What is the speed of the AK 47 bullet. Kalashnikov assault rifle: history of creation, technical characteristics

Model 1947) is a combined arms weapon that began to be supplied to the Soviet military in 1949. Designed in 1947 by Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov, in whose honor it received its name.

Brief information about the machine

The combat AK-47 (as well as its modifications, created all over the world in various versions) is by far the most common and popular in a huge number of countries. The AK-47 type (that is, itself, as well as similar designs) includes one fifth of all small arms on our planet. Almost sixty years have passed since the creation of the machine, and it has already read more than seventy million copies in various versions.

Currently, about fifty foreign armies use the 1947 model Kalashnikov assault rifle as an official combined arms weapon. Its only competition is an American-made assault rifle called the M16. Nevertheless, it was produced on a relatively modest scale: only eight million copies. And only 27 armies in the world use

Many experts agree that the AK-47 is the standard for how easy small arms should be to maintain, as well as how reliable they should be in combat. The performance characteristics of the AK-47 can tell that the ammunition used for it was 7.62 caliber cartridges, which are currently used, for example, in the 1947 model sniper rifle, which served as the basis for the development of such modifications as the AKM (modernized) and AK-74 (model 1974). Also, the device of operation was used as the basis for the Kalashnikov machine gun and smooth-bore rifles of the Saiga type.

How it all began

In 1943, on July 15, at the initiative of representatives of the Soviet armed forces, a meeting was held. Representatives also took part in it Technical Council, located at the People's Commissariat of Defense of the Soviet Union. Then leading experts first started talking about the need to create new small arms based on a certain base. It was presented by a captured German machine gun, which became the prototype of the StG-44. The lightweight American-made M1 self-loading carbine was also taken into account. Both guns used 7.92 and 7.62 caliber cartridges respectively. Thus, the engineers were given the task: to develop a weapon that would become a valid analogue to the German competitor, but would use a reduced caliber.

First samples

They were created in a fairly short time. Then only one month had passed since the meeting. Pilot production of the machine gun was established only in March 1944. There were some prerequisites that contributed to the construction of the performance characteristics of the AK-47. We cannot help but mention them.

We are talking about the events of 1943. Then the first drawings appeared that were planned to be implemented in connection with the use of an intermediate cartridge of 7.62 caliber. They were carried out jointly by engineers Semin and Elizarov. They were sent in advance to organizations that took part in the development of a new type of weapon. Then we were talking only about the caliber 7.62 to 41. However, during the relevant operations it was changed to 7.62 to 39, which also affected the performance characteristics of the AK-47.

Simonov self-loading carbine and Kalashnikov assault rifle

In those days, engineers tried to create not only automatic small arms with an intermediate cartridge. The development complex included a self-loading and non-self-loading carbine, and then it was calculated that the performance characteristics of the AK-47 should have provided the ability to suppress enemy force at a distance of at least four hundred meters. Such characteristics were characteristic of weapons that used rifle ammunition. But it turned out to be overly powerful, heavy, and, as a result, expensive. At the same time, such indicators exceeded the corresponding parameters of almost all submachine guns, and this, first of all, was the advantageous difference.

As a result, it turned out that the development of new small arms made it possible to re-equip the entire army, to change (completely!) the individual arsenal of each soldier. Up to this point, it included such weapons as the Shpagin submachine gun, the Mosin rifle, and the Tokarev self-loading rifle. There were also machine guns built on the design various systems, including foreign ones.

Problems in development and process termination

As mentioned earlier, some effort was devoted to developing a repeating rifle. However, this process was stopped relatively soon. The basis for this was the obvious obsolescence of this concept, its replacement with a newer one that corresponded to the realities and needs of the corresponding period. By the way, the production of the Simonov self-loading carbine did not last long. To be more precise, already in the early fifties of the last century, work on its creation at factories was stopped, and production forces were redistributed. The reasons were simple: manufacturability turned out to be low. At least, significantly less than the newly developed machine. The fighting qualities were also lower. We can trace a similar situation in the case of the Degtyarev machine gun. In 1961, its production was stopped, and the conveyors were switched to the creation of the Kalashnikov light machine gun. It was a widely unified model.

Competitions and model selection

The performance characteristics of the AK-47 became one of the most important parameters that influenced the choice of this particular type of small arms. But what were the alternatives and which weapon almost managed to take a historical place instead of the development of Mikhail Timofeevich?

Test results presented in 1944 showed that the most optimal was an assault rifle called AS-44. It was developed by gunsmith Sudaev. Later, when the model was finalized, it was decided to release this small arms in a small limited series. In the spring and summer of next year, military tests were carried out at the training grounds, which revealed some shortcomings. In general, no claims were made to the weapon as a means of destroying enemy forces. But the army leadership considered that the soldier needed a reduced weight of the machine gun for greater mobility, so the engineers were forced to look for solutions in this direction. However, Sudaev died suddenly.

AK-47 tests

The search for solutions to the AS-44 was stopped, and in 1946, the command of the army units announced another round of tests. This time the legendary gunsmith Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov took part in them, who by that time had already achieved success in the relevant direction. He managed to create several quite interesting weapon designs. More specifically, Kalashnikov developed two submachine guns. One of these weapons was designed using a bolt-deceleration system. The self-propelled carbine, created by Mikhail Timofeevich, fed on cartridge packs. By the way, he was the closest competitor to Simonov’s carbine, but still lost to him in the competition.

Assembly, disassembly and main characteristics

Partial disassembly of the AK-47 has the following sequence. First, the magazine is disconnected. The cleaning rod and pencil case are removed from the butt. You should tighten the bolt and fire a test shot. After this, the bolt box is removed, the return spring, the bolt mechanism and the bolt itself are removed. The last step is to disconnect the gas release mechanism. The assembly order is reversed.

The characteristics of the AK-47 can indicate that the machine is designed for shooting at targets at different distances. Sighting range - 800 meters. The maximum range of a bullet is 3 kilometers. The caliber of the AK-47 is 7.62 millimeters. The initial flight speed of the ammunition was 715 meters per second. Characteristics of the AK-47 can show that the loaded machine had a mass of 4.8 kilograms. The power source was a box-type magazine designed for 30 rounds.

How much does an AK-47 cost?

You need to understand that such a question is posed incorrectly. It is, of course, possible to purchase a firearm version of a machine gun, but the user must understand that this is a criminal offense. However, if you are interested in how much a non-combat type AK-47 costs, that is a completely different matter. In fact, accurate models of these weapons are currently sold in souvenir shops for a couple of thousand. You can also purchase a pneumatic AK-47. It will cost a little more - 7-10 thousand rubles. However, the pneumatic AK-47 can be used for target shooting at a shooting range, as well as for playing airsoft.

