#jmaccustoms

Anyone who has been in the AK game for any length of time will have no doubt have heard about JMAC Customs and their line of parts aimed towards the AK-47 rifle and derivatives. JMAC Customs manufactures and sells their parts, but also Brownells carries some of their components as well. JMAC is know for mainly for the manufacture of billet aluminum and machined stock components as well as attaching hardware. Those of us looking for an uber lightweight fixed or folding stock assembly, truly can look no further than what JMAC Customs has to offer. Even though they cater towards those with AK rifles and pistols, they do offer components for other firearms such as the AR platform and PCCs. Grips and muzzle devices are also available for different firearms, not just the AK.

I have an older Romanian Draco C that I’ve owned for a very long time. Recently I decided to throw the JMAC Custom catalog at my Draco AK. The first part that I installed onto my Romanian Draco was their MMS hand guard system. This particular hand guard system is super lightweight, but rock solid. It utilizes an aluminum rail system with M lok slots, but mounts onto the receiver by way of a solid steel mounting base. The rail itself even has a cutout for the factory sling attachment loop if you desire to keep that part original, which I did. Installation is a breeze and I’ve noticed no shifting whatsoever of the handguard. Optionally, there is a railed piston gas tube from JMAC Customs that can be used. I did opt for this piece, but have not used it to mount anything such as a red dot.

Since my Romanian Draco is a registered SBR, I opted for one of JMAC Customs 1913 folding mechanism with one of their butt stock assemblies. They have a bunch of different butt stock options…minimalistic versions, triangle versions as well as different mounting methods. I have a simple 1913 rail on the rear of the receiver, so that’s the route I took. In trying to keep somewhat of a classic look, I went with the triangle style stock. Even the triangle stock have multiple options, such as for length of pull, cheek risers and even different colors of the anodizing. To keep thing simple, I went with the 9” version with the cheek riser bump and in black. The cheek riser does have screws to add additional cheek height and the stock also has QD sling attachment points. After having these parts installed for many months now and numerous range sessions, I can honestly say these parts make the AK much more shootable than they are in their natural form….and they look great too! Outside of the AK realm, I also have a B&T GHM9C SBR. I opted to try out one of their 8” triangle straight style stocks in black on that particular firearm. It was a good choice too and looks right at home.

So if you’re in the market for some AK or other components, definitely check out what JMAC customs has to offer over on Brownells website. You won’t be disappointed in the quality I promise.

While I’m not a huge AK guy, I do own a handful of them and they have all served me very well. Until very recently, I had been keeping my AK rifles in their classic form. Laminate wood handguards and iron sights are the norm on my AK rifles. I just adore the classic robustness of the original AK design. You’ll often hear folks say “Nyet, rifle is fine” when discussing changing things out on an AK rifle. I wouldn’t consider myself a purist, I just more prefer the classic look and feel. Some purists though, will most definitely turn their noses up at an AK that’s sporting modern attributes. But is there a valid reason or purpose to setting up a modern AK versus the classic design?

If you look at places such as Brownells, they can help you outfit any firearm with the gear and accessories you prefer. When it comes to the AK rifle, this is also no exception either. While not an outwardly appearing modern upgrade, the KNS adjustable piston for your AK can help to fine tune the gas system for a much smoother shooting rifle. This is especially helpful if running a suppressor. Triggers such as those from ALG can really be an upgrade from the often un precise and mushy mil spec triggers. Some other popular upgrades include handguards from companies such as Midwest Industries and JMAC Customs. Recently, I decided to do a bit of upgrading on one of my AKs, my old Romanian Draco-C. Stuff under the hood had been upgraded a short time ago, like the piston to a KNS unit and the trigger to an ALG trigger, but now I was going to upgrade to some more outward accessories which was going to radically change the overall appearance of the firearm.

The first outside upgrade was a handguard from JMAC Customs. The handguard has a nice and trim feeling with attachment points for hand stops, lights or other accessories. The installation was very easy and it’s a rock solid foundation for anything you’d like to add. Although I still like the classic handguards on AKs, the addition of this new hand guard has it’s place and makes the AK more of a competitor to rifle designs of today. Even the AR-15/M16 has went through similar changes and looks drastically different today. Along with the new handguard assembly I installed a railed gas tube from JMAC Customs. I’ll now have the opportunity to mount a forward red dot optic onto the gas tube if I so choose.

Everyone has their preferences when it comes to the AK platform and other platforms as well. This experience of doing something outside of the realm of what I typically prefer has been an eye opening experience, no doubt about it. Even though I appreciate the classic eye appeal of an original AK rifle, I’ve grown to appreciate even the modern AKs and what all can be done with them to make them more competitive with other modern military firearms. My Draco-C AK-47 is definitely one slick and sexy beast.