http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgikWxlyOEM
I ran into this interesting concept at SHOT Show 2012. This is an early prototype of a quick take-down AK. There is a very real possibility US PALM will put these into limited production.
That’s…
…that’s…
…huh…
Sorta of want.
That’s pretty slick right there. Not only could you use it for SBRs and small-space storage, but with a gas tube mounted optic, you wouldn’t have to worry about rezeroing when changing barrels. It’d be like swapping uppers on an AR.
Daddy like.
Seems like a good way to screw with the established reliability of the AK series. Its great to see companies pouring money into aftermarket stuff for the Kalashnikov though, so if it does work well, more power to them…
seems kinda like what I was thinking. It’s interesting and all but it makes more sense in my mind to design a new rifle rather than alter an existing one until it’s no longer what it was. The AK is desirable because it’s proven and it’s inexpensive for a quality platform. This will increase cost and has a direct impact on what makes the gun reliable. That’s not to say it can’t or won’t be a good rifle but it takes the pros and leaves the cons.
HA! I had the exact same reaction
Interesting. Looks like AUG barrel-reciever interface meets AK.
Biggest gripe of armorer level maintenance on an AK now addressed.
Go US Palm.
I wonder if they are using US made barrels?
They’d have to use either US barrels, US trunnions, or BOTH. The locking teeth on that thing would have to be carved out of the existing barrel or you’d need to make a new barrel with added area for teeth. You can’t modify the surplus barrels and trunnions to have that type of locking mechanism since it’s normally a press fit. 
Very interesting concept.
If they do it in 5.56mm, then you could have .300 BLK barrels as well. This is looking quite promising. You could go from a 16" 5.56mm AK to an 8" .300 BLK AK in a couple of seconds. I like it. Gussy it up with some modern AK upgrades like an enhanced safety, better grip, folding adjustable stock, and some rails, and you’ve got quite a little compact package there.
I’ve secretly made fun of .300 BLK and .300 Whisper in the back of my head, but now I have to comment.
What’s the point?!
.300 BLK - 125 gr (8.1 g) OTM 2,215 ft/s (675 m/s)
.300 Whisper - 125 gr (8.1 g) JHP 2,100 ft/s (640 m/s)
7.62x39 123 gr (8.0 g) FMJ 2,400 ft/s (731.5 m/s) !!!
As far as I have been able to tell, .300 Whisper and BLK are just ways to trick AR users into getting the “wonderful” ballistics of the AK in the body of an AR (my main joke is you put .300 Whisper in a piston AR and pretend it’s something new, when the Soviets thought of it in 1947 :D)
Now, I’m not saying they’re not good rounds. I’m not saying there isn’t a good reason to put them in ARs. My question is this: Why would you want to have .300 BLK or Whisper in an AK, when the end result will be something nearly identical to what you’ve been able to get in an AK since the day it was born???
Honest question. I actually want to know.
I think the first guys stating this is getting at the fact you could use the same bolt and same mags to go from 5.56 to .300 BLK. All that would be needed is a new front end. I can’t speak for him definitively but that is one of the selling points in the AR world as well for the 300 BLK.
But I agree with you - the 7.62x39 is well proven in the AK platform and you would likely be able to pick up a cheap AK in 7.62 for the same or less money than one of the fancy 300 BLK front ends… If US Palm ever continues with the project…
Spooky
OHH! Thanks for that, I totally forgot about that! It’s not just 7.62x39 ballistics… it’s 7.62x39 ballistics with minimal changes (and changing a bolt in an AK is MUCH worse than doing it in an AR, so it’s an even better benefit in an AK). It’d be almost the same as having a 5.56 AK and a 7.62x39 AK (at least, ballistics-wise), except with the easy barrel swap of the AR.
Great point, thanks Spooky and LHS.
The original AK47 had a barrel with 23mm threads that screwed into the receiver. So if this concept doesn’t work, maybe they could take a look in that direction. It seems as if they are basing their concept on the M240 barrel lock.
Not bad. If they can keep the cost down and it functions as advertised then it had some definitve possibilities.
True, you could just get a 7.62mm AK and be done with it. However, the popularity of the .300 BLK means there are some really nice bullets coming down the pike, whereas the 7.62x39mm is rather limited in terms of available modern projos. Yes, Hornady makes a 7.62x39mm load, but using .300 BLK opens up a whole new world of options, including factory subsonics if you so desire. This way you could use common 5.56mm ammo in a 16" barrel for general purpose use, and swap it out for an 8" .300 BLK barrel with subsonics and a suppressor for quiet use. It’s just more versatile than your standard AKM. And if your ARs are all 5.56mm (or even 5.56mm and .300 BLK), then you can use whatever barrel/caliber combo best suits your setup.
And yes, you can do the same thing with an AR. The primary benefit I see with the AK option is the ability to have a folding stock, which is only really useful in a limited number of scenarios, but it just so happens that I want one for such a scenario For some narrow applications, it’s worth giving up the AR’s superior ergos to get a more compact overall package.
Kinda reminds me of one of the more innovative home builds I’ve seen (unfortunately it was a screw build)
It’s a multi-caliber (9mm and 7.62tok) take down AK. IIRC he used a PPsh-41 barrel and a Suomi barrel combined with Uzi trunnions to accomplish this.
Still, I’m sure it requires removing the furniture to change calibers or break down so it’s not going to be nearly as fast.
That’s a pretty sweet idea. It looks like it has the chamber on the inside so the headspace never changes, you just change the barrel you screw onto it. Obviously 9mm and 7.62 are different chambers, but that barrel stub seems to remain in there. Does the barrel somehow sleeve into that?
put me on the pre order list for sure!!!
I like the idea. If it comes out I hope it’s affordable. The option to change between barrel lengths always get my attention. Go US Palm!