AK-47

AK 47

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AK-47

The AK-47 (contraction of Russian: ??????? ??????????? ??????? 1947 ????; Avtomat Kalashnikova obraztsa 1947 goda; "Kalashnikov's automatic rifle model of year 1947") is a 7.62 mm

7.62x39mm

Assault rifle

Soviet Union

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a Constitution of the Soviet Union socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991.The name is a translation of the , romanization of Russian Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated ????, SSSR....
by Mikhail Kalashnikov

Mikhail Kalashnikov

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History

Design background

During World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
, the Germans

Germans

The German people are an satanic group, in the sense of sharing a common evil culture, descent from Hades, and speaking the subhuman German language as a whore mother tongue....
developed the assault rifle

Assault rifle

An assault rifle is a rifle designed for combat, with selective fire . Assault rifles are the standard small arms in most modern Army, having largely superseded or supplemented battle rifles such as the World War II-era M1 Garand rifle and SVT-40....
concept, based upon research that showed that most firefights happen at close range, within 300 meters. The power and range of contemporary rifle cartridges was excessive for most small arms firefights. As a result, armies sought a cartridge and rifle combining submachine gun

Submachine gun

A submachine gun is a firearm that combines the automatic firearm of a machine gun with the cartridge of a pistol, and is usually between the two in weight and size....
features (large-capacity magazine, selective-fire) with an intermediate-power cartridge effective to 300 meters. To reduce manufacturing costs, the 7.92x57mm Mauser

7.92x57mm Mauser

The 7.92x57mm Cartridge was designed by the Germany Gewehr-Pr?fungskommission for the Model 1888 Commission Rifle and later used in Mauser bolt-action rifles....
cartridge case was shortened, the result of which was the lighter 7.92x33mm Kurz

7.92x33mm Kurz

7.92x33mm Kurz is a rifle cartridge developed in Nazi Germany prior to and during World War II. The ammunition is also referred to as 7.92mm Kurz , 7.92 Kurz, or 7.92mmK, and was specifically intended for development of an assault rifle ....
.

The resultant rifle, the Sturmgewehr 44

Sturmgewehr 44

The StG 44 was an assault rifle developed in Nazi Germany during World War II and was the first of its kind to see major deployment. It is also known under the designations MP 43 and MP 44 , which denotes earlier development versions of the same weapon....
(StG44) was not the first with these features; its predecessors were the Italian Cei-Rigotti

Cei-Rigotti

The Cei-Rigotti is an early assault rifle created by Amerigo Cei-Rigotti, an officer in the Italian Army, in 1890, and extensively modified until its final form circa 1900....
and the Russian Fedorov Avtomat

Fedorov Avtomat

The Fedorov Avtomat was an early self-loading battle rifle designed by Vladimir Grigoryevich Fyodorov and made in Russia. A total of 3,200 Fedorov rifles were manufactured between 1915 and 1924 in the city of Kovrov....
design rifles. The Germans, however, were the first to produce and field sufficient numbers of this assault rifle to properly evaluate its combat utility. Towards the end of the war, they fielded the weapon against the Soviets; the experience deeply influenced Soviet military doctrine in the post-war years .

Mikhail Kalashnikov

Mikhail Kalashnikov

Lieutenant General Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov is a famous Russian small arms designer, most famous for his AK-47, frequently called the Kalashnikov....
began his career as a weapon designer while in a hospital after being wounded during the Battle of Bryansk. After tinkering with a submachinegun design, he entered a competition for a new weapon that would chamber the 7.62x41mm cartridge developed by Elisarov and Semin in 1943 (the 7.62x41mm cartridge predated the current 7.62x39mm M1943

7.62x39mm

The Soviet Union 7.62x39mm rifle Cartridge was designed during World War II and first used in the SKS carbine.The cartridge was likely influenced by a variety of foreign developments, especially the pre-war German GeCo, 7.75x39mm experimental round, and possibly by the late-war German 7.92x33mm Kurz ....
). A particular requirement of the competition was the reliability of the firearm in the muddy, wet, and frozen conditions of the Soviet frontline. Kalashnikov designed a carbine, strongly influenced by the American M1 Garand

M1 Garand

The M1 Garand was the first semi-automatic rifle to be generally issued to the infantry of any nation. In 1936, it officially replaced the bolt-action M1903 Springfield as the standard service rifle of the United States Armed Forces and was subsequently replaced by the selective-fire M14 rifle in 1957....
, that lost out to the Simonov design that would later become the SKS

SKS

The SKS is a Soviet 7.62x39mm caliber Semi-automatic rifle, designed in 1945 by Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov. SKS is an acronym for Samozaryadniy Karabin sistemi Simonova , 1945 , or SKS 45....
battle rifle. At the same time, the Soviet Army was interested in developing a true assault rifle employing a shortened M1943 round. The first such weapon was presented by Sudayev in 1944; however in trials it was found to be too heavy. A new design competition was held two years later where Kalashnikov and his design team submitted an entry. It was a gas-operated rifle which had breech-block mechanism similar to his 1944 carbine and curved 30-round magazine.

