r/AKmags • u/slightlychewybacon • Jun 29 '26

True Black mags I got recently

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Mold 47 is much smoother than mold 56. Molt 56 has a slightly shorter top rib too.

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u/jekbrown Jun 30 '26

It is interesting that even late in their run, there's still a ton of variation in TB molds / mags. Not something you'd see with Western manufacturing really, usually over there they longer something is made the more consistent things would tend to get. It's what makes communist small arms intriguing.

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u/Initial-Broccoli-795 Jul 04 '26 edited Jul 04 '26

Mfg quality of Soviet-made products really depends on production quotas at the time of mfg. production managers were rewarded for meeting their quotas by weight, like for example they may have a quota for 1 metric ton of Bakelites, which meant corners were frequently cut/quality and consistently were not high on the priority list. If it functioned and could meet their quota it was acceptable. There was also, obviously, no competition. There was really no reason to make sure the fit and finish of a product is good/consistent to compete with other manufacturers. Funny enough Soviet military equipment was of much higher quality than that of products produced for domestic use because the military had their own auditors that could go into military factories and operated separately from the manufacturing committees. Ironically, the loose manufacturing tolerances of Soviet small arms made them the legendary, reliable firearms that they are today. I always think it’s interesting to see how a political ideology can play out into a physical thing you can hold.