Panteao Productions' Jim Fuller AK Armorer's Bench Review

Out of the gates, I have to say a great video!  It is just over 3 hours in length without the included extras.  The extras do have some great info as well, but these are the Pro Tips that will probably be available on Panteao's You Tube page eventually.

Like the Travis Haley Adaptive Kalash video, it has Panteao's excellent production quality, which is great for the detail close up shots.  However, I did find myself wishing that there was a full HD digital download or Blu-ray available.  I ordered the DVD instead of viewing it through Panteo's streaming HD monthly subscription.  While Panteao's subscription service is a great deal, I did have to cut back on it a couple of months ago.  Plus, I really like to have a DVD or digital copy for those times I don't have an internet connection.  While this DVD is well done and more than sufficient quality, this is one time on an instructional DVD I thought HD would be a plus due to the small parts and detail close ups being just that little bit more crisper.  Honestly, on most DVDs as long as good information gets across, I'm happy with relatively low production quality.  However, Panteao is definitely starting to change my standards.

The DVD starts with the typical safety rules, introduction of Jim Fuller, and history of the AK.  Then it moves into basic field stripping and more detailed bolt disassembly.  Fuller next explains the fire control group in detail with a very neat color coded cutaway of the mechanism.  For those of you that are new to the AK platform, it will help your understanding of the fire control group immensely!  After showing the trigger group workings, the different U.S. group options are discussed along with modifications to improve the trigger pull (but not the overall weight, which for most groups is light enough for the purpose).  Before moving to the outside of the rifle, cleaning is discussed.

The DVD then moves to the exterior for awhile.  Changing of furniture is covered, along with some of the options out there.  Sight adjustment and replacement sights are detailed as well. The Magna-matic sight tool is featured too as a great adjustment method and particularly so for stuck sights.  While the Magna-tool is an excellent option, it doesn't fit some of gas/front sight combo blocks like the Draco and AK-104 style.  Minor gripe for only a few AK users, but if you have one of these with a stuck Draco sight drum like I did, a wrench socket can support a Kroil soaked front sight block while using punch will do the trick.  While not covered in the DVD, I believe though I did learn the socket method from a Fuller post on a message board.

Next, muzzle devices are then talked about where Fuller recommends different types flash hiders and brakes, especially the AK Battlecomp, of which Fuller's Rifle Dynamics is the exclusive distributor.  The typical 14x1 LH and 24x1 RH threadings on AKs shown.  Booster usage for short barrel rifles is explained too.  He also shows how to check that the threads are concentric to avoid bullet strikes.

After muzzle devices, Fuller of the details the cycle of operation first from the gas system side.  Fuller shows why piston wobble is actually recommended.  Then feeding, the bolt carrier cycle, and ejection is modeled with dummy rounds and the previous chapter on the fire control group is referenced.  Fuller also credits the AK's tapered rounds for part of its feeding and ejecting reliability.  While not that big of deal, I do wish there was a little more detail here.  Discussing how the bolt is camming and locking up would have been nice.  That can somewhat be shown through the magazine well, there probably isn't a really good way to show bolt without some kind cutaway.  Another minor thing that could have been nice is pointing out the ejector and how to check it.

At this point the DVD is about 2 hours in and now definitely takes a shift to more advanced techniques.  Some of the fixes after this require a hydraulic press with tooling and jigs being highly recommended.  Often the ones that require the press are really just guidelines of how it is done since there is no press in the video's work area.  If you have enough hydraulic press experience you could probably pull off what Fuller discusses but for a beginner who bought a press to do some serious AK work, it wouldn't cut it.  However, Fuller does mention that there are plans do do more advanced videos of these things in the future.

Trigger guard and magazine latch replacement is the first one of these that would need a press and jig.  However, even for someone like me who probably won't do something like this it was still cool to see and helped my overall understanding of AK construction.  Also the AK-Builder jigs featured are mechanically  interesting to me as well.  Almost makes me wish the days of parts kits weren't pretty much over so I would finally build an AK from a flat.  

