Very sturdy build, I’m very happy with it. Thank you

This is the Ferrari of AKs, super high quality, super high end! Its definitely a top tier rifle made by top tier people. The pros: Attention to detail Quality Fit & Finish Reliability Durability Accuracy Overall experience while shooting. Cons: Wait time! You'll have to wait quite a while from order date to having it in your hands. Overall this is one of the absolute finest firearms in my collection. While the wait may be very long the quality 2nd to none.

Without a doubt is one amazing AK built, i’ve waited one year and two months it’s worth the wait. Shoots amazing. The internal parts amazing. Negative pistol grip, The pistol grip was a killer for me. I had to order one right away I was embarrassed to show such a beautiful piece of work of art with a polymer pistol grip. Nevertheless I highly recommend for those out there they want equality AK.

As soon as I had the rifle in my hands, I knew I had struck gold. The fit and finish is some of the highest quality work I have seen on any AK I’ve handled/owned. The safety felt amazingly fit, the trigger light and crisp, and action smooth like butter. The most pleasant thing about this rifle is just how light it shot. For being a hefty caliber like 7.62x39mm, it felt just as if not lighter than my 5.45x39mm. Though it was a long wait, it was definitely worth it. I’d even stick my neck out and say this is the best bang for your buck on the AK market currently. If you want a reliable AK pattern fighting rifle, I highly recommend picking this thing up!

The fit and finish on the Pestilence! Wow. The quality of work that went into this rifle. The best AK I’ve ever put my hands on. Can’t wait to get it out on the range! Totally worth the wait! Keep up the great work Meridian.

Really fun to shoot and surprisingly accurate

It was well worth the wait! This gun shoots so flat I’m not sure how they even do it. I’ve owned many AK’s and I just retired them all for this. Not only does it shoot flat & smooth it cycles really well. It’s very accurate. Lastly the craftsmanship of this gun is outstanding! If you’re considering it I highly recommend it, yes you’ll be waiting a really long time but you’ll be happy once it arrives.

I ordered on 7/3/20 and the rifle was delivered on 4/19/21, at 41 weeks. MDC honored the original order price even with two intervening price increases. Communication with Paul and Marco was good throughout the build process. They would respond to emails within two business days. After I received the rifle, Paul called me and gave me a cell phone number to contact him if I had any problems. Delivery to my FFL was by UPS, and flawless. This is the first AK platform I have owned or fired. It has the ALG trigger, KNS piston, and BD3-AK muzzle brake. The trigger breaks at about 2 pounds, with no take up, and a short reset. MDC is the only manufacturer I know of that reprofiles the hammers on ALG trigger sets to minimize peening of the bolt carrier. The action is polished and smooth cycling; I am a right handed shooter with a weak left hand and I can cycle it left handed, reaching underneath the weapon. The KNS piston is easily adjustable and combined with the BD3 muzzle brake, recoil is consistent with a .223 AR-15 platform. The rifle is ideal in stock length, shoulder to pistol grip length, and weight for a female shooter. Its overall length makes it easy to handle in tight spaces. The MDC-47 receiver is stamped from 1mm sheet steel to Soviet military specifications and includes the correct dimple at the mag well, the indentations to support the magazine, and the X and Y notches on the sides where pins typically are drilled through. The safety is positive and requires some effort to slide into place; I like the way it is set and it clicks into place noticeably both for safe and fire. When on safe, it is not a precise match to the dust cover but it is within military specifications. The rivets are well placed and tight, none worked loose after shooting. The first 100 rounds were a mix of 7.62x39mm Wolf, Tulammo, Golden Tiger, and Silver Bear, using one X-Tech 30 round magazine, the included Communist bloc steel magazine distressed to match the rifle finish, and two new Bulgarian steel magazines just out of Cosmoline. I own three other Bulgarian magazines but they are too tight over the magazine catch and I can’t eject them by hand, I have to strike the magazine catch with a second magazine, so I did not use them. In the first 100 rounds I had one malfunction, a stovepipe jam on ejection with a new round chambered, about 30 rounds in firing Golden Tiger from the included steel magazine, immediately after I got the KNS piston dialed in. It cleared easily and I had no further malfunctions. Ejection is positive, with unfired cartridges and fired casings. Using iron sights, I found that the rifle is set up to sight by centering the front sight in the V notch rear and covering the target. At 25 yards on a half size silhouette, it easily shoots a palm sized group to point of aim using battle zero, free handed, standing without support. Fit and finish are very good. The Apoc finish looks well worn and the wood stock and dong forearm are well refinished. “Trench art” on the dong grip was preserved. The rifle has matching Romanian military serial numbers on the front trunnion, bolt, bolt carrier, disconnector, and spring guide. The dust cover has a number a few hundred numbers off with the same two letter prefix. The Romanian parts look as if they have little wear. The front trunnion and barrel pin are well done and do not exhibit tooling marks, and military proof marks are present on both trunnions. The chamber appears to be chrome lined, and I had discussed with Anthony the possibility of a chrome lined chamber and barrel. I can’t tell whether the barrel also is chrome lined. The Tango Down pistol grip is a good choice for smaller hands. The FSB sight/gas block can be sight adjusted with a standard AK sight tool but I did not need to adjust it. The rifle does not come with a cleaning rod or cleaning kit but it did come with a spare magazine (the X-tech one) and a Romanian military sling. The stock has a trap for a standard AK cleaning kit and the forearm has a hole for a rod but there is no way to secure one on the rifle. The UltiMAK M-1B gas tube/Picatinny rail gets super hot and I would not want to put an optic on it but I would put a light on it, particularly one of the offset Streamlight combos. Thanks to the dong, I did not need gloves to shoot. The rifle has an AKML-type side rail, and I hope to put a Kobra or other Russian red dot on it eventually. It is a good package and a good value. I would purchase again, perhaps a Volk next time.

Finally got this AK. Haven’t fired it yet but the fit and finish and overall appear are amazing. Lots of jealous friends. Only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars was because when I purchased it I was quoted at 3-5 months. It took almost 8 months to get this thing. Customer service was outstanding. They always answered when I started to get impatient. But if you have any doubts.....do it. It’s well worth the money and wait. Amazing job, Meridian Defense.

Speechless! worth the wait. attention to every detail. Incredible quality. Charging so smooth. I have several high priced guns, but this one is at the highest level of finish consistent with fully custom and way more expensive firearms. This may be the best value rifle on market today. I am awaiting my LDP also and will post a review of that as well. Get in line....It’s worth the wait ! Thanks for tolerating my non stop emails.