Things you don't know about AK-47 guns

Since the AK-47 has been officially put into use in 1949, it has always held the position of the most popular rifle and brings the highest efficiency in the world.

What is an AK-47?

Kalashnikov automatic rifle, abbreviated AK , is one of the popular rifles of the 20th century, designed by Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov. A common name for this gun is the AK-47. According to the Socialist category, AK-47 is submachine type, machine gun family. According to NATO classification, AK-47 is an assault rifle, also belongs to the machine gun family.

Until the beginning of the 21st century, despite having 70 years of life, the AK-47 and its versions were still the most popular weapons, selected as standard weapons by more than 50 troops, In addition, it serves many other armed and guerrilla forces in more than 100 countries around the world.

Kalashnikov automatic rifle or AK gun.

Low cost, reliability, and very high efficiency in the harsh combat conditions of this gun make it the world's most popular personal weapon. The most effective range of AK-47 is about 400 meters, specialized for short and medium range combat. Newer versions can reach an effective range farther, about 500 meters.

With their influences, the AK-47 was called a symbol in the military, a weapon that changed the face of war. Currently AK-47 is the standard personal weapon for the army of more than 60 countries around the world. Many other countries use AK-47s for police and Border Guards. AK-47 is also the choice of rebels and criminals around the world due to its high durability and low cost.

Design principles

Although Kalashnikov denied that the AK-47 was based on the German StG 44, some thought that the AK-47 was influenced by the design of StG-44 in terms of appearance, both These guns all put the gas tube out of the upper sleeve while the US M-16 is in the upper case.

In fact, the AK-47's mechanism for loading and locking boxes is completely different from St 44. AK-47, for gas extraction system, using rotating bolt and StG-44 for locking Slide (tilting bolt).

Some people still believe that the AK-47 was influenced by the design of the German StG-44 gun.

After the bullet flew out of the barrel, both the AK-47, M-16 and StG-44 extracted part of the gas, which pushed the rear-locked platform; for AK-47s and M-16s, the breech lock after being pushed back will rotate before the thrust pushes the next bullet into the gun; For StG-44, the locked locker will be pushed back and forth at the same time to create space for the next bullet to be loaded into the gun. In terms of spring system, needle and lock mechanism, the StG-44 is more like the US M-16 than the AK-47.

The AK-47 is indeed able to integrate rifle innovations compared to the previous one: the fire point process is done with a retractable spring-locked pedestal, using a key-type lock assembly like the M1 Garand / M1 Carbine. The design team of Kalashnikov has access to all these weapons and there is no need to "reinvent the wheel".

Kalashnikov recounted: "Many Soviet Army soldiers asked me how to become a designer, and how to design a new Weapon. This question is really hard to answer. Each designers have their own ways, their own successes and failures, but one thing is clear: before trying to create something new, feel like it is vital to Everything is already in this area or not, I have felt that way through so many experiences of myself. "

The process of developing AK-47 guns

The initial production stage had difficulties. In the first model, the thin metal plate of the backlock locker is turned off. Difficulties also appear when the guide bar is welded often causing many slip phenomena. The manufacturers did not stop, they changed the thin metal plate to reduce shock with a heavier metal block.

This replacement process causes some cost but when using the manual pusher of the previous Mosin-Nagant, it still works fast and firmly; This rifle's propulsion part is reprocessed and replaced there. This was one of the reasons the Soviet Union could not equip many new guns for the military before 1956.

In most Eastern European countries, the knowledge of simply weapons is "AK guns" .

Once the difficulties in production have been overcome, the redesigned version is named AKM (M means "modernized" or "upgraded", Russian: Автомат Калашникова Модернизированный [Avtomat Kalashnikova Modernizirovanniy]) is included production and equipment in 1959.

Overseas AK production, both licensed and unlicensed, is quite common, with AKM being the most popular. Partly because the product brand is easy to attract customers, this model often has a larger number of fabrications. All rifles based on AK gun design are often attributed to AK-47S in the west, although this is only a rifle modification with 3 original products being used.

In most Eastern European countries, the knowledge of simply weapons is "AK guns" . The image on the upper right illustrates the difference between the original second product model and the branded fourth product model, including rivet use rather than welds on branded products, as well as How to create small wave tendons on the ball bearings makes the magazine more durable.

In 1978, the Soviet Union began replacing its AK-47 and AKM with a newer design rifle : the AK-74 . This new assault rifle and bullets only began to be exported in Eastern European countries when the Soviet Union collapsed. This serious event has slowed the production of these weapons by former Soviet Union countries.