Truck Guns Part 3: Defense Fueled by Vodka

The truck gun can be virtually any firearm, but to truly assess the multitude of modern applicable firearms as an effective defensive platform, a required evaluation necessitates the most offensive, the AK. The AK has earned two reputations in the 21st Century; the first is a reputation for simplicity and reliability, but this gives way to a platform noted as long outdated and besieged, attempting to maintain pace with other firearms of the late 20th and early 21st Century. The AK family of weapons is lifted by legend and quagmired by age; the AK is a weapon of love and hate. 

No Introduction Needed

The AK family of weapons is iconic, the world over; the AK has continued to be a useful instrument, ranging from conflicts to competitions. Make no mistake, while the AK is a Marxist masterpiece, it took Capitalism to refine it into becoming modular and applicable in a post-GWOT era. Today, the AK has become the Pepsi to the AR15 Coke. Builders like Rifle Dynamics, Halcyon Defense, and Krebs have turned out bespoke rifles, while other companies such as Midwest Industries, KNS Precision, JMAC, and Zenitco have breathed new life into the weapon. The AK continues to not only be an underdog, but it also proves that what isn’t broke doesn’t need fixing.

There are specific criteria for the modern truck gun. As previously stated, the modern truck gun is essentially a PDW with a bottlenecked cartridge. The AK is no stranger to short-barreled models; AK variants have ranged over decades from the efficient like the AKS-74U to the awkward PP-19 Bizon. That said, the AK has continued to meet the criteria for an effective truck gun platform. The deadly effectiveness and low recoil impulse of the 7.62x39 or 5.45x39 chamberings have proven themselves in the fires of combat; the durability is proven, and the ability to fold the stock and run efficiently as a short-barreled weapon creates the perfect breeding ground for a prized truck gun.

Old School Meets New School

The design of the AK is both its greatest strength and its most obvious weakness. The simple steel construction and loose-fitted parts with gracious space provide an action that is reliable and durable. The same construction is also a key weakness; the receiver does not easily lend itself to modern conveniences, and the crude design creates gaps in ergonomics and modularity. Due to the outdated design, these contradictions are worse than Starburst’s commercials of the Scotch-Korean or the Living Dead. As with all great items, there were some good ol’ boys who saw the AK and said, “Hold my vodka.” Americans, doing what they do best, started scheming for ways to improve the AK as it became a common occurrence in daily life during the GWOT. Picatinny rails started to show up on gas tubes, new handguards, grips, improved triggers, and furniture emerged, and it wasn’t long before the AK morphed from the weapon of our enemy to the poor man’s modern rifle.

The AK is a rigid design that corrals innovation into a strict line of travel. These areas that provide innovations should be outlined and addressed. There are a few areas we will analyze on the AK that must be addressed to bring this platform into the light of modern efficiency while still maintaining its strengths in order to provide an effective version of a truck gun. The areas we will analyze are the trigger, furniture, gas tube, and dust cover. A secondary look would include the gas block and muzzle.

Trigger Happy

While the AK is a rather heavy, clunky weapon with the ergonomics of a weapon made from Legos and Lincoln Logs, AK triggers have traditionally been oddly good. As the platform became more desirable and more commonplace, it was a natural progression that improvements would be made. The OG of AK triggers was the Tapco G2. Since then, there has been a massive rise in aftermarket triggers ranging from highly tuned single or double-stage match-grade triggers to the benevolent binary triggers providing a variety of uses for the platform. The most popular would easily be the ALG series of AK triggers. The importance of a truck gun is not just accuracy, but the ability to break contact or provide support by fire to allow loved ones or allies the ability to maneuver with protective fire. For this reason, having the option to run a binary or forced reset trigger would be highly beneficial for anyone using an AK as a truck gun. Consider the use of the platform and select a trigger that improves your options and odds.

Furniture Shopping

How the end user integrates into the use of the weapon is of vital importance. If the weapon is difficult to hold, uncomfortable, or worse, cumbersome, expect efficiency and accuracy to be drastically reduced. Thus, the importance of well-designed and effective furniture plays a vital role in the weapon’s function. A comfortable pistol grip starts a relationship between the user and the weapon. The handguard provides the support hand and accessories for control and options for day and night defense, and it is what marries the weapon to the user; it’s the final part of the puzzle for ensuring the user can effectively shoot multiple shots accurately while integrating the use of iron sights or optics. The two most used stocks are either AR15 stocks attached to the AK via receiver adapters of the now common vertical rear-mounted picatinny rail. The second, and far more useful, is the Zenitco style stock, which has been greatly improved on and made more affordable by Midwest Industries. Midwest Industries provides an Alpha Kit that can ensure virtually all of your AK components, ensuring maximum use of modern accessories and ergonomics. The Alpha stock is second to none, with its aluminium and steel construction providing its users with a folding stock with adjustable length of pull, adjustable comb, and even an adjustable butt plate; QD sockets come standard, and the folding mechanism delivers a solid lock-up and a secure folded position. This stock can be attached via a rear-mounted vertical Picatinny rail.

The handguard is also critical; the handguard ensures placement for the support hand and protects from a hot barrel, but today, the handguard is far more complicated. The handguard is a critical space used for mounting advanced hand placement options, and it provides mounting points for tactical accessories. This means that the handguard must be extremely secure and integrate with the latest designs for modularity and adaptability. Again, Midwest Industries, among others provide a multitude of options for reliable lightweight modular handguards for the AK platform. The new Alpha series from Midwest Industries (I am sure you are seeing a pattern) has solidified itself as an industry leader in AK furniture accessories. The handguard can be ordered in various configurations and lengths. Furthermore, the Alpha also directly integrates with the railed dust cover and other optic mounting solutions, providing a second-to-none option for secure and accurate optics mounting.

