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AK-47

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This is the Cryptonomicon and HEAP placeholder for AK47

Stephensonia

*Randy Waterhouse encounters the everpresent AK47 in the PIs but the below scene is important as we're talking about California ...

“...In the lot of the 24 Jam, Mike or Mark has joined three other elvishlooking sorts in black cowboy hats and bandannas, whom Randy can identify based on the length and color of their ponytails and beards. There's Stu, a Berkeley grad student who is somehow mixed up in Avi's HEAP project, and Phil, who invented a major programming language a couple of years ago and goes helicopter-skiing in his spare time, and Craig, who knows everything there is to know about encrypted credit-card transactions on the Net and is a devotee of traditional Nipponese archery. Some of these guys are wearing long coats and some aren't. There is a lot of Secret Admirers iconography: t-shirts bearing the number 56, which is a code for Yamamoto, or just pictures of Yamamoto himself, or big fat question marks. They are having an energetic and very happy conversation--though it looks a bit forced--because, to a man, they are carrying long weapons out in plain sight. One of them has a hunting rifle, and each of the others is slinging a rudimentary-looking gun with a banana clip sticking out of the side. Randy thinks, but is not sure, that these are HEAP guns.      This scene, not surprisingly, has caught the attention of the police, who have surrounded these four with squad cars, and who are standing at the ready with rifles and shotguns. It is an oddity of the law in many jurisdictions that, while carrying (say) a concealed one-shot .22 derringer requires a license, openly carrying (e.g.) a big game rifle is perfectly legal. Concealed weapons are outlawed or at least heavily regulated, and unconcealed ones are not. So a lot of Secret Admirers--who tend to be gun nuts--have taken to going around conspicuously armed as a way of pointing out the absurdity of those rules. Their point is this: who gives a shit about concealed weapons anyway, since they are only useful for defending oneself against assaults by petty criminals, which almost never happens? The real reason the Constitution provides for the right to bear arms is defending oneself against oppressive governments, and when it comes to that, your handgun is close to useless. So (according to these guys) if you are going to assert your right to keep and bear arms you should do it openly, by packing something really big. ...” I also like this footnote:      “It goes without saying that the Finns have to have their own sui generis brand of automatic weapon.”*

Wikipedia: AK-47

AK47 assault rifle
AK-47 Assault Rifle

Length:    34.6 in    Weight:    9.3 lbs

Caliber:    7.62 x 39 mm     Capacity:    30 rounds

Rate of Fire:    640 rpm    Effective Range:    300 m
larger version The AK-47 (for Avtomat Kalashnikova model 1947 goda, Russian: автомат Калашникова образца 1947 года) is an assault rifle designed in 1947 by Mikhail Kalashnikov, produced by Russian arms manufacturer IZH, and used in many Eastern bloc nations during the Cold War. Compared to the rifles used in World War II, the AK-47 was lighter and more compact, with a shorter range, a smaller 7.62 x 39 mm cartridge, and was capable of fully-automatic fire. This was possible due to the lower recoil of the cartridge allowing practical fully-automatic fire, thus making it one of the first assault rifles.

It also has a legendary reputation for ruggedness, reliability, and ease of field maintenance. Inexpensive to manufacture, the AK-47 is the most widespread of all small arms, with 50-80 million weapons having been produced. Despite its official depreciation by the Russian military, the weapon and its derivatives are still widely manufactured and used, especially throughout the Third World.

Development

In World War II, most soldiers used longer rifles such as the American M1 Garand; these weapons were good at placing single shots of powerful rounds at long distances, but were slow and clunky close in. U.S. Thompson Sub-machine gun were common in urban combat; while lighter and faster to fire than a rifle, the pistol rounds they fired were often too weak to be effective. (Soviet research found that they were not even consistent in penetrating heavy winter clothing!) Assault rifles such as the AK-47 represent a practical compromise between the two types of weapon. In contrast, Western powers replaced WW2-era rifles with battle rifles such as the M14 and the FN FAL.

The AK-47 was not the first assault rifle but was preceded by earlier Italian, Russian, and German Sturmgewehr 44 assault rifle designs. Mikhail Kalashnikov furiously denies it being based on the German or Italian models.

Tank sergeant Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov began imagining his weapon while still in the hospital, after being wounded in the battle of Bryansk. He had been informed that a new weapon was required for the 7.62 × 39 cartridge developed by Elisarov and Semin in 1943. Sudayev's PPS43 submachinegun was preferred to Kalashnikov's first attempt, but Kalashnikov redesigned the rifle after examining a German STG 44 in 1946.

