A Non-AK Guy’s Adventure with an AK: PSA AK-101 AKM Review

This review has been a long time coming, and I first need to apologize and thank Palmetto State Armory for their patience. They sent me this rifle nearly a year ago, and life has been a bit of a wild ride. It’s been tough to get out and shoot rifles, which explains my focus on pistols over the past year. While no specific deadline was set for this article, I feel guilty nonetheless.

I’ve always had a bit of a distant curiosity when it comes to the AK platform. As a self-avowed “gun guy,” it felt like a bit of a faux pas to not be familiar with one, yet I never prioritized it enough to commit. Those who’ve been around the Everyday Marksman Discord server long enough know that I’ve had several close calls diving down that particular rabbit hole, with my eyes particularly on the 7.62×39 AK-104 model. However, I’m deeply invested in 5.56×45, 7.62×39, 9mm, 12-gauge, and .22 LR. For logistical reasons, I try to avoid getting involved in new cartridges that I need to stockpile. As ammo prices went up, especially on Soviet cartridges like the 7.62×39 and 5.45×39, they no longer held the allure they once did even for the prepper crowd.

Enter the AK-101, an AK platform rifle chambered in 5.56×45 NATO. When the opportunity arose to review one from Palmetto State Armory, I jumped at the chance. This review is also my first real introduction to running the AK platform, so we’re on a bit of a learning curve together.

BLUF: Bottom Line Up Front

PSA provided this rifle to me at no charge for review, but I strive to be honest in my assessment. The PSA AK-101 is a fun platform to shoot. The recoil is ridiculously light, and it has a kind of classic “mechanical” feel to operating it that is lacking from many modern rifles. Its shootability comes from its rather excellent trigger, moderate weight, and included muzzle brake. The brake, however, proved a bit obnoxious for other shooters, especially at my local indoor range.

On the downside, the rifle isn’t all that accurate. I managed about 3-inch groups with good ammunition. While certainly good enough for general training purposes, I’m perhaps a bit ‘ruined’ from mainly focusing on precision rifles and high-dollar equipment over the last several years.

I also experienced numerous feeding malfunctions that I couldn’t explain until an AK platform SME suggested trying a different magazine. That seemed to solve the issue, a key takeaway for future reference.

Is it worth it? If you’re interested in learning how to operate the AK platform but don’t want to invest in more cartridges to buy and stockpile, the 5.56 PSA AK-101 makes a lot of sense. They produce it in a variety of styles and configurations, so you don’t have to go pure “classic” like I did here. The gun is a hoot overall, and certainly fits the bill of something you’d do just because it’s fun. At about $800 as tested, it’s relatively affordable, too.

The AK-101 Platform

The AK-101 format arrived in 1994 as a rifle intended for export. The idea was to offer the feel and design of the respected Kalashnikov platform while providing the logistical benefits of a common NATO cartridge.

From what I can find, the AK-101 platform saw at least some service with Bhutan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Somalia, Uruguay, Venezuela, Cyprus, and India. I can’t say exactly what extent the AK-101 saw service in these countries, however.

Why a 5.56 AK?

So why did I opt to try an AK chambered in 5.56 rather than something more traditional? After all, there are a lot of solid arguments in favor of the traditional 7.62×39 cartridge, especially when it comes to intermediate barriers, brush, and other stuff that 5.56 doesn’t always handle well. This is why people like NC Scout of Brushbeater advocate for the AK as something that everyone should have one of.

The big benefit of the AK-101 for me is that it allows me to get familiar with the AK platform, learn how to operate it, acquire support equipment for it, and practice on it while using my main stash of stockpiled 5.56 ammunition. If you haven’t noticed, you can get quality 5.56 ammunition right now for 10 cents cheaper per shot than 7.62×39, and nearly 30 cents cheaper per shot than 5.45×39.

Import restrictions and the conflict in Ukraine rendered arguments about the affordability of Soviet cartridges compared to 5.56 moot. I’m not saying there isn’t benefit to those Soviet cartridges on a performance basis, but that’s a separate topic. As a training tool, they’ve gotten more expensive.

The PSA AK-101

Now on to the meat of the review. In full transparency, this Palmetto State Armory AK-101 AKM came to me free of charge at my request. They also sent along 100 rounds of their AAC 77gr OTM ammunition. To complement it, I personally purchased an optic mount, optic, and an additional magazine.

As to the specific model, I opted for a traditional-looking PSA AK-101 AKM with nutmeg furniture. I’ve always liked the quip of, “Don’t AR my AK!” By that, I mean it seems a bit silly to try and turn an AK into an AR by slapping on a bunch of rails and accessories. Especially if it’s chambered in 5.56. If you’re going that route, you might as well just stick with an AR.