Pistol grips are a pretty straightforward product within the gun industry. Choosing a grip is a personal experience, and I would be remiss to press too hard on what grip works best. I will state, given truck guns are meant for short to intermediate ranges, and most shooting would be conducted in the standing and offhand positions, selecting a grip with a less angle and more to a 90 degree angle will provide greater control and reduced stress on your wrist over a period of time. Given the weight of most modernized AKs, this increased weight of the platform will cause a significant increase in stress and fatigue. Choose wisely.

Gas Gas Gas

Today, there are finally options for adjusting the gas system in your AK rifle. The gas system in an AK rifle is notoriously over-gassed, which in part is what has assisted in the legendary reliability of the platform. It is my opinion that having an adjustable gas system not only improves felt recoil but also improves system performance overall. There are two main ways to proceed in deciding what system is best for the end user. Remember, the primary reason is system performance; given the nature of a truck gun and its usage, the ability to tune your weapon to perform optimally is critical, given the confined environment surrounded by glass.

There are choices from JMAC Customs, Rifle Dynamics, and others that manufacture adjustable gas blocks for the AK domestically. There are also overseas options stemming primarily from Russia that also address the gassing issues of the platform. The plus to these systems is the quick access one has for on-the-fly adjustments. As we are building a truckgun, the system is specific, tailored to the environment it's operating in. In this case, I would also highly recommend the KNS Precision adjustable gas piston. This system is not quick adjust like its competitors, but the KNS system has significantly more adjustments to be offered for fine-tuning, and it provides the end user greater flexibility for choosing both furniture and other gas block options as well. You, as the end user, will need to decide if you want a finer-tuned weapon or quick access. For myself, for a truck gun, I prefer fine-tuning the platform as it's essentially a PDW and in a fixed configuration for transport and use.

Dusty Trails

There have been many attempts to create an improvement for optics use for the AK series of weapons. The options first originated with a side-mounted optical rail with a corresponding quick-detach optic or mount that placed the optic high above the dust cover. As technology improved, there have been innovations ranging from cheap, unreliable railed or altered dustcovers that have more movement than a Chinese dam to high-quality and reliable railed dust covers with various designs that provide multiple stabilization points to ensure little to no movement and consistent repeatable return to zero upon removing or opening and closing.

The best place to begin is looking at where the OG of the AK optics mounting from the west devised. The railed dust cover is the perfect place to start: the Texas Weapon Systems Dogleg Dust Cover. This system is on its third version and has proven itself durable, reliable, and will hold zero. The TWS Dogleg has sparked innovation from its competitors over the years, but has remained a solid choice. Another offshoot from the TWS system came from Russia, the Zenitco Railed Dustcover. The system improved on the TWS system with the integration of stabilization from locking into the lower handguard in two spots. This dustcover became the new standard but had significant drawbacks; the first and second problems are the availability and cost, and the third came down to a proprietary system. Given the availability and cost, it became coveted more for the status of owning it but less about practicality, as replacement parts, lead, and shipping times combined with cost made it a serious issue to purchase.

The next contender and most advanced in its design and modularity is from Midwest Industries, the Alpha AK dust cover embodies all the best parts of the Zenitco and TWS, the solid design and appearance, but made in America. The Alpha Railed Dust Cover also had multiple points of mounting, and while it did necessitate using the Alpha lower handguard, there were multiple US-manufactured options at a reduction in cost and easy, fast access to parts and upgrades. The Alpha system also has 5 points of connection, leading to a seriously stable and reliable system that absolutely holds zero. Plus, there is the option of using a stock dust cover and using their free-floating optics mounts that allow the end user to retain stock parts and save some money upfront.

Finally, the final entry into the arena of optics mounting is from JMAC Customs. Their new optical mounting system follows suit with Midwest, but with their own proprietary parts. The options remain relatively the same with competitive costs and US manufacturing. The difference really comes down to choice of style, both domestically produced, reasonably priced, forged, and well-earned reputations for innovation, quality, and reliability.

Wrap it up

The earlier mention of gas blocks and muzzles leads us to a final conclusion, but not a full, comprehensive look at every aspect of improvements for the AK as a truck gun. Gas blocks, as a rule, are either best categorized as with low profile that do not have an attached front sight or combo systems that encompass both. The muzzle on a truck gun should consider two things, and may offer a combination of both. The first thing, as a truck gun, the best overall choice is a linear compensator. A linear compensator is designed to push all of the blast from the firearm forward, away from the shooter, disregarding the compensation of side vents. This will reduce felt blast by individuals next to you and reduce any chance of splash and debris from side ports, such as glass and other environmental factors. The use of a quick-detach blast deflector is nice because some muzzle devices allow for both the use of suppressors or blast devices, allowing the end user to choose what they believe they need based on operational or environmental considerations.

Conclusion

Choosing the right weapon as a truck gun can be a matter of taste. The AR and many other offshoots of this system's ergonomics have proven themselves both accurate and reliable. The AK is a legacy weapon, but it has proven formidable; legendary even given its age and reputation. The AK series of weapons has been able to adapt in ways most weapons have not been able to, and the AK has proven itself again and again. With such wide usage, available modern accessories and parts, and the ability to operate in a highly shortened configuration, the AK series of rifles is a truly great choice given the wide variety of weapons available for selection. If the stagecoach is in need of protection, the AK is still the street sweeper that will aid you in your survival. The AK is a legend of lethality in the annals of self-defense and warfare, a true champion whose time has not yet come.