There were many difficulties during the first phase of production, as at first the Soviets were not able to use stamped sheet metal construction (as the Germans had). Instead, they preferred machining the components, a slower and costlier process. Even though it was famous as the "AK 47" (where AK stands for Avtomat Kalashnikova, or Kalashnikov's Machine gun), the Soviets were not able to distribute it to soldiers until 1956. The first transfer-stamped sheet metal version appeared in 1959 and is named the AKM.

In 1974 the Soviet military began replacing the AK-47 with the AK-74, which fires the smaller, lighter 5.45 x 39 mm M74 round, enabling troops to carry more ammunition and easing strain on supply systems.

Notable features

The AK-47 is inexpensive to manufacture and very simple to clean and repair in the field. Its ruggedness and reliability are legendary, and it can fire even after being submerged in water (if the water is poured out first), or when it is covered in dirt. Some sources claim that the ejector pin is prone to breakage (depending on the exact alloy and heat treatment, it may or may not be likely with a particular rifle – Romanian AKs are prone to it, Russian and Bulgarian AKs aren't).

Some AK rifles are considerably more accurate than others. The first AK-47s (not the AKM) and the Bulgarian AK types, with their heavy milled receivers, as well as Yugoslav and late AK-74 rifles from Russia, with their heavy 1.6 mm stamped receivers, are usually said to be capable of accuracy of two MOA. Most AK type rifles, with thin 1.0 mm stamped receivers, are less stable as the bullet goes through the barrel and there is consequently greater random vibration and oscillation before the bullet leaves the muzzle, and are typically only capable of approximately six MOA accuracy. Most Western military rifles are capable of 2 MOA or better.

Classic AK-series have a cyclic rate of 600 rounds per minute. Newer versions have delayed automatic sears that cycle at 300 round/min.

AK-type rifles do not lock the bolt back when they are empty, unlike most Western assault rifles.

The standard flip-up iron sight is calibrated with each numeral indicating in hundreds of meters. It is released by squeezing the two buttons on the back end. The standard calibration of the flipped-down sight is 50 meters, the normal minimal distance for aimed fire. Distances below this range are usually aimed instinctively. For night fighting, some Russian models have a flip-up luminous dot, also calibrated to 50 m. The open sights are one of the most heavily-criticized features of the rifle, being both farther from the eye than many common rifle sights, and less accurate than peep-sights, such as those found on the M16 rifles. Sights, of course, are a matter of personal taste, but most people do find the aperture-type sights on Western military rifles like the M16, M14, or FAL to be both faster and easier to use, as well as being more accurate.

The magazine release is in front of the trigger guard. The trigger guard is very large, to permit the use of gloved fingers.

A sling is provided for accurate aimed fire. It should wrap around the forearm supporting the barrel.

Models for paratroopers, cavalry, and mechanized troops have folding stocks. Most fold sideways, but a few fold downward and forward over the pistol grip like the folding stock on the old German MP40 submachinegun.

Bullpup variants exist, in which a shoulder pad is bolted onto the back of the receiver, and the trigger is moved in front of the magazine. These have a shorter overall length because they have no stock, yet they still have full-length barrels. Small numbers of semi-auto bullpup rifles of the AK type were imported into the US from Finland and China in the early 1990s, where they now command healthy four-figure sums among collectors of rare and unusual military firearms.

Some models, mainly Chinese, include an integral folding bayonet. Almost all others have a removable bayonet; some of these can attach to their scabbards to form a scissors-style barbed-wire cutter (a feature later integrated into the M9 bayonet used with the M16 rifle).

Some models, mainly Yugoslav and Polish, include a gas valve on the forward gas port (above the barrel) to permit firing grenades. Sometimes the valve is controlled by flipping a special "grenade sight" up into position.

The bore and chamber, as well as the gas piston and the interior of the gas cylinder, are almost always chromium-plated, to resist corrosion and improve wear resistance, but cleaning after every firing is strongly recommended. Much military ammunition uses corrosive primers, particularly ammunition of Soviet, Chinese, or Eastern European origin, the residue from which can eventually corrode steel if the weapon is fired and left dirty.

Ballistics

The standard AK-47 or AKM fires a 7.62 × 39 mm round with a muzzle velocity of 710 m/s. Muzzle energy is 1,990 joules. Cartridge case length is 38.6 mm, weight is 18.21 g. Projectile weight is normally 8 g, though some Russian ammunition made for export to the US uses a soft-nose hunting type bullet of 10 g mass.

