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Home , AKM, IMI Galil, Intermediate cartridge, Kalashnikov rifle, Mikhail Kalashnikov, Personal defense weapon

DEVELOPMENT AND INFLUENCE OF THE KALASHNIKOV 1947 TO PRESENT TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Illustrations...... iii Abstract...... iv Glossary...... v

Introduction The M43 The Need for Assault The Development of the AK-47 Attributes of the AK-47 The Development of the AKM The Development of the AK-74 The Development of the AK-100 Series LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Parts of an AK Gas-Operated Piston System Cartridge ABSTRACT

This paper covers the evolving requirements of warfare that led to the development of the Kalashnikov AK- 47 assault rifle, the design of the rifle itself, the later development of the AKM, AK-74, and AK-100 series rifles, and the reasons behind each 's design. It will also cover the influence of the rifle on the world at large. GLOSSARY

• – The thickness of a . This can be measure in two ways: caliber (decimal fractions of an inch, so .45 caliber is a bullet .45 inches wide at its widest point) or in millimeters (a 7.62mm bullet is 7.62mm wide at its widest point). “Higher caliber” refers to a thicker, and usually more powerful bullet. • Cartridge – The entire assembly of a bullet; both the metal slug that is actually fired, and the metal casing that holds it near the gunpowder propellant. It is usually measured in dimensions such as 7.62x39mm, which means a bullet 7.62 millimeters wide, and a casing (not including the bullet) that is 39 millimeters long. See the diagram at the bottom of the page. • – A cartridge that is more powerful than a or submachine cartridge, but is less powerful than a cartridge. It has an effective range somewhere between the two types, and is commonly used in assault rifles and . It is meant to have adequate stopping power, but also be controllable on automatic fire, a hallmark of an assault rifle. • Effective Range – The maximum distance at which a firearm is expected to perform reliably and accurately. • Stopping Power – A bullet or firearm's ability to disable a human target immediately. A bullet that causes a wound not immediately fatal, would have low stopping power. A bullet that caused a wound that immediately killed or disabled a human target, would be considered to have high stopping power. • – The housing for the mechanical parts of a firearm. • Recoil – The reactive force of a bullet being fired. When a bullet weighing several grams is launched from a barrel at more than one thousand feet per second, the energy kicks the gun back against the user. Recoil is generally seen as detrimental to accuracy, especially during automatic fire when many are shot in rapid succession. • Semiautomatic – When a firearm shoots one bullet per pull of the . The trigger must be released, then pulled again, to fire another shot. • Izhmash – The company that manufactures Kalashnikov rifles, located in . • – A detachable metal box that holds bullets and feeds them into the weapon using spring power. Made to be quick and easy to reload. • Sight Radius – The distance between the forward and back sights of a gun. The further apart they are, the more precise they are, for the reason that distant objects are smaller and thus allow for a more precise shot. • Furniture – In the context of firearms, these are cosmetic or ergonomic parts of the firearm that are not related to its actual mechanic function. Usually used in reference to the material used, such as a firearm with wooden furniture. • – A metal stand, usually attached to the underside of a firearm, that can be set against a fixed surface to steady the weapon and aid in aiming. • Gas-Operated – A weapon that, when fired, siphons some of the gas pressure that propels the bullet. It uses this pressure to prepare the next round to be fired, by use of a pistol or other mechanical , allowing automatic fire. INTRODUCTION

This paper will cover the events that necessitated the development of the Russian Kalashnikov assault rifle, the process of its development, the development of its later models and derivatives, and it's impact worldwide. The Kalashnikov assault rifle has been produced in greater numbers than any other firearm. Its simplicity and quantity have made it a favorite of conscript armies around the world.

