Osprey - Weapon 08 - The AK-47. Kalashnikov-series Assault Rifles.pdf

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THE AK-47
Kalashnikov-series assault rifles
GORDON L. ROTTMAN
© Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
THE AK-47
GORDON L. ROTTMAN
Series Editor Martin Pegler
© Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
DEVELOPMENT
A new breed of rifle
4
7
40
71
78
79
80
USE
The Cold War turns hot
IMPACT
The people’s assault rifle
APPENDIX
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX
© Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
INTRODUCTION
There have been many important and influential firearms. The Winchester
and the Colt won the West, the Enfield held an empire, the Krag brought
civilization (or tried to), the Mauser attempted to dominate the world and
the Garand stopped it, while the M16 black rifle, one of the defining
weapons of the post-World War II era, has long been opposed by a
somewhat ugly Russian contender.
This opposing weapon is the Russian
Avtomat Kalashnikova obraztsa
1947 goda
– Automatic Kalashnikov Model 1947, more commonly known
as the AK-47, the Kalashnikov, or simply the “Kalash.” Incidentally,
AK-47 is the designation of only the first model. There are now scores of
models made not only in Russia but across the world, bearing many
different designations. Regardless of what it is called, the AK has become
an enduring image of contemporary conflicts – from major conventional
battles to gang wars.
While the Kalashnikov AK-47, along with its many variants, is by no
means the perfect weapon and has its flaws and limitations, it is the
quintessential assault rifle and indeed set the standard for defining what
an assault rifle is. More AK-47s and its variants have been made than any
other individual small arm in the world. An estimated 75 million true AKs
(including foreign-made copies) have been produced worldwide, along
with a further 25 million AK variant assault rifles, light machine guns,
sniper rifles, and submachine guns. The second-most produced assault rifle
is the American M16 with its variants, of which a mere eight million-plus
have been produced.
Since the adoption of the design in 1947, the weapons have been
manufactured in at least 20 countries, and production continues to this day.
It is the longest serving post-World War II military weapon, having notched
up 64 years to date, and will continue to serve for many more. Most of its
modern contenders are younger, dating from the early 1960s onward.
4
OPPOSITE
An Acehnese boy brandishes an
AK-47 during military training in
the jungle at Pidie district, Aceh,
Indonesia. Originally a weapon
designed for the massed ranks of
the Red Army, the simple, robust,
and easy-to-use Kalashnikov has
become a staple of Third World
warfare. (AFP/Getty Images)
© Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
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© Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com

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