The symbols of the twentieth century have become many inanimate material objects, one way or another demonstrating obvious technological progress, which in just a century has acquired the character of a real revolution. This is both a spaceship and an intercontinental strategic missile, and a nuclear submarine, and a computer, and nuclear bomb, and other achievements of applied science. Among all these attributes of the modern world, the Kalashnikov assault rifle, the most replicated example of small arms on the planet, takes its place. He was depicted on coats of arms and flags, children were named after him and songs were composed. A unique silhouette was minted on coins, movie heroes courageously clutched the forend in their hands, and the barrels spewed merciless flames, crushing enemies. Without this weapon it is impossible to imagine the history of the 20th century. Of course, it’s bad that the entire second half of this century passed under the roar of gunfire, but perhaps some consolation can be found in the fact that the most outstanding machine gun in the world was created in Russia.

Automatic weapons of two world wars

Already at the end of the 19th century, humanity acquired rapid-fire weapons. Machine guns of various systems were accepted into the arsenals of the armies of European, Asian, and American states; the ability to mow down chains of advancing enemy troops became commonplace. After the outbreak of World War II, the production of automatic carbines and submachine guns reached unprecedented levels. Red Army soldiers fired from PPSh, Wehrmacht soldiers fired from MP-38, and Thompsons were very popular among American G.I. There were other types of rapid-fire weapons, less common and more powerful. The difference between an assault rifle and a submachine gun was the type of ammunition used. Both our PPSh and the German MP-38 were created for the round-head straight pistol cartridge of 9 mm caliber. In contrast, the MP-43 (aka Stg 44, aka “Schmeisser”) fired rifle cartridges of 7.92 caliber (x 33 mm), which achieved greater penetrating power.

This rapid-fire carbine, like the American M1, was used by advancing infantry to suppress weakly fortified pockets of resistance. Carrying such a weapon was not easy, but the effect justified such difficulties. Already in 1942, the leadership of the Red Army had a desire to obtain a similar model, combining high firepower with compactness and relative lightness. But there was another aspect that was important. The new weapon had to be simple and trouble-free, shoot in any conditions and not be capricious.

The idea is good in its execution. In the Stalinist USSR, the distance between word and deed was minimal. The People's Commissariat of Defense announced a competition in the summer of 1943, inviting all specialized design organizations to take part in it. The cartridge was already ready - it was developed by engineers Elizarov and Semin. The ammunition was an 8-gram pointed bullet of 7.62 mm caliber in a brass casing with lead filling, mounted in a bottle-shaped sleeve. The total length of the cartridge is 41 mm, the powder charge enclosed in the primer sleeve provided an initial speed and energy impulse sufficient to effectively defeat enemy personnel at distances of over a kilometer. Now it was necessary to create a rapid-fire weapon that would realize this potential.

Contender for victory - Sudaev

The proposal of the NPO competition, whose chairman was also Supreme Commander-in-Chief J.V. Stalin, assumed the unconditional participation of all defense enterprises involved in the design of small arms. But there was no longer any need to urge Soviet engineers, they were already working at full capacity in three directions at once. Engineers created an automatic rifle (that’s what an automatic carbine chambered for a rifle cartridge was called in the USSR), a rapid-fire hand-loading carbine and a self-loading carbine. As of the summer of 1944, among other designs, the Sudaev assault rifle (AS-44) was in the lead. They did not have time to launch it into production until the end of the war, but it underwent practical tests in East Germany immediately after the Victory, and, by and large, they were crowned with success. Claims of the Western Group military personnel Soviet troops who held it in their hands and fired from it, boiled down mainly to its heaviness. The competition was extended until 1946, there was nowhere to rush, and only the optimal model should be accepted into service.

Kalashnikov's dream

The great designer himself told the story of how he had an irresistible desire to give his native country the best rapid-fire small arms in the world. In 1942, he, a sergeant, was wounded and, hiding behind some hillock, watched with pain and horror as German infantrymen shot our soldiers point-blank with their submachine guns. Then he decided that never, in any other armed conflicts, should Soviet soldiers be defenseless. They will receive the most reliable, most powerful and trouble-free small arms, a real combat machine gun. Kalashnikov was prompted to start designing by his personal military experience, which can only be bitter.

While undergoing treatment in the hospital, the sergeant wasted no time. He managed to sketch out a general layout diagram of the new model and proposed it for consideration. Specialists from the Shchurovsky NIPSMVO (Scientific Testing Range for Small Arms and Mortars) near Moscow became interested in this project and sent Sergeant Kalashnikov to Kovrov Plant No. 2, where he was to expand his circle special knowledge and participate in the production of prototypes.

The first Kalashnikov

The Kalashnikov assault rifle of the first version (AK-46) was a compilation of the most successful solutions used in the American Garand rifle (M-1) and other designs known to it (in particular, the Garandovsky rotating bolt was used), united by a common innovative idea. It was a carbine with a seven-round magazine, capable of firing in short bursts. The receiver is detachable; fire modes are switched by a lever located on the left.

The new model did not embody the entire range of ideas of the novice designer, but even then, in 1946, main line, expressed in maximum reliability, simplicity and manufacturability.

It should also be noted high level competition that the newcomer had to withstand from experienced gunsmiths - the Tula “bisons” Dementyev and Bulkin. After two rounds of comparative tests, the Kalashnikov assault rifle was excluded from the competition, the characteristics of which were not satisfactory to the commission. It was a heavy blow, but the young designer did not give up, especially since the officers of the Shchurov NIPSMVO, having already managed to believe in his brainchild, supported their comrade. The friendly team achieved their goal: the project was not closed, but only sent for revision.

The Bulkin assault rifle (AB) had many advantages; fresh ideas were implemented in its design, but it did not have the main thing that Kalashnikov wanted to achieve (simplicity and reliability). The young engineer, who had recently worn sergeant's shoulder straps, also lacked technical and practical experience. But he had the main thing - a frantic desire to do for home country The best machine gun in the world.

1947, second round

Engineer Zaitsev, a designer with invaluable experience, undertook to help the talented inventor. Together they completely revised the layout concept of the sample and made many changes to it. The Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifle had little in common with its 1946 prototype; it looked more like an AB. This does not indicate plagiarism; the internal design remained the author’s, but some borrowing still took place. In the Stalinist USSR, copyrights generally had a slightly different meaning than in today’s Russian Federation: national interests, rather than personal ambitions, were put at the forefront. The inventions and achievements of engineers were considered the property of the entire people and state, and not of the individual who made them. In addition, in those years, many designs and circuits of a wide variety of equipment (from radios to airplanes) were simply copied from foreign models. And one more thing: without talent it is impossible to create anything outstanding, even if you collect all the talented solutions into one incompetently put together mechanism.

