The Evolution of the AK-47 Rifle: How the AK-47 Rifle Became a Global Symbol

The AK-47 sprouted an extensive lineage of firearms, commonly dubbed by enthusiasts and shooters alike as “AKs.” The Soviet Union’s weapon factories churned out the iconic rifle in a trio of related but individual generations, nurturing a series of descendants: the inaugural AK-47, its progeny the AKM (AK Modernized, unleashed into the fray in 1959), and the next in line, the AK-74 (rolled out in service in 1974). Yet, the bulk of the armaments our world today casually labels as AK-47s are, — https://virginiacitizensarmory.com/category/guns-firearms/ak-47/ — in truth, predominantly AKMs and their assorted kin.

When unraveling the narrative of the AK-47’s rise to fame, the Gun Cleaning Kits spotlight often swings to the ammunition it feasted on. Let’s cast our minds back to the standard infantry long guns of the World War II epoch, among them the sterling U.S. M1 Garand and the lengthy Soviet Mosin-Nagant. These were instruments of war geared to propel potent, one-off volleys. They packed a considerable wallop upon discharge, balanced by an impressive reach.

The projectiles they hurled were swift, slicing through the air with an unfaltering trajectory, potent enough to retain their deadly touch well past the one-kilometer mark. However, these cartridges, lengthy and robust as they were, proved cumbersome for the soldier on the move — a single combatant would find his load significantly limited, scarcely adequate to sustain the voracious appetite of an automatic weapon capable of devouring several hundred rounds in the span of a mere minute. Besides, producing these bullets meant delving deep into the coffers — they were anything but cheap.

Deploying such powerhouse ammo in a rapid-fire volley would invariably rattle apart any armament that dared to be lightweight enough for a foot soldier’s lone burden. On the other end of the spectrum, submachine guns and pistols made do with shorter, less intense cartridges. A menace they could be at a stone’s throw, yet none boasted the range, precision, or the authoritative punch vital for withstanding the trials of intensified gunfire exchanges.

Intermediate Rounds

Those weapon smiths tossed out the concept of an “intermediate” cartridge, a shell that’s got just the right length to pack a powder charge, sitting smack-dab in the middle of what you’d get in long-rifle ammo and the stuff that goes into pistol rounds. The old-school crowd wasn’t having any of it, no siree. They threw up their hands, exclaiming, “What’s the big idea with a round that’s not packing the usual punch?”

But here’s the scoop: a grunt on the ground could lug around a whole heap more of these babies, the kickback was so tame you didn’t need to be a burly marksman to keep it steady, and who gives a hoot if it wasn’t meant to knock down a dot on the horizon? Odds are you wouldn’t nail that far-off shot even on your best day.

Those clever Germans, they put those intermediate rounds to work like nobody’s business in the 7.92 mm MP 43/44. Hitler himself, who slapped on the name Sturmgewehr, which translates to “storm rifle.” All the history buffs out there will tell you it’s top of the pops—the trailblazer for the whole modern assault rifle posse.

We’re talkin’ sleek, not-too-long barrel, choosy trigger action (spray bullets or pick ’em off one at a time), and it’s got a magazine that won’t quit. Totally DIY too—no tag team needed for loading and ejecting. Flip it to full-auto, and it’ll spit out lead nearly as fast as those full-blown machine guns, but it’s light enough for one soldier to handle solo.

Now get this: without those in-between loads, the AK-47 would’ve fizzled out quicker than a B-movie cameo, just another flash-in-the-pan lead hose good for nothing but hip-spraying like some John Wayne fantasy with a belt-fed .30-cal in a dusty old flick.

Soldier-proof

The AK-47’s manageable heft, relative ease of recoil, intermediate cartridges, and trim stature – a real boon in the tight confines of urban conflict zones or any scenario where a lengthy barrel is a liability for ground forces – are noteworthy attributes. However, the weapon’s standout feature lies in its straightforward construction and remarkable robustness.

With a mere handful of parts in motion, some iterations sporting as few as eight, even a young child from Uganda, one who’s never had the privilege of schooling, could master the disassembly and reassembly of an AK-47 in under sixty minutes of instruction.

The AK has earned the moniker of “soldier-proof.” There’s scarcely an action a neglectful soldier, freedom fighter, gang member, youthful warrior, or cartel enforcer could take that would render it inoperable or compromised.

Subject it to the harsh abrasion of desert sands, the enveloping muck of wetland terrain, the drenching ordeal of river passages, or allow the grime of several months to accumulate within its workings – it remains unfazed. The tolerances and inner-workings of the AK are sufficiently robust to dismiss the kind of debris that would typically spell doom for a firearm of more intricate design.

Countless accounts have surfaced of AKs unearthed from the damp underbrush of Vietnam or uncovered from the arid dunes of Sinai, yet these rifles snapped back to operational status with nothing more than a forceful nudge to shake loose the oxidized bolt. Certainly, the corrosion-resistant, chrome-lined bore and firing chamber contribute no small part to this feat.

