They announced the AKV-521. It seems they made a Sig 550 derivative. Only over 30 years late to the party.

Well, it's not exactly the same rifle (or the same price range, for that matter) and it's not as though the Russkies have to compete with the Swiss on the international assault weapon market. But, yeah, the AK boys are still playing a lot of catch up rather than somehow getting ahead of the game.

It's a little ironic that the 550 is largely based on the AK. It's like they're playing catch-up to the evolution of their own design.

It’s frankly the best evolution of the AK, though they are late to the party. And they should have incorporated non-reciprocating ambi cocking handles.

Also it’s really more like a 552 than a 550/551/553.

quote:

AKV-521

I'm down for a pair, 7.62x39 and 556.

quote:

Originally posted by KSGM:
They announced the AKV-521. It seems they made a Sig 550 derivative. Only over 30 years late to the party.

I know what you mean.
Fortunately, I have my 551-2 SP Swat and my 550P!

And a bunch of AKs.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Malysh,

It's interesting how many products and concepts have been created over the past couple decades, in an effort to "optimize" or "enhance" the AK platform. Be it alterations to the AK itself or weapons like the Galil, and others like it, that borrow heavily, but are their own gun. The 550 series has been there since the late 80s, largely ignored. The Galil pre-dates it, but has been behind the curve (and still is) since the STGW-90 was adopted. I guess the only thing working against the 55X is cost and availability.

I can’t find a significant connection to the SIG 550 except for the similar look of the upper receiver and separate lower receiver. The defining elements of the SIG 550 like the ventilated gas block, the spring-loaded gas piston separate gas tube are missing, flaps to keep the receiver closed are all missing on this AK-572. The concept for the lower could have been taken from FN-FAL, HK-G3 or a Colt M16 derivate. If it was not for the two-piece receiver assembly this AK-572 was probably much closer to an AKM then to a SIG. I don’t see the connection to the SIG 550.

I agree with you on the FAL/FNC connection.

My bottom line is, of the weapons inspired by the AK design, the 550 is, I believe, the champ, and has been since it's inception. Of course that's my opinion, and maybe it stinks.

The FNC is damn close. I am unsure if it has the reset function in the burst FCG, like the 550. It lacks a LRBHO (may be a feature on updated rifles, but 550 had it out the gate. FNC also appears to lack ambi mag release. FNC does have the edge on a more usable grenade-launching system.

FNC suffers from much worse availability than even the 55X.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: KSGM,

Love my FNC Para. Wish I got a 550 series in the 80’s too. Lol

quote:

Originally posted by KSGM:
The FNC is damn close. I am unsure if it has the reset function in the burst FCG, like the 550. It lacks a LRBHO (may be a feature on updated rifles, but 550 had it out the gate. FNC also appears to lack ambi mag release. FNC does have the edge on a more usable grenade-launching system.

FNC suffers from much worse availability than even the 55X.

The 3-round burst mech resets like HK and SIG, regardless of how many rounds are fired. I love my FNC, however it’s much much more crude a design than the Swiss 55x. And the bolt group is similar to but different than an AK with regard to the camming of the bolt head.

It’s strange that the predecessor to the FNC, the CAL, had a bolt catch yet it was omitted from the FNC. The Swedish AK5 series added a bolt catch and ambi selector levers. And there have been some FNCs made with a passive bolt catch that is not engaged by the mag follower, it must be manually engaged by the shooter to lock the bolt group back.

Think the FNC is a pretty good design. It would have been great if it had a last round bolt hold open and a shielded magazine release button. The barrel gas block and barrel head spacing probably should have been designed a little better. But I guess FN probably didn’t figure on shooting the gun much and needing bolts to be easily swapped and headspaced easily without removing the barrel and removing the gas block, indexing the barrel and redrilling a gas port and mounting the gas block.

According to Larry Vickers, who I reckon ought to know, Delta Force assessed the 552 and G36C, when considering a close-quarters carbine. I have read elsewhere that the 551 was considered as well. Everyone probably knows the flaws of the 552, and the older 551s had a failure point in the op-rod. So, the Sigs were knocked out, as was the G36C, in favor of enhancing the AR platform, and ultimately developing the HK 416. Weight was also a noted shortcoming of the Sigs. Anyway, the bottom line is those were the guns considered by our country's most elite unit.

Wow it looks pretty cool to me.

quote:

Originally posted by bubbatime:
Wow it looks pretty cool to me.

I agree. It does look like a fine rifle. Just like the Galil and FNC are fine AK evolutions. I was merely presenting the notion that other manufacturers have taken the AK further than it's home nation has, even in light of this latest iteration. The 550 is, in my opinion the best of the AK-inspired rifles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0jwaxDPh8c

Interesting design, looks like the real differentiator of this design is the OEM is planning on selling Upper Receiver kits with different calibers and keep the same lower.

So on top of holding zero for long range scopes mounted to the upper pic rail, they plan on it being Multi Cal + the expected ergo upgrades.

That versatility largely depends on how they serialize the components. Especially for the commercial market. On the 55X guns, the upper is the firearm, which makes "upper receiver kits" nothing like the AR rifles, because all the legalities apply. Also, you can arguably only get a couple meaningful calibers onto the same lower, without the lower requiring some sort of modularity as well.

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AKV-521

Without watching the whole video, I bet they're aiming at the domestic market with this. In mother Russia, when becoming a gun owner you can only buy a shotgun at first, and have to own it for five years before you can get the rifle license.

So they have these funky rifles / cartridges the likes we never see here. They're legally smooth bore shotguns but shoot this 366 TKM slug round. Only the last little bit of the barrel has some polygon shaped rifling, kind of like a rifled choke.

So, maybe this setup allows the Ruskie gun nut to buy one firearm with one registered component, use it as a 366 TKM for a few years then finally put on the intended rifle caliber when he's legally able?

To me the AKV-521 just looks like a slightly updated AK ... I don't see any similarity other than they are both rifles that shoot the 223/5.56

AKV-521


SiG-552


Also, I don't see enough difference between an AKM with MagPul furniture to rush out and buy an AKV-521

Arsenal SLR -95 with Magpul Zhukov furniture

This message has been edited. Last edited by: kimberkid,