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The AK-47, one of the world's most iconic firearms- but we're willing to bet even you
don't know some of these crazy facts about this legendary rifle and its family of spinoffs.
20.
It's everywhere
Clint Eastwood wasn't lying in Heartbreak Ridge, the AK-47 is one of the most popular
firearms ever made, and the top choice of America's enemies for over 50 years.
But it's not just her enemies who are equipped with the AK, it's her allies too.
With nearly 100 nations equipped with the AK family of assault rifles, it's without
doubt the most prolific battle rifle ever created.
There's a fair bit of irony in the fact that the Soviet Union out-marketed the free-wheeling
capitalists of America in the global firearms trade, but with the AK being cheap, easy to
manufacture, and ruggedly reliable, the weapon has been involved in conflicts on nearly every
continent.
Egypt even made a massive monument to the iconic rifle on the Sinai peninsula
19.
Soviet made, but inspired by the Nazis
In World War II armies around the world faced a similar problem- heavy, large caliber rounds
were great for taking out enemy infantry, but the weight limited the amount of ammunition
a soldier could carry.
Further, they were too heavy for rapid-fire weapons that were not crew-served.
Lighter, pistol caliber rounds could allow soldiers to carry weapons with a high rate
of fire, but the small caliber had limited effectiveness and short ranges.
The Germans were the first to bridge the gap with the 7.92mm Kurz round, which would be
used in the Sturmgewehr 44, or StG44.
This fast-firing weapon allowed soldiers to fire the impactful 7.92mm round at a high
rate of fire, and benefited from increased range over a submachine gun.
The allies had no comparison- and the Soviets took note.
After the war, Mikhail Kalashnikov set about to create a new battle rifle inspired by the
German StG44.
18.
Made to be tough
This wasn't the only lesson from World War II incorporated into the AK-47 however.
During the war, Soviet industry had been badly mauled by the Germans, and factories frequently
had to be quickly relocated to avoid advancing Nazi troops.
For those on the front lines, conditions were brutal, infamously rugged and a challenging
environment for any weapon system to operate in.
Thus the AK was designed with loose tolerances, giving it unparalleled reliability in even
the most extreme circumstances.
This did necessitate a trade-off in accuracy, but for the Soviets it was an acceptable compromise.
But the AK-47 was designed to win the most extreme of wars.
17.
The weapon needed to win a total war
The United States may have faced the AK-47 in guerilla wars all around the world, but
the rifle's primary purpose was always to face off, and win against, America in a total
war scenario.
Soviet cold war planners envisioned the possibility of American aggression in Europe, and the
inevitable escalation to nuclear exchanges.
This would mean the complete annihilation of entire industry centers, which also meant
the AK-47 needed to be cheap, easy, and quick to mass produce.
Interestingly enough, the M-16 would itself turn out to be the more optimal choice for
such a total war scenario, as it didn't require the specialized stamping equipment that the
AK-47 needed.
This would allow the Americans to more widely distribute their manufacturing, while the
Soviets needed to protect and hoard specialized machines to pump out their battle rifles.
16.
Not just a weapon, a tool of revolution
Russia's communists always knew their position was a perilous one- their workers-first message
struck a chord with exploited post-industrial revolution workers in many nations, prompting
harsh crackdowns by their respective governments.
As the Bolsheviks seized power in Russia, it was feared that the world would unite against
the fledgling Soviet republic.
Thus the concept of ongoing revolution was born, with the Soviet Union believing that
it needed to propagate global communist revolution in order to not be overwhelmed by the powerful
capitalist nations of the world.
This led to the AK-47 becoming a part of communist planned economies.
As communism spread to a nation, the AK came with it, so as to defend and continue to spread
the global revolution.
15.
Its first true test was Vietnam
On paper, the AK was superior to any other battle rifle in the world- but war is a different
matter altogether.
The AK-47's trial by fire would come in Vietnam, as millions of the rifles were shipped to
North Vietnam and Viet Cong revolutionaries.
There in the jungles of Vietnam, America would come face to face with the AK-47, and be immediately
overwhelmed by it.
Having learned nothing from World War II, the United States still relied on slow, heavy
battle rifles that were incapable of suppressive fire.
Its antiquated way of thinking would result in a crisis upon entry into Vietnam, as US
troops were immediately outgunned by simple farmers.
This would prompt one of the fastest development and procurement programs in world history,
leading to the M-16.
But the biggest fans of the AK were its enemy.
14.
Americans loved the AK
Even after being issued the M-16, many American soldiers preferred the AK-47.
While eventually becoming one of the best battle rifles ever created, the first few
iterations of the M-16 were incredibly unreliable, and often left US troops in a lurch in the
middle of a firefight.
This prompted many to loot AK-47s from the corpses of fallen enemy soldiers, resulting
in more than one unfortunate friendly fire incident as well.
13.
US Special Forces especially loved the AK
Compared to anything in the US arsenal, the AK was simply superior at the start of the
Vietnam war, and American special forces quickly took note.
The 7.62mm rounds provided enough punch to tear through thick jungle cover at a high
rate of fire, and as a bonus the distinctive sound of the AK-47 firing often confused the
very same enemy they were engaging.
12.
The Chinese loved it too
The Chinese were big fans of the AK-47 as well, so much so that they routinely stole
Russian shipments to North Vietnam and replaced the weapons with their own inferior copies.
These cheap Chinese knockoffs did not have the same durability and reliability of a Soviet
AK, and would end up costing many North Vietnamese and Viet Cong soldiers their lives.
And as it turns out, the AK was better at capitalism than America.
11.
