Hands-On With Something New & Shiny

Timney AK Trigger

From the very beginning, triggers in American AKs have kind of been a problem. The briefly imported Chinese guns could be OK, but many of the Romanian models copied the original full-auto trigger groups too closely and had trigger slap so bad you’d end up with a numb finger after half a mag. 

There were some early attempts at better triggers, but they were only good when compared to terrible surplus, and who was using a good trigger for a cheap rifle, anyway?

Times have changed. The best, highest-quality AK-47s and variants in the world are now made in America — and it’s not even close. Which is why Timney is throwing their hat into the ring, with a trigger, of course.

Most other aftermarket AK triggers are multipiece, meaning they can be very inconsistent from rifle-to-rifle. Like, going from perfect to gross to slam-firing inconsistent. By using a captive unit, Timney not only makes installation very easy (no more killing your thumb with wound hammer springs) but also incredibly consistent. 3.5-pound break, across the board.

The whole system is designed so that you don’t have to use your pin retainers, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still use them (depending on what type you have). If you’re a belt-and-suspenders person, put that Tapco-style plate or Chinese L-spring back in there. If you’re using an original Russian or Romanian shepherd’s hook? Unless you’re very experienced or simply want to gift yourself some novel frustration, our recommendation is to simply install the Timney AK trigger as intended. 

Timney says no AK shotguns or PCCs, but I bet we could see a 9mm model in the future. There’s a compatibility list online that covers almost every AK-type rifle in the States. And even if it’s not on the list and it doesn’t drop in, an enterprising individual can probably make it work with the help of some undersized pins.  

SPECS

• Pull Weight: 3.5 pounds
• MSRP: $250
• URL: timneytriggers.com

Atibal P1 Solar 1x Micro Prism

Not everyone can use a standard dot optic. Or rather, not everyone can use them well. If you have astigmatism, what’s a crisp dot for another can end up being a gross, gooey mess. 

Prismatic optics don’t use a projected-and-reflected LED reticle but instead an etched one like a traditional scope, and as such offer a clear view regardless of the curvature of your cornea. You can think of it like looking through an LPVO at 1x, but shorter and more affordable. 

What you see at 1x with an LPVO or prism isn’t “really” 1x, but a projected simulation of it. You can’t view iron sights through a prism sight, for example. There can also be optical aberrations like slight offset or magnification, especially up close. 

The Atibal P1 Solar has very little optical wonkiness, especially when viewing beyond 25 yards. The P1 Solar 1x Micro Prism also has an eye relief from 2 to 8 inches, but if you have a consistent cheek weld you can go much further (like on the gas tube of an AK). 

The footprint is the same as an Aimpoint Micro, the laser-etched reticle is the ever-popular EOTech 65 MOA ring paired with a 3 MOA circle. But the standout, what makes the Atibal P1 Solar different from all the others (and the subject of the patent) is the solar capability. What Atibal calls the “solar failsafe” automatically turns on when the battery gets low, ensuring illumination in any natural or artificial light. 

A single CR2032 battery runs for years. But hey, this is an apocalypse prism. 

SPECS

• Reticle: 65 MOA circle + 3 MOA dot
• Battery: CR2032 & the Sun
• Battery Life: Up to 50K & Infinite
• Weight: 9 ounces
• Length: 3.6 inches
• MSRP: $299
• URL: atibal-optics.com 

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