For every 60 people on Earth today, there is one AK-47. Each year, some 250,000 people die from wounds inflicted by an AK-47.
How The AK-47 Became The Deadliest Weapon Of All Human History. Few things are as recognizable worldwide as the profile of the AK-47. Despite being relatively sloppy and inaccurate, the AK has been used in more conflicts and has killed more people than any other weapon design on earth since its creation in 1947.
Some estimates place the death toll caused by the AK-47 to be 250,000 per year — and rising. If there's a nation in conflict one would not have to look far to see AK's being wielded by rebel factions and terrorist groups.
Chinese-made AK-47 assault rifle, marked with "66" in a triangle. The AK-47 was designed by Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov. Kalashnikov was drafted into the Soviet Army in 1938; while serving as a tank driver-mechanic, he became interested in the operation of firearms.
Projectile weight is normally 8 grams (123 gr). The AK-47 and AKM, with the 7.62 × 39 mm cartridge, have a maximum effective range of around 300 meters (330 yd).
Why was the AK-47 such a revolutionary rifle? It is relatively inexpensive to produce, short and light to carry, and easy to use, with little recoil. It also boasts legendary reliability under harsh conditions ranging from waterlogged jungles to Middle Eastern sandstorms, in both extreme cold and heat.
The Recoil of AK-47
243 has recoil of around 7.2 ft lbs. Soldiers armed with the AK-47 are very deadly, if they have the right mind-set; practice, and training. Under automatic or rapid fire, the AK-47 moves around and seems to pull up and a bit right.
The standard U.S. military rifle (M-16) is substantially more destructive than its Russian counterpart (AK-47) when fired at short range into clay blocks, despite the fact that the AK-47 is of larger caliber and fires a much heavier bullet with a kinetic energy (muzzle) 25% greater when compared to the M-16.
Both shoot intermediate cartridges with decades of proven effectiveness, both accept 30-round magazines, and both produce less recoil than a shotgun. Provided you use quality ammunition and mind the dangers of overpenetration, both the AR and the AK will serve your home defense needs.
Thanks to the team at Smarter Every Day and The Slow Mo Guys, the AK-47 is also a way to learn about physics! Underwater, the bullet travels only about 5 to 6 feet (in the air, it can travel some 1,300 feet). That's neat if unsurprising; water is much denser than air and puts up greater resistance.
Regardless, the AK-47's carbine qualities and reliability begin with its simple design. For this weapon, the designers did not have to follow very strict criteria relating to the weight of the weapon and its dimensions. This allowed the extra mass involved to be converted into greater reliability.
It is well known that bullets can rebound against bones, pivots, tip-overs, or fragments, generating severe internal injuries. AK-47 bullets are known to cause severe wounds, but they also have rectilinear trajectories, low risk of fragmentation, and low rocking movement risk.
With the proper mind-set, training and practice, soldiers armed with both the AK-47 and M16 are quite deadly. However, the M16's direct impingement gas operation system, straight-line recoil design and smaller caliber give it less recoil than the AK-47 and makes it easier to control in full-auto.
The 5.56x45mm cartridge gives the M16 better range and accuracy when compared to the AK-47. Its minimal recoil, high velocity, and flat trajectory allow shooters greater precision than the AK-47.
The AK-47 is good at short range, but not longer ranges, as it is not accurate at longer ranges compared to other weapons. With an M16, a soldier could carry about twice as many rounds as a soldier armed with a AK with the same weight.
The AK-47 was designed to be a simple, reliable fully automatic rifle that could be manufactured quickly and cheaply, using mass production methods that were state of the art in the Soviet Union during the late 1940s.
AK-47, AKM, and Type 56 – Captured rifles were used by South Vietnamese and U.S. forces.
The AK-47 can fire 600 rounds per minute in a fully automatic setting.
Of course, nuclear weapons surpass all other weapons made to date, because they have enormous destructive power and can cut down an entire city and a large part of the population, and radiation after a nuclear attack would be present for decades.
For instance, among pistols, the Desert Eagle is famous for its felt recoil, while among rifles, the Barrett M82A1 . 50 caliber probably takes the cake. If you are talking about shotguns, 10-gauge shotguns generally deliver the most kick.
Russia's newly announced AK-12 assault rifle will be "much more versatile" than the famed AK-47, one expert has said, as Russia prepares to roll out the upgraded model to its armed forces in Ukraine.
The M107 Semi-Automatic Long Range Sniper Rifle (LRSR) fires . 50-caliber ammunition, and is capable of delivering precise, rapid fire on targets out to 2,000 meters.
I'd have to credit the AK's lack of accuracy to its “functioning” and the projectiles ballistic coefficient. The AK-47 is made up of only a few “moving” parts. Though there are fewer parts, these parts are made up of large chunks of metal. Take the bolt for example once fired.