We have a lot going on so you may want to either use the categories list in the left navigation bar to go to certain areas, use search in the upper right or look at the list below of posts from the newest to oldest. Click here for our dedicated data and analytics reports section.
| Please note that the search engine and AI companies are notoriously liberal. The search engines, such as Google, are returning AI-generated answer snippets that people read and never go to the page the AI-tool got the info from. So, please share our reports with your friends, colleague, on firearm boards you frequent, etc. Also, please consider helping donate to offset the costs of these reports because the traditional ad model is breaking down due to these tools answering questions without people ever visiting the source website. Click here for more info on helping to support the blog. |
Would you like to be notified by email when new reports publish? There is a small subscription form in the top of the left navigation bar.
- The State of U.S. Small Arms Ammunition Production: An Industry Analysis July 27, 2025The United States small arms ammunition market is in a state of profound transition, characterized by a paradox of robust growth and critical vulnerability. On one hand, the industry is experiencing a significant upswing, fueled by a confluence of heightened geopolitical tensions, substantial increases in global defense spending, and a resilient, high-volume domestic civilian market. ...
- The Kalashnikov Abroad: A Historical and Analytical Timeline of Global AK Variant Adoption and Development July 26, 2025The Avtomat Kalashnikova is more than a rifle; it is a defining technological and political artifact of the 20th century. Its silhouette is recognized globally, a symbol of revolution, state power, and asymmetric warfare. Its reputation for unparalleled simplicity and rugged reliability, often under the most trying conditions, has cemented its place in military history.1 ...
- Palmetto State Armory’s AK Redemption Arc: An Engineering and Market Analysis July 24, 2025The American-made AK-pattern rifle has long been an elusive prize for domestic firearms manufacturers. For decades, the U.S. civilian market has been dominated by imported rifles from former combloc nations, whose state-owned arsenals perfected the art of mass-producing the Kalashnikov. These factories, steeped in a specific manufacturing tradition, produced rifles known for their legendary reliability, ...
- The PSA Playbook: An Analysis of Palmetto State Armory’s Disruption of the U.S. Firearms Market July 24, 2025In the landscape of the American firearms industry, few companies have ascended with the velocity and disruptive impact of Palmetto State Armory (PSA). Since its inception in 2008, PSA has evolved from a humble e-commerce venture operating out of a garage into one of the largest and most influential firearms manufacturers and retailers in the ...
- A Post-Mortem Analysis of Kalashnikov USA: From Market Leader to Bankruptcy July 24, 2025On May 6, 2024, RWC Group, LLC, the parent company doing business as Kalashnikov USA (KUSA), filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the Southern District of Florida.1 This event marked the beginning of the end for a company once poised to dominate the U.S. market for domestically produced AK-pattern firearms. However, the attempt at ...
- The Top 10 Features US AK Buyers Look For July 23, 2025The modern American AK buyer is not a passive or uninformed consumer. They are active participants in a rich and dynamic media ecosystem that they leverage to conduct extensive pre-purchase research. This consumer is characterized by a high level of knowledge and a healthy skepticism toward marketing claims, preferring to trust community-vetted sources and data-driven ...
- Avtomat Kalashnikova Modernizirovanny: An Engineering and Historical Analysis of the Iconic AKM Ri July 22, 2025The conclusion of the Second World War left the Soviet Union as a victorious global superpower, but its military doctrine and infantry armament were at a critical crossroads. The brutal fighting on the Eastern Front had provided a wealth of hard-won experience, revealing both the strengths and weaknesses of the Red Army’s equipment. While massed ...
- An Analysis of the Differences Between a Russian Dragunov and a Romanian PSL: They Are Not The Same July 21, 2025I guess we all have our pet peves. One of my many irks is when people call a Romanian PSL rifle a “Dragunov”. I see it all the time on Facebook and GunBroker. Honestly, it bugs the hell out of me. The PSL is an oversized AK for all intents and purposes. On the other ...
- A Deep Dive On The Metallurgical and Manufacturing of Current Zastava ZPAP AK-Pattern Receivers July 21, 2025A previous post looked at the quality redemption arc made by Zastava to address legitimate concerns about their AK rifles and pistols in the US market. This report provides a more detailed analysis of the metallurgy, manufacturing methods, and heat treatment protocols for current-production Zastava civilian AK-pattern receivers sold in the United States market. The ...