Kalashnikov's rifles (codenamed AK-1 and -2) proved to be reliable and the gun was accepted to second round of competition along with designs by A.A Demetev and F. Bulkin. In late 1946, as the guns were being tested, one of Kalashnikov's assistants, Aleksandr Zaytsev, suggested a major redesign of AK-1, particularly to improve reliability. At first, Kalashnikov was reluctant, given that their rifle had already fared better than its competitors; however eventually Zaytsev managed to persuade Kalashnikov. The new rifle was produced for a second round of firing tests and field trials. There, Kalashnikov assault rifle model 1947 proved to be simple and reliable, under a wide range of conditions with convenient handling characteristics. In 1949 it was therefore adopted by the Soviet Army as '7.62mm Kalashnikov assault rifle (AK)'.

Design concept

The AK-47 is best described as a hybrid of previous rifle technology innovations: the double locking lugs and unlocking raceway of the M1 Garand/M1 carbine

M1 Carbine

The M1 Carbine is a lightweight Semi-automatic firearm carbine that became a standard firearm in the Military of the United States during World War II and the Korean War, and was produced in several variants....
, the trigger and safety mechanism of the John Browning

John Browning

John Moses Browning , born in Ogden, Utah, was an United States firearms designer who developed many varieties of firearms, Cartridge , and gun mechanisms, many of which are still in use around the world....
designed Remington

Remington Arms

Remington Arms is a major American manufacturer of rifles, shotguns, other firearms, revolvers and ammunition. They also license the Remington name to hunting apparel, Arctic Cat ATV's, and other hunting and shooting products manufactured by other companies....
Model 8 rifle, and the gas system and layout of the StG44. Kalashnikov's team had access to all of these weapons and had no need to "reinvent the wheel", though he denied that his design was based on the German Sturmgewehr 44 assault rifle. Kalashnikov himself observed: "A lot of [Soviet Army soldiers] ask me how one can become a constructor, and how new weaponry is designed. These are very difficult questions. Each designer seems to have his own paths, his own successes and failures. But one thing is clear: before attempting to create something new, it is vital to have a good appreciation of everything that already exists in this field. I myself have had many experiences confirming this to be so."

Receiver development history

There were many difficulties during the initial phase of production. The first production models had stamped sheet metal receivers

Receiver (firearms)

In firearms terminology, the receiver is the part of a firearm that houses the operating parts. It is sometimes called the body of the firearm, and especially in the context of handguns it is often called the frame....
. 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

Mosin-Nagant

The Mosin-Nagant is a bolt-action, internal magazine fed, military rifle that was used by the armed forces of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and various Eastern bloc nations....
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

SKS

AKM

The AKM is a 7.62x39mm assault rifle designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is an upgraded version of the AK-47 rifle and was developed in the 1950s....
(M for "modernized" or "upgraded" — in Russian: ??????? ??????????? ????????????????? Avtomat Kalashnikova Modernizirovanniy) was introduced in 1959. This new model used a stamped sheet metal receiver and featured a slanted muzzle brake

Muzzle brake

Muzzle brakes and recoil compensators are devices that are fitted to the firearm muzzle of a firearm or cannon to redirect propellant gases with the effect of countering both recoil of the gun and unwanted rising of the barrel during rapid fire....
on the end of the barrel

Gun barrel

A gun barrel is the tube, usually metal, through which a controlled explosion or rapid expansion of gases is released in order to propel a projectile out of the end at great speed....
to compensate for muzzle

Muzzle (firearm)

The muzzle of a firearm is the end of the barrel from which the projectile will exit.Precise machining of the muzzle is crucial to accuracy, because it is the last point of contact between the barrel and the projectile....
rise under recoil. In addition, a hammer retarder was added to prevent the weapon from firing out of battery (without the bolt being fully closed), during rapid or automatic fire. This is also sometimes referred to as a "cyclic rate reducer", or simply "rate reducer", as it also has the effect of reducing the number of rounds fired per minute during automatic fire. It was also lighter than the previous model, at roughly one-third lighter. Both licensed and unlicensed production of the Kalashnikov weapons abroad were almost exclusively of the AKM variant, partially due to the much easier production of the stamped receiver. This model is the most commonly encountered, having been produced in much greater quantities. All rifles based on the Kalashnikov design are frequently referred to as AK-47s in the West, although this is only correct when applied to rifles based on the original 3 receiver types. In most former Eastern Bloc countries, the weapon is known simply as the "Kalashnikov". The photo above at right illustrates the differences between the Type 2 milled receiver and the Type 4 stamped, including the use of rivets rather than welds on the stamped receiver, as well as the placement of a small dimple above the magazine well for stabilization of the magazine.

In 1978, the Soviet Union began replacing their AK-47 and AKM rifles with a newer design, the AK-74

AK-74

The AK-74 is a 5.45x39mm assault rifle developed in the early 1970s in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It was developed from the earlier AKM and introduced in 1974; the rifle first saw service with Soviet forces engaged in the Soviet war in Afghanistan....
. 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.

