The AK-47: Everything You Want to Know

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AK-47 Iraq
Iraqi airmen fire AK-47s during firing drills. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt.
Levi Riendeau)
11 Aug 2020
Military.com | By Blake Stilwell
The AK-47 is perhaps the most widespread firearm in the world. Carried by American
enemies and allies alike since 1947, it is the standard infantry weapon for 106
countries. There are an estimated 100 million AK-47s of a number of variations
round the world.

It's a popular weapon among firearms enthusiasts, professional soldiers and

terrorists alike. In the United States, it has a reputation as the "bad guy"
weapon, given its history and usage among so many former enemies.

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So it's natural that readers have a lot of questions about it.

1. What is "AK-47" short for?

Its Russian name is Avtomat Kalashnikova -- also known simply as the Kalashnikov.
It was named for its inventor, Senior Sergeant Mikhail Kalashnikov. He was
supposedly a wounded T-34 tank commander in the Red Army during World War II.
According to legend, he admired the weapons made by the Nazis.

AK-47 Designer Mikhail Kalashnikov 1949

AK-47 designer and Red Army soldier Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1949.
After five years of engineering, the former agricultural engineer made his famous
weapon. It was based on a number of other designs floating around at the time,
mostly Germany's Sturmgewehr-44. Called StG-44 for short, the Sturmgewehr was the
first real mid-range infantry rifle. It didn't shoot a heavy round but could still
lay down heavy fire. The AK-47 was designed to do the same.

But the true brilliance of Kalashnikov's invention was in its simplicity. It was
designed for all-around ease of use: easy to repair, easy to unjam (if it ever
does), easy to maintain. If a round is chambered in an AK-47, chances are good that
weapon is going to fire.

His creation was so simple and dependable that the Soviet Union began exporting the
weapon en masse. The country made so much money from exporting the weapon that
Kalashnikov received special treatment in the USSR and later Russia for the rest of
his life.

2. Are AK-47 guns illegal?

The legality of the AK-47 depends on what country you're reading this in. In many
countries, it's not only legal to own an AK model firearm, it's necessary and/or
celebrated. AK-47 model weapons are also dirt cheap in many places around the world
-- but the further away you are from the production centers, the more expensive it
can be.

AK-47 Armed Cuban Soldiers

AK-47 armed Cuban soldiers marching in Havana. (Granma Imternational)
According to a study on transnational crime in the developing world, the cost of a
black market AK-47 can run as little as $150 in Pakistan to $3,600 on the Dark Web
for shipment to the United States. The price of an AK family firearm in Africa is
an exception to that general rule. It's usually much cheaper in many African
countries because the demand is so high that markets are usually flooded.

3. How many bullets can an AK-47 fire in a minute?

The AK-47 can fire 600 rounds per minute in a fully automatic setting.

AK-47 Assault Rifle | Bullet Points

Learn about the infamous AK-47 or the Russian built assault rifle and its origins
as a military weapon in this episode of "Bullet Points: AK-47." Check it out now!
SharePlay Video
Learn about the infamous AK-47 or the Russian built assault rifle and its origins
as a military weapon in this episode of "Bullet Points: AK-47." Check it out now!

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4. Can I legally buy an AK-47 in the United States?
As for American wannabe AK owners, it also depends on what state you live in. In
general, however, a true AK-47 has a fully automatic setting, which is illegal in
the United States. Models with semi-automatic settings are available and legal in
the U.S. Manufacturers cannot make or import fully automatic weapons for the
civilian market.

But you can still legally buy a fully automatic AK-47. Because this is America.

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Any automatic weapon fully registered before May 1986, with the passage of the
Firearm Owners Protection Act, can be purchased or sold. This means there is a
market of an estimated 175,000 legal automatic weapons in the United States. The
limited legal supply also means that one of these rifles can be wildly expensive --
not to mention the stiff Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
oversight and a $200 excise tax.

But if you can afford $10,000 for a legally automatic AK-47, $200 is likely not
going to bother you.

5. How deadly is the AK-47?

The AK-47 is the deadliest weapon ever built, on the whole. Its kill count even
tops nuclear weapons in sheer numbers. But the first AK-47s were very heavy and
weren't really built for aiming. Kalashnikov wanted to develop a compact weapon
that still delivered firepower within 300 meters that could bring a blaze of
bullets (with ammunition light enough that soldiers could carry a lot of it).

AK-47 Iraqi Army

An Iraqi security forces soldier practices a prone shooting position at Besmaya
Range Complex, Iraq, Feb. 1, 2017. (U.S. Army/Sgt. Joshua Wooten)
A real 1947 Kalashnikov is surprisingly difficult to fire for a standard infantry
weapon, but it was still very easily produced and easily used. Today's AKs are
actually AKMs (modernized) and variations on the AKM. Everyone will still refer to
it as an AK-47 or simply "AK" -- because it sounds cool.

The weapon uses a 7.62mm, high-velocity round that can "destroy whole areas of a
body," according to New York City trauma surgeons. They shatter bones, tear through
organs and liquefy other materials as the round tumbles through the body -- often
in ways that cannot be repaired.

6. Does the U.S. military use AK-47s?

When the M16 rifle was first introduced in the Vietnam War, it had a number of
issues. There were so many problems that American troops were killed in combat
simply because they couldn't shoot back. Even after the kinks were worked out, a
dirty M16 was (and is) much less likely to operate than a dirty AK-47. So U.S.
troops were known to pick up AKs from their fallen enemies and keep them handy ...
just in case.

AK-47 US Military Vietnam 1200

Capt. Michael Harvey, U.S. Army M.P. inspects an AK-47, Vietnam 1968. Note that the
magazine has been incorrectly inserted. (United States Army Heritage and Education
Center)
When the AK-47 was first introduced, it was such a great weapon that the Red Army
actually hid it from the world. The U.S. didn't really know about its existence
until the mid-1950s. Not that the American military would buy its standard-issue
rifle from its main geopolitical foe and potential World War III adversary anyway.

These days, the U.S. does not field AK-47s, but some members of its military are
trained to use them. Special operations forces from all branches might have to pick
up an enemy AK-47 at some point because of the nature of their work -- sometimes
help isn't coming.

7. Why do terrorists use AK-47s?

The rifle was designed to be carried, maintained and fired by anyone in the area
who happened to need its services. And if you need a weapon like the AK-47, you
need to be able to use it fast, whether you're a professional soldier or a poorly
trained conscript.

The worldwide availability and durability of the AK-47 also makes it an attractive
weapon for terrorists, militias and other illegal paramilitary organizations.
Whether they're trying to take over a military base in frozen tundra or
overthrowing a government in Sub-Saharan Africa, the AK-47 works really well in
every environment, is always available (usually at a steep discount) and will still
work even if it falls into water, mud, sand or some other muck.

The average lifespan of a terrorist in a gunfight isn't very long, so that rifle is
likely going to hit the ground, and someone is going to need it to work when they
pick it up. The terrorist group is definitely going to need a cheap replacement.

-- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be

found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on Facebook.

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