For those who you out here who like tracking product development and learning all the behind the scenes processes that go into making a new gun… Brandon is back with the rear trunnion for the AK-50.
If you follow his channel, the AK Guy’s AK-50 has been a developmental idea for over three years. It is not as easy as upscaling a few parts dimensionally and he has had to make several design iterations to solve problems related to .50 cal ammunition on the market in order, hopefully, to have a working gun when the assemble all machined prototype pieces. Brandon also wanted to preserve as much AK in the AK-50 that he could, including the trunnions, rivets, and stamped receiver design of the iconic firearm.
Well, now both trunnions are done (unless they aren’t because of a change) and with some unique functional flare that showcases all the minutia and that go into designing a new firearm. And yes, make no mistake, this is a new firearm. It doesn’t matter that the AK-50 is using a long stroke piston system or trying to maintain the look and lines of the AKM, it’s a ground up brand new .50 caliber rifle that they’re also putting into the AK’s form so they don’t even have as free a hand to place parts in any location whatsoever. They still have to build around the monster cartridge. They still have to build around making the parts feasible and cost effective. And of course they still have to build around making it look like an AK, feel like and AK, and run like the AK that it will be.
Personally, I am fascinated watching Brandon show how they are solving both the aesthetic and functional challenges of putting this beast together and it is enlightening to see what is going into a rifle that highlight factors I didn’t even know existed as a design challenge. How certain parts may or may not bear the load of the weapon under recoil or that others are for ease of fitment and machining and still others serve as safety redundancies against catastrophic failure of the firearm due to environmental or ammunition factors.