The new Kalashnikov assault rifle - 47 - was ready by December of the same 1946 and took part in the second round of the competition along with modified models of Bulkin and Dementiev. The commission was faced with a difficult task: from three options, each of which had its own advantages (but also disadvantages), to choose a new weapon Soviet Army. AD and TKB-415 (Bulkin system) showed very good accuracy of hits, much better than the Kalashnikov assault rifle. Reliability characteristics, however, lagged behind competitors; contamination and impacts led to failures.

The decision of the commission members was unexpected for experienced designers from Tula. They considered reliability more important than tactical and technical data, which, however, was recommended to be improved during development work. Military experts understood that it was still impossible to make an ideal weapon, and it was time to rearm the Soviet Army.

Re-equipment and improvement of production

People of the older generation recall that at the end of the forties, soldiers, passing through settlements During the exercises, the new Kalashnikov assault rifles were carried on the back exclusively in canvas cases. Even the appearance of these small arms was a mystery. Its production began at the Izhevsk plant, and by mid-1948 the first batches began to arrive at military units. Official adoption took place in December 1949. At that time, two modifications were made: AK (regular combined arms) and AKS (for the Airborne Forces, equipped with a folding metal butt). The caliber of the Kalashnikov assault rifle was the same 7.62 mm.

In the very first years of operation, serious changes were made to the design regarding the receiver. For the first samples, it was carried out using the stamping method, which was dictated by greater manufacturability and the desire to reduce costs. Inside there was a milled liner, fastened with rivets. When hit by a riveting hammer, the box was bent, seemingly almost imperceptible, but leading to disruption of the mechanism. Savings turned into costs, the percentage of defects increased, complaints and returns to the manufacturer came from military units. In 1951, it was decided to manufacture the receiver from a solid forging using the milling method.

There were other design changes(in order to increase reliability, reduce weight and improve shooting accuracy).

"Kalashnikov" walks around the planet

In the 60s, the classification of secrecy was removed from the main small arms of the Soviet army. This was facilitated by many factors, in particular the widespread distribution of AKs across the planet. If in Korea Chinese volunteers and units of the People's Liberation Army were armed mainly with PPSh, then the Vietnamese partisans beat the aggressors using new Kalashnikov assault rifles. As always happens, during combat operations the weapons fell into the hands of the enemy, and the Americans were shocked to see the amazing reliability of the samples made in the USSR.

Along with other products of the Soviet defense industry, the Kalashnikov assault rifle was supplied to the armies and armed forces of different countries. Sometimes military assistance was gratuitous and was in response to a promise to pursue Marxist policies in regions extremely remote from Soviet borders. As a result, our weapons were not always in the possession of those friendly to Soviet Union modes.

Disassembly and assembly of the Kalashnikov assault rifle was included in school curriculum on initial military training (CTP). For this purpose, in the seventies, units decommissioned from combat service were used, in which the barrel was sawn through with a milling cutter and the firing pin was ground off. The caliber has changed; since 1974, the new Kalashnikov-74 assault rifle began to enter service. It had a number of design differences from the prototype.

Its performance characteristics are as follows:

New AK 1974

The AK-74 was announced as a new rifle system, including, in addition to the machine gun, also the RPK-74 machine gun, distinguished mainly by a reinforced receiver and an elongated barrel. Research in the field of metallurgy was also carried out with the goal of reducing weight. To improve ergonomics and reduce costs, the stock, handle and forend began to be made from plywood-veneer compositions or polymers. But the main difference was the new caliber of the Kalashnikov assault rifle - 5.45 mm. Recoil has been reduced, bullets have steel cores and a shifted center of gravity. Five types of ammunition have been developed for the AK-74, including those for silent shooting, increased penetration, and others. Later, an under-barrel grenade launcher and mounts for sighting systems, optical and night vision were added to this entire arsenal.

The plastic magazine of the Kalashnikov assault rifle has become lighter; it has become possible to place not 30, but 45 rounds of ammunition in it at the same weight. In the standard version, its capacity remains unchanged.

Accuracy has improved, but when using cartridges with a shifted center of gravity, problems arise when overcoming easily pierced obstacles.

Special forces of the Armed Forces and the Ministry of Internal Affairs also received new shortened Kalashnikov assault rifles. They are distinguished by barrel length, lighter weight and compactness due to the folding butt.

About authorship

Disassembling and assembling a Kalashnikov assault rifle is very simple; partial implementation does not require any tools. There are still no analogues in the weapons world, but there are vague hints of borrowing the design and even the whole idea in the press. The main reason for the opinion about the allegedly unclean history of creation outstanding example weapons, as a rule, is a certain external resemblance Soviet machine gun (and especially its horn magazine) with the same “Schmeisser” and poor awareness of lovers of “fried” facts in the field of the design of various weapon systems. It would be useful for such experts to first try to disassemble a German assault rifle, clean and lubricate it, and after that talk about whether M. T. Kalashnikov stole his brainchild or created it himself.

Where is it sold?

Nowadays, it is much easier to purchase weapons than in years past. There are quite official methods of sale, in which almost any sample can be registered as a sporting or hunting “barrel”. But there is another way.

Over the past two decades, many armed conflicts and wars have raged on the territory of the former Union, during which control of the safety of property in army warehouses was almost impossible. Firing from a Kalashnikov assault rifle has become a familiar background sound for residents of many previously calm and peaceful regions, and its presence in the house has acquired the character of possessing an ordinary household item necessary in the household. This was the case in Nagorno-Karabakh, Chechnya, Transnistria, Ossetia, Abkhazia and other areas of the previously unified country. Depending on the availability and number of unregistered “barrels”, the price for which you can buy a Kalashnikov assault rifle on the black market is determined. It typically ranges from US$400 to US$1,500, depending on technical condition, model and country of origin. Caliber also matters. Together with the degree of availability of ammunition, it affects the amount that the owner asks for per unit. Soviet-style weapons were produced in different countries, sometimes under official license, and sometimes counterfeit. The technology is simple, its organization does not require very complex equipment, but in terms of the use of special alloys and high-quality steels, the real Russian Kalashnikov assault rifle behaves best. Its price is usually higher than Chinese, sometimes twice or more. They also charge a lot for shortened modifications - they are in honor of criminal groups, while in real combat conditions the AK-47 or AK-74 behaves more reliably. U regular versions Failures occur less frequently and the barrel overheats to a lesser extent. But, as they say, to each his own.