PSA offers several versions of the AK-101, including a more traditional model, the AK-101 Classic, and the AK-101 AKM model I requested. From what I can tell, the primary difference is that the Classic model features more traditional elements, such as M24x1.5 muzzle threading, a “correct” gas block, and a traditional muzzle brake.

On the other hand the AKM model I asked for has an AKM-style front sight, 45-degree gas block, PSA’s own brake design, and 1/2×28 muzzle threads for compatibility with the broader 5.56 market.

Both models have some features that aren’t clone correct, if that matters to you. The safety lever, for example, is the enhanced style with an additional ledge for ease of operation with your firing hand thumb. Both also use a different style of rivet on the receiver than traditional AK designs.

PSA AK-101 AKM Specifications

While the full spec sheet is available on PSA’s site, here are some key specifications to be mindful of.

First Impressions Out of the Box

When I arrived at my local FFL to do the transfer paperwork, they brought out the rifle-sized cardboard box with PSA’s logo printed on the top and flopped it on the counter. As we opened up the foam-lined box, it was the guy behind the counter who spoke first, “Oh, that looks nice.”

I agree with that assessment.

The nutmeg-wood furniture looks very nice and classic. The finish is smooth and a matte lacquer finish. The stamped steel receiver is similarly well-finished with a matte black. A rail for mounting optics is available on the left side of the receiver.

The box also contained a manual, one 30-round 5.56 AK magazine, and a chamber flag. Despite online indications, my test unit also included a cleaning rod.

While I’m not an AK expert, the ergonomics are about what I expect from what little experience I do have. They’re typical AK ergonomics: adequate, but not on par with a well-fitted AR-15.

Out of the box without ammunition or any accessories, the rifle weighed 7 lb 7.6 ounces.

Additional Outfitting

To finish this out, I added a AK Master Mount AKM optic mount with 1913 rail. I picked up the full length rail model that spans the whole dust cover, figuring it gave me versatility to try other optics along the way.

To that I mounted a SwampFox Raider 1x prism sight. This optic deserves a longer review itself, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. To account for the mounting height of the AK, I moved the raider to its lowest possible included mount. As a bonus, the Raider also leverages any mount designed for the T2 footprint.

PSA AK-101 Controls and Ergos

The PSA AK-101 AKM comes with PSA’s single-hook, single-stage trigger. I use the word “stage” here because that’s their phrasing. In reality, I can’t detect much of a stage at all. The trigger has a rolling break rather than a firm wall. I don’t want to give the impression that it’s a bad trigger, though. Setting aside my personal preference for two-stage triggers with crisp breaks, this PSA AK trigger is perfectly usable. In fact, it feels quite good with a light weight and predictable break. My finger just wants to breeze through it repeatedly.

It averaged 3 lb 3.6 ounces over ten pulls with my Wheeler digital trigger gauge. At the range, I found the trigger to be smooth and predictable. For a combat trigger, it’s everything I’d want.

As mentioned before, the safety lever on the right side is the “enhanced” variety. An extra fold of metal provides a shelf near the firing hand thumb, aiding in actuation without removing your hand from the grip.

The factory sights are the typical AK leaf variety, with increments to 1000 yards. Given the ballistic performance of the 5.56 cartridge from a 16-inch barrel and the relative lack of precision from AK-style notch sights, this 1,000-yard adjustment window seems aspirational at best.

The wood laminate furniture has a 13″ length of pull (LOP). It’s a hair shorter than my preference, but in the realm of typical fighting rifles. The Minimum Capable Carbine, my prototypical AR, has a fixed length carbine stock on it with a thicker butt pad that gives me about the same LOP.

Closer Inspection

As part of any review, I always field strip and clean a weapon before taking it out to the range. This gives me a chance to examine the internals and understand their function, providing a good “before” picture prior to range testing. As far as I can tell (again, I’m not an AK guy), everything appeared well machined and in good working order.

PSA AK-101 Range Testing

Testing occurred both at my local indoor range and at Peacemaker National Training Center in West Virginia. The latter sessions often coincided with my testing another rifle for American Rifleman (for whom I also write periodically). Depending on how long it took to do the testing for American Rifleman, I didn’t always have time for the AK-101.

In all, I put about 400 rounds through the PSA AK-101. While not an extensive amount of abuse given how long the rifle has been in my safe, it was enough to get a sense of its performance and characteristics. Ammunition was a mixture of PSA’s own 77gr SMK, cheap bulk ammo, and a bunch of stuff in between.