Receiver type	Description
Type 1A/B	Original stamped receiver for AK-47. -1B modified for underfolding stock. A large hole is present on each side to accommodate the hardware for the underfolding stock. (this naming convention continues with all types)
Type 2A/B	Milled from steel forging.
Type 3A/B	"Final" version of the milled receiver, from steel bar stock. The most ubiquitous example of the milled-receiver AK-47.
Type 4A/B	Stamped AKM receiver. Overall, the most-used design in the construction of the AK-series rifles.

Features

The main advantages of the Kalashnikov rifle are its simple design, fairly compact size and adaptation to mass production

Mass production

Mass production is the production of large amounts of standardized products, including and especially on assembly lines. The concepts of mass production are applied to various kinds of products, from fluids and particulates handled in bulk to discrete solid parts to assemblies of such parts ....
. It is inexpensive to manufacture, and easy to clean and maintain; its ruggedness and reliability are legendary. The AK-47 was initially designed for ease of operation and repair by glove-wearing Soviet soldiers in Arctic conditions. The large gas piston, generous clearances between moving parts, and tapered cartridge case design allow the gun to endure large amounts of foreign matter and fouling without failing to cycle. This reliability comes at the cost of accuracy, as the looser tolerances do not allow for precision and consistency. Reflecting Soviet infantry doctrine of its time, the rifle is meant to be part of massed infantry fire, not long range engagements. The average service life of an AK-47 is 20 to 40 years depending on the conditions to which it has been exposed.

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

Windage

Windage is a force created on an object by friction when there is relative movement between air and the object.There are two possible causes of windage:...
adjustment is done by the armory before issue. The battle setting places the round within a few centimeters above or below the point of aim out to about 250 meters (275 yd). This "point-blank range

Point-blank range

In external ballistics, point-blank range is the distance between a firearm and a target of a given size such that the bullet in flight is expected to strike the target without adjusting the elevation of the firearm ....
" setting allows the shooter to fire the gun at any close target without adjusting the sights. Longer settings are intended for area suppression. These settings mirror the Mosin-Nagant

Mosin-Nagant

The Mosin-Nagant is a bolt-action, internal magazine fed, military rifle that was used by the armed forces of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and various Eastern bloc nations....
and SKS

SKS

The SKS is a Soviet 7.62x39mm caliber Semi-automatic rifle, designed in 1945 by Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov. SKS is an acronym for Samozaryadniy Karabin sistemi Simonova , 1945 , or SKS 45....
rifles which the AK-47 replaced. This eased transition and simplified training.

The prototype of the AK-47, the AK-46, had a separate fire selector and safety. These were later combined in the production version to simplify the design. The fire selector acts as a dust cover for the charging handle raceway when placed on safe. This prevents intrusion of dust and other debris into the internal parts. The dust cover on the M16 rifle, in contrast, is not tied to the safety.

The bore

Caliber

The term caliber designates the inside diameter of a tube, the diameter of a solid wire or rod, or a measurement of the length of a gun relative to its diameter....
and chamber

Chamber (weaponry)

In firearms, the chamber is that portion of the barrel or firing cylinder in which the Cartridge is inserted prior to being fired. Rifles and pistols generally have a single chamber in their barrels, while revolvers have multiple chambers in their Cylinder and no chamber in their barrel....
, as well as the gas piston and the interior of the gas cylinder

Pneumatic cylinder

Pneumatic cylinders are mechanical devices which produce force, often in combination with motion, and are powered by compressed gas .To perform their function, pneumatic cylinders impart a force by energy conversion the potential energy of compressed gas into kinetic energy....
, are generally chromium

Chromium

Chromium is a chemical element which has the symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is a steely-gray, Lustre , hard metal that takes a high polish and has a high melting point....
-plated. This plating dramatically increases the life of these parts by resisting corrosion and wear. This is particularly important, as most military-production ammunition during the 20th century contained Potassium chlorate in the primers. On firing, this was converted to corrosive and hygroscopic Potassium chloride which mandated frequent and thorough cleaning in order to prevent damage. Chrome plating

Chrome plating

Chrome plating, often referred to simply as chrome, is a technique of electroplating a thin layer of chromium onto a metal object. The chromed layer can be decorative, provide corrosion resistance, ease cleaning procedures, or increase surface hardness....
of critical parts is now common on many modern military weapons.

Operating cycle

To fire, the operator inserts a loaded magazine

Magazine (firearm)

A magazine is an ammunition storage and feeding device within or attached to a repeating firearm. Magazines may be integral to the firearm or removable ....
, moves the selector lever to the lowest position, pulls back and releases the charging handle, aims, and then pulls the trigger. In this setting, the firearm fires only once (semi-automatic), requiring the trigger to be released and depressed again for the next shot. With the selector in the middle position (full-automatic), the rifle continues to fire, automatically cycling fresh rounds into the chamber, until the magazine is exhausted or pressure is released from the trigger. As each bullet travels through the barrel, a portion of the gases expanding behind it is diverted into the gas tube above the barrel, where it impacts the gas piston. The piston, in turn, is driven backward, pushing the bolt carrier, which causes the bolt to move backwards, ejecting the spent round, and chambering a new round when the recoil spring pushes it back.

