Definitive Guide to Crosman AK1

Basic Anatomy

Don't be fooled by the look of this rifle. The AK1 is hefty and feels really good when you first pick it up. It has a "plastic" exterior covering a well-built cast chassis and receiver. The 5 position stock allows shooters to adjust the pull to suit their frame. One of the less-than-ideal things about the AK1 is the stock when in the folded position. It does not lock into place and can flop around a bit. But, when it's folded out and locked into the open position, it's rock solid. Coming in at 8 pounds, the Crosman AK1 feels very realistic and durable.

The AK1 ships with AK-like open sights. They are adjustable for elevation but not windage. The rear sight is removable for those who want to mount an optic using the slotted rail on top of the receiver. Consider a red dot or some type of reflex or quick target acquisition sight, as they will help you get the most fun out of this platform.

Some parts can be modified and customized. The grip can be replaced with any AK-style grip. The stock is AR compatible. The tube is not replaceable, but the slide-on buttstock can be swapped out with any AR-style buttstock.

The 28-round magazine is very well built. It holds two CO2 cartridges along with the BBs and can feed the full-auto firing system without any issues. Given that the AK1 has the all-important "more fun" switch, you'll want to get extra mags so that you can allow the CO2 to recover in one while you are shooting from another. The cyclic rate is about 1400 rounds per minute. So this baby can empty the mag almost as fast as you can blink.

The rest of the AK1, such as the trigger, safety/fire select lever, and cocking handle, all feel and operate as you would expect from an AK variant. The top position is safe. The middle position is full-auto and the bottom position is sem-auto. The blowback cocking lever operates to cock the gun for that all-important first shot, and it cycles when fired adding to the realism. Lastly, the forearm has a quad rail setup for accessories to be mounted top, bottom, and on either side. So if you want to go crazy with lights, lasers, foregrip, or bipod, you certainly have the rail space to do so.

Operation

To get the AK1 up and going, you need to load the CO2. Once the mag is removed from the receiver, open up the side panel and drop in two 12-gram CO2 cartridges. Once in place, use the included hex tool to seat the cartridges. Doing so will pierce the top and charge the valve system.

Next, you will need to load up to 28 BBs. Lay the magazine BB slot upward, pull down the BB pusher spring down, and lock it into place. Now you just need to load your BBs through the loading hole and release the BB pusher. Be careful not to let it slip and hit the BBs with any force, or it will push them out the top of the magazine and go all over.

With the CO2 and BBs all loaded, you can insert the magazine into the mag well, and you are essentially ready to roll.

Performance &Accuracy

On paper, the AK1 is supposed to get up to 430 FPS. This will depend heavily on environmental conditions as well as your rate of fire. Because it uses CO2, which freezes and drops pressure when expelled quickly, velocity and shot count will vary widely based on how you shoot it. In our test, we saw about 400 FPS on fresh CO2, provided we did not try to shoot too quickly or go full auto.

Like velocity, the shot count is going to vary based on usage. If you shoot semi-auto with a pause between each shot, expect to get about 4 mags out of your CO2 cartridges. If you run rapid-fire or full-auto, expect to get 2 or 3 good mags.

The trigger is pretty decent, with a trigger pull of around 4 to 5 pounds. It's certainly not a match trigger by any standard, but it's not awful either. The AK1 is not a match rifle; it's a BB rifle that can run full auto. In the end, it will all be about accuracy by volume.

For those concerned with the noise level, it's not suppressed in any way, so it may draw some attention from the neighbors if you are shooting in the backyard. It's not overly loud, but it does generate about 104 decibels in our tests. Like velocity, many factors contribute to perceived volume, so please take these numbers with a grain of salt.

We did all our testing with open sights and fired free hand from about 25 feet. We used the Umarex Precision zinc-coated BBs for all our tests as we've found them and the Daisy Precision zinc-coated BBs to be the most consistently accurate. The AK1 has a smooth-bore barrel which will limit accuracy at range. However, the point of the AK1 is not to shoot 25-meter benchrest but rather to set up targets in the backyard or range and go full carnage with full auto. And in that role, the AK1 performs admirably. It also does very well for those that want to practice combat grouping and basic gun handling with an AK variant. With so many manufacturers focused on the AR15 platform, it's nice to have an option like the AK1 for training with Eastern Block weaponry.

At 25 feet, we shot the following group on semi-auto. We shot from the standing position. It's possible that shooting from a rest and with an optic could yield better results. But, this will give you a good idea of the potential.

When swapping to full auto, you need to start thinking about recoil control. While nothing like trying to maintain control and accuracy with a full-auto AK, this has a blow-back bolt and moves around quite a bit. Learning how to keep full-auto burst on target can help develop skills that can transfer to other arms if the opportunity arises. It's nothing as violent as the real deal, but it does make you work for it a bit.

Here's what we got just dumping the mag into the target from 25 feet in the standing position.

As you can see, the shots had a tendency to climb to the left. However, you could probably get them to all land center mass with practice.

Summing Up

At the end of the day, the AK1 is a unique and welcome departure from the day-to-day norm currently hitting the market. The build quality, aesthetics, function, performance, and accuracy exceeded our expectations. It's an addictive airgun. If you pick one of these up, make sure to bundle in a lot of CO2 and BBs, as it's a hard airgun to put down. Also, pick up some extra mags so that you can make the most of your CO2.

If you have more questions about the AK1 or other replica BB rifle products, just give us a call. We are always here to help and would love to ensure you get the right airgun for your needs.