Gun Digest Book of the AK & SKS, Volume II: Complete Guide to Guns, Gear and Ammunition

This book is a VERY basic introduction to the AK platform. Half of the book expounds on competing platforms (AR-15, HK's, etc.) instead of focusing on the topic at hand. It comes off as filler material. This is less of a "guide" than a very basic overview of the various models that were available at the time of publication. I was disappointed. It should be titled "A Basic Introduction to the AK and SKS".The book also details steps to build your own AK from a parts kit. Unfortunately the author omits critical details (like rivet setting, for example) that are crucial to any quality build. Again, a basic overview but not thorough or complete. There are better guides available online or via companies like the American Gunsmithing Institute that are far better. Even coverage of the SKS is rudimentary at best.I would not recommend this book.

It wasn't up to the level that Mr. Sweeny has shown in his several books on the AR rifles. It seems that he believes that every single AK-47 is made differently from every other AK, so there isn't much to say about them. Fortunately, my WASR-10 is pretty much the same model that he used to show disassembly instructions for. The SKS was definitely short-changed in the book, with only one article about it. The book IS dated and another book about now would show a lot of changes in the world of the AKs. A good book to have, but it could have been better.

I would have given 5 stars if this book had an index, a glossary and if it had been proofread better. Many, many typos that make you wonder why a simple spell checker wasn't used. Also, the author's writing style turned me off at first but as I came to the realization that he knows his stuff I liked it better. It's almost like sitting down with an expert and shooting the bull - not polished, not perfectly organized but you sure learn a lot. A glossary would have helped with his terminology, google will help of course.All that aside, this is a perfect first book on the AK that is up to date plus it gives you a little on its kissin' cousin the SKS. Highly recommended!

I bought three books at the same time covering the AK that were published this year. This one is my favorite. I never read the authors Vol I version but Vol II seems to be up to date. The book of course has lots of historical and technical information but the author has an entertaining writing style. And he provides comparisons to other rifle platforms. I found the chapter covering ammunition to be especially enlightening. A good read and I would recommend it.

Okay book very little information on the Pacific gun in the book you want to know about useful history

This is a very good manual that is easy to understand, complete, and everything I wanted. Even if you are familiar with your AK, there is more you can learn.....this manual has it all!

I think this book is a great reference about the AK-47,.....it has information about some other firearms as well but 75% of the book deals with the AK.There is a short chapter dealing with the SKS as well,not very much info,so don't buy it for a reference about the SKS but if your an AK lover ,this books for you,...... I enjoy it very much/I read it over and over again,...johnw.

This is an informative book if you are interested only in the AK-47 and it's various configurations, including some good, first-hand personal anecdotes from the author. However, the book has only ONE chapter dedicated to the SKS rifle, thus I found the title very misleading. "The Gun Digest Book of the AK" would have been a much more honest title.As well, though the book has plenty of black and white images, some of them are duplicated throughout the book. A little creativity or effort to acquire additional images would have made this a better book.In summary, I was disappointed. This book had real potential and with some effort and honesty (author? editors? publisher?) it could have been the definitive guide to these two types of Soviet weaponry, but overall it falls flat.

Das Buch ist sehr ausführlich, was die AK-47 und deren ausländische Ableger (Rumänien, Bulgarien, DDR etc) angeht, aber der SKS kommt sehr kurz, ebenso die AK-74. Dafür sind die weitläufigen Verwandten beschrieben, wie die Wieger, Krinkow, Galil, Saiga, Vz.58.Viele Bilder, nette Anekdoten zur Waffe, Beschreibung der Entwicklung, Minution und Baugruppen etc. Als Buch für den US-Markt sind auch die US-Fertigungen und die Besonderheiten des US-Marktes erwähnt. Aber trotzdem sind genügend Informationen für den deutschen AK-Fan zu finden. Mich hat es unterhalten, ich habe auch viel Neues von den Varianten gelernt.Wenn man es günstig im Marketplace bekommt würde ich es durchaus empfehlen.Die Bilder sind leider alle Schwarz/weiß, aber bei dem Preis kann man das verschmerzen.

This is a very comprehensive and well-written book which provides a wealth of information for the AK owner. SKS owners will be disappointed though, as only a few pages in one small chapter discuss the weapon. Ideally, the cover should be re-designed to dispel the impression that a reader will find an equal amount of material on both designs.

Only 2 pages on sks

Boring readVery little detailed info, just some blowhards ideasBook sucksDon't buy itWaste of time and money