Velocity Testing

For velocity, I fired the PSA AK-101 in front of a Garmin Xero C1 Pro chronograph using five shots of a few different loads. This provides average velocity and standard deviation data for each load fired from the PSA AK-101’s 16-inch barrel. For this portion, I’ll focus on three loads in particular: PSA 77gr SMK, ADI 69gr SMK, and PMC X-Tac 55gr FMJ as my “bulk ammo” comparison.

As you can see, the ADI 69gr was the most consistent load, and that also carried over into being the most accurate, as well.

Accuracy Testing

For accuracy testing, I fired five groups of five shots each at 100 yards. This proved a little challenging with the 1x prism optic, but so be it. In general, the AK platform is not known as an accuracy beast.

I fired the AK-101 from a Caldwell Tack Driver shooting bag with a small rear support bag under the stock. Here’s the results:

Overall, I’d classify these as mediocre accuracy results. The ADI ammunition was the best performer, though I’ve had better results with that ammo in other rifles.

If we assume my sample of the PSA AK-101 is about a 3.2 MOA rifle, this accuracy level is still acceptable for for reliably hitting a 10-inch target zone at a “combat distance” of about 300 yards, which amounts to a 3.1 MOA requirement. Honestly, that seems like the design parameter the AK platform was engineered to solve for, anyway.

Shooting Impressions

Beyond the technical aspects, how does the PSA AK-101 actually shoot? In short, it’s a pleasure. The recoil impulse is extremely soft, making it easy to shoot quickly. The light, rolling break of the trigger was a pleasure to experience, to the point that it has me wondering if I should seek out more triggers with that kind of feel rather than my usual “glass rod wall.”

Shooting indoors, the report was a bit jarring due to the muzzle brake. Were I to own one of these, I’d likely swap out the muzzle device for a flash hider as one of the first modifications. AK-101 AKM model shares the same thread pitch as an AR-15, so any of the spare A2 birdcage flash hiders I have in my parts bin would suffice.

A Malfunction Mystery: Magazines

Testing, unfortunately, was not without issues. This is probably the biggest reason that I held off on publishing this review. For the first several range sessions, I couldn’t get the gun to run for 10 rounds without jamming. The malfunction was consistently the same: a round partially stripping from the magazine and then wedging between the feed ramp and the bolt. From what I could tell, it looked like the feed lips of the magazine didn’t want to fully release the cartridge

This made shooting sessions frustrating and contributed to my delaying the review’s completion.

I posed the question to an AK subject matter expert, and he suggested that the issue might be the magazine. Apparently, 5.56 AK mags can be notoriously finicky. So about six months after I first took possession of the rifle, I grabbed another magazine from Circle 10 that seemed to solve the problem. 5.56 AK magazines lack significant standardization, making it a bit of an adventure to find one that works reliably. Even then, you might have to do some further “fitting” to get them to run right.

So, to be clear, I don’t fully blame PSA for the malfunctions here because it was magazine related. However, including only one magazine of questionable reliability made diagnosing the issue more difficult.

Closing Thoughts on the AK-101 AKM

In all, once the malfunction issue was solved, I found the PSA AK-101 to be a rather enjoyable rifle to shoot. The recoil is very soft, and the mechanical sounds of its components are satisfying, much like driving a manual transmission car. Running the charging handle for reloads has a kind of attitude about it that slapping the bolt release on an AR just doesn’t possess.

Accuracy was a little disappointing, but acceptable for the types of role the AK is supposed to fill. I’m likely just too accustomed to match rifles and precision bolt guns these days.

Would I buy this for myself? That’s a tough one, and the answer is probably not. Call me old fashioned, but I feel like Soviet-era platforms probably deserve to be shot with Soviet-era ammunition like 7.62×39 or 5.45×39. Were I to officially commit to the AK platform, I’d likely go that route instead. Of course, that’s me. Since I started this post in the fall of 2024, companies like PSA have spun up their own 7.62×39 ammunition manufacturing capabilities. This development helps bring down the price, making it a more even comparison between 7.62×39, 5.56, and especially .300 BLK.

Should you consider it? If you’ve been curious about the AK format and want to gain proficiency with it, but don’t want to commit to stockpiling a new cartridge, the AK-101 presents an appealing package. It’s affordable, feeds from your existing ammunition stockpile, and is a hoot to shoot. Just don’t think you’re going to go compete in something like a Quantified Performance Match with it.

What do you think?

With this review out of the way, drop your thoughts and comments down below. Would you be interested in a 5.56 AK, or would you be more traditional about it?