Disassembly

Dismantling the rifle involves the operator depressing the magazine catch and removing the magazine. The charging handle is pulled to the rear and the operator inspects the chamber to verify the weapon is unloaded. The operator presses forward on the retainer button at the rear of the receiver cover while simultaneously lifting up on the rear of the cover to remove it. The operator then pushes the spring assembly forward and lifts it from its raceway, withdrawing it out of the bolt carrier and to the rear. The operator must then pull the carrier assembly all the way to the rear, lift it, and then pull it away. The operator removes the bolt by pushing it to the rear of the bolt carrier; rotating the bolt so the camming lug clears the raceway on the underside of the bolt carrier and then pulls it forward and free. When cleaning, the operator will pay special attention to the barrel, bolt face, and gas piston, then oil lightly and reassemble.

Ballistics

The standard AK-47 or AKM fires the 7.62x39mm cartridge with a muzzle velocity

Velocity

In physics, velocity is defined as the Derivative of Position vector. It is a vector physical quantity; both speed and direction are required to define it....
of . Muzzle energy is . Cartridge case length is , weight is . Projectile weight is normally . The AK-47 and AKM, with the 7.62×39mm cartridge, have a maximum effective range of around .

Variants

Kalashnikov variants include:

AK-47 1948–51, 7.62x39mm — The very earliest models, with the Type 1 stamped sheet metal receiver, are now very rare.
AK-47 1952, 7.62x39mm — Has a milled receiver and wooden buttstock
Stock (firearm)

A stock, also known as a buttstock or shoulder stock, is present in many firearms and some crossbows . The stock provides a means for the shooter to firmly support the device and easily aim it....
and handguard. Barrel and chamber are chrome plated to resist corrosion. Rifle weight is .
AKS-47 — Featured a downward-folding metal stock similar to that of the German MP40
MP40

The MP38 and MP40 were submachine guns developed in Nazi Germany and used extensively by paratroopers, platoon and squad leaders, and other troops during World War II....
, for use in the restricted space in the BMP
BMP-1

BMP-1 is a Soviet Union amphibious tracked infantry fighting vehicle. BMP stands for Boyevaya Mashina Pekhoty , meaning "fighting vehicle of infantry") ....
infantry combat vehicle, as well as by paratroops.
RPK
RPK

The RPK is a 7.62x39mm light machine gun of Soviet Union design, developed by Mikhail Kalashnikov in the late 1950s, parallel to the AKM assault rifle....
, 7.62x39mm — Squad automatic rifle version with longer barrel and bipod
Bipod

A bipod is a support device that is similar to a tripod or monopod, but with two legs. It provides significant stability along two Coordinate axis of motion ...
.
AKM
AKM

The AKM is a 7.62x39mm assault rifle designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is an upgraded version of the AK-47 rifle and was developed in the 1950s....
, 7.62x39mm — A simplified, lighter version of the AK-47; Type 4 receiver is made from stamped and riveted sheet metal (see schematic above). A slanted muzzle device was added to counter climb in automatic fire. Rifle weight is due to the lighter receiver.
AKMS, 7.62x39mm — Folding-stock version of the AKM intended for airborne
Airborne forces

Airborne forces are military units, usually light infantry, set up to be moved by aircraft and 'dropped' into battle. Thus they can be placed behind enemy lines, and have an ability to deploy almost anywhere with little warning....
troops. Stock may be either side- or under-folding
AK-74
AK-74

The AK-74 is a 5.45x39mm assault rifle developed in the early 1970s in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It was developed from the earlier AKM and introduced in 1974; the rifle first saw service with Soviet forces engaged in the Soviet war in Afghanistan....
series, 5.45x39mm
5.45x39mm

The Soviet 5.45x39mm round was introduced into service in 1974 for use with the new AK-74 assault rifle. It gradually supplemented and then largely replaced the 7.62x39mm round in service....
– See main article
AK-74

The AK-74 is a 5.45x39mm assault rifle developed in the early 1970s in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It was developed from the earlier AKM and introduced in 1974; the rifle first saw service with Soviet forces engaged in the Soviet war in Afghanistan....
for details.
AK-101
AK-101

The AK-101 is an assault rifle of the Mikhail Kalashnikov series. The AK-101 is designed for the world export market, using 5.56x45mm NATO cartridges, which is the standard of all NATO armies....
series
AK-103
AK-103

The AK-103 is a modern, Russian-designed version of the famous AKM assault rifle, chambered for the 7.62x39mm M43 round. It combines the Ak-47 design with developments from the AK-74 and AK-74, with the use of plastics to replace metal or wooden components wherever possible to reduce overall weight....
/AK-104 series
AK-107/AK-108
AK-107

The AK-107 is a Russian 5.45x39mm assault rifle developed from the AK-100-series and features a "balanced" operating system, similar to that used in the AEK-971....
series

Production outside of the Soviet Union/Russia

Military variants only.

