The AK-47 is an amalgam of several older systems which, when assembled into the rifle, is greater than the sum of its parts—for the Soviet Union of the 1940s and 1950s, and even into the 1980s, a near perfect tool for its people and armies. The people were un- and under-educated, drafted in large masses for “The Great Patriotic War” (World War II everyplace outside the Soviet Union). They were uneducated to the point that many had never seen a machine beyond a simple wagon. There are many tales of Russian troops stealing faucets from homes in occupied areas and being surprised when they stuck them into the wall of the hovels, turned on the faucet, and no water came out.

Their leader, Joseph Stalin, is quoted as saying that “Quantity has a quality all its own.” Certainly his massive armies won many battles because of their sheer numbers, rather than any tactical genius. Stalin had depopulated his officer corps of anyone who may have even thought of resisting his orders, or who was of the wrong background. He espoused the idea that the common man was as capable as any intelligent, educated man—the despised “intelligentsia.”

The Rifle

As of 1986, it was believed that 30 to 50 million AKs had been produced; today it is probably twice that number. The AK is a gas-operated, turning bolt, semi- and fully automatic firearm, fed from a 30-round detachable magazine. The Model 1947 was designed around the 7.62×39 cartridge, which was based on the German 7.92 Kurz (short) round. In this country, the semiautomatic versions are almost universally called “AKs,” even without the full-auto feature. A sidelight to its design is that purportedly, Stalin ordered the caliber so the barrels could be made on existing machinery for the M1891 7.62×54 rimmed cartridge, to be sawn in half prior to being chambered for the shorter round. These and the bullets could be made on existing machines after a minor adjustment.

The two items that are most criticized are the short stock and the safety arrangement. The short stock is easy to explain. Most Russians were short (as were most Americans in those days); more so in Russia due to their food production, food distribution problems and limited diet. In addition, Russia’s greatest ally in history has always been “General Winter,” when the troops would have to wear thick, heavy clothing to survive. Keep in mind that a tall person can easily, if not totally comfortably, shoot a short-stocked rifle, while a short person can have great difficulty shooting a long-stocked rifle.

As for the safety, which is only present on the right side? The author can only speculate that it may have been placed to keep the un-/under-educated peasants from “accidentally” shooting each other—or their officers.

In any event, the large tolerances built into the design, along with its being somewhat “overgassed” with more operating power than really needed, put a very reliable weapon into the hands of the troops.

The Official Tale

In keeping with Stalin’s beliefs, the official history of the designer, Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov, presents him as the son of a poor but noble peasant family. In The AK-47 Story by Edward C. Ezell, he comments that even in an East German article, the reader is “presented with an interesting mixture of fact and fiction” about the designer. Keep in mind that dates of birth were “moveable” in the USSR, if required by The State. While a “self-made man,” he still needed the assistance of the Party and his comrades to perfect his design. 

In the official version, he worked for the railroad before enlisting into the Army in 1938. His interest in things mechanical was, of course, recognized by his officers and the Party, and he was trained as an armorer before his training as a tank driver. They claim that during his tank training, he invented both a way to measure gas consumption and new tracks for tanks.

Promoted to Sergeant, he was appointed to supervise the manufacture of his inventions. He was later sent to an active tank unit, where he was wounded in action. While in the hospital, he thought he could help the Motherland by designing better guns. He was given a book obtained by his nurse, written by another Russian firearms inventor, Federov, published in 1939 on the evolution of small arms.

Kalashnikov was given 6 months to heal and went to visit his friends at the railroad, where he announced he wanted to build a working model of a submachine gun he had designed. With the assistance and permission of the local Communist Party, he was allowed to proceed. This lead to his assignment to a design bureau and ultimately to the design of the AK-47.

But Is It True?

At this point, let me add some observations about the “official” tale. 

The poor but honest peasant being recognized by The Party and elevated to a high level is a recurrent story in Soviet literature of the time. Here, Kalashnikov fits the mold perfectly—a bit too perfectly. It was a common theme in the Communist ideology, but here it fails.

After the 1918 Russian Revolution, landowners and the intelligentsia were purged from the society. The definition of intelligentsia was … flexible. Anyone with a college degree was included, along with Jews, shop owners and people who were well-read. In some areas, if you wore glasses you were included—the only reason to wear glasses would be to read, so you went off to the gulag or the firing squads. The “common man” was to be exalted. They were the “proletariat” or “proles.”

In the Soviet Union, any information about places or people was SECRET! There were few people with telephones and no public telephone books. There were also no maps of any place in the entire country, other than for ranking party members. Even asking about a person or place (or telephone number) could mean an unhappy meeting with the internal security police. Everyone was required to be an informant.

