Russian AK Competition is More American Than Most American Things

What could be more American than fried chicken, apple pie, and gun culture? After all, it was widespread ownership of firearms — and familiarity with them — that allowed our nation to be created in the first place.

Alas, it would seem that Russians are more American than most Americans, when it comes to teaching kids about guns at an early age. They have long held timed competitions in which young people take apart and reassemble AKs.

In this recent video, the youngest competitor is 6 years old, and the fastest was a 16-year-old who did the work in slightly less than 27 seconds. Second place went to a 14-year-old girl.

In the USA, where our right to be armed is guaranteed by the Constitution but seems to be constantly under attack, such a competition with ARs would be banned from popular media and demonized. But in Russia where individual liberties are not safeguarded, familiarity with military arms is encouraged.

Kinda makes you wonder, doesn’t it?

Russ Chastain

Editor & Contributing Writer Russ Chastain is a lifelong hunter and shooter who has spent his life learning about hunting, shooting, guns, ammunition, gunsmithing, reloading, and bullet casting. He started toting his own gun in the woods at age nine and he's pursued deer with rifles since 1982, so his hunting knowledge has been growing for more than three and a half decades. His desire and ability to share this knowledge with others has also grown, and Russ has been professionally writing and editing original hunting & shooting content since 1998. Russ Chastain has a passion for sharing accurate, honest, interesting hunting & shooting knowledge and stories with people of all skill levels.