Author Topic: ejection pattern of AK re southpaws?  (Read 1293 times)

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Offline hansg/Ups

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ejection pattern of AK re southpaws?
« on: December 26, 2008, 11:21:16 AM »
Any southpaws have experience with the AK clones? i.e. do you get your face fried with the ejected brass?
Thanks.

Offline securitysix

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Re: ejection pattern of AK re southpaws?
« Reply #1 on: April 14, 2009, 09:26:24 PM »
I've shot both an AK-47 and an AK-74 semi-auto left-handed, never had a problem getting hit by brass. 

Watch out for the slant brakes they put on a lot of them, though.  They'll be set up for right handed people, but in my experience, rifles recoil differently for southpaws than they do for righties.  For right-handed people, the gun tends to go up and to the right.  The slant brake is designed to push the gun down and to the left.  Shooting left-handed, I've noticed that guns tend to recoil straight up.  The slant brake will still push down and left, so when it comes back down level with your target, it will be way off to the left, and you'll have to drag it back over.

You can either get a gun without a slant brake (no brake at all is fine, really), find a slant brake that can be set for either right or left-handed people (I've seen them, but just don't care for them), or replace the slant brake with another style of brake (AK-74 style brakes are fairly easy to find for the '47s and make the gun look better to boot, IMO).

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Re: ejection pattern of AK re southpaws?
« Reply #2 on: May 02, 2009, 02:39:52 AM »
 What Security6 said ...

  Both the 47 and 74 have served me well ... I havent dealt with to many issues of hot particle frags on most of my military styled semi-auto rifles.


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Offline LEO

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Re: ejection pattern of AK re southpaws?
« Reply #3 on: May 11, 2009, 05:41:05 PM »
I have had no problems with the ejection pattern either.  My only gripe with the AKs from a left handers point of view is the selector.  It is very difficult to manipulate without compromising a firing grip on the weapon.  I use my right hand to manipulate the selector but this is awkward and takes some practice to get the least bit comfortable with when trying to do engage or disenage the selector rapidly.

Offline securitysix

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Re: ejection pattern of AK re southpaws?
« Reply #4 on: May 12, 2009, 12:26:49 PM »
I have had no problems with the ejection pattern either.  My only gripe with the AKs from a left handers point of view is the selector.  It is very difficult to manipulate without compromising a firing grip on the weapon.  I use my right hand to manipulate the selector but this is awkward and takes some practice to get the least bit comfortable with when trying to do engage or disenage the selector rapidly.

You can't see me, but I'm waggling my left index finger as I say this:  "This is my safety."  On the range, I don't worry about engaging and disengaging the safety on most things.  It's just inconvenient.  But you do have a point.  Any serious weapon ought to have a safety that you can engage and disengage easily without compromising your shooting stance/position/grip/whatever.

The AR-15 is easy enough to fit an ambidextrous safety to, and I did so with mine when I built it.  Unfortunately, most guns just aren't lefty-friendly, especially the mil-surplus ones.