After 2 years of testing and over 10,000 rounds on a single buffer, Rifle Dynamics has released their KP9 Short Stroke Recoil Buffer. It’s designed to reduce split times in competition without the benefit of having a tuned gas system.
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Rifle Dynamics’ Social Media post and product page for the KP9 Short Stroke buffer says:
“Now everybody, have you heard, if you’re in the game then the stroke’s the word. RD short stroke buffer for the KP9/KR9 style of AKs to be exact. Ever since these Vityaz clone’s came to market we wanted to do something for this platform. Our speciality has always been to eek out every ounce of performance out of our gas guns so it was a fun challenge to work on these 9mm. One thing we noticed was the length that the carrier needs to travel was way longer than it needed to be. Our nitrile rubber buffer decreases carrier movement by 1.5 inches which allows for shorter split times on target. The recoil impulse is a bit sharper but the increase in faster and more accurately place hits is an awesome trade off. The buffer is easily installed, if you can change a recoil guide spring you can install this buffer.
We have been running our test buffer for in our full auto KP9 for over two years now. In the photos you can see the wear on the buffer. The buffer has over 10 thousands rounds of full auto fire and has very minimal wear. The buffer is also being used on the range at Battlefield Vegas and they have pretty much seen the same conclusion”
The buffer after 10,000 rounds of full-auto fire.
The buffer after 10,000 rounds of full-auto fire.
As you can see, the KP9 Short Stroke Buffer is built to last. And while as stated it does sharpen the recoil impulse a small amount, the difference it makes in cycle time is noticeable, especially in rapid and full-auto fire (I actually got to try it out).
Example of the difference in bolt carrier travel with the buffer installed.
Fellow writer Nick C. captured the above image of my fat fingers firing Rifle Dynamics’ KP9 and has an upcoming article featuring slow-motion footage of AKs which you should definitely check out! I know I wrote an article kind of dumping on recoil buffers but there’s a difference between one that’s specifically designed for a certain manufacturer’s gun and one that’s just randomly thrown into any old rifle.
The Rifle Dynamics KP9 Short Stroke Buffer is listed on the company’s website at an MSRP of $29.99.
What do you think? Comment below!
All images from Rifle Dynamics, www.rifledynamics.com