AK 47


   The 1947 Avtomat Kalashnikov, better known by its acronym AK-47, by the name of its creator and the date on which it was created, is a Soviet assault rifle, 7.62 mm caliber, designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov, a fighter Russian during World War II. It was the official rifle of the Soviet Union between 1951 and 1978. As of December 2007, the AK-47 is the largest production firearm in history, with about 80 million units manufactured. What makes this rifle peculiar is its cartridge refilling system, which uses the force of the combustion gases produced by the shot to facilitate the placement of a new cartridge in the chamber of the weapon and expel the bush already used. A system that is known as a gas outlet at a point in the barrel. In this system, the supply of force for the operation of the weapon is made by taking a small amount of the propellant gases from the previous shot, once the bullet has passed into the mouth. This gas is directed towards a tap, through which it enters the gas tube of the gun, there it pushes a piston which is connected to the bolt and to its closing device. First open the bolt and then push it back. Then, a recuperating spring exerts this action forward to repeat the cycle. This causes the weapon to have a smaller recoil and therefore the reliability in the firing is greater. Its curved magazine, which gives it greater capacity in a smaller space, is also a distinctive sign of this assault rifle. The chargers of the weapon in its original version are made of stamped steel sheet; chargers made of polymers or other lighter, economical and easy to manufacture materials, although less durable than the former, may now be found.

    The locking system is a rotary head, since a warped groove in the locking bolt holder causes the bolt to rotate 37 ° to seal or unlock the chamber of the gun. The trigger mechanism is simple, using a hammer and a single spring, which is shared by this piece and the operator's catch. It has a large selector lever located on the right side of the mechanism drawer, working in three positions: safe (upper), automatic shot (medium) and semi-automatic shot (lower). Some models have a fixed head, others a folding stock and some the model of rebated head. All models come with a drumstick, located at the bottom of the barrel, and a tube with tools inside the cylinder head. The AK-47 is famous for its high reliability, as it withstands very unfavorable environmental conditions without any inconvenience. It has been proven that the gun continues firing despite being thrown into the mud, submerged in water and run over by a van. Old copies with dozens of years of active service do not present any problem; is a very safe weapon and allows to reach a target to 285 meters of distance, according to the manufacturer, since it was designed according to the experiences of the Second World War, and it was understood that all the combat was produced within that distance.

   There are reports of the Vietnam War where US soldiers dumped their M16 rifles in North Vietnamese, due to the constant hammering of their rifles (model M16A1) and the fact that this weapon was shorter and easier to operate in the jungle. The North Vietnamese doctrine did not require ranged combat, but from assaults of 100 to 50 meters, or even less, to render the firing advantages of the western rifle even more modern, it was also less useful on the battlefield. This was published in the American magazine Life of June 23, 1967, whose front page, "Wrap-up of the astounding war", featured the image of Israeli soldier Major General Yossi Ben Hanan in the Suez Canal with water at breast height, smiling at the photographer and holding the AK-47 rifle on his head. The main disadvantage lies in its selector, which makes a characteristic noise when changing from safe to automatic position, which in short distances betrays the position of the shooter, later created new models, including a modernized version known as AKM, or assault with folding stock (AKMS), specially designed for parachutists, and whose weight was 3.14 kg.

    In 1974 appears a new version: the AK-74. Manufactured in a smaller caliber, using the 5.45 x 39 cartridge, the AK-74 also has a short version for special operations: the AK-74U, also in 5.45 mm caliber. This version has been manufactured by several countries, including China, North Korea, Finland, Egypt, countries of the former Warsaw Pact and even models have been found manufactured by tribes of Pakistan. The North Korean version is longer, while Czechoslovakia is lighter. The AK is one of the most requested weapons for irregular combat. It has become a symbol of popular insurrection and is used by numerous insurgent groups, rebel armies, terrorist organizations and dictatorial states. In El Salvador during the November 1989 guerrilla offensive, the army used AK-47 rifles to assassinate the Jesuits of the Central American University (UCA), trying to make it appear that such an assassination had been committed by the FMLN insurgent group. This is due to its easy handling, low price and almost no maintenance. Access to this weapon is simple, so it can be found also in regular armies.

