A pictoral guide: https://forum.saiga-12.com/index.php?/gallery/album/1114-safety-mod/
The Kalashnikov platform is excellent and versatile, however it does have some room for improvement. This is evident in the awkward safety lever.
The Kalashnikov safety lever was part of a design philosophy intended to be an improvement over existing options for large battle rifles. They wanted a gun that was simple and cheap to manufacture and was rugged. People were used to manipulating a long heavy weapon with the right hand while supporting it with the left. More modern designs realize that the lighter weapon can be held on target with the right hand ready to fire and support operations done with the left. Vice-versa for lefties. Izhmash and many other developers have improved on this old system, yet most models still use the clumsy old safety design. The industry is resistant to change, particularly when the primary suppliers had captive markets(government is manufacturer and customer).
Some people think the drawbacks to the AK safety warrant not using it.
Here is a definitive rebuttal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfGnz38K9ik
So there are several problems with AK safeties.
0) The safety on an AK is not ambidextrous
1) They require the shooter to break firing grip to enable or disable the safety.
2) They are often very stiff or loose, so that operating the safety requires excessive effort or the safety will not stay in the correct position.
3) Operation such as loading or clearing the chamber require the safety to be disabled.*
-0) Hard to fix without extensive modification. It has been done though. Izhmash’s current models have abandoned the traditional design.
+1) a simple tab as shown here: https://forum.saiga-12.com/index.php?/gallery/album/1114-safety-mod/, makes this an easy motion of the right handed shooter’s index finger without breaking firing grip. Other sources include https://www.cobras-custom.com/. update. I have seen the Krebs ready made safety with tab priced ranging from $95 to $44.99. Most places were consistently either $65 or $85, but I recently saw the lowest price on midway, so I don’t want to mislead people about the cost. In any case any time you replace the trigger group or safety in an AK, fitting to the safety may be necessary, and function test is required.
+2) The safety tab is a spring. You can bend it inward or outward to achieve proper tension. You can do this with your hands alone. The USSR small arms model did not intend to deploy perfect weapons. It was expected that guns be made and deployed cheaply and that field armorers would address many basic QC problems when each AK is issued. This is one such problem.
+3) a center punch and drill bit can be used to put a mid point on the selector scratch so that your detente clicks. This point allows the bolt to be cycled while keeping the trigger in “safe”. However, the user must understand that the hammer needs to be set in order to use this position.
If you wish to discuss this or other modifications, you may contact me under the screen name GunFun, on Vepr.org, where I am a mod, or on ForumSaiga12.com, where I am an active member. There are many good solutions to most problems.
Post time: Jul-16-2017