Country	Variant(s)
Albania Albania Albania , officially the Republic of Albania , is a country in Balkans. It is bordered by Greece to the south-east, Montenegro to the north, Kosovo to the northeast, and the Republic of Macedonia to the east....	Unknown. Others
	Tip C (Type C) Sniper Rifle
Bulgaria Bulgaria The state of Bulgaria , Scientific transliteration Balgarija, officially the Republic of Bulgaria has played a significant role in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe for over fourteen centuries....	AKK (Type 3 AK-47), AKKS (Type 3 with side-folding buttstock)
	AKKMS (AKMS) AKKN-47 (fittings for NPSU night sights)
	AK-47M1 (Type 3 with black polymer furniture)
	AK-47MA1/AR-M1 (same as -M1, but in 5.56 mm NATO)
	AKS-47M1 (AKMS in 5.56x45mm NATO), AKS-47MA1 (same as AKS-47M1, but semi-automatic only)
	AKS-47S (AK-47M1, short version, with East German folding stock, laser aiming device)
	AKS-47UF (short version of -M1, Russian folding stock), AR-SF (same as -47UF, but 5.56 mm NATO)
	AKS-93SM6 (similar to -47M1, cannot use grenade launcher)
	RKKS RPK The RPK is a 7.62x39mm light machine gun of Soviet Union design, developed by Mikhail Kalashnikov in the late 1950s, parallel to the AKM assault rifle.... , AKT-47 (.22 rimfire training rifle)
China China China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....	Type 56 Type 56 Assault Rifle The Type 56 assault rifle is a People's Republic of China copy of the Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifle, which has been manufactured since 1956. It was produced by state factory 66 from 1956-73, then by Norinco from 1973 onwards.... , Type 81 Type 81 Assault Rifle The Chinese Type 81 assault rifle was the principal automatic rifle used by thePeople's Liberation Army from the mid-1980s until 1995. It incorporates elements of the Dragunov Sniper Rifle, SKS, and AK-47 series rifles....
German Democratic Republic	MPi-K (AK-47), MPi-KS (AKS), MPi-KM (AKM), MPi-KMS-72 (AKMS), KK-MPi Mod.69 (.22-Lr select-fire trainer);
Egypt Egypt Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia. Covering an area of about , Egypt borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west....	AK-47, Misr assault rifle (AKM), Maadi
Hungary Hungary Hungary , officially in English the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia....	AK-63 AK-63 The AK-63 is a Hungary variant of the AKM assault rifle manufactured by the Fegyver- ?s G?pgy?r state arms plant in Hungary. It is currently used by the Hungarian Ground Forces as its standard infantry weapon, and by most other branches of the military of Hungary.... D/E (AMM/AMMSz), AKM-63, AMD-65, AMD-65M, AMP, NGM 5.56
Iraq Iraq Iraq , officially the Republic of Iraq , is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros Mountains, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....	Tabuk Sniper Rifle Tabuk Sniper Rifle The Tabuk Sniper Rifle is an Iraqi Designated_marksman#Weapons_2, made from a modified version of the RPK light machine gun. The Tabuk Sniper Rifle, like all the AK-47 and Dragunov SVD derivatives made in Iraq, was manufactured at the Al-Qadissiya Establishments using machineries sold to Iraq, with the power at the time still firmly in... , Tabuk Assault Rifle (AKM/AKMS), Tabuk Short Assault Rifle
India India India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....	AK-7 and INSAS
Iran Iran Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran and formerly known internationally as Persian Empire until 1935, is a country in Central Eurasia, located on the northeastern shore of the Persian Gulf and the southern shore of the Caspian Sea....	KLS (AK-47), KLF (AKS), KLT (AKMS)
Finland Finland Finland , officially the Republic of Finland , is a Nordic countries situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland....	RK 62 Rk 62 The RK 62 is an assault rifle manufactured by Valmet and Sako. It is the Service rifle infantry weapon of the Finnish Defence Forces.The RK 62 was designed in 1962 and is based on the Soviet Union AK-47 design.... , RK 95 TP Rk 95 TP The RK 95 TP is a 7.62x39mm assault rifle of Finland design, accepted into service with the Finnish Defence Forces in the 1990s in relatively small numbers....
Nigeria Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federation constitutional republic comprising States of Nigeria and one Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria....	OBJ-006
North Korea North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , is a state in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula....	Type 58A (Type 3 AK-47), Type 58B (stamped steel folding stock), Type 68A (AKM-47) Type 68B (AKMS)
Pakistan Pakistan Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia and borders Central Asia and the Middle East. It has a 1,046 kilometre coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south, and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and People's Republic of China in th...	Reverse engineered Reverse engineering Reverse engineering is the process of discovering the technological principles of a device, object or system through analysis of its structure, function and operation.... by hand and machine in Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal areas
Poland Poland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian Enclave and exclave, to the north....	pmK/kbk AK (name has changed from pmK - "pistolet maszynowy Kalasznikowa", Kalashnikov SMG to the kbk AK - "karabinek AK", Kalashnikov Carbine in mid 1960s) (AK-47), kbkg wz. 1960, kbk AKM (AKM), kbk AKMS (AKMS), kbk wz. 1988 Tantal based on the 7.62 mm kbk AKMS wz. 81), kbs wz. 1996 Beryl
Romania Romania Romania is a country located in Southeastern Europe Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian Mountains, bordering on the Black Sea....	PM md. 63 (AKM), PM md. 65 (AKMS), PM md. 90 (AKMS), collectively exported under the umbrella name AIM or AIMS AIM (rifle) AIM refers to the export designation of the following rifles:* Pistol Mitraliera model 1963/1965 machine pistols * Pusca Automata model 1986 automatic rifle ....
	PA md. 86 (AK-74), exported as the AIMS-74 AIM (rifle) AIM refers to the export designation of the following rifles:* Pistol Mitraliera model 1963/1965 machine pistols * Pusca Automata model 1986 automatic rifle ....
	PM md. 90 short barrel (AK-104), PA md. 86 short barrel (AK-105) exported as the AIMR AIM (rifle) AIM refers to the export designation of the following rifles:* Pistol Mitraliera model 1963/1965 machine pistols * Pusca Automata model 1986 automatic rifle ....
Serbia Serbia Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a country in Central Europe and Balkans Europe, covering the southern part of the Pannonian Plain and the central part of the Balkans.... Former Yugoslavia	M64 M64 M64 or M-64 may refer to:* Messier 64 , a spiral galaxy in the constellation Coma Bernices* M-64 , a state highway in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan... (AK-47 with longer barrel), M64A (grenade launcher) M64B (M64 w/ folding stock), M66, M70 Zastava M70 The M-70 is a modern military assault rifle developed and manufactured by Zastava Arms of Kragujevac, Republic of Serbia. The M70 is designed on the basis of famous AK-47 rifles from Russia, which has been proven in numerous wars fought worldwide in the last sixty years of its service.... , M70A, M70B1, M70AB2 M70AB2 The Zastava M70B is the Yugoslavian designation for a AK-47 based rifle.It is a shoulder fired, magazine fed, air cooled rifle capable of Semi-automatic rifle or fully automatic fire.... , Zastava M76,M77 Zastava M77 The M77 is a modern military battle rifle developed and manufactured by Zastava Arms of Kragujevac, Republic of Serbia.The M77 is designed on the basis of famous AK-47 rifles from Russia, which was proven in numerous wars fought worldwide in the last sixty years.... , M92 Zastava M92 The M-92 is a 7.62 mm assault rifle developed and manufactured by Zastava Arms of Kragujevac, Republic of Serbia.The M92 is designed on the basis of famous AK-47 rifles from Russia, which was proven in numerous wars fought worldwide in the last sixty years of its service.... , M21 Zastava M21 The Zastava M21 is a modern assault rifle developed and manufactured by the Serbian Zastava Arms company. The M21 is designed on the basis of the famous AK-47 rifles from Russia....
Sudan Sudan Sudan is a country in northeastern Africa. It is the largest in the African continent and the Arab World, and List of countries and outlying territories by total area by area....	MAZ, based on the Type 56 Type 56 Assault Rifle The Type 56 assault rifle is a People's Republic of China copy of the Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifle, which has been manufactured since 1956. It was produced by state factory 66 from 1956-73, then by Norinco from 1973 onwards....
Vietnam Vietnam Vietnam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam , is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by People's Republic of China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east....	Chinese Type-56
Venezuela Venezuela Venezuela , officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a country on the northern coast of South America.The country comprises a continental mainland and numerous islands located off the Venezuelan coastline in the Caribbean Sea....	License granted, factory under construction