AK 47



AK 47


   The 1947 Avtomat Kalashnikov, better known by its acronym AK-47, by the name of its creator and the date on which it was created, is a Soviet assault rifle, 7.62 mm caliber, designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov, a fighter Russian during World War II. It was the official rifle of the Soviet Union between 1951 and 1978. As of December 2007, the AK-47 is the largest production firearm in history, with about 80 million units manufactured. What makes this rifle peculiar is its cartridge refilling system, which uses the force of the combustion gases produced by the shot to facilitate the placement of a new cartridge in the chamber of the weapon and expel the bush already used. A system that is known as a gas outlet at a point in the barrel. In this system, the supply of force for the operation of the weapon is made by taking a small amount of the propellant gases from the previous shot, once the bullet has passed into the mouth. This gas is directed towards a tap, through which it enters the gas tube of the gun, there it pushes a piston which is connected to the bolt and to its closing device. First open the bolt and then push it back. Then, a recuperating spring exerts this action forward to repeat the cycle. This causes the weapon to have a smaller recoil and therefore the reliability in the firing is greater. Its curved magazine, which gives it greater capacity in a smaller space, is also a distinctive sign of this assault rifle. The chargers of the weapon in its original version are made of stamped steel sheet; chargers made of polymers or other lighter, economical and easy to manufacture materials, although less durable than the former, may now be found.

    The locking system is a rotary head, since a warped groove in the locking bolt holder causes the bolt to rotate 37 ° to seal or unlock the chamber of the gun. The trigger mechanism is simple, using a hammer and a single spring, which is shared by this piece and the operator's catch. It has a large selector lever located on the right side of the mechanism drawer, working in three positions: safe (upper), automatic shot (medium) and semi-automatic shot (lower). Some models have a fixed head, others a folding stock and some the model of rebated head. All models come with a drumstick, located at the bottom of the barrel, and a tube with tools inside the cylinder head. The AK-47 is famous for its high reliability, as it withstands very unfavorable environmental conditions without any inconvenience. It has been proven that the gun continues firing despite being thrown into the mud, submerged in water and run over by a van. Old copies with dozens of years of active service do not present any problem; is a very safe weapon and allows to reach a target to 285 meters of distance, according to the manufacturer, since it was designed according to the experiences of the Second World War, and it was understood that all the combat was produced within that distance.

   There are reports of the Vietnam War where US soldiers dumped their M16 rifles in North Vietnamese, due to the constant hammering of their rifles (model M16A1) and the fact that this weapon was shorter and easier to operate in the jungle. The North Vietnamese doctrine did not require ranged combat, but from assaults of 100 to 50 meters, or even less, to render the firing advantages of the western rifle even more modern, it was also less useful on the battlefield. This was published in the American magazine Life of June 23, 1967, whose front page, "Wrap-up of the astounding war", featured the image of Israeli soldier Major General Yossi Ben Hanan in the Suez Canal with water at breast height, smiling at the photographer and holding the AK-47 rifle on his head. The main disadvantage lies in its selector, which makes a characteristic noise when changing from safe to automatic position, which in short distances betrays the position of the shooter, later created new models, including a modernized version known as AKM, or assault with folding stock (AKMS), specially designed for parachutists, and whose weight was 3.14 kg.

    In 1974 appears a new version: the AK-74. Manufactured in a smaller caliber, using the 5.45 x 39 cartridge, the AK-74 also has a short version for special operations: the AK-74U, also in 5.45 mm caliber. This version has been manufactured by several countries, including China, North Korea, Finland, Egypt, countries of the former Warsaw Pact and even models have been found manufactured by tribes of Pakistan. The North Korean version is longer, while Czechoslovakia is lighter. The AK is one of the most requested weapons for irregular combat. It has become a symbol of popular insurrection and is used by numerous insurgent groups, rebel armies, terrorist organizations and dictatorial states. In El Salvador during the November 1989 guerrilla offensive, the army used AK-47 rifles to assassinate the Jesuits of the Central American University (UCA), trying to make it appear that such an assassination had been committed by the FMLN insurgent group. This is due to its easy handling, low price and almost no maintenance. Access to this weapon is simple, so it can be found also in regular armies.

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