By now everyone have heard about and seen picture of the new rifle that Russian arsenal “Izhmash” calls a fifth generation AK—the AK-12. The reaction to the release of this rifle was not unanimously positive in Russia itself and here in the USA. Some critics say: It is still an AK. Traditionalists cry: It is no longer the legendary rifle. The truth of the matter is: It is both a legendary AK, only different.

What makes this gun different from the previous AK modifications, especially the ill-fated AK-200? Though by the admission of the designers themselves it is still essentially a Kalashnikov, the gun was actually redesigned to address several “deficiencies” that some AK critics constantly voiced, especially in relation to never ending AK vs. AR argument.

Staunch AK critics usually cite three main points which they base their AK inferiority argument: the ergonomics, modularity and sight radius, according to some negatively affecting the AK’s accuracy.

Well, the ergonomics were greatly improved on the new gun by introduction of one-handed controls, ambidextrous thumb safety, mag release and bolt hold-open release, as well as an ingeniously designed swappable charging handle. These features are accompanied by a new pistol grip and telescopic folding stock with adjustable cheekpiece.

The modularity was addressed by the introduction of Picatinny rails on the top of a redesigned locking top cover and quad rail hand guards with additional mini rails on the gas block. Now you will run out of accessories before running out of rails.
The sighting radius is now not only longer than that of an M4, but also of the full-length AR.

There are other well thought-out improvements such as an elongated muzzle brake that now permits the use of Western grenade launchers.

I already was an AK-74 fan, but now the good ole reliable 74 would gain all the features that M4 has. Best of both worlds I say.

But I know no matter what the new AK has become, no matter how many well-designed features it gained there always will be those who just do not like AKs. But I am sure their numbers are shrinking.

This rifle has not been adopted by any military. Its development was initiated not by Russia’s armed forces, but purely on Izhmash’s initiative. It has undergone field testing and is being evaluated by the military brass as we speak.

Even if the Russian military does not find the AK-12 to their liking, Izhmash management has already announced that the new rifle will also be offered on the commercial market. Well, if Russian Armed Forces don’t want it, then send a few our way. We’ll find a good home for the AK-12.

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AK-12 Assault Rifle

The New AK-12 assault rifle was introduced by Izhmash arsenal in December 2011. It starts from Kalashnikov principles, but adds some more modern touches.

Apparently, Detroit gang members are removing the orange tip from airsoft guns and using them to menace others in that city.

Those with long memories will recall that John Dillinger used a carved wooden gun to break out of jail in Crown Point, Ind., in 1933, so the use of fake guns in crime is hardly new.

Using an altered toy or real gun in a felony would be punishable by up to 18 months in prison.

As has been abundantly demonstrated in nations like Jamaica and Mexico, gun control works in inverse proportion to how badly people want them, and in India, people want them quite a bit.

I had always thought guns were almost impossible to have in India until an old acquaintance, 1976 Olympic gold medalist Lanny Bassham, started coaching an Indian brother and sister in smallbore rifle. “You can have a gun in India?” I asked. “You can if you have money,” was Bassham’s answer.

And now that there’s more money in India, there are more guns, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-india-guns-20120221,0,2480184,full.story

All that Marharishi peace and love stuff seems to be wearing off, thanks to the rarity of police officers and high-profile attacks like the one in Mumbai carried out by the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba in 2008.

“All that Gandhi stuff is for tourists,” said one man quoted by the Times. “They should go off to Varanasi, see the holy cows.”

Well, not so much. It appears that two Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents got into a dustup in a federal building in Long Beach, Calif. that led to one firing on the other. After the second agent suffered a several gunshot wounds, a third agent fired on the first, killing him on the spot.

This incident just demonstrates once again that police are people, too, with all the frailties endemic to the human condition. The notion they should possess a monopoly on deadly force is ridiculous, as this incident demonstrates.

http://news.yahoo.com/ice-agent-shot-dead-california-federal-building-022718660–abc-news.html

For further information contact: Century International Arms, Dept. SGN, 430 South Congress Ave. Suite 1 Delray Beach, FL 33445 or www.centuryarms.com

According to her website, Sasha Gradiva—”also known by her stage name SASHA, is a Russian-born, New York-residing recording artist, songwriter and actress. Her music is a blend of pop dance with strong electro flavor.”

I quit paying attention shortly after Woodstock, so that doesn’t mean much to me, but SASHA got my attention and much of the rest of the known world’s by wearing a pink chiffon gown accented by armor plate and a variety of guns.

Given the security surrounding a celebrity orgy of self-congratulation like the Grammies, I think we can rest assured the arms in question were plastic models, but they made a statement of some sort.

What really interested me was the commentary about the outfit. It wasn’t too long ago that there would have been a lot of tut-tutting about promoting the gun culture. But what I heard about the well-armed frock referred to the Terminator films, not politics. That I call an improvement.

There’s no question that black rifles, especially ARs, are dominating the gun scene these days. I was at the first SHOT Show in 1979, and I wouldn’t be confident in saying there were any ARs shown there. In those days, they were almost exclusively offered by Colt, which sold maybe 7,500 a year.

I would estimate that at this year’s show, there were at least 100 makers of whole guns and another 200 or more suppliers of AR parts. Throw in AKs, FALs and other examples of what the NSSF calls “modern sporting rifles,” and probably 25% or more of the show was black rifle-related.

And there was no question where the action was in Vegas. You had to elbow your way through the aisles of the Law Enforcement section, while things were open and mellow in the traditional hunting part of the show.

This all means that while black guns were once ghettoized into SGN, now everyone’s getting into the act. Magazines that once spurned “assault rifles” are now touting them as ideal hunting guns. That’s pretty funny if you’ve been around a while, but all to the good, nonetheless.

Meanwhile, consolidation is narrowing the field of traditional gunmakers. Harrington & Richardson, Marlin and Remington all were prominent and separate brands when I started in the trade. Now they’re all just components of the Freedom Group, along with black gun purveyors Bushmaster and DPMS. Freedom Group just added Para USA to its stable.

When a big holding company combines formerly free-standing brands, it never advertises as much as did the individual companies. The pages formerly bought by a company like Marlin have to be replaced somewhere, and these days, that somewhere is likely to be an AR manufacturer.

So if you’re bored with ARs on magazine covers, I regret to tell you you’re probably going to have to be bored for a while. I don’t apologize for it in SGN, as ARs have been a vital part of our advertiser base for 25 or 30 years. Your complaints should logically be directed to the Johnny-come-lately types who’ve only recently discovered that “assault rifles” aren’t so bad.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel, former White House Chief of Staff and confidant of the president, today called for legislation establishing a Chicago-style handgun registration regime for the rest of Illinois.

The chance of such a measure passing is remote, since Downstate Democrats and Republicans alike will line up against it, but it puts Chicago on offense at a time when many in Illinois want to change its status as the last state with no provision for concealed carry. I suspect the main purpose of the registration scheme is to blunt progress toward carry legislation.

Following U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder’s admission that the Administration retained the determination to pursue “assault weapon” legislation, Emanuel’s call would seem to indicate a willingness among top Democrats to bring up an issue they’ve spent three years tamping down. Rural Democrat officeholders would no doubt prefer they keep it on the q.t.

For further information contact: Legacy Sports International, LLC, Dept. SGN, 4750 Longley Lane, #209, Reno, NV 89502 or www.legacysports.com