In order to participate in the GunBroker Member forums, you must be logged in with your GunBroker.com account. Click the sign-in button at the top right of the forums page to get connected.
Options
Korean AK47 drum mags?
DONDALINGER
Member Posts: 1,541 ✭✭✭
Are the Korean 75 round drum mags reliable? I have read that the Chinese are the best and the Romanian a close second. I found a deal on the Korean drums for $59 each, just not sure about the quality.
Don
Don
Comments
I have one, only ran it a couple of times but it worked ok. No loading instructions were included but I found some on YouTube. 75 rounds in the mag makes for some heavy humping though if you plan to carry the thing anywhere.
Never having tried one, I have no comment on the reliability of the Korean mags in question.
In general, the AK drum mags were originally intended for select fire RPK light machine guns. For something like that, where the platform is heavy to start with and you're going to be firing full-auto as often as not, a drum mag makes lots of sense. For a regular semi-auto rifle? Maybe not so much.
If you go by weight, the ordinary all steel 30 round magazines only weight 0.5lbs each. Polymer ones weigh 0.4 lbs. Meanwhile the Korean 75 round drums weigh 2.5 lbs. Do the math and you actually **ADD** weight per round if you go with drum mags.
5 regular 30 round mags not only weigh less than two 75 round drums, they also take up less space, cost less, and are probably more reliable to boot. Plus of course just having a loaded 75 round drum hanging off your rifle significantly adds to the forward weight of the rifle, reducing handling.
While I can definitely get the appeal of having 75 round cap magazines for "coolness" factor or for other reasons (Eg especially if you have a full auto gun, or a full-auto equivalent like a bump-fire stock, etc), I don't think there is any actual tactical advantage to using one in a fight, and a few potential disadvantages.
quote:Originally posted by ChrisStreett
I have one, only ran it a couple of times but it worked ok. No loading instructions were included but I found some on YouTube. 75 rounds in the mag makes for some heavy humping though if you plan to carry the thing anywhere.
Never having tried one, I have no comment on the reliability of the Korean mags in question.
In general, the AK drum mags were originally intended for select fire RPK light machine guns. For something like that, where the platform is heavy to start with and you're going to be firing full-auto as often as not, a drum mag makes lots of sense. For a regular semi-auto rifle? Maybe not so much.
If you go by weight, the ordinary all steel 30 round magazines only weight 0.5lbs each. Polymer ones weigh 0.4 lbs. Meanwhile the Korean 75 round drums weigh 2.5 lbs. Do the math and you actually **ADD** weight per round if you go with drum mags.
5 regular 30 round mags not only weigh less than two 75 round drums, they also take up less space, cost less, and are probably more reliable to boot. Plus of course just having a loaded 75 round drum hanging off your rifle significantly adds to the forward weight of the rifle, reducing handling.
While I can definitely get the appeal of having 75 round cap magazines for "coolness" factor or for other reasons (Eg especially if you have a full auto gun, or a full-auto equivalent like a bump-fire stock, etc), I don't think there is any actual tactical advantage to using one in a fight, and a few potential disadvantages.
I agree with you on a lot of what you are saying. The appeal for me is having 75 rounds of "uninterrupted" fire power (assuming a reliable no jam feed) if the situation ever gets that critical where the extra time for critical mag changes becomes a factor. You really never know, but its nice having options. Yes the weight factor is real, cost is more, reliability ect....
I would like to see how much faster one could fire 150 rounds using 2 drums as opposed to using 5 (30) rounders. May not be that much different. Thanks for the reply. Don
quote:if the situation ever gets that critical where the extra time for critical mag changes becomes a factor. Out of curiosity, what scenario do you envision where you get into a fight, fire off 30 rounds, and then the 5 second (or less) interval between swapping mags is the thing that gets you killed? IE, exactly how many adversaries are you fighting off with your lone rifle with no cover to hide behind to change mags? [;)]
Don't get me wrong, I definitely "get" the allure of bottomless mags, but I think these are more for tacticool fantasy and range "ha-has" than actual benefit. IE, buy this because its fun, not because you're going to "go to war" with it.
Most shooters just end up using these to waste ammo faster and burn out barrels. The guys who "do it for a living" and who can pick whatever equipment they like (eg SWAT guys, special forces, etc) usually don't pick the "super" mags; they're just too heavy. And not to burst your bubble or anything, but my guess is you're probably NOT going to get into a firefight requiring suppressive level fire on your end in the near future. Or at least I hope not [;)][:p]
quote:You really never know, but its nice having options. Yes the weight factor is real, cost is more, reliability ect....Well, honestly, I don't think $65 for one of these things (or whatever) is going to break your bank. I don't consider that an issue at all; you can always sell it later and get most of your money back.
But loaded, these mags weigh fully 4.5lbs. . .so you're turning your handy 7.5lb AK into a 12 lb gun! At the range maybe that's OK, but I don't want to lug that thing around all day with me, especially when it won't lay flat against my back because of the drum.
If you really want options, you can buy 40 round steel mags for as little as $15 each:
https://www.classicfirearms.com/romanian-40-round-ak-47-magazine
Need 90 rounds? Here you go:
I keep five steel mags in one of the old 5-cell type Commie slung pouches. Mine is leather, but its otherwise basically exactly like this canvas/vinyl one:
http://www.aimsurplus.com/product.aspx?item=XAKMAGPOUCH30&name=Surplus+European+AK+Magazine+Pouch&groupid=81
These are a little harder to find then they used to be, but there are still plenty of them out there on Ebay, at gunshows, etc for around $10-20 each. So I can grab that, sling it, and have 150 rounds on tap in an easy to carry way, with ear plugs and cleaning supplies in the small side pouches. Maybe not quite as elegant as a 75 round drum, but IMO more practical.