Soviet Arms

In the narrative of Soviet weaponry production, there emerges a theme reflected in the proverb, “Perfection is the adversary of good enough.” The T-34 tank, MiG-15 jet, and the illustrious AK-47 rifle all epitomize the drive to forge arms that satisfy the threshold of adequacy without succumbing to the siren’s call of meticulous refinement and an unattainable ideal.

Each was conjured into existence with speed and reproduced in overwhelming numbers. In the saga of the AK, this penchant for mass production would engender unforeseen ripple effects.

The AK has etched its legacy in the annals of firearm history, not so much through its exploits on the traditional battlegrounds it was originally conceived for – a Cold War that simmered but never boiled over into a full-scale brawl between the planet’s dominant powers – but as a quintessentially martial instrument that slipped the constraints of governmental armories and official oversight.

The National Firearms Act

The National Firearms Act carved out a historical moment, the first of its kind where such an advanced military invention was concerned. Back in the day, the early 1930s had seen a wave of apprehension wash over some folks, shaken by the belief that the Thompson submachine gun might make its way into widespread civilian hands.

Yet, before the power of the gun lobby had reached its zenith, Congress stepped in with decisive action back in 1934. They rolled out the National Firearms Act, a piece of legislation that introduced stringent controls over the personal possession of automatic weapons, among other things.

But here’s the thing about the AK – it slipped out of containment in the 1970s. The causes? A price tag that made sense and the staggering scale of its production. We’re talking about figures that suggest a whopping tally of over 75 million functioning AKs out there in the world – a count that leaves any other firearm dynasty in the dust.

Vietnam

Then there’s Vietnam. For a stretch in the aftermath of the war, the AK was merely one gun among the infantry crowd. However, it wasn’t until Vietnam that it took the international spotlight, delivering a jolt to the system. Western aficionados had previously scoffed at the AK, labeling it as little more than a weak, close-range, scatter-shot affair.

American soldiers on the ground in Vietnam were out of their league; they had nothing in their arsenal that could match it. This led to the Army and Marine Corps on a breakneck chase to dispatch the shiny new M16 assault rifle across seas. But, oh, did it hit a rocky start. The M16 was a far cry from the robust AK; it was temperamental, craving constant cleaning – yet somebody had overlooked the necessity of arming troops with cleaning kits. 

To make matters worse, unlike their AK counterparts, the early M16 models weren’t graced with chrome-lined barrels or chambers, leading them to fall prey to rapid corrosion. They were notorious for jamming, to the point where troops found themselves entangled in combat situations with about 30 to 40 percent of their homegrown rifles rendered inoperative, especially against Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army forces brandishing their reliable AK-47s.

Vietnam lent the Kalashnikov a degree of credibility it hadn’t enjoyed before, and when the Soviet Union engaged in the decade-long saga of its own in Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989 – a conflict bearing eerie similarities to Vietnam – it effectively flung open the doors, unleashing the weapon upon the global stage. Regrettably, it’s not without a certain pang of irony that the United States must shoulder a fragment of the responsibility for this proliferation.

AKs to Communist-bloc Allies

The Soviet Union was consistently doling out AKs to their Communist chums, tossing in a few to amiable nations like Cuba for good measure. Moscow didn’t think twice about dishing out the right to produce these rifles on the house, with the curious absence of licensing fees, to a slew of other states. It wasn’t long before these guns started popping up in freelance production operations, since you could practically cobble together one of these babies in your average Middle Eastern market workshop.

Now, when Afghanistan entered the picture, that’s when the AK really decided to break the mold. The Soviet bloc’s breakup was like throwing open the armories across the landscape, and word on the street is that a staggering 80 percent of their small arms—most of which were AKs—just ghosted.

The AK’s more than just some hunk of metal that spits bullets; it’s steeped in symbolism, and it’s yelling a whole lot about who you are. It’s kind of like how you knew a whole lot about a cowboy just by the Colt that was hitching a ride on his hip. The Kalashnikov? It’s got a reputation like no other firearm out there.

Catch a glimpse of a short-barreled piece with a curved mag, and whether you’re talking about Peruvian kids, indigenous folks on a whale hunt, city slicker rappers, Somali bosses, the Hutu and Tutsi crowds, or whether you’re Sunni or Shiite, Israeli or Palestinian—even the likes of Diane Feinstein and Sarah Palin would bet their bottom dollar it’s an AK-47. Even Hollywood’s caught on; you want a grade-A baddie? Hand them an AK, and the audience won’t question it.

Weapon of the Century

Weapon of the Century? You better believe the AK-47 and its kin have snagged that label, especially as we wade through the early turns of this century. Putting it plainly, there’s no other tool out there that lets someone, regardless of their chops, off another soul with less fuss or cost.

The Kalash is going gangbusters. Nowadays, you’ll find more flavors and frills for AKs than ever before. Considering a solid Kalash can stick it out for a cool quarter-century, and any craftsman worth their salt can spruce one up without breaking a sweat, good ol’ Mikhail Kalashnikov’s legacy is bound to keep our world interesting for the foreseeable future.