Pneumatic Kalashnikov assault rifle and other toys

Sociologists note that modern children show significantly less interest in shooting toys than in construction sets or, for example, cars. Those who grew up in the sixties and eighties never dreamed of the variety offered by today's retail chains specializing in products for children and teenagers. To imagine that it would be so easy to buy an almost exact copy of the German MP-38, Parabellum, PPSh or a Kalashnikov pneumatic assault rifle, made life-size in all details, was difficult twenty-five to thirty years ago. And what is characteristic is that there is no queue for these “treasures”, despite quite affordable price. Perhaps this is explained by the fact that modern children watch much more fewer films about the war, or, on the contrary, there are too many documentary footage shown on TV that capture the suffering of people caught in the midst of not at all joyful events. However, computer shooters are still popular among young people, and Kalashnikovs play an important role in them. Maybe this is not bad, but it’s better to remember that the great designer created his machine gun to protect his native country, and not for trouble.

The table above shows data on a modern AK74M assault rifle in a plastic stock with a folding butt, without an under-barrel grenade launcher, without additional sighting devices and without a bayonet. The data corresponds to firing from an AK74M automatic rifle with general-purpose cartridges with a PS bullet (GRAU index - 7N6)

Immediately before I start writing this article, I will stipulate some details so that I will not be considered an amateur and an absolutely incompetent author who, for some reason, undertook to write articles about weapons. The facts below can be substantiated in more depth on our forum, at your first request. The name of this weapon is most often written in three variants: AK74, AK-74 and AK 74. The differences are minor, but they exist. Correct names The new weapon that replaced the AKM is the AK74. And nothing else.

In fact, AK74 “machine guns” have both adherents and opponents. And there are a lot of arguments for this, both from the first and from the second. Let's look at typical misconceptions regarding this weapon.

The Kalashnikov assault rifle is known to everyone, the AK47 and AKM variants have conquered the world, these weapons are considered the best due to their unprecedented reliability and unpretentiousness, as well as the number of 7.62 mm AKs produced. Various modifications of the AK were produced in different countries, to which in most cases the equipment and production lines were provided by the USSR. But the lion's share of the glory of the Kalashnikov assault rifle was created by the AK47 and AKM samples made in the USSR. This weapon was chambered for the 7.62 mm cartridge, which was designed based on the 1943 wartime cartridge. Although that initial sample of the cartridge does not even outwardly resemble the cartridge that was used in the AK47 and AKM. However, for some reason this ammunition is usually called the 7.62x39 cartridge of the 1943 model, and this terminology is still used today.

The AK74 weapon itself, chambered for 5.45x39 mm, was developed on the basis of the AKM, repeating all its design solutions. As you know, the AKM was designed for the 7.62x39 cartridge, and this cartridge justified itself as ammunition for the main army automatic weapon one hundred percent. The main disadvantage of the 7.62 mm Kalashnikov assault rifles was the unsatisfactory accuracy of combat when firing in bursts. Western analogues were much more effective in terms of accuracy and efficiency of firing bursts at medium distances, while the 7.62 mm Kalashnikov assault rifle (AKM and AK47) was not even close in these parameters, but these assault rifles were very reliable. And the production of AKs at the IZHMASH plant in the city of Izhevsk was carried out on a large scale, and the leadership of the country and the defense department did not want to change it to a new one.

A new mass-produced army automatic weapon under the GRAU 6P20 index and under the name “AK74” was adopted by the Soviet Army in 1974, which was not surprising. All competitors of the new Kalashnikov assault rifle lost even before they submitted applications for participation in the competition. The proven production technology of the AK, combined with its reliability in any conditions of use, decided everything before the start of the competition.

AK74 from the first years of production. With a wooden stock, wooden forend and gas tube cover. A bayonet with a sheath is shown separately; in the lower right corner there is a machine gun barrel with an attached bayonet.

Due to the lighter ammunition load, which we will talk about later, and also due to the significant difference in the ballistics of a 5.45 mm bullet caliber and an old cartridge with a 7.62 mm caliber bullet, the military department proceeded from the following decisions:

1. A significant difference in the accuracy of hits when shooting, especially when shooting in automatic firing mode, was on the side of 5.45 caliber bullets due to the higher bullet speed, which did not require taking large leads when aiming while shooting at a moving target. The 7.62 mm cartridges were inferior in this regard.

2. The range of a direct shot of a 5.45 mm cartridge almost doubled, because the bullet was lighter, and the powder charge and the volume of the cartridge case (chambers of initial expansion of powder gases) remained the same, as in a 7.62 mm cartridge. As a result, the 5.45 mm bullet acquired a higher initial velocity.

3. With equal ammunition weight, the number of 7.62x39 cartridges was significantly less than the number of new 5.45x39 cartridges.

The doctrine of lightening the fighter by reducing the mass of ammunition, carried out in the USA, also influenced the military officials of the USSR, which was the main reason for replacing the 7.62x39 general-arms ammunition with a lighter 5.45x39 cartridge, created by re-crimping the barrel of the old 7.62x39 cartridge case to 5.45 mm caliber bullets. The parameters of higher combat accuracy and the effectiveness of automatic fire of a domestic machine gun, as always, faded into the background, but, nevertheless, were the second most important reason that influenced the officials who made the decisions.

Ammunition for AK74

The result was the fact that the 5.45x39 cartridges of the first series were not capable of penetrating even an insignificant obstacle with their bullets, and if they were nailed down, they abruptly changed the trajectory. As a result of a direct hit on the human body, these bullets caused damage that exceeded the damage caused by a bullet from the 7.62x39 cartridge. In addition, the bullets of the 7N6 cartridges were extremely unstable, both in the human body and when passing through various obstacles. This initially did not satisfy the requirements for a military cartridge.

One of the mandatory factors necessary for the adoption of a general-purpose cartridge by the army was punching through a log (most often the parapet was reinforced with logs) followed by punching through an army steel helmet and after all these manipulations retaining energy of at least 250 J. Cartridge 5.45x39 (7N6 ) could not cope with this task. In addition, the army cartridge had to remain stable in the wound channel; the length of the wound channel with stable passage of the bullet had to be at least 140 mm. That is, when hitting a person’s body, the bullet had to travel 14 cm with its nose forward, and only after that was the bullet allowed to roll over. But bullets fired from an AK74 unfolded in the human body almost immediately, which increased the damage.

According to the calculations of military experts and doctors, to defeat an enemy, it is enough for a bullet to leave 250 J of its energy in him. The 7.62 mm cartridge retained this energy after penetrating relatively weak barriers (logs, army helmets, anti-fragmentation vests, etc.). It was also a prerequisite to maintain the trajectory when breaking through barriers. If a 7.62 mm caliber bullet hit an unprotected enemy, it unconditionally pierced the body, expending energy within 300 J on the damaging effect, after which the soldier who received such a wound was out of action and ceased to be a combat unit. He could have been put back on his feet by military doctors, and according to the global rules of warfare, this should have been the case. Respect and a humane attitude towards the enemy should have been present at least to some extent.