THE M43 CARTRIDGE

The Soviet RPD , developed in 1944, was the first firearm to use the new M43 cartridge. It was later used in the Soviet SKS , and later the AK-47 assault rifle. The M43 cartridge was developed as an intermediate cartridge in 1943, after a meeting of the Technical Council of the People's Commissariat for Armaments. The M43 cartrige was meant to provide a middle ground between the 7.62x54mmR round, used by the Mosin-Nagant rifle, and the 7.62x25mm Tokarev round used in the PPSh-41 . This shortening of cartridge, but maintaining of caliber, is also seen in the first assault rifle, the German STG-44, which used a 7.92x33mm cartridge, shortened from the 7.92x57mm cartridge used by German rifles of that time. The purpose of this intermediate cartridge was threefold: • Being smaller and lighter, it allowed the infantryman to carry more . • It had less recoil, thus making it more viable for automatic fire. • It was more suited to the range that most firefights took place in (usually 400 meters or less).

THE NEED FOR ASSAULT RIFLES

As World War II drew to a close, great advances were made in weapons technology. The Germans were the first to create a “true” assault rifle. The STG-44 combined the merits of a rifle (strong in long-range combat) with those of a submachine gun (more firepower). The catalyst for this shift was evidence that most firefights took place in closer quarters (under 400 meters)1; thus, a longer-range rifle was not as necessary for combat. On the other hand, automatic fire, an attribute of submachine , was. In fact, soldiers in World War II often carried a mix of rifles and submachine guns. The assault rifle was an attempt to unify both weapons into a single type of firearm. An assault rifle is characterized by the following attributes: • It fires an intermediate cartridge. This is a cartridge more powerful than a submachine gun cartridge, but less powerful than a true . The advantage here is a cartridge with adequate stopping power, but without rough recoil that detracts from accuracy. In the STG-44, this was a 7.92x33mm cartridge. In the AK-47, this was a 7.62x39mm cartridge; very similar dimensions. This is in contrast to the 7.62x54mmR used by the Mosin-Nagant rifle that was standard issue for many Soviet soldiers in World War II. Such a cartridge had too much recoil to be suitable for an automatic weapon. • It has . This means that a soldier can flip a switch to change from semi-automatic (one bullet fired per trigger pull) to fully-automatic (bullets will fire rapidly as long as the trigger is held down). This further allows the assault rifle to function as a hybrid of rifle and submachine gun. • It must fire ammunition from a detachable box magazine. This is effectively a metal box, filled with bullets, usually attached to the underside of the rifle. It uses compressed springs to feed bullets into the weapon. It is easy to reload, making it optimal for an individual infantry weapon.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE AK-47

Mikhail Kalashnikov began designing firearms while in the hospital, after being wounded in combat in 1941. His first designs were for a submachine gun and ; neither of these were accepted by the Soviet . However, Kalashnikov's skills were noticed, and he was assigned to the Central Scientific-developmental

1 This concept was as old as 1918, when Hauptmann Piderit published a paper stating this point. Firing Range for Rifle Firearms of the Chief Directorate. In 1944, Kalashnikov submitted a design for a carbine with a gas-operated system very similar to that of the American rifle. His design lost to the SKS carbine, but parts of the design, especially the long-stroke piston mechanism, were used later, when he designed the AK-47. After World War II, the was looking for an assault rifle to equip their army. In 1946 they held a design competition, which Kalashnkov entered with a prototype called the “Mikhtim.” His entry won, and was the first in a series of prototypes that culminated in the AK-47 itself. The AK-46, Kalashnikov's later prototype, was selected after tests in December of 1946 at the NIPSMVO range. It won out over five other prototypes that had advanced to the later stages of the design trials. Two more weapons, by designers Dementiev and Bulkin, were also selected. The next round of trials resulted in the AK-46's rejection; however, Kalashnikov used some of his influence to remain in the trials longer. He changed his design during this time, borrowing ideas for the long-stroke gas piston from Bulkin's AB-46 protoype. He borrowed the idea for the fire selector switch from the Remington Model 8 hunting rifle, an American firearm. Much of the spaciousness of the design, meant to prevent jamming, came from the AS-44 , developed by the Soviets in 1944. What may seem like blatant plagiarism, was actually encouraged, as intellectual property was considered property of the state by Soviet dogma. Further tests in December 1947 were somewhat inconclusive; while the AK-47 was more durable and reliable than its competitors, it was not as accurate. The trials commission, preferring reliability if at the cost of accuracy, approved the AK-47. It began production in mid-1948, with official adoption in 1949.