A global supply network
Capitalist America was supposed to be the one with the competitive advantage in global
markets, and it largely did- but the Soviets dominated the global arms industry thanks
to the AK-47.
The rifle was so widely disseminated that even fledgling revolutions in far-flung corners
of the world could be reliably supplied.
10.
Even the US helped sell the AK
When the US began the process of building a national Afghan military and police force,
an inevitable choice had to be made on what to arm the Afghanis with.
It was assumed that the US would simply provide surplus M-16 and M-4s to these new forces-
but the Afghans outright refused the offer.
They wanted Kalashnikovs, not American rifles.
The reason was simple- most Afghans were already familiar with the weapon, and even more importantly
ammunition was easy to locally procure.
Thus the US was forced to buy Hungarian AK rifles to supply the fledgling police and
army forces.
9.
No one knows how many really exist
The Soviet Union couldn't produce and export Kalashnikovs nearly fast enough- it was actually
a significant portion of the Soviet economy.
However, the mass production of the rifle and the fact that it was licensed for production
in over 30 countries- not counting those who illegally replicated it, such as China- means
that today no one really knows how many AKs were ever produced.
The best estimates place them at around 100 million, enough so that 1 out of every 60
people on earth could be armed with one.
But the AK would have a legacy unmatched by any other weapon in history.
8.
Deadliest weapon ever created
The nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki killed tens of thousands.
Modern nuclear weapons could kill millions- but of all the weapons ever actually used
in combat, none even come close to the Kalashnikov.
It's estimated that a quarter of a million people are killed every year with an AK, which
if true means the AK could be responsible for over 18 million deaths.
Thus the AK family of rifles have killed almost as many people as the lowest estimates for
World War I.
This makes Mikhail Kalashnikov the single most dangerous human to have ever existed,
which is ironic for a man who originally wanted to be a poet.
To be fair, Kalashnikov did mention before dying that it made him nervous to see people
like Osama Bin Laden clutching his iconic firearm.
7.
A troubling legacy
Mikhail Kalashnikov struggled throughout his life with the legacy he was leaving behind.
As the popularity of the AK grew and the weapon spread around the world, he was often questioned
about his invention.
In response, Kalashnikov often expressed that he'd rather he had invented something more
peaceful, such as a machine that helped farmers around the world.
However, the AK-47 was a tool of necessity, with Kalashnikov's work on it beginning during
World War II as he listened to complaints about Soviet weapons from fellow soldiers
and experienced his own frustrations.
With his country reeling from a devastating invasion that had left millions dead, Kalashnikov
put his talents towards creating a reliable rifle that in his own words was “a weapon
to be used for the protection of the borders of my Fatherland.”
He puts the blame on the massive casualties the rifle has caused on politicians who can't
find a solution other than war for their problems.
6.
Kalashnikov made no money from his invention
If Mikhail Kalashnikov had been born in America, he would have been one of the richest men
on earth.
However, the Soviet Union looked dimly on things such as 'licensing', and while he received
the Order of Lenin three times and was made a Hero of the Russian Federation by Putin
sock-puppet President Dmitry Medvedev, Kalashnikov himself stated that he never made any money
off his invention.
With the fall of communism in Russia, the new liberal economy allowed Kalashnikov to
sell advertising rights to his name to various products, earning him some small income.
However, upon death at age 94 he was still living off a state pension.
The AK-47 made a huge impact almost immediately, but the Soviets did their best to keep it
a secret.
5.
The gun was so good, it was a secret
The Soviets were no fools, and once the AK-47 had proven itself in tests undertaken by the
Red Army, the ever-paranoid Stalin ordered the rifle be kept as secret as possible.
That would be difficult for a weapon meant to be issued as a main battle rifle, so the
weapon was at first given only to Soviet special forces and elite units.
Its members were sworn to secrecy and inexperienced soldiers completely forbidden from even touching
the rifle.
As production ramped up and the weapon became available in greater numbers, the veil of
secrecy was eventually lifted out of necessity and every Soviet soldier got their hands on
the incredible rifle.
4.
Americans love it so much, they bought as many as the Russian military
For a weapon originally meant to kill Americans, the US sure has fallen in love with it.
In 2012 the American public bought as many AKs as both the Russian military and police.
Maybe in the end our love for tools to kill each other with may be the thing that truly
unites us all and stops us from actually killing each other.
3.
American love for the AK is helping arm America's potential rival though
Built in Russia, sales of AK rifles have surged- with most of those sales going to civilian
buyers.
Of civilian buyers, the vast majority are Americans, who make up 40% of all civilian
sales of AKs.
Ironically, profits from sales of AKs to Americans are directly funding the modernization of
Russian forces, in preparation of a future conflict with... you guessed it, Americans.
But with so many to choose from, it’s hard not to love the AK.
2.
A grand family legacy
There are 14 primary variants of the AK rifle, with the most recent being the AK-19, itself
an updated variant of the AK-12 which fired 5.45mm ammunition.
Designed for foreign buyers, likely looking to tap into the widespread availability of
nato 5.56mm ammunition, the AK-19 ditches the 7.62 cartridge for a 5.56 round.
1.
The incredible vanishing rifle
The AK-47 has one other property unique amongst any other battle rifles- it has the ability
to disappear at will.
At least that's the best explanation for why during 2004-2005 the United States lost track
of 110,000 AK-47s it had purchased on behalf of Iraqi security forces.
Along with the incredible, vanishing AK-47, 80,000 pistols and millions in American taxpayer
money all disappeared as well, leaving no trace behind.
Now go check out Evolution of the AK-47 Rifle, or click this other video instead!