Last month I helped Eric of Rifle Dynamics film some slow-motion AK rifles using my Chronos 1.4 high-speed camera. They wanted some slow-motion footage for research purposes but also for promotional and marketing use. Plus, who doesn’t want to see guns in slow motion?
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Slow Motion AK: Russian AKM vs RD AK
Rifle Dynamics Quickhatch
When I said “slow-motion” I am not talking about your smartphones. While it is cool that they can film 240 frames a second. There are some smartphones with higher frame rates, as high as 960 FPS, but it is a cheat. My Chronos 1.4 starts at 1,000 frames per second at full resolution. I can trade off resolution for higher frame rates. It can go as high as 40k frames per second but the resolution is abysmal. Also, the camera needs a lot of light to capture higher frame rates.
Watch the video above of some slow-motion AKs. I filmed this at 2,111 frames per second. Rifle Dynamics wanted to compare a Russian AKM to one of their AKs that has an adjustable gas block. After the slow-motion AKM, you will see the Rifle Dynamics AK set to be over-gassed. Watch the carrier slam into the back of the receiver. Next, the gas block is set to under gas the AK. Watch the slow-motion AK carrier move back just enough to eject the spent case. Finally third times’ the charm, the gas block is set just right so that it almost kisses the rear of the receiver.
Slow Motion AK Receiver Flex and Barrel Whip
The other aspect that Rifle Dynamics wanted to capture was the amount of barrel whip and flexing of an AK. So we used the same Russian AKM and then shot the same Rifle Dynamics AK in the previous video. Watch the video below closely. You can see the Russian AKM flexes a lot compared to the Rifle Dynamics AK. I filmed this slow-motion AK video at 3,587 frames per second to try and capture the barrel whip. The AKM barrel moves a lot but I wonder how much of that is due to the slant brake or the design of the gun? The Rifle Dynamics AK has a muzzle brake so I suspect there is less downforce applied to the barrel compared to the slant brake, but there is more to their build to make it more rigid.
Short Stroke 9mm AK Buffer
Eric of Rifle Dynamics also brought out their new short stroke 9mm AK. They use a buffer to shorten the stroke of the carrier which really makes a difference. We filmed it with and without the buffer. Watch this video first. Thanks to fellow TFB Writer Tim C. for helping out. Watch what a difference the buffer makes to the rate of fire. The faster rate of fire is with the buffer.
Why is it faster with the buffer? Watch this slow-motion AK video below. I also shot this at 2,111 frames per second.
Did you notice how short the carrier travels with the buffer in place? Not only that, the buffer acts almost like a trampoline and the carrier bounces off it with vigor. Almost at the same speed it moved back. Now compare that to the video clip without the buffer. The carrier slams into the back of the receiver and sort of loses momentum a little bit as it tries to move forward again. It is certainly moving forward at a slower speed.
Photo by Rifle Dynamics
At this moment, the 9mm buffer is available on their website and it works with the KP9, KR9 and Vityaz. With regards to the sequences we captured in slow motion, I hope this helps Rifle Dynamics make better products. So far it certainly shows their builds to be better than a standard Russian AKM.