A 5.45 mm caliber bullet left almost all its energy in the first obstacle. That is, when it hit the body, this bullet turned sideways, which put more pressure on it from the pierced tissues of the human body, as a result of which the energy consumption of the bullet in the enemy’s body was an order of magnitude higher than that of a 7.62 mm caliber bullet.

Due to unsatisfactory armor penetration, the 7N6 cartridge was modernized by thermal hardening steel core, which made it possible to penetrate barriers from the AK74 that were inaccessible to the bullet of the 7N6 cartridge of the first series.

Subsequently, more adequate cartridges for the army were created, which received the GRAU 7N10 index. These were cartridges with a bullet of increased penetration (PP), in which the cavity in the tip was slightly more filled with lead, and the steel core was more pointed and made of hardened steel. A few years later, this cartridge was modernized and, while retaining the name (7N10), increased the bullet’s penetration ability by 50-70% by completely filling the cavity with lead. This caused the steel core to enter the barrier “like clockwork,” and the lead in the head also ensured the flattening of the shell at the tip of the bullet, which was immediately pierced by the core. The first versions of the 7N10 cartridge had a cavity inside the tip of the bullet, and seemed to “chew” the elements of the shell when breaking through an obstacle, which increased the friction force and the core could not penetrate deep enough; it was slowed down by the bullet shell surrounding the core when piercing. The 5.45x39 PP cartridges were different purple sealant varnish covering the junction of the bullet and the cartridge case.

Also for the AK74, cartridges with a tracer bullet were created, the tip of which was painted in green. Cartridges with an armor-piercing bullet of 5.45 caliber had a sharp, hardened core made of high-carbon tool steel grade U12A (GRAU index 7N22), the tip of the bullet of armor-piercing cartridges was painted black.

Later, 7N24 cartridges were created with an armor-piercing bullet containing a sharp core made of tungsten alloy. It should be mentioned that such cartridges did not have special color markings on the tip of the bullet. To use the silent and flameless firing device (SFS) from the AK47, cartridges with a reduced weight of gunpowder (7U1) were developed, which ensured a subsonic initial velocity of the bullet when leaving the SFS (silencer). The bullet had black and green markings on the tip.

Blank cartridges for the AK74 had a hollow plastic bullet inside, which collapsed immediately upon departure from the barrel, which made it possible to fire blank cartridges in automatic mode without the use of additional attachments, which previously had to be installed on the AKM when firing blanks, because blank cartridges for the AKM were simply rolled cartridge case, and when fired, the automatic weapon did not work, because all the powder gases immediately flew out of the barrel.

Also produced cartridges with increased powder charge, with an armor-piercing tracer bullet, with a lead core (in order to reduce the risk of ricochets), “standard” cartridges, the bullets of which were manufactured under the closer attention of the technical control department. Apart from the Hague Convention prohibiting the use of such bullets, the 5.45 mm bullet was good at hitting an enemy without first penetrating barriers. But if there were such obstacles, then the new Soviet cartridge 5.45x39 was practically powerless.

From the point of view of maximum destruction of the enemy, the AK74 looks much better than the AKM, because the bullet is 5.45 mm

Cartridges for Kalashnikov assault rifles.

From left to right: cartridge with an armor-piercing bullet 7.62x39 (the tip of the bullet is painted black); a cartridge with an ordinary bullet with a steel core of 7.62 mm caliber (PS), a cartridge with a bullet with a heat-strengthened core of 7.62 mm caliber (also PS); cartridge with an ordinary PS bullet with a steel core of 5.45 mm caliber (7N6); a cartridge with a bullet of increased penetration (PP) with a hardened and sharpened core (distinguished by a purple varnish that seals the bullet at the junction with the cartridge case); blank cartridge caliber 5.45 mm.

Among other things, reducing the caliber while maintaining the volume of the cartridge case and the powder charge gave significant advantages in shooting accuracy, since the direct shot range of a lighter and high-speed sharp bullet of 5.45 mm caliber was greater than the direct shot range from a 7.62x39 caliber machine gun . Here it is worth making a few clarifications based on numbers. The 7.62 x39 caliber bullet flew out of the AKM barrel at speed. As a result, the Soviet military leadership decided to switch to a smaller caliber, in order to reduce the weight of the ammunition while maintaining the number of cartridges, as well as reduce the weight of the weapon itself, because reducing the caliber also implies reducing the weight of the “machine gun”. This factor was also fundamental in the competition process.

We must pay tribute to Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov himself - he was categorically against converting the AKM to the 5.45x39 cartridge. Here Kalashnikov was certainly right, and his protest was supported by the country's leading weapons specialists. But this did not in any way influence the orders of the officials of the top leadership of the army, from which the AK74 chambered for the new “low-pulse” cartridge went into mass production and replaced the AKM in the troops. It is worth mentioning that Mikhail Kalashnikov’s protest on this issue was one of his few unilateral decisions made during the evolution of the AK and which played in favor of the weapon. Most of M.T. Kalashnikov’s ideas and prohibitions were absurd, both at that time and now. Moreover, now various idiotic “vetos” coming from a “great gunsmith” who does not have any specialized education look both funny and scary. But disagreement with the transfer of AK to the 5.45x39 cartridge is adequate persistence, but, unfortunately, M.T. Kalashnikov did not have such influence on the production processes of hand-held military firearms in those years.

A slight diversion from the topic: a proposal to combine the recoil force vector transmitted to the butt with the centerline of the barrel bore, M.T.K. categorically rejected (probably also sprayed saliva). Such an elementary solution could increase the accuracy of combat with AK bursts by one and a half to two times. The persistence of the “Great” was justified by him by the fact that raising the butt will make the soldier less protected, because the fighter will have to raise his head higher to aim, because if the butt is higher, then the aiming line will be higher, and as a result - the elevation of the soldier’s helmet. This may be correct, but when shooting while lying down, not from a trench or from behind cover, the magazine of the machine gun rests on the ground, which, of course, forces the soldier’s helmet to rise if he wants to take aim.

This decision of the “Chief Gunsmith of the Country” had only one positive aspect - suppressive fire, when they shoot practically without aiming and without raising their “helmets” from cover. By the way, this is exactly how the AK is used by NATO troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, because normal weapons are a pity, so suppressive fire was often carried out from captured AKs. From these facts, a folk tale has emerged - “Americans are changing their automatic rifles to Kalash.” And raising the helmet from the trench for 2-3 seconds to aim two short bursts is not critical compared to the impossibility of conducting targeted fire in bursts from an AK. But the last statement is lyrical, this was said to “The Gunsmith” many times, and experts spoke about it, in the full sense of the word, and brought a lot of arguments, from detailed drawings and diagrams to visual comparisons.

Consider in more detail all the prerequisites and results of such a replacement of the cartridge used, the reasons for replacing the “machine gun” and other absurdities.

