Review, History, And Features Of The AK-47 Draco Guns

Published by 
MaxBlagg
Last updated: 
December 18, 2023

Who hasn’t heard of the “infamous” AK-47? This is one weapon everyone is aware of and the popularity of the Avtomat Kalashnikova or commonly known as the AK-47 is due to the fact that it is one of the most reliable rifles in the world. The AK-47 is an extremely well-made rifle and is easy to use and maintain. The rifle is chambered in the powerful 7.62x39mm round. There are many variations of the AK-47 that have been developed over the years.

In our review, we will be essentially looking at the miniature version of the AK-47 rifle i.e. the AK-47 Draco Pistol. The Draco pistol is manufactured in Romania and is imported by Century Arms. The Draco is produced in the same factory that makes Romanian military rifles.

AK-47 Draco

History Of The AK-47

The AK-47 is undoubtedly the most iconic and most manufactured weapon in history. The unique curved magazine of the AK-47 and its grip are recognized the world over. The name AK-47 originated from the Russian “Avtomat Kalashnikova” and the name was in honor of the main designer of the firearm, Mikhail Kalashnikov and the automatic firing abilities of the weapon and the 47 essentially denotes the year 1947, when the trials for the rifle began, which was finally approved for use by the armed forces of the Soviet Union.

The AK-47 is indeed the most successful, as well as, popular assault rifles in history and there is no comparison in terms of the number of guns manufactured, worldwide deployment of the weapon and service duration.

The AK-47 is not a completely original design and is actually a union of the design concepts from several pre-existing weapons. The design of the gas-driven mechanism, the trigger system, rotating bolt and safety catch of the AK-47 were all borrowed from weapons that already existed. However, all these features were merged to develop the AK-47 rifle which offered fantastic durability, ruggedness and low production costs.

And, the result of this was the production of an extremely lightweight firearm that had a moderate recoil and which was easy to handle and control yet placed quite a lot of power in the hands of the shooter. The accuracy of the rifle was a secondary factor and it was the power and ability to deliver firepower in an effective manner, which made the AK-47 unlike any other rifle produced before.

Features Of The Draco Pistol

The Draco is equipped with a barrel that is 12.25 inches long and the barrel sports wooden furniture and a very short sight radius. However, the pistol features an SB Tactical Brace.

How The Draco Performs On The Range

The Draco is quite a “hottie” when it comes to its performance on the range. The 12.25-inch barrel is capable of producing quite a huge muzzle blast and flash and without the muzzle device, the pistol actually roars.

The 7.62x39mm round of the pistol does not suffer massively in terms of the performance due to the short barrel of the pistol. In reality, it only loses around 200 FPS due to the short barrel and is more capable ballistically compared to the other short barreled rifles such as the 5.56 rifles.

Since the 7.62x39mm round is designed for use at a distance of 300m or lesser, it may be quite difficult to hit long range targets with the Draco pistol, which has a short sight radius. However, the Draco is powerful when used within its effective range. The potency of the pistol at close quarters and the short size of the weapon makes the Draco excellent for home defense.

The recoil of the Draco is minimal, especially if it is braced properly against your arm or shoulder. The pistol is easy to control and you can shoot with ease. You may experience some muzzle rise while shooting with the pistol; however, this is controllable and using a muzzle device can help to control the rise.

Ergonomics

The Draco pistol has the charging handle located on the right side and if you master the technique, you can charge the gun with your left hand too. The magazine release is an ambidextrous paddle that is located behind the magazine. You need practice to use it properly for speed and tactical reloads. However, the worst aspect of the weapon is its safety, which is quite difficult to master and not intuitive as you would find in the AR-15 or any type of western rifle. The Draco pistol is quite easy to handle with the SB Tactical Brace. The pistol is short, compact, lightweight and extremely simple to maneuver, control and fire. However, without the brace, the pistol can be quite heavy and clumsy to handle and difficult to fire with accurately.

Reliability

In terms of the reliability, the Draco is very reliable. Even if you do not clean it for thousands of rounds, the pistol works pretty efficiently. And you just need to pull the trigger lightly for the pistol to go off.

Purpose

The Draco is exceptionally short, which makes it very easy to use, especially at close quarters. The pistol is the perfect length if you are using it inside your home. You can control the pistol very well and use the sights if you have an SB Tactical Brace for the gun and you can brace it. The round of the pistol is quite large and when it is fed from a 30-round magazine, it will give you sufficient power to shoot.

AK Pistol Variants

Over the years, with SBRs (short-barreled rifles) becoming quite popular, so have AK-type pistols. The Romanian Draco, the Mini Draco and the Serbian PAP M92 are among the most popular AK pistol variants in the market. And, depending on the import market and if they include a brace, the AK pistols cost anywhere in the range of $525- $600. All the AK pistol variants have stamped receivers and are chambered in 7.62x39mm magazines.

The Serbian PAP M92 is imported current and makes use of the Yugo-patterned handguards and sports 26 × 1.5 mm muzzle threads. The Draco pistols make use of standard AKM-patterned handguards, while the Mini Draco features the single-piece proprietary handguard. Both the Romanian, as well as the Mini Draco have 14 x 1 mm muzzle thread, which is covered by a muzzle cap that is welded shut.

The Serbian PAP M92 has a barrel that is 10” long, the Romanian Draco has an 11.75” long barrel and the Mini Draco has a 7.75” barrel. While the barrel of the Dracos is lined with chrome, the Serbian PAP M92’s barrel is not chrome lined. Both the Draco variants are cut-down versions of the AKM, while the PAP M92 is similar to AKS-74U type weapon, which also known as Krinkov.