The AK-47 and AKM, with the 7.62 x 39 mm cartridge, had an effective range of around 300 meters and usually had the sights zeroed at 200 meters. The rate of fire is between 300 and 600 rounds per minute. Later models have modifications to the trigger assembly and bolt to fire more slowly. This helps make the weapon more controllable and waste less ammunition. This can help reduce logistic requirements. The rate-reducing devices may also be intended to reduce the wear and tear on moving parts.

Operation

A diagram showing the design of AKM
A diagram showing the design of AKM.
Includes instructions for disassembly of the gun for maintenance
Larger image To fire, insert a loaded magazine, move the right selector lever on the right to the bottom position, and pull back and release the cocking lever on the right top. Aim and pull the trigger.

The selector lever is a large lever on the right side, easy to manipulate even with mittens under arctic conditions. The selector lever blocks the bolt and cocking handle when it is in the "safe" position, so the rifle can only be loaded with the safety off. Kalashnikov made this design decision because when the safety lever is in the upward position, it covers the slot in the side of the receiver behind the cocking handle, preventing sand and dirt from entering the mechanism.

The selector lever makes a loud and very distinctive sound when it is moved from one position to another.

The highest position of the selector lever is safe. Safe prevents trigger movement and cocking, and the selector lever covers the slot in the receiver behind the cocking handle in order to keep out sand and dust. In many models, this position is unmarked. International weapons may place a "0" in this position.

The bottom position is single-shot. On Russian weapons this is marked "ОД" in Cyrillic, from ОДин (one). International weapons may have a "1" or a single dot.

The middle position is full automatic. On Russian weapons this is marked with "АВ" in Cyrillic, from АВтомат (automatic). International weapons have an infinity-sign (∞) or multiple dots in this position.

Some AK-type rifles have a fourth selector setting, usually between full-auto and semi-auto, normally three or four rounds per burst. On Bulgarian rifles built with this feature, this selector position is usually marked with the numeral 3 or 4. On most variants, under the barrel is a steel cleaning rod. It bends slightly for removal. In standard AKs, cleaning patches and a metal bottle of oil and solvent are in compartments in the shoulder-pad of the stock.

To field strip, release the magazine catch, remove the magazine, and cock the rifle, holding the left hand ready over the receiver to catch any ejected cartridge. Release the catch on the right side of the rear sight. Push the piston assembly cover forward, detaching it from the rear receiver. Lift it and then pull it backwards. Remove the piston assembly and bolt. Clean as needed, with special attention to the barrel, gas cylinder and gas piston. Oil slightly and reassemble. Before inserting the magazine, press the trigger to release the spring tension.

Influence

The AK-47 and its derivatives are favoured by some non-Western powers because of their ease of use, robustness, and simplicity to manufacture, and also because during the Cold War the Russians were giving AKM rifles away in great numbers to their allies all over the Third World. Copies were made by many factories in other countries including USA, Finland (though the Finnish rifles are sufficiently different that many experts consider them AK-inspired but not pure AK), Hungary, China, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Egypt and Pakistan, where they remain in production today. Derivative designs were made in USA, East Germany, Finland, Hungary, Israel, North Korea, Poland, and Yugoslavia. Estimates of total number of units produced vary from 55 million to 100 million.

Copies, licensed and otherwise, manufactured in other countries had different nomenclature, and tended to differ from the original in small ways - Bulgarian AK-47 type rifles are made with the old milled receiver rather than stampings, Chinese 'Type 1956' rifles have the gas tube attached to the barrel in a slightly different arrangement and a permanently attached folding cruciform spike bayonet under the muzzle, the East German MPiK-47 rifles had buttstocks and handguards of pebble-finished black plastic instead of wood, etc. Copies may or may not have the slant-cut muzzle brake of the AKM. Further, end users may have modified their rifles. For instance, AKMs and close copies thereof made in Russia and various Warsaw Pact countries and given to the government of India as military aid during the Cold War have since 1995 mostly been fitted with flash suppressors that are copies of the one on the M16A2 rifle and bayonet lugs compatible with US-issue bayonets for the M16 rifle.

Copies of the AK-47 are also manufactured in Dara Adamkhel in tribal areas of Pakistan. It became so popular in Pakistan that it has become a social symbol for the Pathan tribesmen who live there. Owning an AK-47 (or a copy made by a local gunsmith) is considered to be proof of manhood. Better than an endangered rhino horn knife sheath one must suppose.