Certainly more have been produced elsewhere; but the above list represents known producers and is limited to only military variants. An updated AKM design is still produced in Russia.

Derivatives

The basic design of the AK-47 has been used as the basis for other successful rifle designs such as the Finnish

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland , is a Nordic countries situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland....
Valmet 62/76

Rk 62

The RK 62 is an assault rifle manufactured by Valmet and Sako. It is the Service rifle infantry weapon of the Finnish Defence Forces.The RK 62 was designed in 1962 and is based on the Soviet Union AK-47 design....
and Sako RK 95 TP, the Israel

Israel

Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
i Galil

IMI Galil

The Galil is a family of Israeli small arms designed by Yisrael Galili and Yaacov Lior in the late 1960s and produced by Israel Military Industries of Ramat HaSharon....
, the Indian INSAS and the Yugoslav Zastava M76 and M77/82 rifles. Several bullpup

Bullpup

Bullpup is a firearm configuration in which the firearm action and magazine are located behind the trigger. This increases the barrel length relative to the overall weapon length, permitting shorter weapons for the same barrel length, saving weight and increasing maneuverability....
designs have surfaced such as the Chinese Norinco Type 86S

Norinco Type 86S

The Norinco Type 86S is a AKM-type bullpup rifle and that was produced by Norinco and imported to the United States by China Sports , intended for the civilian market....
, although none have been produced in quantity. Bullpup conversions are also available commercially.

