| The AK firearms are the most produced and distributed series of small arms in history. The series started with the AK-47, which was developed just after World War 2 to provide an intermediate-range infantry weapon which was resilient and fast-firing. Part of Mikhail Kalashnikov’s inspiration was the German MP44 and its use of the new 7.92mm Kurz cartridge. Although Simonov produced a weapon to the new specification which |
went into production before the AK-47, it was the latter that met with incredible success. The AK-47 was a simple gas-operated design using a rotating bolt. It had a chromium-plated barrel and generally high-quality machining and finishing. It took until 1959 to perfect the design and production processes, but once this had been achieved, the Soviets were left with a truly seminal firearm. It could operate under the harshest of conditions |
without malfunction, was easily maintained and could compete with any western firearm. It was also capable of extremely swift production and the AK-47 spread around the globe.
“Twentieth-Century Small Arms”, by Chris McNab |