HEBREW HAMMER
Get half a dozen dudes around a campfire, throw in a little whiskey and a few cigars for seasoning, and sooner or later a “best of” debate will emerge. No matter the subject — be it music, movies, calibers, or women — there’ll be few staunch holdouts, defiantly clinging to their opinions while a larger consensus emerges. This is a good thing, part of the long human tradition of civilized discourse among peers.
In the case of AKs, some will claim the Bulgarians can’t be beat, while others point to the Finns, with their long tradition of raising their driving finger to the east. The subject of this article could justifiably be considered the ne plus ultra in terms of the evolution of the AK, at least in its milled receiver form.
HISTORY
Following the Israelis’ experience of desert warfare in the 1960s, a decision was made to transition away from the 7.62 NATO cartridge for use in individual weapons, and at the same time move toward a rifle suitable for a conscript army. What they really wanted was the AKM, but being a lone democracy with ties to the West surrounded by Soviet-backed dictatorships, Moscow was hardly going to give up the blueprints to Kalashikov’s brainchild, especially at the height