The next topic of barrel removal is another one that requires a press.  It was definitely interesting to get an idea of what it would take to change out an AK barrel, but again unless you have a press and some general experience, it was more academic.

Fuller then moves forward and shows how to check the front sight, gas block and rear sight for alignment and then fixing cant.  However, Fuller makes a point that needs to be reiterated: not all canted sights are a bad thing, sometimes it is for a slightly bent barrel.  Canted sights don't scare me that much, and this video shows how to fix them if they need to be.  In my opinion, I would only absolutely fix front sights if I ran out of windage adjustment before point of aim/point of impact matched up.  I would consider fixing cant if I used so much windage to zero that the sight was close to one of the sight ears. But if the front sight is canted and the post is somewhat close to center I leave the sight alone!

Mag well and latch adjustment is addressed next.  Overall, great advice to help you with a misfeeding AK.  Another nice part of the video is safety fitting.  Fuller goes through multiple methods to loosen up the safety and make it easier to move.

The DVD closes out with sight mounting options, 922r compliance which then leads into Fuller's take on the modern AK.  The Ultimak, US Palm (Midwest Industries), and Texas Weapons Systems mounts are recommended, with Ultimak installation and tips being demonstrated.

As seems to be their standards, Pantaeo and Jim Fuller have an made excellent effort.  While not perfect, I cannot think of a better single source for basic AK technical information.  It will be interesting to see what else will come out of this relationship in the future.  This was so exhaustive of the basics, the only way I see for them to go from here is really AK building (of which the heydays have unfortunately passed) and true AK gunsmithing. It covers nearly everything needed at an Armorer "kitchen table" level.  Every serious AK owner needs a copy! 

Strike Industries AK Rail Range Report

I finally was able to get out to the range with the Strike Industries AK Rail.  It performed great!  While sighting it in, I wasn't really understanding the distances from the bullseye that my spotter was calling.  I was just happily firing away and he finally says "I don't know what more you want to accomplish, that looks great" followed by "for an AK" (he's a bullpup guy). Throwing out called flyers, I had about a 10 round 3 inch group at 40 yards off not the world's best rest.  I'm sure I could tighten things up some with a better rest and smaller strings, but it was evident that the mount was not limiting the accuracy at all.  In snap shooting, the Primary Arms Micro Dot was quick and not too high.  The mount itself is rock solid.  The only way I could see this mount having issues is if the set screws started to work out but that didn't and shouldn't happen with the Locite.

I think the steadiness of this mount compared to the Midwest Industries and even LaRue rear sight mounts is that it has two points of contact on the rear sight block that are on either side of the connection point.  This makes more of a bridge effect that reduces the chances of the mount shifting vertically.  Both of those other mounts do not have a true point of contact forward of the rear sight pin holes.  Like a loose plank flipping up as you walk on one end of it, only having that single point of contact gives a fulcrum point of the rear sight pinholes and the other mounts tend to bounce up under recoil.  I now have a Midwest Industries rear sight mount that I hope to directly compare to if Strike Industries do produce one for the Micro Dots as they have eluded.  While normally Midwest makes some great stuff, their rear sight mount has undergone one redesign and some people still have issues.  If Strike Industries keeps the same basic design of having 2 contact points forwards and aft of the sight pin holes, I believe future optic specific mounts will be winners.

One of the other interesting things this mount features is the backup rear sight channel.  It was effective enough for backup use, although it definitely had a limited FOV with the optic on. Still, it would work in a pinch of the red dot going down.  I did find that removing the optic changed the point of impact vertically even though the mount did not shift at all.  This was due to without the Micro Dot on the rail you can see more of the front sight in the rear channel and you basically end up using two different points of aim.