As always, the small-caliber cartridge for the new “machine gun” was developed first, because the design of the weapon comes from the cartridge used in it. And it is the cartridge that largely influences the combat characteristics of the weapon.

The military leaders of the USSR were influenced by Western policy, where, in order to lighten the ammunition load, the 5.56x45 cartridge was adopted, instead of the previously used 7.62x51 or .30-06 cartridge. The new American automatic rifles of that time - AR15 and M16 - used a 5.56 mm caliber cartridge, which made it possible, while maintaining the total weight of the ammunition carried by the fighter, to significantly increase the number of cartridges. The Soviet 7.62x39 AKM cartridge weighed 16.3 grams, and the new 5.45x39 caliber cartridge weighed 10.2 grams. As a result, for example, 180 rounds of 7.62 caliber for the old AKM (6 magazines) weighed 2.9 kg, and 180 rounds of 5.45 mm caliber (the same 6 magazines) weighed 1.8 kg. At first glance, this fact carries a lot of advantages, but the bullets of the 5.45 mm caliber cartridges had no penetrating ability compared to the 7.62 mm bullets for the AKM. American bullets of 5.56x45 cartridges were heavier, which made them last longer high speed flight and were not so afraid of bushes and grass, while the 5.45x39 was literally blown off the trajectory after the bullet passed even the most insignificant obstacle. The first 5.45x39 cartridges received the GRAU 7N6 index. The bullet consisted of a jacket, a lead jacket and a steel core in the middle. The head of the 7N6 cartridge bullet was empty from the inside, that is, the lead did not completely fill the entire volume of the bullet. As a result, the center of gravity of the bullet shifted significantly to its tail; the bullet was on the verge of stability in flight, and when it hit the human body, it caused more serious damage due to the fact that the center of gravity shifted to the bottom of the bullet forced the bullet to somersault and change its trajectory, expanding wound channel. But these bullets were not capable of meeting the cartridge standards for military weapons. These bullets did not penetrate more or less serious obstacles, and if they did, they flew out along a different trajectory in a deformed form. The bullet of the old 7.62x39 cartridge pierced the parapets and logs that protected the trenches, and maintained its trajectory after penetration, and was also capable of hitting the target after passing obstacles. The 7.62x39 cartridge bullets were much more stable and stable than the new ones, and also had incomparably greater penetration power. A 7.62 mm caliber bullet, when hitting an enemy, did not cause excessive damage compared to a 5.45 mm caliber bullet, but incapacitated the enemy, which was more humane in relation to the soldiers of the opposing side. The main task of a bullet from an army cartridge is to incapacitate the enemy, and to do this even after penetrating protective barriers and light body armor.

Let me make one more remark that will explain the fact that I sometimes put the word “automatic” in quotation marks in relation to the AK74. The essence of the problem is that according to GOST of the Russian Federation, which regulates all types of small arms, which includes the AK74, this weapon is an automatic rifle. Otherwise, if we use a more complete name, the AK74 can be dubbed as “a semi-automatic (self-loading) rifle with the ability to fire in continuous automatic mode.” This statement of mine is not nit-picking. The definition of the concept “rifle” and the concept “carbine” differ in the ratio of caliber and working length of the barrel. This thesis defines the following scheme: if the barrel length is approximately 50 calibers or less, it is a carbine. If the barrel length is 70 calibers or higher, it is a rifle. If the value of dividing the barrel length by caliber is between these two fundamental figures, the decision on the name of the weapon is made based on the closest proximity to a particular barrel length. The AK74 had a barrel length of 415 mm. Caliber - 5.45 mm. As a result, it turns out that when dividing the barrel length by the caliber value, we get the figure 76. That is, the AK74 barrel length is equal to approximately 76 calibers of this weapon. From this it follows that the AK74 is an automatic rifle. This is a fact, and an irrefutable one. That is, the designers, when creating the 5.45x39 cartridge, first of all created it for the new AK74 “machine gun”, it cannot be otherwise. As a result, we have such an interesting fact - the 5.45x39 cartridge is a rifle cartridge. According to the GOST classification of small arms, the concept of “automatic” is clearly interpreted as an automatic carbine (which is what the AK47 and AKM were with a barrel length of 420 mm and a caliber of 7.62 mm). But calling the AK74 an assault rifle is incorrect. The AK74 is not an automatic carbine because it is an automatic rifle. And the cartridge for this weapon is a rifle cartridge. Consequently, the designers, when developing the 5.45x39 cartridge, proceeded from the acceleration of the bullet through a rifled barrel with a length of more than 70 calibers, that is, they initially relied on a rifle cartridge and a rifle barrel. From all this it follows that the AK74 is an automatic rifle, despite the fact that the abbreviation AK carries the meaning “Kalashnikov Automatic”. In short, another technical illiteracy of men from the arms industry and from other men who sign documents without being competent in the matter even at the level of a third-year student at the weapons department of a technical university of a certain orientation.

The new Kalashnikov assault rifle was a very bad idea; many experts in the field of weapons consider such a total replacement in the army of AKMs with AK74s almost as treason. And they are partly right.

The 5.45x39 cartridge for the AK74 is often called low-pulse, implying a significant reduction in recoil and more confident control of the weapon in automatic mode when using this cartridge, in comparison with the 7.62 mm AKM. Such opinions are misleading, since the recoil impulse has remained virtually unchanged. When fired, the heavy bolt group of the AK74 moves rearward at approximately the same speed as the bolt group of the AKM. So statements about the “low-impulse” nature of the 5.45x39 cartridge are nothing more than fairy tales based on the assumptions of amateurs who believe that since the bullet is smaller, the cartridge has a smaller recoil impulse.

After switching to the new ammunition, the machine gun itself did not become lighter; on the contrary, it became heavier. This was due to the fact that the outer diameter of the barrel remained the same, as on 7.62 mm caliber assault rifles, but the diameter of the barrel bore decreased, as a result of which the barrel walls became thicker, and the weight increased accordingly. It is worth noting muzzle brake-compensator designed for AK74. If the AKM had a short compensator, which was a cylinder cut diagonally, then the AK74 had a long steel cylinder with windows for the exit of powder gases, which reduced the toss of the barrel when firing in bursts. This muzzle brake was much more massive than the old short AKM compensator, which also influenced the increase in the weight of the new machine gun.

