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| AK-47 Assault Rifle |
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| AK-47 Assault Rifle |
| AK-47 stands for "Avtomat KAlashnikova, model of 1947". AK-47 was designed by M.T. KAlashnikov in the 2nd half of the 1940s, and was adopted by the Soviet Army in 1947 as AK. It was manufactured in huge numbers, for both internal use, and export. Many countries, such as Romania, Bulgaria, East Germany, PR China and others also manufactured clones of the AK. Main production facility of the AKs was IzhMash - Izhervsk machinebuilding bland, Izhevsk, Russia. Technically, AK is a selective fire, gas powered, magazine fed assault rifle. The Gas system of the AK uses a long stroke gas piston, attached to the bolt carrier. AK features a rotating bolt with two massive lugs that locks securely into slots cut in the inner walls of the receiver. The receiver itself was machined from the solid steel bar, the receiver cover was stamped from sheet metal. The Barrel is attached into the upper receiver permanently, and bore and chamber are chrome lined. The AK is a hammer-fired, selective weapon. The fire selector/safety switch is located at the right side of the receiver, and has three positions: "Safe" (upper position), "Auto" (middle), "Semi-Automatic" (lower position). The safety switch is somewhat uncomftorble to operate. The AK features open iron sights, with front sight adjustable for windage and rear sight adjustable for elevation, and marked in 100s of meters, from 100 to 800m. The sight radius is too short, when compared to other assault rifles, such as the M16A2. The Stock and and grip are made of wood. The shortened variant of the original AK, called the AKS was intended for paratroopers and featured a folding down metal buttstock. The Original AK was improved in 1959. Original variant was replaced by a stamped one, with a new receiver cover with stamped grooves for greater strength replaced the old plain one. The barrel was equipped with a screwed-on muzzle flip compensator, that could be replaced by a silencer. This modified gun was adopted as AKM, and served as a general issue small arm for the Soviet army until 1974, when the small-bore variant ok the AKM, the AK-74, was adopted. But as of now, many AKMs are still in limited service in the Russian Army. Legendary reliability of the AK comes from simple design and an overpowered gas drive. When operating in normal conditions, the bolt carrier/bolt group moves at high speed and strikes hard against the rear and front walls of the receiver. This somewhat decreases the full-auto fire accuracy, but gives to the system power needed to operate with a seriously fouled and dirty receiver. Thus, usually, the AK requires less cleaning under battle conditions, and less is sensitive to powerder quality than other assault rifles, especially ones such as the M16A2, desgined with a relatively light bolt carrier/bolt groups and direct gas actions without gas pistons. In general, AKs are extremely rugged and reliable guns, simple to operate and fieldstrip, without any small parts that may be lost in field conditions. They are of average accuracy and not too comfortable to carry and fire, but they do the job they are designed to do, and do it well. The AK is the most copied assault rifle in the world. Leaving aside many ex-East-block countries, an officially licensed clone of the Ak is still being manufactured in Finnland, as Sako/Valmet. An improved copy of the Valmet is built in Israel as Galil, and the copy of the Galil is built in South Africa as R-4, and R-4. Many other Assault Rifles, such as the FN FNC, bear the marks of the AK Design. Calibre: 7.62X39mm Action: Gas operated, rotating bolt with 2 lugs Overall Length: 870mm Barrel Length: 415mm Weight: 4.3 kg with empty magazine, 4.876 kg loaded Effective Range: 800m Rate of Fire: 600 rounds per minute Feed: AK manufactured detachable box magazines Muzzle Velocity: 780m per second |
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| AK-47 in the Hands of the SAS |