At $45, it is a great low profile way to mount that won't break the bank.  The Strike Industries AK Rail is a perfect fit for my Draco carbine that doesn't have a side rail or a factory Ultimak option, both of which would be more expensive options if available.  It's closest competitor price-wise would be a side mount like the BP-02, which requires a side rail, doesn't have the option of still being able to use irons with it, and actually sits at about the same height.  If you require the QD feature like a side rail, you can always get a QD base on your optic.  The height of the Strike Industries rail is still lower than most side mounts/optics like the MTK-03, Kobra, and the PSO/POSP.  To go lower you would need to go for something like an Ultimak gas tube, Midwest Industries railed handguard, or RS Regulate side mount.  While all of these are great options, they will set you back more than the Strike Industries'.  That's also not mentioning the two other similar competitors of the Scoutscope and Samson mounts that seem overpriced now compared to this new mount.    Overall, this is a excellent entry into the AK market for Strike Industries and I look forward to their new product line!

See part one of this review- First Impressions

Disclaimer:  This mount was provided free of charge from Strike Industries for this review.  I hope to keep working with them to give more information about their new products.

Rear Sight Rails

Steve at The Firearm Blog has a post up about Strike Industries's rear sight rail.  These are similar to the Iron Dot style mounts that Midwest Industries and Attero Arms currently produce, but they differ in that they have a more universal Weaver/Picatinny rail and do not co-witness.  If you are interested, Strike Industries looks to be the most affordable.  However, Samson makes one with an under rail tunnel for the rear sight that usable with the optic on but it is pricey.  The Scout Scopes mount is lower and also offers a rear sight for use when the optic is removed.  Polytech also makes/made one that is available at a few places but I'm not sure of it's current production status due to the Chinese import ban here.  It looks not to have a rear sight option.

Military Arms Channel's Midwest Industries New Rail video

Must get to SHOT next year...



It will take the optic specific upper handguards. It will also allow for multiple attachment points for sling swivel studs. Have to buy one now...

Midwest Industries Modular Handguard

Midwest Industries has a new handguard coming out. It is apparently named AK-SS, maybe for Smooth Side? This one is aluminum like there current ones, but has detachable rails, almost like a Aluminmum AK version of Magpul's MOE AR handguards. They are also offering it in the "X" version which extends out the handguard past the handguard retainer. This allows for a much further forward grip which is popular with a lot of new school shooters, like Chris Costa and many 3 gun competitors. Also, the option to mount things that far forward is a plus for those that run foregrips on their AKs since it will get the grip out of the way of rocking in the magazine.

Here's the Highlights:
"-No gunsmith install, Installs in minutes with wrenches provided in the kit.
-Modular side rails attach where the operator needs them for mission specific requirements.
-Three rail sections included two short ( 1.5 inches long) and one ( three inches long).
-Each hand guard features five anti rotation sling swivel sockets two on each side and one on the bottom.
-Extremely light weight . AK-SS model is 9.1 oz the AK-SS-X is 11.3 oz three rail sections add 1.6 oz of weight.
-Narrow design 1.730 about the same width as standard wood units.
-Available with optic specific top covers
-Constructed from 6061 aluminum hard coat anodized for a lifetime of service.
-Come in three colors BLACK ,FDE,OD GREEN
-100 percent MADE IN THE USA
-Lifetime warranty
patent pending
The highest quality most versatile AK hand guard on the market.
suggested retail MI-AK-SS $149.95 MI-AK-SS-X $179.95"

Overall, I've liked the concept MI's previous railed handguards, but like a lot of AK guys, I look at all that rail space and see extra weight and rough edges that I need to smooth over with rail covers since I generally only use one small rail to mount a light. The weight of their handguards are just slightly heavier than a normal AK handguard. This one might finally move me to buy one of these, especially if they can couple it with the optic specific top handguard.

Midwest Industries Mini Dot Mount seems to have its bugs worked out.

Surprisingly for MI's normal level of quality, they had a few tilting problems with their new Iron Dot style rear sight mount. They claim to have now fixed it. You can get an upgraded version if you already have one and if you are now interested in buying an improved one they are in stock.

Hat tip to Shooter521 at INGO.

They also have an interesting new flash hider that has TGI BART style spikes and they claim it reduces recoil.

I will not be buying from Attero Arms.