Operation of parts and mechanisms

The operation of the AK74 automation and its layout are no different from the AKM. Automation is based on a gas engine. Powder gases are discharged through a hole in the barrel into a gas outlet tube located above the barrel. The tube contains a gas piston, which is integral with the bolt frame. When firing and removing the powder gases, the latter act on the gas piston and through it on the bolt frame. The frame rolls back and removes the spent cartridge case from the chamber, which was held by the ejector hook. After the bolt frame passes the cartridge case ejection window located on the right side of the receiver, the deflector ejects the cartridge case into this window. The bolt group continues to move backward, cocks the trigger mechanism and stops, hitting the rear wall of the receiver. During the recoil of the bolt, the return spring is compressed, and after stopping the bolt frame, it pushes it forward. When moving forward, the bolt frame pushes the next cartridge in the magazine into the bottom of the cartridge case, from which it leaves the magazine and is sent by the bolt frame into the chamber. The last stage of the automation is locking the barrel bore with the bolt.

The bolt locks the barrel by rotating along its axis when two protrusions on the bolt engage two lugs, which are located near the chamber on the receiver. This rotation of the bolt is ensured by a diagonal groove on the bolt frame, into which the bolt protrusion fits, and when the bolt frame moves back or forward, this protrusion, passing along the groove, causes the bolt to rotate.

The fuse, which is also a fire translator, has three positions - fuse, automatic mode(AB) and single fire mode (OD). When the machine gun is on the safety, that is, the safety switch is in the uppermost position, the safety itself closes the slot in the receiver intended for the movement of the bolt handle, which reduces the likelihood of dust and dirt getting into the mechanism, and also blocks the bolt handle, not allowing her to move back, and whispered. The middle position of the translator is automatic fire, the bottom is single mode. It would seem that it should be the other way around, but this is clearly done on purpose. For example, in battle, on adrenaline, an inexperienced fighter will purely intuitively lower the translator-safety “all the way down” (as in the song), and will only be able to shoot single shots. If in this case the lower position is “AB”, then the soldier may, out of nervousness, simply release the entire magazine without any result. And so, if he switched to single mode, the fighter can already consciously set the fire selector to automatic mode and shoot accurately, in short bursts. In any case, it is not easy to find another explanation for such positions of the fire translator.

That is, everything works the same as in AKM.

AK74 modifications

At first, AK74 assault rifles were made with a wooden butt and forearm, magazines were made either of orange plastic or stamped from a steel sheet. Due to the increase in the weight of the machine gun due to thicker barrel walls and a muzzle brake-compensator, the design team was tasked with maximizing the weight reduction of the new machine gun. This process even affected the wooden stock, on which grooves were made on the sides, in order to gain at least a few more grams. These grooves are visible on the wooden stock of the AK74 shown in the photo above.

There was also an option with a framed steel stock folding on the left side - AKS74.

AKS74 with a fixed bayonet and an unfolded butt.

Subsequently, starting in 1986, the butt, forend, gas tube cover and pistol grip were made of high-strength black polymer (glass-filled polyamide), and stores also began to be made of black plastic.

On top is an AK74 with an attached bayonet, on the bottom is an AKS74 with an unfolded butt.

More modern models of the AK74M (the modernized model of the AK74), produced since the mid-90s of the last century, have a polymer butt that folds onto the left side, which houses a pencil case with accessories for weapon care, as in all previous versions AK, except for models with folding metal stocks, where there is simply nowhere to place a pencil case. Also on the left side of the receiver there was a mount for the bracket for optical, night and collimator sights, on the left side of the butt there is a special recess into which the brackets are attached for a tight fit of the folded butt to the receiver.

The advantage of the AK74, like its older brother AKM, was reliability and ease of maintenance. The new 5.45x39 cartridge allows for more accurate fire than the 7.62 mm AKM. A faster bullet has better flatness and allows you to practically ignore lead when shooting.

The disadvantages of the AK74 are, first of all, a very significant dispersion of bullets when firing in bursts, which is explained by the swing of the machine gun when the heavy bolt group hits the rear wall of the receiver and into the breech when locking. Also the reason for this drawback is the line of the butt, located below the line of the axis of the barrel and the location of the middle line of the butt, coinciding with the recoil force vector, at an angle to the axis of the barrel. For the sake of reliability, the weapons have increased the gaps between the moving parts of the structure, which also reduces the accuracy of the battle. The new 5.45x39 cartridge is not suitable for combat, since the bullet is too light and unstable in flight and is susceptible to the influence of small obstacles and side winds. In addition, the general purpose cartridge bullet has very low penetration ability.

The article is not finished, some more details will be added.

The new assault rifle, developed by M. T. Kalashnikov, was adopted by the army in 1949. The shortened 7.62×39 cartridges of the M 43 model and the Kalashnikov AK 47 assault rifle became a significant achievement in the USSR defense industry. Only M. T. Kalashnikov was able to achieve the combination of all the necessary technical characteristics of a weapon with the principle of removing powder gases from the barrel.

Kalashnikov assault rifle AK-47 (AKM and AKMC) - video

In September 1941, as a tank commander, he, then a sergeant, was seriously wounded and while on leave for injury he tried himself as a weapons designer, and in 1942 he created his first machine gun. This weapon, equipped with Tokarev cartridges, had a barrel without a casing, a second pistol grip in front of the magazine and a folding metal shoulder rest. This machine gun, like the next one - 9 mm caliber, was not produced. And yet, Kalashnikov was included in the Moscow design team and focused on developing an assault rifle for new shortened cartridges. The prototype was ready in 1946, and then it was improved and eventually registered for competition. Kalashnikov presented two prototypes and documentation for the project.

According to the terms of the competition, he called them a special code: the name consisted of the initial letters of his name and patronymic Mikhtim. In his memoirs, Kalashnikov describes this competition as follows: “I felt quite confident until such aces as Degtyarev, Simonov and Shpagin appeared... Who did I want to measure my strength with? After the first tests, some samples were completely rejected and not even recommended for improvement. For a designer, this is a heavy blow when the work of many sleepless nights suddenly it turns out not to be in demand. However, this is better than the defeat of a thousand soldiers because of your weapon. My Mikhtim was one of three models that were recommended for appropriate improvement before new tests... The second test was to take place in conditions closest to combat.

A loaded machine gun was placed in swamp water, then someone ran with it for a while and opened fire as they ran. The machine was contaminated with sand and dust. However, he shot, and not bad, although he was completely covered in mud. Even after the machine was dropped several times from a great height onto a cement floor, there were no malfunctions or interference during reloading. This merciless examination ended with an unequivocal conclusion: “The 7.62 mm assault rifle developed by Kalashnikov should be recommended for adoption.”
This is how this machine gun appeared, which became the prototype of a whole generation of weapons.

The Soviet armed forces have been equipped with Kalashnikov assault rifles since 1949. Motorized rifle squads, security and service units of the air force and navy received a version with a stationary wooden stock; airborne troops, tank crews and special units- modification with a folding metal shoulder rest. In the Soviet Union, the assault rifle was officially called an automatic weapon of the Kalashnikov system (Kalashnikov assault rifle), in specialized literature the abbreviations AK and AK 47 are used. In the specialized press and literature of other countries, this assault rifle is often called an assault rifle, and the version with a folding metal shoulder rest is often called AKS, or AKS 47.

