It is legend: the AK-47

By David Hudson

Staff Writer

            When one thinks of assault rifles, very often the first thing that pops into one's mind is one rifle in particular: a wooden stock and hand grips over the barrel, a black magazine and receiver with the paint beginning to wear off and the shiny gleam of metal below it, a simple set of sights, and the physical trait to endure nearly any abuse dished out on it. This is, of course, the AK-47.

The BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2021173.stm) estimates that approximately 100 million of these rifles exist. That’s one Kalashnikov for every three people in the U.S., according to the U.S. Census Bureau (http://factfinder.census.gov/home/saff/main.html?_lang=en). The rifle has become nearly legendary in the eyes of anyone that has even a passing interest in guns, and very few people fail to recognize the rifle on sight.

            Although the rifle is legendary, is the gun really worth all the hype it gets, or is it just a paper tiger in a world of AR15s and G3s? To do a thorough investigation into this matter, background research was done on the history and characteristics of the AK, and then a field test was obviously in order. No depraved man’s day is really complete without creating a great racket with a high-powered rifle out in the woods.

A box of 20 rounds was purchased for a Romanian AK and it was taken out to a safe area, away from civilization for a test fire. Once it was taken out of the case it was carried in, the rifle felt light, sleek, and simple to wield. The shooting area was inspected for any safety issues, and after it was cleared and a backstop was established, a magazine was inserted into the bottom of the rifle. Once the safety was off, the charging handle was pulled back to load a round into the chamber.

Firing the rifle felt very natural. The recoil is not painful if the rifle is held tight to the shoulder, and snapping off 20 rounds at a steady pace is easy as pie. A huge jet of flame can be seen exiting the barrel after every round fired, and the empty shells tumble to the ground in rhythm with the reports from the gun.

The first downside of the rifle can soon be seen. It isn’t very accurate compared to an M16, the gun often put up against the AK-47 to compare and contrast. Although the bullets from an AK-47 are larger, M16 rounds are lighter and have better trajectory. The sights for the AK also seem very primitive in comparison. The effective range of the .223 (M16) almost doubles that of the bulky 7.62 mm AK round.

The gun is not without its benefits. The AK is by no means a temperamental gun, which is hard to say with many modern rifles that have hundreds of tiny parts that can malfunction. During its rigorous testing phase, it was immersed in water, and then fired normally afterward. It was dragged through mud and worked fine. Sand was dumped into the inner workings of the gun, and it still fired.

The AK is also much more powerful than the M16. The Kalashnikov has been tested (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6BpI3xD6h0) against the rifle to measure power, and the AK round is far superior in this field. It shatters a cinderblock while the M16 round only puts a small hole in it.

Overall, the rifle has its up sides and its down sides. It is reliable, simple, and powerful. It is also a very cheap rifle, running around $300-400, which is half as much as many popular assault rifles. The rifle suffers from a few shortcomings as well, such as being comparatively inaccurate to most modern rifles, is a bit heavy with a full magazine, and has uncomfortable recoil for some shooters.