The AK-47 is included in Mozambique coat of arms (formerly also in Burkina Faso coat of arms), as a symbol of the Soviet-backed Marxist government's support for anti-Western governments like the Qaddafi regime in Libya and the Idi Amin regime in Uganda, as well as its willingness to supply Soviet-made weapons to anti-Western terrorist groups such as Robert Mugabe's "Zimbabwe People's Liberation Army" in Rhodesia and the "Southwest African People's Organization" in Angola, during the Cold War. Kalash, a derivative from "Kalashnikov" is used as a name for boys in some African countries.

Versions

Standard Kalashnikovs include: * AK-47 1948–51, 7.62 × 39 mm. The very earliest models had a stamped sheet metal receiver. Now rare. * AK-47 1952, 7.62 × 39 mm: has a milled receiver and wooden buttstock and hand-guard. Barrel and chamber are chrome-plated to resist corrosion. Rifle weight 4.2 kg. * AKS-47 × Featured an upward-folding metal stock as opposed to the fixed wood stock of the AK-47. * AKM 7.62 × 39 mm: a revised, lower-cost version of the AK-47; receiver is made from several pieces of stamped sheet-metal riveted together and a revized muzzle flash suppressor. Rifle weight 3.61 kg. * AKS-74 5.45 × 39 mm (AK-74); note the new, much smaller ammunition. * AK-74M 5.45 × 39 mm folding stock (for motorised infantry) * AKS-74U 5.45 × 39 mm, tanker's self-defense weapon, folding stock, short barrel, altered sight and gas mechanism, odd-looking flash suppressor device on the muzzle. Nicknamed the "Krinkov" after its designer. Very popular with Spetznaz (Russian Special Forces) troops as well as Russian law enforcement in Russia's large cities.

The AKM design is still in production in Russia, now in a modernized form utilising lightweight plastics instead of some wood and metal components: * AK-101 5.56 × 45 mm round (NATO round) * AK-102 short stock 101 * AK-103 7.62 × 39 mm round * AK-104 short stock 103 * AK-105 5.45 × 39 mm round (short stock)

Derivative designs included these: * SVD Dragunov 7.62 × 54 mm 10 shot sniper rifle. This is semiautomatic, with a skeletal laminated "outline" stock. The standard optical sight is the PSO-1. Uses a unique, short-stroke piston system because a standard piston for the larger cartridge was so heavy that it upset the point of aim. The piston moves a bolt-carrier. Has a very distinctive flash suppressor device on the muzzle resembling that mounted on the PKM general purpose machine gun. Developed in 1958 by Yevgeniy Feodorovich Dragunov, a gunsmith at the Izhevsk Machine Factory, where he originally designed sporting rifles. Not as accurate as Western military issue sniper rifles but very rugged and reliable. Popular with the troops, it is nicknamed the "veslo," which means "oar." * MedVed Sporting Rifle, 9 × 54 mm. Very similar to the SVD. * RPK 74 squad automatic weapon, identical to an AK-74 but featuring a thicker, longer barrel and fixed bipod, * OC-14 Groza, a bullpup rifle nearly identical to an AK-74 in function that also shares many internal parts, * Saiga 12K, a semi-automatic shotgun, * AKR (Russians evolution), * Type 56 (China), * Yugoslavia: M64, M64A, M70, M70A, M79B, M79A1B, M77, M82, The M77B1 takes a NATO 7.62 × 51 mm rifle round, and is Yugoslavia's squad automatic weapon. * Finland: Assault rifle model Rk 62 has been offered in 13 variants, with 7.62 × 39 mm, 5.56 × 45, and 7.62 × 51 Cartridge (weaponry)|cartridges and metal, folding and plastic stocks, Valmet M60, M62, M76, M82. The M82 is a bullpup design, with the action and magazine moved into the stock, and the trigger far forward on the barrel. * Galil (Israel), argued by some to be AK-inspired but not a pure AK, it has aperture sights and uses a proprietary 35-round magazine for the 5.56 x 45 mm NATO cartridge. Most have an extremely rugged (and rather heavy) steel buttstock that folds to the side. Regarded as a good design but poor quality control when most were manufactured in the 1970s has given the Galil a poor reputation among Israeli troops, who are today mostly issued M16A1 rifles instead. A licensed copy of the Galil is made in South Africa, called the R4. * PGM-DGM-60 (Poland), which can shoot grenades; there are other AK variants made in Poland, and the Polish government is considering going to a 5.56 x 45 mm AK variant called the "Beryl" after joining NATO. The Beryl has a distinctive looking perforated stamped steel handguard and a folding buttstock resembling that of the old German MP40 submachinegun. * East Germany:MPiK, cal.22LR KKMPi69, STG940 "Wieger" * FPK, AKM-R, (Romania), WASR-10 a low quality semi-auto civilian version that only accepts smaller magazines, exported to the US. The WASR-10 has a reputation for being poorly made, and is prone to parts breakage, particularly the ejector. ROMAK-3 Copy of RPK Squad automatic weapon converted into sniper rifle. * Hungary: AMD-63, AMD-65, AMP-69 * North Korea Type 58 and 68. The 68 has a distinctive perforated stock-strut. * The South African R4 and R5 rifles, licensed copies of the Galil from Israel.

