AK-47 !!

Hi guys, here is somethin you'd have always wanted to know but never knew whom to ask or where to find information about. Cognizance about everything, good or bad, is necessary in today's world with ever increasing life complexity. AK-47 is an assault rifle that we have heard of, seen all the baddies sport in the movies, be it Sylverster Stallone in Rambo or be it Arnold in Commando, I have always been inquisitive about how and where the AK-47 actually evolved and what it actually is. Here is somethin if you want to know more.

The AK-47 , short form for Avtomat Kalashnikova 1947, is an assault rifle was used in most Eastern block countries during the Cold War. Adopted and standardized in 1947, it was designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov and originally produced by Russian manufacturer Izhevsk Mechanical Works. Compared with most auto-loading rifles of World War II, the AK-47 is compact, of comparative range, moderate power, and capable of selective fire. It was one of the first true assault rifles and, due to its durability and ease of use, remains the most widely used assault rifle. More AK-type rifles have been produced than any other assault rifle type.

During the Second World War, the Germans developed the assault rifle concept, based upon knowledge that most firefights happen at close range, within 300 meters . The power and range of contemporary rifle cartridges was excessive for most small arms firefights. As a result, armies sought a cartridge and rifle combining submachine gun features (large-capacity magazine, selective-fire) with an intermediate-power cartridge effective to 300 meters. To reduce manufacturing costs, the 7.92×57mm Mauser cartridge case was shortened, the result of which was the lighter 7.92 x 33 mm Kurz .

Russia has repeatedly claimed that the majority of these manufacturers produce AK-47 without a proper license from IZH. The Izhevsk Machine Tool Factory acquired a patent in 1999, illegalising manufacture of the Kalashnikov rifle system by anyone other than themselves. However, nearly one million AK-47 assault rifles are manufactured illegally each year. Throughout the world, the AK and variants are among the plethora of commonly-smuggled small arms that are sold to governments, rebels, criminals, and civilians alike, with little international oversight. This trade ensures a ready supply of inexpensive weapons to a number of conflicts, including (but certainly not limited to) the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia.

It is now also made in Pakistan's semi-autonomous areas. It is widely used by tribes in Africa like the Hamar, amongst others.