All information on weapons design was classified—highly classified. The idea that Kalashnikov’s nurse could nip down to the local library and bring him such a book is a flimsy construct. In fact, had she even asked about books on weapons design, she would have had a very uncomfortable interview with the KGB—the internal security police. Then Kalashnikov would have had a similar interview. At best, they may have both been sent to Siberia and the gulag. More likely, they both would have been shot as spies.

Then, for him to get 6 months to heal is ludicrous. He had a shoulder wound, when the Soviet Union was rounding up every available body to go to the Front and were publicly celebrating soldiers with far more serious wounds who fought on. Of course, he is portrayed as asking to be sent back to the Front when told he would be placed on leave, ever the faithful servant of The Motherland.

Finally, the very idea that his friends at the railroad shop could get permission to make any kind of firearm is unbelievable. They too would have been rounded up, along with the local party officials who gave permission, and shot as “counter-revolutionaries” and “enemies of the State.” The KGB officers would have been given medals and promoted for “eliminating these criminals.”

An Alternative Possibility

Here in the U.S., well into the 1960s, there was great fear of another war. The author recalls “Air Raid Drills” in grade school. When the sirens went off, we had to hide under our desks to “protect” us. Living 30 miles from a major target, it is unlikely that a school desk would have saved the author. Information about the Soviet Union and its guns was near impossible to obtain, other than in W.H.B. Smith’s Small Arms of the World (originally printed in paperback as A Basic Manual of Military Small Arms in 1943).

In Russia, mere possession of even a piece of paper from any of the many “Development Bureaus” would mark you as a spy. After you were tortured for the source of the paper, you would be shot. There were “closed cities” for weapons development, which officially did not exist. Weapons designers went in, but they never came out—alive. Asking a question—any question—about such a place would send you to Siberia.

Most of our data on Russian firearms came from humans—“HUMINT” in today’s language. A whisper here, an overheard conversation there and almost nothing on paper. We actually paid big rewards to Russians or “third-party nationals” who could give us data on weapons development behind the Iron Curtain.

Why Disbelieve the Soviet Tale?

So, why would this author believe Kalashnikov was NOT just a humble tank Sergeant? Because of a minor note in a formally classified U.S. government publication. When you write about military firearms history, you read a lot of “unusual” publications. In fact, you start to haunt bookstores and thrift shops, looking for old books on guns. My searching of the latter lead me to a complete set of a U.S. Navy Bureau of Ordnance books titled simply The Machine Gun, by Col. George Chinn, USMC. This is a complete history of repeating firearms, and Volumes II through V were classified “Confidential Security Information” when they were first published in the 1950s. Volume I dealt with the early evolution of firearms and the mechanical machine guns (Gatlings) and self-powered guns through World War I, so it was not classified. 

After reading the 680 pages of Volume I, I read the much smaller (200 pages) Volume II, Weapons Development in the Soviet Union and her Satellites. On page 25, there are a few sentences that throw a possible new light on the weapon designer. In a discussion of the “Maxim–Tokarev” (MT) machine gun in 1928, the following paragraph appears:

In competition with the M–T was another version of the Maxim. This gun was modified by Koleshnakov and therefore called the M–K (Maxim–Koleshnakov). It differs outwardly from the M–T in the shape of the stock, but otherwise there is little difference. Koleshnakov was not successful in securing adoption of this weapon, but enough were made for trial to allow its use in the Spanish Civil War.

A designer of the same name is credited with the development, some years later of a machine gun mount for a caliber 12.7mm gun …

In an age when HUMINT was the primary source of information, is it possible that the name was spelled phonetically? How many of us refer to the AK as the “Koleshnakov?” Non-native Russian speakers were and are rare, and were rarely trusted. After all, why would someone know Russian, unless he was a spy? Even a minor typing error at some point could convert a written “a” to an “o,” or an “e.”

Which Tale Is True?

Could the “official tale” be true? Possibly, but unlikely for the reasons listed above. Could the author be wrong? OF COURSE! Neither “Koleshnakov” nor “Kalashnikov” are listed in the index of any of the 5 volumes of The Machine Gun. A Russian speaker of my acquaintance has said that “Koleshnakov” is an odd name in Russian—not familiar in any way to him.

Ultimately, it makes no difference. The AK-47 and its follow on guns are highly successful, both individually reliable and as instruments of Socialist/Communist ideology. When you find an AK series gun, if all the parts are there, no matter their condition, the gun is likely to work. 

Now, this author needs to search for more nuggets of information in the remaining 2,028 pages of The Machine Gun, while looking for other obscure titles. 

