AK47

The AK47 is a gas operated assault rifle which was used during the cold war. Designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov and produced by soviet manufacturer Izhevsk Mechanical Works, the AK-47 is compact, powerful and capable of selective fire. The AK47 is one of the first true assault rifles, and due to its durability and ease of use, remains the most widely used assault rifle. More AK type rifles have been produced than any other assault rifle type in the firearm market segment.

During World War II, the Germans developed the assault rifle concept, based upon research that showed that most firefights happen at close range, within 300 meters. Known for its extreme ruggedness, simplicity of operation and maintenance, and unsurpassed reliability even in worst conditions possible, the AK-47 can be described as an ideal small arm.

Mikhail Kalashnikov began imagining his assault rifle while in the hospital after being wounded in the Battle of Bryansk. After tinkering with designs, he entered a competition that had been launched for a new weapon that would take the 7.62x41mm cartridge developed by Elisarov and Semin in 1943. Circa 1944 he was assigned to the Izhevsk Machine Building Plant (IZHMASH), where in 1944 he developed a semi-automatic, gas-operated carbine. Starting with this design, during 1945 and 1946 he developed an assault rifle that he submitted for official Soviet Army trials in 1946. Influenced by the simplicity of the design of Aleksei Sudaev's PPS-43 submachine gun, Kalashnikov produced his "Mikhtim" (derived from his first name and patronymic) and won the competition after it was dragged through mud, sand, and dust and was still able to fire without jamming. The "Mikhtim" was the prototype for the development of a family of firearms which culminated in the AK-47 in 1947.

There were many difficulties during the initial phase of production. The first production models had stamped sheet metal receivers. Difficulties were encountered in welding the guide and ejector rails, causing high rejection rates. Instead of halting production, a heavy machined receiver was substituted for the sheet metal receiver. This was a more costly process, but the use of machined receivers accelerated production as tooling and labor for the earlier Mosin-Nagant rifle's machined receiver were easily adapted. Partly because of these problems, the Soviets were not able to distribute large numbers of the new rifle to soldiers until 1956. During this time, production of the interim SKS rifle continued. Once manufacturing difficulties had been overcome, a redesigned version designated the AKM (M for "modernized" or "upgraded) was introduced in 1959. This new model used a stamped sheet metal receiver and featured a slanted muzzle brake on the end of the barrel to compensate for muzzle rise under recoil.

In 1978, the Soviet Union began replacing their AK-47 and AKM rifles with a newer design, the AK-74. This new rifle and cartridge had only started being exported to eastern European nations when the Soviet Union collapsed, drastically slowing production of this and other weapons of the former Soviet bloc.

Other Useful AK47 Information

• The AK is simple, inexpensive to manufacture and easy to clean and maintain.
• The notched rear tangent iron sight is adjustable, and is calibrated in hundreds of meters.
• The front sight is a post adjustable for elevation in the field. Windage adjustment is done by the armory before issue.
• The prototype of the AK-47, the AK-46, had a separate fire selector and safety.
• The standard AK-47 or AKM fires a 7.62x39mm round with a muzzle velocity of 710 meters per second (2,329 ft/s).
• Muzzle energy is 2,010 joules.
• Cartridge case length is 38.6 millimeters (1.5 in)
• The AK weight is 18.21 grams. Projectile weight is normally 8 grams.
• The AK-47 and AKM, with the 7.62x39mm cartridge, have a maximum effective range of around 400 meters.