AK S Hustler

AK's, you either like them or you hate them it would seem. You will see very few AKs being used in skirmishes, and I think this is mostly down to their appearance and the lack of add-ons. They are a classic design, but not as liked as the M16 and H+Ks which have a more ergonomic design. It's no secret that the AK is my favourite skirmish AEG. The Marui AKs are very solid guns, with almost no flex in them. This is because just about all of the gun except the lower receiver is metal. This is what I like about the AK, it feels cold, and weighty, and even clunks when you put it down!! Performance wise the AK easily holds it's own. The barrel is only slightly shorter than the SG1 so it's range and accuracy are very good. The gun is quieter than most when shooting, which really can help in the woods, and the 600 round hicap really makes a difference. The stick batteries the AKs uses do not last too long, and I've taken to putting a large battery on the outside. I like the small size of the 's' as it makes the gun very easy to use in all situations, but get the AK with the stock if this is not an issue for you. The 'wooden' furniture is very realistic and the fore-grip is very comfortable. The wood stock AK takes a large battery which will last a whole day. Tape the butt plate on though because they can get knocked of during games. There are not many add-ons for the AKs, which puts some people off. There are different flash hiders, and the furniture can be replaced with real wood and resin items. The skeletal stock gives the gun a much more modern look and the First custom AK's look really cool. The 600 round hicap makes this the perfect AEG for skirmishers who like to minimise the amount of fiddling about you'll need to do during games. This is a really good skrmish weapon, especially if your main concern is the AEG's all-round performance, rather than which films it's 'starred' in and the amount of things which bolt onto it!! We use AKs as hire guns at our skirmish sites and they have been very reliable and a hit with the players too.

Tokyo Marui AK47 S

Tokyo Marui AK47

First Custom AK Pilebunker

AK Hustler

Projects

AEGs

First Custom AK Mirage S

Gas Pistols

My first AK was an ex rental 'S' model. It had had a hard life but I used it all the time and apart from the time it disappeared into the mud at Chobham it never let me down. It soon started to get fiddled with though..I fitted a GGW custom foregrip and a 470mm (SG-1) TN barrel topped off with a Dragunov flash-hider. Then a scope mount, which came fitted to a replacement blued steel top cover and a 2.5x32 scope, which matches the guns range pretty well and is great for spotting. Once you get used to stripping down an AK it takes about five minutes, but they are so reliable it doesn't need doing often. The huge mag capacity really is an advantage, not just in play but also because you only really need one magazine. In the end the electrics died on the AKs. It was a rental gun for a year and I used and abused it for six months. It won't exactly be hard to sort out, but things move on.......

Stuff

AK Hustler Evo II

We got a pair of woodstock AKs for use as hire AEG's at Ambush. I decided to run one in and I never gave it back! With the 'S' having finally given up on life I hadn't used an AK for a few months and within a half hour I'd realised what I'd been missing. Within a week it was 'Hustlerised' with the black furniture from the AK 'S', the wooden stock painted to match, and the scope mount, and front end off the AK 'S' minus the long TN Barrel and the Dranunov flash hider. The reason I switched over the front end was simply because the old one was already old and the new one is still new, but I put a standard length TN barrel and the normal flash hider on it to retain the classic AK look. The long TN barrel and the Dragunov flash hider were recycled onto the SR16 Deluxe. The scope mount top cover can now be securely fixed on (bolted!) so I now have an AK without all the tape! Internally the AKH EVO got a Top End Tune Up' of 1 joule spring, and Systema piston head, piston and spring guide (Airsoft Dynamics £75-85) giving it a reliable 325fps. There are cheaper ways to similar power, but reliability drops a lot. Batteries drain quicker with any power up grade so carry a spare, even a 1500 Mah battery may not last all day. And if you fit the parts yourself remember to superglue the piston head to the piston or it will unscrew itself! D'oh!!

I decided that if anything the only thing that didn't seem right about my AK was that it looked too new. Has anyone out there ever seeen an AK that didn't look beaten up? Since this AK has the old front end I decided to get out the wire wool and start rubbing at it. The result was an aged look, since under Marui's nice finish there is nice shiny metal. A few parts are plastic so they were carefully dry brushed with silver paint, and the same thing was then done to the reciever. The finishing touch was the addition of a wood kit. I wasn't sure if I'd really like it since the black look has been my preference. But once fitted the furniture looks amazing. The kit its easily (four screws) but I don't think it would stand up to much removal a refitting. The parts fit exactly and the stock can take large capacity batteries and is about an inch longer than the original one. The butt plate screws onto the stock, so it is finally secure!