Specifications
assault rifle
3.47 kg (7.7 lb)
7.62x39mm
400 m (440 yd)
Cyclic 600 rounds/min
1946-1948
Mikhail Kalashnikov
Izhmash, Norinco
75 mil.
Gas-operated, rotating bolt
1949-present
715 m/s (2,350 ft/s)
This Russian assault rifle is officially know as Avtomat Kalashnikova, also as Kalashnikov, AK, or in Russian slang, Kalash. It was officially accepted by the Soviet Army and used by the majority of the member states of the Warsaw Pact. Even after six decades the model and its variants remain the most widely used and popular assault rifles in the world. This is a true legendary weapon, known for its extreme ruggedness, simplicity of operation and maintenance, and unsurpassed reliability even in worst conditions possible. It is used not only as a military weapon, but also as a platform for numerous sporting civilian rifles and shotguns. The AK is an amalgam of previously known features and solutions, combined in the most effective way.