- An Analysis of Zastava AK-Platform Quality and Market Perception in the U.S. Civilian Market (2020-2025) July 21, 2025This report provides an analysis of the quality and market perception of Zastava-manufactured AK-platform firearms within the United States civilian market from 2020 through the first half of 2025. Persistent concerns among consumers regarding receiver metallurgy, heat treatment, and associated failures such as cracking and deformation form the impetus for this investigation. The analysis reveals ...
- The Kalashnikov Premium: An Analysis of the AR-15 & AK-47 Civilian Market Price Inversion July 20, 2025The United States civilian firearms market has witnessed a fundamental and counterintuitive inversion in the pricing structure of its two most popular modern sporting rifles: the AR-15 and the AK-47. For decades, the AR-15 was positioned as the premium, higher-cost platform, while the AK-47 was its affordable, utilitarian counterpart. Today, the opposite is true; a ...
- Pragmatism at Work: An Analysis of the Soviet AK-47 Slant Compensator July 19, 2025The introduction of the iconic slant-faced muzzle device on the Kalashnikov rifle was not an incidental aesthetic choice nor was it part of the weapon’s original design. Instead, its development and eventual adoption represent a case study in iterative, problem-driven Soviet small arms engineering. The device emerged as a direct and necessary response to a ...
- Performance Ranking the Top 50 Vendors in the AK-47 US Market July 17, 2025To aid buyers in understanding the greater AK/AK-47 firearm and accessory market, in the US this post is a companion to another post that looks at AK firearm brands in the US and social media standing. This post focuses on report performance of firearms and accessories and selection is based on the volume of mentions ...
- Cutting Through The Fluff – The US Civilian AK Market: A 5-Year Analysis of Consumer Sentiment and Brand Performance (2020-2025) July 16, 2025Ever get tired of trying to figure out what AK vendors might be worth buying a rifle from in the US? Well, I did but the thing is that I have the tools and experience to do something about it – namely a formal customer sentiment analysis. What I did was to have my analytics ...
- An Analysis of the Soviet AKM Rifle’s Rear Trunnions July 15, 2025The story of the AKM’s front and rear trunnions is inseparable from the larger narrative of the Kalashnikov rifle’s evolution. This evolution was driven less by a desire for radical redesign and more by the dogged pursuit of a manufacturing concept that was ahead of its time. The AKM, introduced in 1959, was not so ...
- An Analysis of the Soviet AKM Rifle’s Front Trunnions July 14, 2025The 1959 introduction of the Avtomat Kalashnikova Modernizirovanniy (AKM) marked a pivotal moment in the history of Soviet small arms manufacturing and global military doctrine. This modernized rifle represented the culmination of a decade-long effort to refine the original AK-47 design, moving away from the costly and time-consuming milled receivers that characterized the Type 2 ...
- AKs Around The World – The Proliferation of the Kalashnikov Design July 12, 2025Growing up in the 70s and 80s, I was patriotic and was mainly interested in American firearms. In 2006, I read an article about building your own AK by the late great Steven Matthews and I changed course dramatically. I’ve always liked history, machines and firearms and started reading books about Mikhail Kalashnikov ...
- The Engineering History of the Not So Lowly AK-47 Rivet July 4, 2025I’ve been involved with AK rifle building since 2006 and there’s something we take for granted – how rivets are used to secure the forged trunnions, and trigger guards to the sheet metal receiver. Not to mention the center support and side mount scope rail. Some have asked why rivets were even used thinking ...
- How to insert spark plugs without a dedicated socket June 28, 2025I was helping my brother in law do some basics on his 2020 Hyundai Kona – oil change, etc. One thing he wanted to do was to put new plugs in. So, we used a Craftsman 5/8″) spark plug socket to remove the plugs and lost the rubber insert along the way. ...
- History of Zastava Arms – A Summary of 170 Years May 17, 2025Zastava Arms, or Zastava oružje (Застава оружје) as it is known in its native Serbia, stands as a monumental testament to the nation’s industrial and military history. With origins stretching back to the mid-19th century, this Kragujevac-based manufacturer has not only equipped generations of soldiers but has also been a significant contributor to Serbia’s (and ...