@Ярослав-с7и6г]

I saw a photo of a Russian soldier running with Russian optics installed on the other side

[@M65V19]

I am russian and hell I hate optics

[@Radbot776]

Theres plenty of optics and red dot green dots, not everyone likes them because it’s another thing you have to look after

[@ThatNNFG4mma]

You should check out the 2023 variant of the AK-12 if you have the opportunity. A few issues got solved. The two-burst mode was removed, they added a two-sided fire selector (that is kinda hard to use with your thumb, but still) and solved a few issues with the way the rifle was operating in 2022

[@FN_360]

7:46 Your weapon has been switched to fully-full auto!

[@TheFaveteLinguis]

The editor of Kalashnikov journal, based in Russia of course, also dissapproved this gun. And praised Bren 2.

[@randoiguess]

I like how the intro suggests that Brandon not only went to an active Ukrainian battlefield, but also shot a man with something that could not penetrate his helmet but instead vaporized him instantly.

[@great_based_one]

I believe it was a helmet from the VSS video

[@cdgonepotatoes4219]

Fake video, the rifle has an optic.

[@ivangordienko8081]

He morbed him out of reality

[@thefiresworddragon927]

And of course he'd find the only soldier using an optic

[@Bob-kk2vg]

@@cdgonepotatoes4219 lol where are all their damn optics? Did they really sell them all to the American airsoft market or something? You can find plenty of Russian optics online.

[@kxracer27]

I can get past the hand guard (aftermarket options) but I cannot get past the selector yeeting past the receiver. Although it would be an easily fixed issue on the manufacturers part

[@squantosquats1465]

AK-12 is like nailing a super model but only doing missionary. It’s awesome that you did but holy crap could it have been a lot better

[@blackmantis3130]

😂😂😂

[@BigWheel.]

Classic example of "this is brilliant" [ak12] "but I like this" [Type 1 ak47]

[@kek397]

Wouldn't it be the AKM?

[@callofgames3190]

Lol, AK-47 was a prototype, and what you think is an AK-47, it is not, it is AKM or smth

[@BillehBobJoe]

@@callofgames3190 arguing over AK nomenclature is exceptionally pointless. just for a quick 1 minute reference the russian wikipedia page on the ak does not mention "47" until talking about how they're known as the "ak47" in the united states.

[@tipoutuber4590]

​​@@callofgames3190, если не интересоваться оружием. То да, акм и ак 47 весьма похожи. Но по большей части, различие в том что акм более дешевая версия ак 47, потому что часть деталей автомата, сделаны при помощи штамповки. Что уменьшает количество деталей. Значит уменьшает количество деталей, которые могут сломаться. Ну и банально уменьшает затраты на создание автомата, в плане времени соответственно, создание идет быстрее. И ты тратишь меньше денег на производство автомата

[@justforever96]

​@@callofgames3190you have no idea what you are talking about. The AK-47 was the first version with the milled receiver. They made them for years until they perfected that stamped receiver. That's that AKM and they made a lot more of them.

[@asxpot]

It's a little complicated than that. Zlobin's AK-12 didn't make it due to Russian military's weight requirements(that's why Zenitco wasn't adopted, actually, since their products at the time dramatically increased the rifle's weight). When Zlobin tried to cut weight, the AK-12 lost a lot in reliability and basically shit its pants in military trials. Early modern AK-12 are notoriously shit quality, so they had to rework the damn thing and make a 2020 version, with ACR-style stock and some minor improvements. Sureshot is also connected to Kalashnikov concern, since their CEO is now lead civilian gun designer in Kalashnikov, and I don't know why they didn't use his stuff in the AK-12. Cost, probably.

[@asxpot]

@Yoda Some part of the budget definitely was, apparently, but not that much. Kalashnikov concern is known for poorer quality AKs across the board, compared to Soviet ones. At least the Soviets didn't skimp on chrome.

[@Anton-cc7yc]

Some issues were fixed on 2023 version. - Awkward selector is gone along with 2-round burst option. Actually added pretty neat thumb selector on both sides. - The handguard reinforced somewhat… still not to the point of holding 0, but still better. - The AR style stock completely changed. - Muzzle break changed and now not removable for some reason (to be tested in the field I guess). The dioptric sight is still there. The poor bloody infantry absolutely despises it because the sights are getting blocked by mud, dust and moist. So, waiting for 2024 Version I guess?

[@WarFrog935]

"Conscripts don't need optics!" - The same army that assigned their soldiers green uniforms and exclusively bolt action rifles to fight a winter war.

[@Predator20357]

I was confused as I thought you were referring to the Finnish Conflict where they wore brown in a very white winter or so I have been told.