ATTRIBUTES OF THE AK-47

The AK-47 is an extremely simple and robust weapon; its long-stroke gas operation, spacious mechanisms, and sturdy design make it a rugged firearm that performs excellently in muddy or sandy environments. The large amount of clearance between the moving parts makes jamming rare; thus, the AK-47 is an extremely reliable weapon, with twice the reliability of the used by the military2. Another aspect of the AK-47 is its ease of use. Soviet soldiers in World War II were mostly conscripted, and were not highly-trained. Thus, the AK-47 was designed to be simple to use and easy to mass-produce. The AK-47's long-stroke gas operation system is very similar to that of the M-1 Garand, a rifle used by the American military in World War II. How it works, is that as the bullet travels down the barrel, the some of the hot gases propelling it forward leak into a side tube, which uses the pressure to reload the firearm. This takes some of the power away from the bullet; however, it saves the user having to reload each new shot individually, and makes automatic fire possible3.

2 http://www.diffen.com/difference/AK-47_vs_M16_Rifle#Dependability 3 http://www.militaryfactory.com/smallarms/detail.asp?smallarms_id=19 THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE AKM

The AK-47 is often cited as the most plentiful firearm in the world; this is somewhat erroneous. Actually, most of the AK-style rifles in the world today are , a modernized version of the AK-47 developed in the 1950s. It differs in that it is made from stamped metal rather than milled metal, making it lighter. To understand this, imagine carving a tube out of a block of wood, then imagine making one simply by rolling up a piece of paper. Clearly, the latter would be lighter, and so was the stamped-metal receiver used by the AKM. The new receiver was also lighter, and made the weapon more controllable for automatic fire.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE AK-74

During the war, the United States began developing a replacement for their M-14 rifle, which was standard issue at the time. The M-14 was chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO, which was a very powerful round, and not well suited to automatic fire. In the 1950s, Armalite, an American firearm design company, began designing a smaller, lighter .22 caliber round for use by infantrymen. At less than two-thirds the weight of 7.62x51mm cartridge, it effectively allowed an infantryman to carry twice as much ammunition. This was crucial in wars fought with automatic weapons, which use up ammunition quickly. It also reduced the recoil of the weapon when fired on full automatic. The first weapon to use this new cartridge was the Colt M16A1, a weapon that was prone to jamming, and did not perform well in the harsh conditions of the Vietnamese jungle. However, later M16 models were more reliable, and the 5.56x45mm round began to be used in other military firearms, most notably the Beretta AR-70. Noticing the efficacy of the 5.56x45mm round in Vietnam, the began to develop the AK-74, which fired a lighter 5.45x39mm round. The AK-74 also used plastic magazines, instead of metal ones, resulting in an even lighter ammunition load for the individual soldier. The wooden furniture of the AK-47 is replaced by black plastic.4 The rubber pad on the back of the AK-74 is serrated to improve its grip on the shoulder. This prevents the butt of the weapon from “slipping” against the user's shoulder.

4 http://world.guns.ru/assault/rus/ak-74-e.html Comparison of the the AK-47 and AK-74 AK-47 AK-74 Cartridge 7.62x39mm 5.45x39mm Length 880mm (35 inches) 943mm (37.1 inches) Weight (without magazine) 3.47 kg (7.7 lbs) 3.07 kg (6.8 lbs) Effective Range 350 meters (380 yards) 500 meters (550 yards) (automatic fire) 600 rounds per minute 650 rounds per minute 715 m/s (2,350 ft/s) 880 m/s (2887 ft/s) Magazine Capacity 30 rounds 30 rounds

As the table above shows, the AK-74 is lighter, has a longer effective range, a faster rate of fire, and a higher muzzle velocity than the AK-47. It still maintains its predecessor's reliability, and is generally considered an improvement. However, it has not achieved the ubiquity of the AKM and AK-47, as not as many have been manufactured.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE AK-100 SERIES

