When I first got into prepping three years ago I knew a good rifle was a important part of preping. At first I went with the ruger mini14 as my rifle. Its is a good solid rifle that I ended up changing out for an AKM platform. As a prepper the AKM platform fit my ideas as a good rifle: durable operating system, cheap durable magazines($6-10ea), 7.62x39($175-210 per 1000rds), and cheap cost of rifle($400 and up). Thinking I had a good idea on this platform I did what preppers do I bought a good amount of supplies for the AKM platform.
Then other ideas started to get in my head most important being part of a militia. Being part of a group started to get me to think of the AKM's down sides as a USA militia rifle.
appearance of the rifle: The image I had was a group of people walking over a hill dressed BDUs carring a AKM rifles would make me think that we are being invaded by a foreign military force(during WROL). If that group of people walking over the hill where carring a rifle platform that was similiar to your countries, I think you would have less of a chance of having shots sent your way. I also think that having having the rifle as the military would be helpful in the fact if the army calls up the milita you do not need to haul different ammo then what they use.
Caliber: the 7.62x39 is an effective cartridge out to 200-300 meters. It is limited by the fact that it is a stubby bullet that does not have a good ballistic coefficient that makes it less accurate then other calibers(.308, 5.56, 5.45). This makes it harder to make hits at longer ranges because you have to compensate more for the bullet drop. It is cheap at $175-210 for 1000rds, steel cased, and from mother Russia. The loose part of the chain is the fact that the USA gov. can put a stop to that ammo supply like they did to china in the 90s. Yes there are American makers of 7.62x39 put then the price advantage disappears. That lead me to the 5.56. It is a flater flying bullet means its easier to hit at farther ranges(I live in western Kansas few trees and fewer hills to hide behind). The 5.56 has been called a less then a man stopper. This is do to a few reasons. The current issue M855 62gr fmj with steel perpetrator tip round has been shown to not break up in fleshy targets as well as the older M193 55gr fmj (the europeans thought it to "inhumane"). Due to this the military is getting better results with newer rounds. The Mk 262 77gr otm round is a longer range round that is effective out to 700meters(kansas country) and the M855A1 62gr copper jacket is been proven to be more effective then the older M855( plus its supposed to be more "green", go treehugger militia). Thats just the ammo that the US military is playing with. Their are more loadings in the commercial market. The price for the USA made ammo is going to be higher then the russian made product. The price can be lowered by reloading your own rounds(which I'm planning to do). The surplus market is better for the 5.56 because it is widely used round the world compared to the 7.62x39 and the 5.45. The 5.56 is not the end all rifle cartidge of the world, but it will do the job.
Magazines:The magazines I stored for the AKM were steel surplus from eastern europe. They are durable, cheap, and heavy. They weigh more then ar-15 magazines. Weights is more of a concern to me then it was because militia need to be able to move more then one defending ones home. I loader 6 AKM magazines and put them in my load barring vest And compared that with 6 AR Pmags loaded and found I was less winded after walking though pastures. I could use polymer mags for the AKM but most of the polymer mags have a polymer rear locking tabs that are not as strong as the steel that bothers my. There is one polymer AKM mag that has a steel locking tab(bulgarian circle-10) that are still weigh more then AR mags and they cost $30 each. The best AR mags are Magpul Pmags from my research for around $15 just down the street I can stock up and stay stocked up buying over time.
Durablity: Yes the AKM is what other rifles are measured against for durablity and for good reason. Thats said If the m16 is still a jamomatic like it was when it came out in vietnam it would not be with us. A lot of the jamming(if not all) can be relieved by cleaning and lubing. This comes from marines who used the rifle in Iraq(gunfightercast episode 1). I have heard that some of the nickel plated BCG needed less lube and are easier to clean, 2,000round count without lube or cleaning(google fail zero BCG)
Is the AR-15 the perfect rifle No. But it might be the best option for the militia men in the USA.
P.S. I may add to this list with more parts