[@requiemlul3140]

@@Predator20357 He is.

[@piritrem2232]

*a real fucking mistake of mine was here so I delete this one*

[@Predator20357]

@@requiemlul3140 With how there are reports about how the Ukraine War had old Russian weapons, I thought he was exaggerating a bit and was referring to that one

[@requiemlul3140]

@@piritrem2232 He is talking about the 1939-1940 Winter war in wich the Russian army got fucking annihilated because the Finnish were camouflaging themselves and using submachine guns while the Russians wore green uniforms and used bolt action rifles.

[@HydraHolden]

Garand Thumb's review of the AK-12 a from couple of years ago said, "The AK-12 is to the AK-74M as the M16a2 is the the a4." And I would agree. The AK-12 has slight incremental improvements, but the juice gained really wasn't worth the squeeze. Zenitco and Sureshot kits on AK-74Ms were the solution imo.

[@DD-qw4fz]

Zenitco is too expensive for regular troops, imagine having the most expensive M4 mlock handguards and uppers issued, not gonna happen

[@luke8952]

@@DD-qw4fz Wouldn't it be cheaper to retro fit the tens of thousands of guns you already have instead of designing and building an entire new gun?

[@NaruSanavai]

@@luke8952 But then, armorers wouldn't have anything to rant about. Sorry, Zach...

[@Raccoonactual]

At least the KAC rail on the A4 actually holds zero.

[@LocalDeepstateAgent]

Granted those kits cost about as much as developing the AK-12. They should have gone for a cheap upgrade to the AK74m with a modern handguard some facy muzzle and maybe a dust cover with a rail slot or one that includes a rail like the zenit b-33.

[@jeredhead6806]

Being trained in the West, after getting my first AK I let my left hand stray a bit too far forward once... Once.

[@sigmadarkrain]

😁

[@Camo_Shadow]

I laughed a little too hard at this. Hope your hand is okay.

[@wizcorn9958]

Did you use a compass to confirm you were actually in the west?

[@jabohonu]

The Russian government should let Zenitco design the AK 12

[@ShootyBoi76]

In reality the AK74M Upgrade kits, and the ak 200 series are way better than the new AK 12, some members of the VDV say that their AK 12 hand guards have broke when doing combat training

[@krosskreut3463]

@@ASS_ault i think its better a bit heavier than one that breaks in your hands

[@WTFisTingispingis]

Oof.

[@fifteen8850]

The 200 series isn’t necessarily better. In terms of reliability it was said to be worse, on top of being more expensive.

[@fifteen8850]

@@ASS_ault they probably were, since the 400 series uses the tried and true mechanisms instead of more complex ones like a bolt hold open

[@BitoyV3]

Russians advertising the AK-12: Look, it has rails for optics, lasers, and grips! Russians issuing the AK-12: Nyet, rifle is fine.

[@VHSKacceta]

Нет, правильно "Net". на русском нет, не звучит как NYET. Оно звучит именно как NET

[@CT_Taylor]

@Alexey They should just dust off the old mosins and then they would share ammo with some of the separatists. sure its clunky long and not great against modern assault rifles, but is that much different than rn

[@FLUFFYKUMAR]

Yo imagine a collaboration video of Brandon, Klay + Racheal, Henry, Admin Results and the JMAC crew. Y'all have always been my source of AK goodness.

[@SIDisTHE]

Smoothest sponsor transition in all of guntuber history right there.

[@dealtasquad17]

This seems like a " I'm not mad I'm just disappointed" from Brandon to the ak12 #AKGnotificationsquad

[@XtoDoubt25]

I just love how Brandon openly admits he knows Spetsnaz guys. Once the Ukraine War is over you should ask one of them to review the Commie Tommy #akgnotificationsquad

[@jimmydesouza4375]

He knows guys on the Internet who say they're spetznaz. It's a significant difference.

[@shhhhht8140]

The guy could be Spetnaz, but honestly I think it's more likely that the guy is bullshitting all of us.

[@Norrsky]

@@jimmydesouza4375 I doubt he would just believe some bullshitter if he didn't come with some serious proof. It's really easy to prove if someone is or has ever been in the military and what they did

[@jimmydesouza4375]

@@Norrsky If it is so easy go get a full list of every spetz agent. I'm sure the blue and yellow would appreciate it.

[@Norrsky]

@@jimmydesouza4375 they'll have paperwork that proves what they do. I can't imagine it would be much different than US special forces but I could be wrong

[@survivaloptions4999]

When I went through basic we were taught to shoot from the mag when prone. Whether that was "doctrine" I don't know. After basic most NCOs didn't care, but some would totally lose their fronds if they saw you resting on the mag.