The AK-100 series were a group of rifles whose development began in 1991. The first 100-series rifles were released in 1994, and represent an attempt by Izhmash to expand its foreign market, as they were designed mostly for export. The Russian army does not use any of these weapons; it still uses the AK-74 as its standard-issue assault rifle for infantry. However, the Russian “Spetsnaz” special forces have made some use of the AK-103. There is no rifle actually designated “AK-100”; the 100 series refers to five rifles, designated AK-101 through AK-105, that were released in 1994. The internals of these weapons are very similar to that of the AK-74, as is the use of black synthetic materials for many of the firearm's parts.5 The AK-101 fires the Western 5.56x45mm round, and has a folding for added compactness. It also comes in a three-round-burst variant (three bullets are fired rapidly, per single pull of the trigger). This variant is designated the AK-101-2. The AK-102 is essentially a compacted AK-101; its barrel is shortened from 415mm to 314mm. The AK-103 is similar to the other weapons, but is chambered in the original 7.62x39mm round. It is considered to be a “modernized” AKM, which itself was a modernization of the original AK-47 rifle. The AK-104 is a compact version of the AK-103, similarly to how the AK-102 is a compact version of the AK-101. It features a folding stock and shortened barrel (314mm instead of 415mm, exactly like that of the AK 102). Like the AK-103, it fires the 7.62x39mm M43 round. The AK-105 fires the 5.45x39mm round used by the AK-74. It has a shorter barrel than the AK-74M (314mm instead of 415mm). As a result of its shortened barrel length, it has a reduced muzzle velocity of 60 m/s les (840m/s instead of 900m/s for the AK-74M).

VARIANTS

The AK-47's design extended to several other Soviet-made weapons, including the RPK machine gun, the PP-19 “Bizon” submachine gun developed during the 1990s, and the AK-74u carbine.

RPK and RPK-74: The RPK entered service with the Soviet army in 1961, when it replaced the RPD machine gun that had been used since World War II. It is very similar to the AKM, but there are a few difference: • As it is meant to function as a machine gun, it has a longer and heavier barrel. This allows the RPK to fire continuously for longer, without the barrel overheating and causing loss of accuracy. • It accepted larger magazines, holding up to 75 rounds. This allowed the gun to fire longer without having to

5 http://www.smallarmsreview.com/display.article.cfm?idarticles=1301 reload. The RPK magazines were compatible with those of the AK-47, and could be used interchangeably. • A bipod, which could be used to steady the weapon during automatic fire. The RPK-74 was the machine gun counterpart of the AK-74 assault rifle.

PP-19 “Bizon”: The PP-19 Bizon was developed in the early 1990s by a team lead by 's son, Victor. It uses a helical magazine, shaped like a cylinder, that holds the bullets in a helix-shape. This allows the PP- 19 magazine to hold sixty-four rounds, as opposed to the average submachine gun magazine that holds around thirty rounds. It also features a folding stock, and its receiver is very similar to that of the AK-74; in fact, early models were made from re-purposed AK-74u receivers. It was used mostly by Russian counter-terrorist groups, who needed a weapon capable of accurate fire in close quarters6.

AK-74u Carbine: The AK-74u carbine is a more compact version of the AK-74 assault rifle, mostly due to its shorter barrel and folding stock. It uses the same 5.45x39mm ammunition as the AK-74, and was intended for tank or helicopter crews as a . The “U” suffix stands for “Ukorochennyj,” or, translated to English, “shortened.” There are some differences between the AK-74u carbine and the full-sized AK-74 assault rifle7

• The barrel is significantly shortened. • The gas is moved further back for additional compactness. • The gas piston rod (the piston that uses pressure from the fired bullet to reload the weapon) is shortened as the barrel is. • The receiver cover (top part of the receiver that is fully removable on the AK-47 and AK-74) is hinged so as to not completely detach from the weapon. • The AK-74u cannot be fitted with a .