I noticed this morning that a lot of the traffic lately has been from this thread at TheHighRoad.org where the Attero Arms interview and Twisterx44 statement is linked.

Let me give you some behind the scenes information. I was skeptical at first about the Twisterx44 reviews of course since they were plastered all over the gunboards. I contacted Attero through their contact page and Twisterx44 through private messaging on my local gunboards, INGO. I was also able to find through Google some background on Twisterx44. At one point on the night of the July 27th and morning of the 28th, Twisterx44 through PMs had me convinced that he was a young, uninitiated, local buyer of an Attero Arms SBR. He told me that he had made a mistake, was hurting Attero, and wanted me to edit my blog post. I also received an email from Attero Arms on the 28th stating:

"We have taken care of the issue on the majority of major forums. At this point, your blog post is sort of the only remaining controversy regarding the topic, so unfortunately I am going to have to ask you to at least remove the portion of your post regarding Twisterx44 or our involvement with it.

Thanks for your cooperation and your interest in the matter."

I was initially very angry about this email. However, I gave it some time and gave them benefit of the doubt. I also wanted to be as factual as possible and not inflammatory to a new company if they were actually on the up and up, so I did edit out a few lines that stated that some people would need more evidence to believe it. I now regret that edit as it makes me seem to unwittingly support a possible guerrilla marketing campaign. The whole time if I had just went back to that THR.org thread, I believe I would have seen the compelling evidence that I was looking for and has now been removed.

I now feel that there is enough coincidences and circumstantial evidence that I personally have made the decision not to buy from Attero Arms.

Please, make up your own minds if you are interested in their products. You may believe that Attero and Twisterx44 are one in the same or that they are as they have stated here separate entities. Even if you believe it was a guerrilla marketing, you may also have it in your heart to forgive what seems to be a new business ran by young people. If decide to buy from them let me know what you think, especially their mount. But I will be buying a Midwest Industries T1 mount instead and a Primary Arms micro red dot to go with it as soon as I can afford it.

I feel that I need to make a full disclosure to clear my name if possible. I understand that the similar I time restarted this blog may make it seem that if you believe Attero Arms was guerrilla marketing that I may have been part of their campaign. I mostly definitely was NOT a part of a campaign. I did at one point offer my blog as a place to get their statements out since it seemed Attero Arms specifically didn't have public statement out. I also offered for them to link any of my blog posts if they wanted. Other than the email exchanges for information on the situation and product offering, I have had no other contact with Attero. I was just trying to get out more information overall of what looked to be an interesting product. I feel that I may have been used to help their guerrilla marketing campaign in that process.

Unlike pages and forum registrations that have been disappearing after this incident, all of my forums registrations have been and will continue to be maintained as will my Photobucket account. I am MattCFII on most boards. If you've seen some of my pics that I've hosted through Photobucket you'll see that my account there is under Snake122 which may seem unusual. It was my flight sim username and the first google hit at glogster on that is not mine. However, just about anything else flight sim related that you'd find with that username is mine.

My real name is Matt. I live in Indianapolis, IN. I am married with daughters and in my 30s. I am not naive enough to think that someone could find out more about me but right now that is all the info I want to release. I have learned a lot with this incident and feel like I will be a better blogger because of it. I apologize for any offense I have caused my readers due to this controversy. Please feel free to air out an concerns you have in the comments.

UPDATE:

That thread has expanded and I think most people will now agree that Twisterx44 is Nate from Attero Arms. I have seen other evidence that completely convinces me of this as well. Again, it is a young soldier with a startup company that made a very bad decision. You may my be able to forgive him and try their products. Personally due to the ride he took me on, I cannot.

And it becomes a whole new Iron Dot Market

Midwest Industries has a new Iron Dot style mount.

Interestingly it will work with Aimpoint Micro style, along with the Primary Arms and Vortex Sparc clones (Sparc won't co-witness due to the emitter location).

Update: Primary Arms should have them instock early next week.

(Hat Tip kmrtnsn)