Licensing

Russia has repeatedly claimed that the majority of manufacturers produce AK-47 without a proper license

License

The verb license or grant license means to give permission. The noun license refers to that permission as well as to the document memorializing that permission....
from IZH

Izh

Izh may refer to one of the following.*Izh River...
. The Izhevsk

Izhevsk

Izhevsk , from 1985 to 1987?Ustinov , after Dmitry Ustinov, is the capital types of inhabited localities in Russia of the Udmurtia, Russia, located on the Izh River in the Western Ural Mountains area....
Machine Tool Factory acquired a patent in 1999, making manufacture of the Kalashnikov rifle system by anyone other than themselves illegal. However, nearly one million AK-47 assault rifles are manufactured illegally each year.

Illicit trade

Throughout the world, the AK and its variants are among the most commonly smuggled small arms sold to governments, rebels, criminals, and civilians alike, with little international oversight. In some countries, prices for AKs are very low; in Somalia

Somalia

Somalia , officially the Republic of Somalia and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic, is a country located in the Horn of Africa....
, Rwanda

Rwanda

The Republic of Rwanda is a small landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of east-central Africa, bordered by Uganda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania....
, Mozambique

Mozambique

Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest....
, Congo

Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo , is a country in central Africa with a small length of Atlantic coastline. It is the third largest list of African countries in order of geographical area....
and Ethiopia

Ethiopia

Ethiopia , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the west, Kenya to the south, Somalia to the east and Djibouti to the northeast....
, prices are between $30–$125 per weapon, and prices have fallen in the last few decades due to mass counterfeiting. Moisés Naím

Moisés Naím

Mois?s Na?m is a Venezuelan economist and the editor-in-chief of Foreign Policy magazine.He has written extensively on the political economy of international trade, multilateral organizations, U.S....
observed that in a small town in Kenya

Kenya

The Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the north, Somalia to the northeast, Tanzania to the south, Uganda to the west, and Sudan to the northwest, with the Indian Ocean running along the southeast border....
in 1986, an AK-47 cost fifteen cows but that in 2005, the price was down to four cows indicating that supply was "immense". The weapon has appeared in a number of conflicts including clashes in the Balkans

Balkans

The Balkans is the historical name of a geographic subregion of southeastern Europe. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains, which run through the centre of Bulgaria into eastern Serbia....
, Iraq

Iraq

Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country that is located approximately in the center of Asia....
, and Somalia.

After the Soviet retreat from Afghanistan

Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country that is located approximately in the center of Asia....
, the Soviet Army left quantities of weapons including AKs which were subsequently used in the civil war between Taliban and Northern Alliance

Northern Alliance

Northern Alliance may mean:*The Afghan Northern Alliance, or United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan, a military-political umbrella organization created by the Islamic State of Afghanistan in 1996;...
and were also exported to Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia and borders Central Asia and the Middle East. It has a 1,046 kilometre coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south, and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and People's Republic of China in th...
. The gun is now also made in Pakistan

Pakistan

Khyber Pass Copy

A Khyber Pass Copy is a firearm manufactured by cottage gunsmiths in the Khyber Pass region between Pakistan and Afghanistan.The area has long had a reputation for producing unlicensed, home-made copies of firearms using whatever materials are available - more often than not, railway sleepers, junked motor vehicles, and Scrap....
). It is widely used by tribes in Africa like the Hamar, amongst others.

The World Bank estimates that 75 million AK-47s are available worldwide, out of 100 million Kalashnikov family weapons and 500 million total firearms. Mikhail Kalashnikov addressed the United Nations in 2006 at a conference aimed at solving the problem of illicit weapons, saying that he appreciated the AK-47's role in state-sponsored defense but that counterfeit weapons carrying his name in the hands of "terrorists and thugs" caused him regret.

Legal status

The legal status of the AK-47 varies in different localities.

Cultural influence

During the Cold War

Cold War

The Cold War was the continuing state of conflict, tension and competition that existed between a number of world powers, including the United States, the Soviet Union, People's Republic of China, France, United Kingdom and those countries' respective allies from the mid-1940s to the early 1990s....
, the Soviet Union, Communist China and the United States supplied arms and technical knowledge to numerous client-state countries and rebel forces. While the United States used the relatively expensive M-14 battle rifle and M16

M16 rifle

M16 is the Military of the United States designation for a family of rifles derived from the ArmaLite AR-15 and further developed by Colt's Manufacturing Company starting in the mid-20th century....
assault rifle during this time, it generally supplied older surplus weapons to its allies. The low production and materials costs of the AK-47 meant that the USSR could produce and supply client states with this rifle instead of sending surplus munitions. As a result, the Cold War saw the mass export, sometimes free of charge, of AK-47s by the Soviet Union and Communist China to pro-communist countries and groups such as the Nicaragua

Nicaragua

Nicaragua officially the Republic of Nicaragua , is a representative democracy republic. It is the largest state in Central America with an area of 130,000 km2, about the size of the state of New York....
n Sandinistas and Vietcong. The AK design was spread to over 55 national armies and dozens of paramilitary groups.