Saiga 12 : This is a shotgun very similar to AK rifles in design. It uses the same long-stroke piston system, and the internals are similar, though they were adjusted to accommodate the larger 12-gauge shotgun shells that the weapon fires. They are widely used by Russian law enforcement.8

CONCLUSION

The AK-47 provided the world with a mass-produced, simple-to-use, and robust weapon. During the war in in 1980, millions of AK-47s migrated to the Middle East. Even so, the AK-47 was already a popular choice for and paramilitaries worldwide. Many nations use the AK-47. This is for several reasons: • Robustness: The AK-47's spacious internals and simplistic design make it capable of working in environments that would jam many other kinds of rifle. • Simplicity: The AK-47 is simple to manufacture; in fact, there are many examples of “homemade” AK rifles around the world. It is also cheap to mass produce. • Ease of Use: The AK-47 is extremely easy to fire, load, disassemble, and clean. This makes it ideal for use by untrained soldiers, conscripts, or insurgents. • Mass Production: The AK-47 was produced in vast numbers after World War II in order to equip the Soviet Union's large military. As a result, millions of the rifles were available. They were also exported en masse to the Soviet Union's communist allies.

6 http://world.guns.ru/smg/rus/pp-19-bizon-e.html 7 http://world.guns.ru/assault/rus/aks-74u-e.html 8 http://world.guns.ru/shotgun/rus/saiga-12-e.html APPENDIX I: List of AK-style rifles and derivatives

The following is a list of AK-style rifles, and many derivatives that are either very similar to the AK rifles, or heavily influenced by their design. The list is organized by country.

• Soviet Union / Russia ◦ AK-63 ◦ AK-47 • ◦ AKM ◦ INSAS ◦ AK-74 ◦ KALANTAK ◦ AK-74U carbine • ◦ AK-74M ◦ IMI Galil ◦ AK-101 ◦ Galil ACE ◦ AK-102 • ◦ AK-103 ◦ pmK ◦ AK-104 ◦ kbk AKM / kbk AKMS ◦ AK-105 ◦ kbk wz. 1988 Tantal • ◦ skbk wz. 1989 Onyks ◦ ASH-82 ◦ kbs wz. 1996 Beryl ◦ ASH-78 ◦ kbk wz. 1996 Mini-Beryl • • ◦ AKK ◦ PM md. 63/65 ◦ AKT-47 ◦ PM md. 80 • ◦ PM md. 90 ◦ Type-56 Assault Rifle ◦ PA md. 86 • Croatia ◦ PSL ( rifle) ◦ APS-95 • South • ◦ R4 Assault Rifle ◦ Misr assault rifle ◦ Vektor CR-21 ◦ Maadi ARM • • ◦ MAZ ◦ Rk 62 • ◦ Rk 95 Tp ◦ ◦ Valmet M76 ◦ Malyuk • • Yugoslavia ◦ AK-55 ◦ Zastava M76 ◦ AKM-63 ◦ M77 ◦ AMD-65 ◦ M82 APPENDIX II: Works Cited

Аssault rifles AK 100 series (Аssault rifles AK 100 series) http://gunsru.ru/rg_avtomat_ak101_eng.html

Modern Firearms (- AK-47 AKM) http://world.guns.ru/assault/rus/ak-akm-e.html

Modern Firearms (- Saiga 12) http://world.guns.ru/shotgun/rus/saiga-12-e.html

Modern Firearms (- AKS-74U) http://world.guns.ru/assault/rus/aks-74u-e.html

Modern Firearms (- PP-19 Bizon) http://world.guns.ru/smg/rus/pp-19-bizon-e.html

Image Gallery (The 100-Series Kalashnikovs: A Primer) http://www.smallarmsreview.com/display.article.cfm?idarticles=1301

Modern Firearms (- AK-74 AKS-74) http://world.guns.ru/assault/rus/ak-74-e.html

Kalashnikov AK-47 - History, Specs and Pictures - Military Weapons (Kalashnikov AK-47) http://www.militaryfactory.com/smallarms/detail.asp?smallarms_id=19

AK-47 vs M16 Rifle (- Difference and Comparison) http://www.diffen.com/difference/AK-47_vs_M16_Rifle#Dependability