By Rob Krott

Its society beset by civil wars in the last fifty years, Yemen is awash in small arms. Nearly every Yemeni male over the age of ten carries some form of weapon, from the traditional jambiya (curved dagger) to assault rifles, as personal apparel and icons of masculinity. In the remote mountains and wadis, open carry of an assault rifle is not only common and widely accepted, but is considered de rigueur. Even heavy weapons such as the DsHk 12.7 machine guns and RPG-7s are available and they frequently crop up in inter-tribal clashes.

Yemen has a public weapons culture: weapons are openly carried, displayed, and fired in public. Every tribesman excepting the poorest owns a rifle (many have more than one) and in public each carries his rifle with him. The open and public carry of weapons is central to Yemeni male identity especially among Yemen’s tribal groups. Yemeni tribal society is completely male dominated and highly chauvinistic. Weapons are more than instruments of defense, hunting, and offense; they are also status symbols and visible proof of social standing. The average Yemeni male sees weapons as symbols of status, power, responsibility, manhood, and wealth.

Honor – sharaf – is a vital value in Yemeni tribal life and a weapon, especially the jambiya, is its symbol. These edged weapons are a highly visible mark of a tribesmen’s social standing. The most expensive jambiyas have handles of carved rhino horn and sheaths of worked silver. Traditionally, possession of “long guns” is limited to Yemenis with tribal affiliations. Non-tribal people living in tribal territories are not permitted to carry rifles, although many now own less ostentatious pistols. Furthermore, “men of learning,” although permitted to carry rifles, seldom do so and imams and tribal sheikhs seldom carry a rifle – but their heavily armed bodyguards communicate their status.

The 50 Million Guns Myth

Yemen reputedly has the highest per capita holdings of small arms in the world. The Yemen Ministry of Interior estimates there are approximately 50 million weapons in a nation of about 18 million.

This estimate has been widely reported in sources as disparate as The Economist, Reuters, The Associated Press, The Yemen Times, and The Lonely Planet Travel Guide. It is so embedded in the conventional wisdom and ‘mystique’ about Yemen that it is usually mentioned in almost anything written about the country. It is an incorrect and exaggerated estimate because, if it’s true, then every Yemeni male over fifteen years old owns more than a dozen guns. This apocryphal figure has never been revised and its origin is unknown, though it was already in circulation as early as 1990. Despite its fallacy, the number is something of a source of national pride for Yemeni tribesmen, but even they know 50 million seems rather high. Government officials and tribesmen alike nod, shrug, and sometimes smile when telling foreigners that their country is home to some 50 million small arms, the majority of which are fully automatic assault rifles.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs now provides an estimate of 15-16 million weapons and has estimated Yemen’s population at a little over 17 million. Removing 25 per cent of the population that was under 18 years old from this estimated population leaves about 6.25 million men able (under cultural practice) to possess arms.

But not every Yemeni man carries or owns a firearm. While the tribes in the north and northeast have a majority of gun ownership, lesser numbers of Yemenis in the major cities, coastal areas, central highlands, and “the south” own or carry firearms (an exception being tribes in remote areas, such as the Hawdramawt). Yemen probably has around 3.5 to 4 million gun owners. Even with an estimate of three firearms per gun owner there would only be 12 million publicly owned firearms. With a few million more equipping the military there might be about 15-16 million guns in Yemen.

Arms Smuggling and Gun Control

The Yemeni-Saudi border is a rugged mountainous area and very difficult to control and police. Border demarcation between the two countries per the Jeddah Treaty is ongoing. Exacerbating the border tensions is the arms smuggling problem (from Yemen to Saudi Arabia). The increasing proliferation of small arms in Yemen is mostly due to Yemen’s inability to police its borders. Weapons smuggling also hinders efforts to stabilize the border and fight terrorism.

According to Major General Saleh Al-Santali of the Saudi Border Guard, in a year’s time border guards arrested 381,900 illegal entrants while thirty-six border guards were “killed in action.” In 2002, Saudi border guards confiscated 263 firearms, 1.2 million rounds of ammunition, 47,600 sticks of dynamite, and large quantities of detonators along their porous 1,800 km long border with Yemen. In one instance, Saudi border guards stopped Yemeni arms smugglers with a load of grenades and automatic weapons intended for possible terrorist actions. That same day border guards in Jizan province engaged Yemeni gunrunners in a firefight, seizing 15 grenades and 10 pen-guns – coveted items in the Middle East for assassinations.

