Have you ever ever bought an excellent gun with horrible furnishings? That occurred to me after I bought the Chiappa RAK-9. It’s an inexpensive, blowback-operated 9mm AK that makes use of Chiappa’s proprietary magazines, or you may swap magwells to make use of Glock or Beretta magazines. The included AK furnishings was god-awful, so I began buying round and settled on Magpul.
Customizing an AK with Magpul
The RAK-9’s inventory is a horrible thumbhole design, doing its finest to mimic a Dragunov inventory. The handguards blocked my capability to make use of the rear sight, so all of it needed to go. There are many choices on the web, however I had some particular standards. First, this was an inexpensive gun, and I wished to maintain it an inexpensive gun.
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I didn’t need crap, both. I wished to outfit the gun with trendy, high-quality furnishings. I additionally wished a pleasant, brief size of pull (LOP). The included inventory was in extra of 14 inches, and to hell with that. I like a shorter LOP, and so do my spouse and youngsters, who get pleasure from capturing 9mm PCCs, particularly when they’re suppressed.
So, I landed on Magpul’s doorstep. Magpul makes a ton of various choices for the AK, together with the inexpensive MOE and the pricier Zhukov furnishings. I saved it easy and snagged a Magpul MOE handguard, inventory, and K2 pistol grip.
For the reason that rifle is imported, I needed to observe the dreaded 922r. Nicely, I did, as a result of I’m throwing this factor up on the web. My components included the Magpul pistol grip, the Magpul inventory, the handguard, and a USA-made journal, which provides me three components.
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The Magpul AK World
First off, AKs are enjoyable to decorate. When you’re used to the AR, you’re doubtless used to a normal the place AR components match ARs. The AK isn’t at all times that simple. Some small variations could make accessorizing troublesome, particularly whenever you’re making an attempt to toss AK furnishings on a non-standard AK platform just like the RAK-9.
To get every little thing to suit proper, it took an excellent diploma of submitting and unbending some components on the RAK-9. It took about an hour with a hand file to get the handguard to suit. I additionally needed to take away the steel warmth guard contained in the handguard for it to work on the RAK-9. The MOE inventory and grip went on with little drama.
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A faucet from a mallet was wanted to get the inventory to sit down far sufficient to connect. Magpul’s attachment methodology for the inventory is wise. It’s connected via the receiver trunnion tang after which via a wedge block that bolts into the inventory. It’s intelligent and intensely safe; it doesn’t budge as soon as connected. The LOP is just a little over 12 inches, so it’s fairly brief and comfortable.
The K2 grip is one among my favorites. It’s slim, trim, and angled to work with shorter LOP shares. It’s a pistol grip that’s comfortable, well-textured, and even permits for storing Skittles within the backside. I don’t have a lot else to speak about there.
Rocking and Rolling With Magpul AK Furnishings
The inventory is sort of good; it’s brief, mild, and comfy. It makes use of the A-frame design we see with quite a lot of Magpul’s AR shares. This inventory doesn’t fold or modify; it’s one measurement and stays one measurement. The inventory integrates a grippy rear recoil pad and the Magpul rollover toe.
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The rollover toe helps make it simpler to shoot in equipment or to swap shoulders with out something gripping your gun as you progress it. It’s a pleasant characteristic, and as somebody who does PCC competitions on occasion, I do like a easy transition from shoulder to shoulder when the stage requires it.
The cheek relaxation portion opens as much as reveal a storage compartment inside. You’ll be able to match small batteries, a cleansing equipment, a device, Skittles, and so on. You may as well substitute the included cheek pad with a better one. That’s good as a result of with AK scope mounts, the optic sits pretty excessive, so with a normal AK inventory, you’re diminished to a chin weld reasonably than a cheek weld. A excessive riser provides that good cheek weld again.
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We get two sling ports which are ambidextrous. There’s a QD cup on either side of the inventory, in addition to a loop for open webbing should you take that route. It’s much more pleasant than traditional AK sling mounts, particularly should you use a contemporary tactical two-point sling.
General, it’s a incredible inventory. Positive, it’s easy, however in the end it is vitally snug and straightforward to shoot with. It matches me and most of my household, making the RAK-9 accessible to everybody. I’m planning so as to add a cheek riser to the gun, making it a bit extra accessible with the optic I’ve mounted.
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Getting a Grip
The handguard is customary AK in form and measurement. The Zhukov is just a little longer, however the MOE was advantageous for my PCC. The Magpul handguard, in fact, comes with M-LOK slots. We get a backside row and a row on either side. Magpul produces two fashions: one for a entrance loop sling and one for AKs with out one.
Each supply loads of room for equipment, so long as your equipment are pretty small and also you solely want three of them. On a PCC, I don’t want many equipment, however I would add a vertical grip as a result of I discover them extra snug.
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With the 9mm AK, eradicating the steel warmth guard wasn’t a problem. I dumped a Magpul D-50 drum via the gun, and the handguard didn’t get too scorching to deal with. I discovered it to be fairly snug, and it now permits me to make use of my rear sight, though the gun is rocking a purple dot now.
Going Magpul
The Magpul AK furnishings has taken the RAK-9 from an unergonomic, ugly gun to a a lot handier and better-looking rifle. Positive, I might shoot the RAK-9 with the inventory furnishings, however the Magpul setup is rather more pleasant. For a few hundred bucks, the RAK-9 turned a a lot better gun general. I believe Chiappa might staff up with Magpul to make a way more accessible gun, however that’s simply my opinion.
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