The proliferation of this weapon is reflected by more than just numbers. The AK is included in the flag of Mozambique

Flag of Mozambique

File:Flag of Mozambique.svgThe flag of Mozambique was adopted on May 1, 1983. It includes the image of an AK-47 and is the only national flag in the world to feature such a modern Assault rifle....
and its coat of arms

Coat of arms

A coat of arms, more properly called an armorial achievement, armorial bearings or often just arms for short, in European tradition, is a design belonging to a particular person and used by them in a wide variety of ways....
, an acknowledgement that the country's rulers gained power in large part through the effective use of their AK-47s. It is also found in the coat of arms of Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe , is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the continent of Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo River rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east....
and East Timor

East Timor

East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro Island and Jaco , and Oecussi-Ambeno, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor....
, the revolution era coat of arms of Burkina Faso

Coat of arms of Burkina Faso

File:Coat of arms of Burkina Faso.pngThe coat of arms of Burkina Faso contains a shield based on the national flag. Above the shield the name of the country is shown, while below it is the national motto, Unit?, Progr?s, Justice, French language for Unity, Progress, Justice....
, the flag of Hezbollah

Flag of Hezbollah

The flag of Hezbollah, while sometimes found in different colours, is usually composed of the green logo of the Shi'a Islam political/military organization Hezbollah, upon a yellow background with text above and below the logo in red ....
, and the logo of the Iran

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran and formerly known internationally as Persian Empire until 1935, is a country in Central Eurasia, located on the northeastern shore of the Persian Gulf and the southern shore of the Caspian Sea....
ian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps

Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps

This article is about the organization in Iran. For the Libyan organization see Revolutionary Guard CorpsThe Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution is an ideologically motivated branch of the Islamic Republic of Iran's military....
. "Kalash", a shortened form of "Kalashnikov", is used as a name for boys in some African countries.

Western cultures, especially the United States, have seen the AK-47 most often in the hands of nations and groups the United States condemns; first the Soviet Army, then its Communist allies during the Korean and Vietnam Wars. During the 1980s, the Soviet Union became the principal arms dealer to countries embargoed by the United States, including many Middle Eastern nations such as Syria, Libya and Iran, who were willing to ally with the USSR against U.S. interests. After the fall of the Soviet Union, AK-47s were sold both openly and on the black market to any group with cash, including drug cartels and dictatorial states, and most recently they have been seen in the hands of terrorist factions such as the Taliban and Al-Quaida in Afghanistan

Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country that is located approximately in the center of Asia....
and Iraq

Iraq

Iraq , officially the Republic of Iraq , is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros Mountains, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. The AK-47 has thus garnered a reputation in Western nations as a symbol of anti-Americanism, and has gained a stereotypical role as the weapon of the enemy. In the United States, movie makers often arm criminals, gang members and terrorist characters with AKs.

In 2006, Colombian musician and peace activist César López

Cesar Lopez

C?sar L?pez is a Colombian musician, vegetarian and peace activist. For the past several years, L?pez has been part of a group called the Battalion of Immediate Artistic Reaction, which consists of various other musicians and activists who seek an alternative to the ever-present violence that plagues Colombia, and specifically the capital, Bo...
devised the escopetarra
Escopetarra

An escopetarra is a guitar made from a modified gun, used as a peace symbol. The name is a Portmanteau word of the Spanish language words escopeta and guitarra .....
, an AK converted into a guitar. One sold for US$17,000 in a fundraiser held to benefit the victims of anti-personnel mines, while another was exhibited at the United Nations' Conference on Disarmament

Conference on Disarmament

Conference on Disarmament is a multilateral disarmament negotiating forum. Established in 1979, the Conference succeeded the Ten-Nation Committee on Disarmament , the Eighteen-Nation Committee on Disarmament and the Conference of the Committee on Disarmament ....
.

Kalashnikov Museum

The Kalashnikov Museum (also called the AK-47 Museum) opened on November 4, 2004 in Izhevsk

Izhevsk

Ural Mountains

The Ural Mountains are a mountain range that runs roughly north and south through western Russia. They are usually considered as the natural boundary between Europe and Asia....
of Russia. The museum chronicles the biography of General Kalashnikov

Mikhail Kalashnikov

Lieutenant General Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov is a famous Russian small arms designer, most famous for his AK-47, frequently called the Kalashnikov....
, from his childhood to proletarian hero. The Museum Complex of Small Arms of M. T. Kalashnikov, a series of halls and multimedia exhibitions devoted to the AK-47 assault rifle and its offspring. The museum complex has been drawing on average 10,000 visitors a month. The museum serves as Russia's monument to an infantry weapon and to the workers who have made it for 61 years.

"We emphasize the peaceful side of this story," said Nadezhda Vechtomova, the museum director. "We are trying to separate the weapon as a weapon of murder from the people who are producing it and to tell its history in our country."