[@TALIZ0RAH]

I was taught that as well. Now I teach it, as long as you have quality magazines, it won't be an issue.

[@HeyMidnight]

The transition to the ad was absolutely insane

[@navyblue2572]

at this rate russia is gonna hire brandon to develop their next rifle

[@sundeeprandhawa6007]

But wouldn’t that need him to stop the yet channel? Then no never

[@afelias]

What if Russia adopts a version of the AK-50 as the AK-12.7

[@colecooper5836]

Ak12 chambered in 50 cal.

[@Cnupoc]

At this rate Russia will be out of AKs because Brandon can't finish his AK builds...

[@DronesUnder2A]

@@Cnupoc kinda like you couldn't finish my sister?

[@TripAndJoy]

All right, gonna be devils advocate here: 1) Buttstock was made different, because AR-style tube broke during trials. 2) Selector is really bad. 2-round burst have no purpose, but to make selection difficult and BRING YOU THE PAIN. 3) Handguard was build short so you can mount grenade launcher. 4) Yes, it is flimsy, because it is free floating handguard, which allows you to not affect the barrel during shooting and stuff. 5) Ak-12 costs less than AK-74 + Zenitco buttstock, handguard and dust cover. PS: There is new AK-19 thing going on, it is AK-12 with some improvements

[@dirckthedork-knight1201]

The AK-19 is just the 5.56 version but there is an SF veriant with a different upper rail on the handguard Sure the AK-12 has some problems but nothing that cant be fixed

[@Max_Da_G]

He is applying the logic of a civilian that wants to look and act like an SF operator, to a service rifle that is issued at an infantry unit level.

[@TheRealXDeadmeatX]

Still no bolt hold open... Oh well, maybe in another 70 years.

[@snz_iisera]

14:25 why did it make lego breaking sound?💀💀💀

[@minerjr1112]

When doing marksmanship in Army Basic training it is in the regulation that during the prone unsupported portion you can rest your magazine on the ground. Drill Sergeants make sure to point it out since more people pass that way.

[@MaJunior00]

Once upon a time, it wasn't. We had people get absolutely wrecked for doing it during range week in boot camp. (USMC, '97-'03)

[@coppertopv365]

Not in my Day

[@minerjr1112]

All I'm saying is that less than a year ago that's what they where telling us

[@coppertopv365]

Ah.. so its recent.. hell I got out in 04, shit does change. Back in may day you got told that if you use the mag as support, the theory was it may cause a FTF, Missfeeding, or other issues.

[@minerjr1112]

@@coppertopv365 they told us all that was untrue and if it happened it was because we had a bad magazine or our gun wasn't clean

[@superdevyn]

Thank you for making my quest to learn more about guns easier, I have been a gun nerd for years and I am so happy that I found your channel. I look forward to supporting your channel for years to come!

[@cascadianrangers728]

Actually, I don't think I ever used my peq 16 to actually aim and fire my rifle, I mostly used it to show enemy/possible enemy positions, point out things that needed a good air striking or mortaring, and to blind dogs (don't ask)

[@marcomartins3563]

What you mean by blinding dogs?

[@cascadianrangers728]

@@marcomartins3563 not literally, or forever, but a red laser to the eye will get an animals/dogs attention, when they are doing shit they shouldn't, like getting into the c wire, going thru burn pit, chasing down local children to maul them, etc. It sounds harsh, but everyone else just shot them, I could have but didn't want to. It's still cruel, tho, but cruelty is sometimes nesseccary in war

[@edherdman9973]

@@cascadianrangers728 I imagine there's some puppies out there thanks to your thoughtfulness. Figures that humanity has all this technology but we're basically still dealing with the same kinds of problems as always, like roaming dogs.

[@cascadianrangers728]

@@edherdman9973 There's primitive, and then there's Iraqi primitive...I've seen them jumpstart a car by connecting the battery terminals not with cables, but with a steel underfolding akm rifle

[@forestfox6528]

Ну начнём с того, что ЛЦУ (лазерный целеуказатель) никто из моих знакомых не использует, т.к. от него смысла как бы нет. Ранние версии АК-12, которая представлена в видео, были выпущены малой партией и, как любое оружие, дорабатывалось в боях. Еще играет роль естественный отбор, если ты стоишь по середине боя и вдупляешь в переводчик огня на калаше, то тут точно 200 и другого выхода нет, таких инвалидов и с 74М хватает, которые расслабляют его в положение, когда темп стрельбы определяет отдача