The Kalashnikov AK 47 assault rifle operates on the principle of removing the energy of powder gases from the barrel. Locking is carried out by the lugs of the bolt rotating around its axis. The pressure of the powder gases that arises after the shot acts through the hole in the barrel on the gas piston and on the bolt, which, when reverse stroke turns out of its locking device in the housing. The barrel rifling pitch length is 240 mm. Even at very high or low temperatures the weapon shoots flawlessly. To supply ammunition, horn magazines made of steel or light metal with 30 rounds are used. On the right side there is a safety lever, which is also used as a fire switch.

Although the weapon has a fairly short aiming line (378 mm), good accuracy is achieved when firing: for example, with a single fire from a distance of 300 m it is 25 and 30 cm. The effective range of the Kalashnikov assault rifle is 400 m with a single fire, and when firing in bursts - 300 m, when firing at group targets - 500 m, when firing at group targets - 800 m, and at air targets - 400 m. The bullet retains its penetrating power up to 1500 m. The practical rate of fire is 40 rounds/min with single fire, with automatic - from 90 to 100 shots/min.

The sighting device includes a movable sector sight, installed at a range from 100 to 800 m, and a front sight with side protection, mounted on a rather high protruding holder. The version with a folding metal stock has a length of 645 mm, with the stock folded down - 880 mm. A bayonet can be used for both versions. A ramrod is attached under the barrel. A Kalashnikov assault rifle can be disassembled in just a few movements and without special tools. Since 1959, the Kalashnikov assault rifle has been produced in a modified version: the AKM model - with a stationary wooden or plastic butt and the AKMS model - with a folding metal shoulder rest. The length of both models corresponds to the length of the first versions. Both the barrel length and the length of the aiming line are identical.

But there are also differences. AKM and AKMS assault rifles weigh significantly less. The trigger is equipped with an additional lock for single-fire mode. This ensures that only one cartridge is ignited. The stock, stock and shift lever have also been improved. In addition, a new bayonet was developed that can be used as a saw or as scissors for cutting barbed wire. The length of the weapon with a bayonet installed is 1020 mm. Further improvements were aimed at hitting accuracy. A few years later, the outlet of the Kalashnikov assault rifle barrel began to be equipped with an asymmetrical compensator, which had a positive effect on the stability of the weapon when firing in bursts. Hitting accuracy has been significantly improved. In addition, the weapon of the second version has a greater sighting range shooting, can be equipped with an additional sight for shooting in the dark, as well as an active or passive night vision device.

The Kalashnikov assault rifle was the model for the Israeli-developed Galil automatic rifles. Finnish designers also focused on Soviet machine guns when they developed automatic rifles of models 60,62 and 82 of the Valmet weapon system. The design principle of the Kalashnikov assault rifle has decisively influenced small arms development projects in many countries. According to experts, until mid-1985, more than 50 million Kalashnikov-type assault rifles were produced. Weapons of this system, as experts from many countries are convinced, are one of the most common modern models small arms of the world. It can be used in any combat and extreme situations. climatic conditions. This applies not only to machine guns, but also to light and universal machine guns of the same system. AK 47, AKS 47, AKM and AKMS assault rifles have a caliber of 7.62 mm, AK/AKS 74 assault rifles - 5.45 mm, RPK light machine guns - 7.62 mm and RPK 74 - 5.45 mm. Universal machine guns of the PK/PKS and PKM/PKMS models are equipped with 7.62×54 R rifle cartridges.

Tactical and technical characteristics of the AK 47 assault rifle

AK-47 One of the most popular models of the Kalashnikov assault rifle with a folding stock. The modernized AKM Kalashnikov Avtomat is externally distinguished by a beveled flash suppressor on the muzzle of the barrel. "Type 56" In China, the AK-47 was produced under the designation "Type 56". A bayonet was added to the design, located under the front lower part of the barrel

The Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifle is one of the most successful examples of automatic small arms. It is used all over the world, and even half a century after its adoption in different countries, the production of its various modifications continues.

The first AK-47 was designed for a 7.62 mm shortened cartridge, which had a lot of features from the German 7.92 mm Kurz cartridge. During the Second World War, the Soviet infantry was opposed by Wehrmacht soldiers, armed with the latest for those times assault rifles MP 43, MP 44 and StuG 44, and something was needed that could counter them.

The result was the 7.62x39mm cartridge and the AK-47. Its designer was Mikhail Kalashnikov, and the machine gun became famous all over the world under this name.

The first prototypes appeared in the army in 1947, although large-scale production was organized only in the early 1950s. Gradually, the AK-47 became the standard weapon of the member states of the organization Warsaw Pact. Huge production capacities were involved, but the need was so great that many ATS countries began their own production and many different modifications of the AK-47 appeared

Reliable quality

The AK-47 is a high-quality and well-made weapon, which uses some features characteristic of German military models. The AK-47 receiver is machined, steel is a must good quality, wood is used for decoration, also of high quality.

The result is a reliable weapon that can withstand any test. Since the machine has only a few moving parts and disassembly is very simple, maintenance is also extremely simple and can be done even with minimal training. Over the years, many modifications of the AK-47 have emerged, the most common being the version with a folding stock.

All modifications used the same mechanism: a simple rotating bolt, the lugs of which fit into the corresponding cutouts of the receiver. The automation was driven by a gas piston, which was pushed by powder gases vented through a hole in the barrel.

World production

AK 47 was produced in China, Poland, East Germany, Romania and many other countries. His device was copied in the Finnish Valmet rifle and the Israeli Galil. At the end of the 1950s, the USSR decided that during production a lot of time was spent on machine processing of parts. The modified model received the designation “Modernized Kalashnikov Avtomat,” or AKM, which in principle did not differ from the previous model, but was easier to manufacture.

The most noticeable change was the receiver. Now it was made by stamping rather than milling. The shutter was also slightly changed, simplifying its design. There are some other differences, most of which are designed to make production easier.

The AKM did not immediately replace the AK-47 assault rifles, many of which continue to be used to this day. Other Warsaw Pact countries also gradually switched to producing AKMs, and some countries (for example, Hungary) even went further: the Hungarian AKM-63 even looks a little different in appearance, although its main mechanism remained from the AKM. The modification with a folding stock was designated AKMS.

Huge number

More than 50 million AK-47, AKM and their modifications were produced in different countries of the world. The AK-47 and AKM will remain in service well into the 21st century, this longevity can be partly explained by their high prevalence, but the main reason is that the AK-47 and AKM are weapons that are rugged, reliable and easy to handle and maintain.