AKMs, AIMS 74 and others)Įven China and North Korea started producing their own variants of the classic AK47, the Type 56 and Type 58 assault rifles. Throughout the Cold War, firearms factories across the Eastern Bloc (and beyond) took the Kalashnikov design and ran with it, churning out AKs for their own armies and police forces that were very similar to the original.Īs a result, people can find AK47s, AKMs, AK74s and more with stamps from countries such as: The AK: Not Just A Russian FirearmĪlthough the AK47 may have been invented in Russia, it and its subsequent iterations were also produced in factories all over the world, essentially wherever Soviet influence was strong. It continued to serve in this role well past the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, all the way into the 21st century when the Russian army began introducing the AK12 and AK15 series. The AK74 was eventually adopted to replace the AKM as Soviet Russia’s main infantry weapon. This resulted in both a higher muzzle velocity (2952 ft/sec vs 2296) and better accuracy thanks to reduced recoil. In the 1970s, the AKM was replaced by the AK74, which replaced the 47s legendary 7.62mm round with a smaller, 5.45mm version. The classic AK47 was replaced in the 1950s by a lighter weight and more modernized AKM, which used some cheaper parts (like a stamped sheet metal receiver and plywood furniture). The result was a rifle that raised a few eyebrows where it counted, and the AK47 (Avtomat Kalashnikova 1947) was adopted as the main Soviet battle rifle in 1949. Its tolerances were also quite loose and required very precision parts, and its body was a wood and stamped steel affair. His prototype, for example, had fewer moving parts than other select-fire assault rifles at the time. Perhaps more importantly, he also designed it specifically to be easy and relatively cheap to produce and mass manufacture.

There aren’t too many people out there who haven’t heard of a Kalashnikov.Ĭreated by (and ultimately named after) Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov in 1947, Kalashnikov had designed his post-war rifle to be as rugged, reliable, all-weather and as simple to use as possible. AK47 and Beyond: A Brief History of the Avtomat Kalashnikova If you have your heart set on an airsoft AK47, AKM, AK74 or other model but just don’t know which to pick, you can always check out our top recommendations. Need Help Finding An Airsoft AK That’s Right For You?Īlthough they aren’t quite as popular as an M4 or HK418, there are a lot of airsoft AKs out there. It is perhaps unsurprising, then, that AKs are fairly popular in the airsoft world, and have become something of an alternative to the ubiquitous airsoft M4s that populate most fields.

Not only have they been the main battle rifles for a host of countries since the mid-20th century, they have also featured prominently in Cold War movies, tv shows and video games for decades. The AK series of guns, from the grandaddy AK47 to the more modern AK74 and its descendents, are some of the most legendary and iconic weapons to have ever been produced, When you absolutely, positively got to kill every m*********** in the room, accept no substitutes.” – Ordell Robbie, Jackie Brown. Primary rifle, collection, milsim, OPFOR players, outdoor games USSR, produced in many countries around the world

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