The AK-47 and its variants are some of the most popular firearms in the world, and the semi-automatic variation is one of the most popular rifles in the United States. For many years, shooters have enjoyed the reliability, power, and easy maintenance of the Kalashnikov design. The AK has been imported into the US from several different nations, and there are also AK rifles that are built right here in the United States. Eastern European AK rifles have a good reputation for being some of the best, and the Romanian-built M10-762 from M&M featured here is a good example of what a modernized AK can be.

The M10-762 uses a chrome-lined 16.25 inch barrel that is fitted with a very effective muzzle brake/flash suppressor to help reduce flash and felt recoil. At the other end of the rifle it wears a Phoenix Technologies Kick-Lite telescoping recoil-reducing buttstock with a soft recoil pad, making the rifle the softest-shooting 7.62x39mm AK that I have ever fired. The buttstock has an adjustment range of three and three-eighths inches, resulting in a length-of-pull measuring between 13.25 and 16.625 inches. Upon firing, the spring in the buttstock cushions the recoil impulse to the shooter’s shoulder, making this AK a delight to fire.

The M10 uses a stamped AKM-style receiver with a Tapco trigger group. The trigger has a very nice pull for an AK rifle, coming in at under three pounds of resistance, with that long, smooth AK trigger pull. The rifle is supplied with one Tapco polymer thirty-round magazine, and wears a Hogue pistol grip, which is very comfortable to use.

For mounting optics and accessories, the left side of the receiver wears a steel quick-attach scope rail, and the hand guard is an aluminum quad-rail design, with a total of twenty-two inches of Picatinny rail. Rail covers are supplied to provide a non-abrasive grasp of the hand guard in areas which are not in use for accessory mounting. The sights are adjustable for both windage and elevation, with the rear elevation graduated out to 1000 meters. The rear notch and protected-post front are easy to see in ideal lighting conditions.

Shooting the M10, I tried out a variety of 7.62x39mm ammunition, testing for both function and accuracy. As expected, functioning was perfect. Every cartridge, fed, fired, and ejected in typical AK fashion; that is, without fail. AKs are well-known for reliability, and this M10 did nothing to tarnish that reputation. Using the open sights, I fired for accuracy at fifty yards, with good ammo grouping very well, and military surplus doing as well as expected. Groups with quality ammunition shot to the limits of my ability using such sights at that distance, proving that an AK can be very accurate, if built correctly and fed good ammunition. The smooth trigger and Kick-Lite stock made the M10 a pleasure to fire.

The M10-762 is a very good weapon. It is built right on a design that has been proven for decades in the harshest conditions, all over the world. It is a quality AK, with features not found on a typical AK rifle.