The AK-47 (Kalashnikov assault rifle of the 1947 model) is a combined-arms weapon that the Soviet military began supplying in 1949. It was designed in 1947 by Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov, in whose honor he received his name.
Brief information about the machine
The combat AK-47 (as well as its modifications created around 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, to himself, as well as to similar structures) includes one fifth of all small arms on our planet. Almost sixty years have passed since the creation of the machine, and he is already reading over seventy million copies in various versions.
At present, about fifty foreign armies are using the Kalashnikov assault rifle of the 1947 model as the official combined arms weapon. Competition is only an American-made assault rifle under the name M16. Nevertheless, it was produced on a relatively modest scale: only eight million copies. And only 27 armies of the world use this weapon.
Many experts agree that the AK-47 is a standard of how simple maintenance of small arms should be, as well as an indicator of how reliable it is in battle. TTX AK-47 can tell that the ammunition used was the 7.62 caliber cartridges currently used, for example, in the Dragunov sniper rifle. The Kalashnikov assault rifle of the 1947 model served as the basis for the development of such modifications as the AKM (modernized) and AK-74 (model of the 1974th year). Also, the work device was the basis for the Kalashnikov machine gun and smooth-bore guns of the Saiga type.
How it all began
On July 15, at the initiative of representatives of the Soviet armed forces, a meeting was held in 1943. Representatives of the Technical Council, which was part of the People’s Commissariat of Defense of the Soviet Union, also took part in it. Then leading experts for the first time started talking about the need to create a new small arms based on a specific base. It was introduced by a captured German submachine gun, which became the prototype of the StG-44. Also taken into account was the light self-loading carbine of American production M1. Both guns used cartridges of caliber 7.92 and 7.62, respectively. Thus, the engineers were given the task: to develop a weapon that would become a real 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 has passed since the meeting. The pilot industrial production of the machine was established only in March 1944. There were some prerequisites that contributed to the construction of the TTX AK-47. We cannot but mention them.
We are talking about the events of 1943. Then the first drawings appeared, which were planned to be implemented in connection with the use of an intermediate cartridge of 7.62 caliber. They were performed jointly by engineers Semin and Elizarov. They were sent out in advance to organizations that took part in the development of a new type of weapon. Then it was only about caliber 7.62 by 41. Nevertheless, during the corresponding operations it was changed to 7.62 by 39, which also affected the performance characteristics of the AK-47.
Simonov self-loading carbine and Kalashnikov assault rifle
Under the intermediate cartridge in those days, engineers tried to create not only automatic small arms. The development complex included a self-loading and non-self-loading carbine, as well as a light machine gun. Then it was estimated that the TTX AK-47 should have provided the ability to suppress enemy forces at a distance of at least four hundred meters. Such characteristics were characteristic of weapons that used rifle ammunition. But he was too powerful, heavy, and, as a result, expensive. At the same time, such indicators exceeded the corresponding parameters of almost all submachine guns, and this, above all, was an 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. Until that moment, he included such tools as the Shpagin submachine gun, Mosin rifle, Tokarev self-loading rifle. There were machine guns built on the construction of various systems, including foreign ones.
Problems in development and termination of the process
As mentioned earlier, some efforts were aimed at developing a store carbine. However, in a relatively short time this process was stopped. The reason for this was the obvious obsolescence of this concept, its replacement with a newer one, which corresponded to the realities and needs of the corresponding period. By the way, the production of Simonov's self-loading carbine rifle did not last long either. More precisely, at the beginning of the fifties of the last century, work on its creation in 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. Below were the fighting qualities. We can trace a similar situation in the case of the Degtyarev machine gun. In 1961, its production was stopped, and the conveyors switched to the creation of a Kalashnikov light machine gun. It was a widely unified model.
Competitions and model selection
TTX 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 instrument almost managed to occupy a historical place instead of the development of Mikhail Timofeevich?
The test results presented in the 1944th year showed that the most optimal machine is under the name AC-44. It was developed by the gunsmith Sudaev. Later, when the model was finalized, it was decided to release this small weapon 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 against the weapon as a means of defeating enemy forces. But the army leadership considered that a soldier needed a lower mass of the machine for greater mobility, so the engineers were forced to look for solutions in this direction. However, Sudaev died suddenly.
Tests AK-47
The search for solutions for the AC-44 was stopped, and in 1946 the command of the army units announced another round of trials. This time they were attended by the legendary gunsmith Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov, who by that time had already managed to achieve success in the corresponding direction. He managed to create several rather interesting weapons designs. More specifically, Kalashnikov developed two submachine guns. One of these weapons was designed using a shutter braking system. The self-assault rifle, created by Mikhail Timofeevich, was fed by cartridge packs. By the way, he was the closest competitor to the Simonov carbine, but in the competition he still lost to him.
Assembly, disassembly and basic characteristics
Incomplete disassembly of the AK-47 has the following sequence. To start, the store disconnects. The ramrod is removed, the pencil case from the butt. You should pull the shutter and make a control shot. After that, the bolt box is removed, the return spring, the bolt mechanism and the bolt itself are removed. The final step is to disconnect the vent mechanism. The assembly order is reverse.
Characteristic of the AK-47 can tell that the machine is designed for firing at targets at different distances. Sighting range - 800 meters. The maximum range of a bullet is 3 kilometers. Caliber AK-47 - 7.62 mm. The initial velocity of the ammunition was 715 meters per second. Characteristics of the AK-47 can show that the machine in curb form had a mass of 4.8 kilograms. The power supply was a box-type store, designed for 30 rounds.
How much is the AK-47?
You need to understand that such a question is posed incorrectly. Obtaining a gunshot version of the machine is, of course, possible, but the user must understand that this case is criminally punishable. However, if you are interested in how much the AK-47 non-combat type costs, this is a completely different matter. In fact, the exact 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 shooting at targets in the shooting range, as well as for playing airsoft.