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.

Outstanding fit and finish. Top tier rifle for sure.

I have been patiently anticipating the arrival of the pestilence AK. I can personally say, that after receiving the rifle, I was more than impressed. The effort put into the rifle was very clear. It looks amazing. I was sort of nervous to shoot it. Then I remembered that it was an Ak47. ha ha.

This rifle is gorgeous, that being said I can not wait to get it to the range. Fit and finish are outstanding. Wish I would've ordered the RPK as well before it sold out!

I wasn't exactly an AK guy" prior to buying this rifle but let's say I was "AK-curious". If I was going to buy one, I knew I wanted "one AK to rule them all", so to speak. The Pestilence is it. The fit and finish are spectacular. The pictures don't do it full justice, you really have to see one of these in person to fully appreciate it. People even asked to take pictures with it during my first range session! Customer service at Meridian is also spectacular. Mario and Paul were very patient with me bugging them for updates as the wait dragged on (spoiler alert: It's long). I had a few custom additions for my order that Anthony talked to me about personally on the phone, and Meridian completely blew away my expectations. When my rifle arrived I had a newbie issue with my KNS piston. I sent them an email, and within 2 minutes (not kidding) I got a call from Anthony with the solution. The rifle shoots every bit as good as it looks. Iron's were dead on with a nice 1-inch group at 50 yards right out of the box. I absolutely love this rifle and it's now the prize of my collection. In summary - buy one, be patient, and you'll have the rifle of your dreams. I've already started saving for my next MDC AK!

After a long wait it finally aroved yesterday and oh. My. God. Its so slick. Everything is smooth as hell and it is more beautiful in person than in the pictures. Seriously well done, worth the wait, and worth the money!

Incredibly impressed with the quality and attention to detail that these guys put into each rifle. 100% worth the wait and will top all other rifles I have ever run. Already ran it and it’s incredibly fast and nimble. Thankyou so much for such an incredibly build.