While known for their brutish manners in original factory form, AKs blessed with modernized components and ingenious innovation — like the ODS-1775 from Occam Defense Solutions — put a new spin on this venerable platform
by Paul G Markel
Although the Gen Z crowd might not understand it, referring to something as “the Cadillac of” carried a lot of weight when I was coming of age. When I say that the Occam Defense ODS-1775 rifle is the Cadillac of AKs, that is a serious assertion. As you will come to see from this review, the ODS-1775 rifle might just be the gold standard when it comes to American-made Kalashnikov rifles.
It Started with One Part: the RST
Occam Defense Solutions actually began after the engineering genius behind the company, Brian Keeney, threw himself into the gun culture and began training. A huge influence on the man was James Yeager and the training offered by Tactical Response. It was during the Tactical Response Fighting Rifle classes that Brian learned not just how to shoot a rifle, but how to run one as you would a true fighting tool. Mr. Keeney looked at the modern AKM rifles and realized that options for mounting red dot 1:1 optics on them were either poorly conceived or overly complex. What he came up with was the Occam Rear Sight Tower (RST), a replacement for the original AKM sight towers that include the old standard sliding rear sights.
That was how I met Brian. James called me and said, “I need to introduce you to someone who has a genius new product, but you can’t tell anyone about it yet.” And so, I was introduced to Brian and, via video call, he showed me his RST and explained how it worked. I immediately agreed with James that it was a genius idea.
The Occam RST replaces the standard AK sight tower and offers an M1913 Picatinny rail section with a rudimentary sight channel cut in the center. This allows the user to mount a 1:1 red dot sight onto a stamped AK rifle in a place that is rock solid and right where it should be.
There was one problem though. Unlike the modern AR that can be completely assembled from parts with hand tools by a competent end user in their garage, installing a rear sight tower on a Kalashnikov rifle is beyond the capabilities of the average gun guy. The RST must be installed by a gunsmith who has the proper tools to do so.
The MERC Handguard
Diving in with both feet, Brian began looking for other solutions to adding not just optics to the Kalashnikov rifles, but other accessories as well. Once more, he discovered that the aluminum forend rail systems available for AK rifles tended to be large and heavy, sometimes adding as much as two pounds plus of weight up front.
Brian designed the MERC Handguard, a replacement for the standard forend grips that weigh only 16 ounces AND allows the end user to mount a red dot optic directly over the rear sight. The entire top side is M1913 Picatinny, and there are M-LOK mounting points on the side and bottom as well as QD slide mount points. Plus, the MERC handguard can be installed by a competent end user on their work bench with common hand tools in under 30 minutes.
In addition to the MERC handguard, Occam offers an adjustable gas-block — a must-have for those who wish to run their AK suppressed. They also have a Razor Strut brace for AK pistols and a Hex 2.0 side-folding stock for rifles. I have the side-folder on a different gun and the craftsmanship is superior.
The ODS-1775 Rifle
As we discussed, Brian started out providing parts for rifle and pistol builders, specifically those building AKs, and moved on to building AK rifles and pistols. Brian built the rifle that you see in the included pictures in 2020.
ODS naturally stands for Occam Defense Solutions. The 1775 part comes from April 19, 1775, and the shot heard ‘round the world. Brian believes that the events of April 19, 1775, are as important as those that occurred later in July of 1776 with regard to American Independence and liberty. We wholeheartedly concur.
Let’s consider the heart of the ODS rifle that we will be reviewing in detail here.
The receiver is a stamped Childers Mil-Spec Polish design. A forged European parts kit is used. For the barrel, Brian chose a 14.5-inch Nitride version with a 1:9.5 twist. Then he welded on a muzzle device to make the total length 16 inches, so the gun is NOT an NFA item. A very crisp ALS trigger group is installed as well, and the manual safety on this gun is a Krebs Custom enhanced version.
Surrounding the barrel of the ODS rifle is the aforementioned MERC free-float handguard. The MERC handguard, an ODS patent, eliminates the need for traditional front and rear AK sights. This handguard extends over the dust cover and secures to the rifle with zero movement or play. The end user can install iron sights or an optic with complete confidence that their sight zero will be maintained. In addition to the optic that I would be installing, I also acquired a set of ODS PH-2 adjustable iron sights. These are a low mount for AKs, not AR “same plane” sights, but the front sight post is an AR style.
The specific rifle featured herein was custom built for Student of the Gun. The stock is a Magpul MOE black polymer version. The pistol grip is a Tango Down version that was stippled in the ODS shop.
As for the Tiger Stripe finish that you see on the rifle, I did that myself after I attended the Duracoat University firearms refinishing class. I cannot recommend Duracoat products highly enough.
Range Time
Prior to hitting the range for this review, I wiped down the bolt and bolt carrier assembly and reapplied some FrogLube Extreme to it. I’ve been using Froglube for about ten years now and swear by it. The optic mounted atop the MERC was an EOTech Model 552 Holographic Weapon Sight. The primary difference between the 552 and the 512 are the night vision settings found on the 552. Both optics take AA batteries and have a 2500 hour run time if you use the Lithium versions. The reticle is the red circle/dot version with NSEW tick marks. The outer ring is 68 MOA and the center aiming dot is a true 1 MOA.
Before heading to the range, I went to the ammo locker and grabbed 7.62x39mm ammunition from Wolf Ammo with the gray steel case and a 123-grain FMJ bullet as well as some Red Army Standard (Century Arms) green steel cased ammo with a 124-grain FMJBT projectile.
The ODS-1775 rifle was put together with expert care and craftsmanship. When I zeroed the EOTech optic from the bench at 50 yards, two of three holes were touching and the third was a half inch away using the RAS ammunition. Keep in mind that the handguard free floats around the barrel, therefore, barrel harmonics are superb.
As mentioned, the EOTech 552 reticle has a 1 MOA dot that helps to hold a precise target picture at 100 yards. The best 3-shot groups I was able to obtain were a 1.52-inch group with the RAS green case and a 1.81-inch group with the Wolf gray case ammo. For a Kalashnikov rifle with a 1:1 optic, using stock ammunition, I’ll take that all day long.
The ODS-1775 came with a single Magpul PMAG. I supplied other steel magazines from my stash. With full confidence that the optic was right on, I got off the bench for more dynamic and active shooting drills. Thanks to the relatively lightweight MERC handguard and the optic being back over the center of the gun, not out front, the balance and handling of the ODS-1775 are fantastic. The gun feels light because most of the weight is back toward the shooter’s body, not hanging out front.
In addition to what you might consider traditional moving and shooting exercises, I put on a new CM-7M field protective mask from Mira Safety and ran some drills while wearing it. Something like 37 years ago I learned how challenging it is to fire a rifle with a gas mask on your face. The holographic weapon sight (HWS) technology of the EOTech optic truly makes shooting from unconventional positions or situations a more successful endeavor.
While I was preparing this review for our dear editor, I put somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 rounds from the RAS and Wolf brand through the gun. As mentioned earlier, I have been in possession of the ODS-1775 for four years now and have run well over a thousand rounds through it. Cynics in the audience will be disappointed, but the gun has run with 100-percent reliability. As for maintenance, I generally remove the bolt mechanism every few hundred rounds and wipe it down and reapply the Froglube.
“But, Paul, I already have an AK!” Great! Do you want to make it better? The aftermarket parts and accessories from Occam Defense are not just Cadillac quality; they are well thought out, practical/functional, and built for people who run their guns.