AK pistols do not have the same restrictions under 922(r) like rifles as they mainly comprise components which are completely foreign-made.

Over the years, with SBRs (short-barreled rifles) becoming quite popular, so have AK-type pistols. The Romanian Draco, the Mini Draco and the Serbian PAP M92 are among the most popular AK pistol variants in the market. And, depending on the import market and if they include a brace, the AK pistols cost anywhere in the range of $525- $600. All the AK pistol variants have stamped receivers and are chambered in 7.62x39mm magazines.

The Serbian PAP M92 is imported current and makes use of the Yugo-patterned handguards and sports 26 × 1.5 mm muzzle threads. The Draco pistols make use of standard AKM-patterned handguards, while the Mini Draco features the single-piece proprietary handguard. Both the Romanian, as well as the Mini Draco have 14 x 1 mm muzzle thread, which is covered by a muzzle cap that is welded shut.

The Serbian PAP M92 has a barrel that is 10” long, the Romanian Draco has an 11.75” long barrel and the Mini Draco has a 7.75” barrel. While the barrel of the Dracos is lined with chrome, the Serbian PAP M92’s barrel is not chrome lined. Both the Draco variants are cut-down versions of the AKM, while the PAP M92 is similar to AKS-74U type weapon, which also known as Krinkov.

AK pistols do not have the same restrictions under 922(r) like rifles as they mainly comprise components which are completely foreign-made.

Mini Draco Pistol Review

Features Of The Mini Draco Pistol

The Mini Draco pistol as we know is based on the design of the AK-47 rifle. Chambered in 7.62x39mm, the pistol is ideal for very specific purposes such as residential or static purposes or as a weapon for personal defense that engages the target at a close distance. The pistol has an 18-inch barrel, which makes it moderately compact compared to other pistols chambered in larger calibers.  

The Draco Mini accommodates all types of magazines that can be used with AK-47 rifles. The pistol features a Midwest Industries rail which is made especially for the Draco Mini. The rail has circular divots and 4 rails which are positioned around every assembly plane and the assembly is pretty simple.

The rail has a Bushnell Red Dot optic which is reliable and rugged and maintains battery life and offers 11 dim settings. The pistol has a 6-MOA hold (1.5-inches at 25 yards); however, for the purpose of close-range defense, the pistol offers excellent near to mid-range coverage. The sight radius of the Mini Draco’s iron sights are around 6-inches and the rear sight is located toward the forward aft of the pistol, adding around 10-inches to the “eyeball rear sight” distance.

The Mini Draco is equipped with a Medieval flash suppressor from Troy Industries and though the fireball is significant, the pistol reduces the optic signature of the flash considerably. The pistol has a standard rubberized Hogue grip which helps to reduce the recoil and also better control of the weapon, especially when you’re shooting in various stances.

The internal parts of the Mini Draco are very similar to the AK-47; however, the pistol has a composite block behind the bolt assembly. Since the gas rod of the Mini Draco is much shorter than the AK-47, the bolt group does not need the same recoil distance as the AK.

Pros And Cons Of The Mini Draco Pistol

PROS

CONS

  • Versatile
  • Compact
  • Reliable
  • Has a powerful caliber
  • Can be modified easily
  • Sufficiently accurate
  • Quite expensive

  • Dependent on the composite block

  • Requires specific after-market parts

Romanian Draco Review

Features Of The Romanian Draco

Romanian Draco Pistol

The Romanian Draco is a legal variant of the legendary AK-47 rifle created by Mikhail Kalashnikov and is targeted to the civilians. The weapon basically is a truncated version of the AK rifle and the original objective of the firearm is to bring in the heavy-weight firepower to any fight in a smaller package. The Romanian Draco is ideal for paratroopers, Spetsnaz fighters and tanker who require greater power in a more compact sized weapon.

The Romanian Draco features an 11.75-inch barrel that has a muzzle nut which is welded on and a Hogue stock. The weapon is different compared to the AK-47 rifles as it does not have a stock that folds, instead of the 5.45×39mm chambering, the weapon is chambered in 7.362×39mm and it is a semi-automatic weapon.

Originally, the Krinkov carbines were AK-47 pattern rifles that were shortened and the Romanian Draco is an AKM pattern weapon and has a legal classification as a handgun. So, when you make modifications to the Romanian Draco, you must be careful and follow the recommended parameters for modification.

The Romanian Draco uses the 7.62x39mm cartridge, which is essentially round fire projectiles of 100 grains – 155 grains with velocities between 1,700 feet/sec to around 3,000 feet/sec depending on the load and bullet weight.

The Romanian Draco needs a fair amount of training and practice to get used to and you may initially find the recoil pretty harsh, which may be due to the fact that the gun has a short barrel and no stock. Overall, the Romanian Draco offers a great feeling when you are shooting with it. As far as a compact weapon goes, the Romanian Draco is very versatile and handy.

Pros And Cons Of The Romanian Draco

PROS

CONS

  • There is plenty of firepower that you get for the small, compact gun.
  • It is quite light in weight.
  • The gun is short and handy at a close shooting range.
  • The short barrel of the gun and lack of a stock make the Romanian Draco quite difficult to control, especially in the situation of rapid fire. These factors also make the gun less accurate.

  • May not be reliable.

The Draco is a great fun gun and is ideal for the purposes of home defense. Although the gun is quite loud, it is an excellent gun to shoot with and defend yourself. And, at the end of the day, it is as close you can get to an AK and who wouldn’t want to own one!

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