DESIGN
The Kalashnikov is based upon the German
Sturmgewehr 44. The Russians saw how effective
the German Stg.44 was and created a similar
weapon. The official (propaganda?) story
is that, while the wounded sergeant Mikhail
Kalashnikov was in a field hospital, he started
to develop infantry weapons, because he was
unsatisfied with the soviet weapons used
in the Second World War. Mikhail Kalashnikov
was assigned to Izhmash, the famous Russian
manufacturer of small arms. There he developed
the AK. It was adopted in 1947, hence the
name AK-47. The Stg.44 used the 7.92x33mm
cartridge which is a scaled down 7.92x57mm.
The 7.92x57mm was used in all German rifles
and machineguns. The Russian 7.62x54mm cartridge
was scaled down in the exact same way. The
firing mechanism used in the Stg.44 was copied
and altered a bit. A few years later the
AK-47S, with a foldable stock was introduced.
The AK was modernized in 1959. It was made
lighter, has an improved rear sight and can
be fitted with a bayonet or under barrel
grenade launcher. A light support weapon
based upon the AKM was also put in service.
It is called the RPK, it has a longer barrel
and it uses high capacity magazines. Nowadays
the AK-47 is out of service and replaced
by the 5.45mm AK-74. However millions are
still used worldwide. |
| ‘AK-47’ stands for ‘Avtomat Kalashnikov 1947’,
or ‘automatic Kalashnikov 1947’. The AK-47S
has a foldable stock and is issued to paratroopers. |
| The AKM is a modernized AK-47. It is sometimes
called AK-47M. ‘AKM’ stands for ‘Avtomat
Kalashnikova Modernizirovannyi’ or ‘modernized
automatic Kalashnikov’. It weighs a lot less,
has an improved rear sight and can be fitted
with a bayonet or under barrel grenade launcher.
The paratrooper version with foldable stock
is called AKMS. |
| The RPK is a support fire version of the
AKM. It has a longer barrel, bipod and is
issued with large capacity magazines to increase
the effective rate of fire. There is a version
with foldable stock and it is called RPKS.
The RPK was introduced at the same moment
as the AKM. ‘RPK’ stands for ‘Ruchnoi Pulemet
Kalashnikova’, or ‘Kalashnikov light machinegun’. |
PERFORMANCE
The AK-47 is probably the best known firearms
ever created. Although Mikhail Kalashnikov
copied the basic design, the AK-47 is very
different compared to the Stg.44. Kalashnikov
is often called a copycat, which I think
is not fair. Off course the cold war played
a role in those allegations. Why shouldn’t
one use a proven design? Nobody (especially
Americans) said the Israelis were copycats
when they introduced the Galil…..
Compared to the 5.56mm NATO and 7.62mm NATO,
the 7.62x39mm Soviet uses the best of both
worlds. The 7.62x39mm has more stopping power
and penetrates non-metal objects with greater
effect than a 5.56mm NATO and has a low recoil
compared to the 7.62mm NATO. The wind has
very little influence on the trajectory of
the 7.62x39mm, because of its high weight.
Its high weight has some drawbacks. The bullet
falls quickly and has a low speed, resulting
in a maximum effective range of 300 meters.
The Kalashnikov is well known to be rugged
and reliable. The system used isn’t accurate,
but works always. The AK has sights which
adjust up to 800 meters (1000 for AKM), but
the range is limited to 300m because of its
ammunition. The AKM is a lot lighter and
tends to ‘dance around in your arms’. This
effect is by its shoulderstock, which is
set under a lower elevation. Its low rate
of fire makes the weapon controllable and
reduces ammunition consummation. The AKM
can be fitted with a silencer, which is surprisingly
effective when used with subsonic ammunition,
but it decreases its range dramatically.
The RPK weighs more and the recoil is minimal.
The main drawback is the 7.62x39mm round.
Its longer barrel results in a higher muzzle
velocity and a longer range. The effective
range of the RPK is between 350 and 400 meters,
which is not far enough to compete with the
5.56mm NATO or 7.62mm NATO.
USE
- The first user was the Soviet Union, which
adopted the AK-47 in 1949. The AK-47 is out
of use. The AKM and RPK are in use with the
reserve.
- Some soviet satellite states also produce
the AK-47 and variants. East Germany, Hungary,
Bulgaria, Romania and Yugoslavia are the
best known East European manufacturers.
- The Soviet Union’s communist friends, China
and North Korea, produce AK’s under license.
- Friends of the Soviet Union, like Finland,
Egypt and Iraq, are allowed to produce the
AK.
- The Kalashnikov is used in almost any conflict
worldwide. Many third world countries, terrorists,
guerrillas and extremists use the cheap and
reliable Kalashnikov. The Kalashnikov and
its ammunition is in high demand and is widely
available on the black market.
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