It is a common misconception that the Czech assault-rifle Sa vz.58 is an AK-47 derivative, but despite its external resemblance it is a completely original design.

AK-74

AK74 assault rifle
AK74 Assault Rifle
Length:    37.0 in    Weight:    8.7 lbs
Caliber:    5.45 x 39 mm    Capacity:    30 rounds
Rate of Fire:    600 rpm    Effective Range:    500 m
larger version

The AK-74 assault rifle is the modernized version of the AK-47 developed in 1974, chambered in a smaller cartridge (5.45 x 39 mm vs. 7.62 x 39 mm). The weapon began mass-production in 1976. The 5.45 mm bullet has an air pocket inside that allows it to tumble when striking a soft target such as a human, making increasing wounding effects. The Afghans who fought the Soviet Union often referred to the 5.45 mm as "the poison bullet" because of its capacity to maim.

The weapon is another Mikhail Kalashnikov design, with a system of operation described as a long-stroke gas system, with a rotating bolt locking mechanism. The receiver is made of stamped sheet metal, and is extremely durable. The AK-74 has other slight differences from the AKM, such as having a rather large and distinctive-looking cylindrical muzzle brake at the muzzle, and most have been manufactured with black plastic stocks rather than laminated wood. Most AK-74s that have black plastic stocks have a hinge in the buttstock just behind the receiver so that the rifle can be folded for storage. Many AK-74s have a front sight base that is more narrow, as viewed from the side, than the front sight base of the AKM. The current version, the AK-74M, has a mounting rail on the left side of the receiver for mounting a telescopic sight or a night sight and all-black plastic furniture. It was introduced in 1991 and is currently the standard assault rifle of the Russian military.

The various Warsaw Pact countries were mostly slowly converting to the new 5.45 x 39 mm cartridge when the Soviet Union ceased to exist, making various derivative 5.45 x 39 mm calibre rifles with varying degrees of slight difference from the Russian AK-74. The Kalashnikov series of weapons are world-renowned for their reliability.

It is claimed that, as a result of combat experience in Afghanistan and Chechnya, the Russian army wants to go back to the old 7.62 x 39 mm cartridge and use a rifle designated AK-103. This is basically a 1990s-production AK-74, with the muzzle brake, folding plastic stock, and optics mounting rail of the AK-74, but in the old 7.62 x 39 mm caliber.

The weapon fires a 5.45 × 39 mm round with a muzzle velocity of 900 m/s. Muzzle energy is 1,385 joules, giving an effective range of around 400m. (The sights are zeroed for 300m.) The cartridge weight is 10.75 g. Projectile weight is 3.42 g. The new cartridge was designed to give greater effective range (because of the high velocity) and greater controllability in full-auto fire (due to the reduced recoil).

Operation

To fire, insert a loaded magazine, move the right selector lever on the right to the bottom position, and pull back and release the cocking lever on the right top. Aim and pull trigger.

Dangerfinder V.4: AK-47 (Avtomat Kalishnikova Obrazets 1947g)

If there is one visual symbol or prop that symbolizes the Soviet/revolutionary influence, it is the unmistakable profile of the AK-47. Once it was the hammer and sickle; now it is the banana-shaped clip and pointed barrel of the world's most dangerous rifle.

These weapons are cheap (between $50 and $350), available around the world, rock-hard reliable, and in use from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. It is estimated that there are about 30 to 50 million copies of the rugged rifle in existence. They can pour out 600 rounds a minute and are designed to be manufactured and repaired in primitive conditions. They use a chromed barrel and the only major defect is the loud click when you change firing rate. (complete at link)

See also

Sources

  • Edward Clinton Ezell, "The AK-47 Story." Ezell is curator of weapons at the U.S. Smithsonian Museum.