In August 2003 while I was working in Yemen, the Interior Ministry took serious steps to implement new procedures aimed at enhancing the efforts of security authorities in eliminating weapons possession and sale in the country. Strict orders to tighten control over weapons and explosives possession and even “fireworks” were sent out to security authorities in all governorates countrywide: those found selling weapons would face serious legal measures. Orders were given to confiscate all fireworks in the market and take shopkeepers to trial. Legal measures would be taken against those opening fire while celebrating weddings or similar occasions (celebratory gunfire is common in many areas of the Middle East.) Previously, prosecution for unregistered weapons has been limited to non-tribal areas in the South.

The new law probably won’t have much impact on the average Yemeni gun-owner: tribal life-ways and customs which govern weapons possession, use, and the consequences of use hold more sway than governmental laws; especially when weapons were still being openly sold and traded without government interference.

The Gun Markets

Firearms are readily available for sale throughout the country. Yemen has five major regional arms markets: Jehannah (in Sana’a governorate), Sadah, Al Baydah, Al Jowf, and Abyan. Except for Abyan, all are located in the north. There are about 300 gun shops in Yemen averaging about 100 weapons each. Many other small shops dealing in antiquities, jambiya, and jewelry also carry a small selection of antique weapons and serviceable firearms.

Talking with some American oil field workers I learned that some of them had bought Sniders and Martini-Henris in Sana’a and shipped them back to the United States without any trouble. I didn’t have the time to go to the arms market and look for antique weapons so I had to limit my hunt to the shops of the silver souk in Sana’a, which cater to expats and the odd tourist.

There I found at least a dozen shops with a few old bolt actions and muzzle-loading jezails in corners gathering dust, but I found only a few good quality weapons worth looking at and invariably the asking price was higher than what I could buy one for in the U.S. There were a few bargains though. Besides a C96 Mauser pistol, I inspected two pristine, nearly mint, German World War I era Lugers. Asking price was $300.

Cost, in Yemen to a Yemeni, is relative. While a Kalashnikov may cost about $180 in Yemen, $250 in Pakistan, and about $300 to $400 (for a semi-automatic version) in the United States, it is still a very expensive item to the Yemeni. That’s because the GDP per capita in Yemen is $820 a year, $2,000 in Pakistan, $36,200 in the U.S. The average Yemeni shells out almost 22 per cent of his annual income for a Kalashnikov, a Pakistani pays 12.5 per cent, and the average American gun-buyer is only out 0.8 per cent of his yearly income. Thus, for an average Yemeni, guns still aren’t cheap.

Arming Yemen

Yemen has not produced small arms since the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, so all weapons currently in use are imports. In recent years Yemen has received small arms from countries such as Argentina, Brazil, China, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, and the United States. Yemen then supplies black market imported arms to much of the Horn of Africa: including Djibouti, Somalia, and Sudan. The importation of weapons into Yemen is nearly as old as the country itself. Among the earliest weapons known in Yemen were a pike and a sword that came from Asia, probably India, during the first centuries. Importation of small arms is closely tied to Yemen’s colonial past and its occupiers. There were three initial sources of weapons in Yemen: colonial presence, major power rivalry, and trade.

When the first Europeans arrived in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries they found that both the Turks and the Imam of Yemen had artillery installed in fortifications to protect themselves. In the third-quarter of the sixteenth century the Ottoman Turks brought in 2,500 harquebus guns. In the seventeenth century the Ottomans could mobilize forces of 8,000-10,000 men. Small armies of hardy Yemeni tribesmen well armed with muskets conducted several revolts and the Turks were eventually expelled.

By the eighteenth century, gun barrels and stocks as well as gunpowder were being manufactured and sold in Sana’a. In the nineteenth century, the possession of a matchlock was ordinary all across Arabia. One sheikh controlling a city and several villages could marshal an armed force of four thousand. Imports continued apace, so that visitors to Yemen in the early twentieth century could encounter tribesmen bearing matchlocks alongside others with bolt-action breech-loading rifles. The best Arab matchlocks remained in use until quite recently. Some of these had barrels made in British India.

In the Hawdramawt (Yemen’s Death Valley – a rugged area of mountains and wadis – the name translates loosely as “Death is Here”) I encountered tribesmen armed with Kalashnikovs, bolt-action WWII Mausers and, yes, even serviceable matchlocks. I was presented one along with a powder horn and an antique jambiya. Some Yemenis prefer older, bolt action or semi-auto rifles for various reasons including price, range, accuracy, and symbolic value. Antique Turkish pieces and old military service rifles are supplemented, rather than replaced, by modern self-loading and automatic rifles. Downstairs in many houses, among the grain and the goats, are heavy weapons such as mortars, machine guns and even light artillery pieces.

Just as the Ottomans had introduced thousands of harquebuses in the sixteenth century, now the influx of modern weapons are rifles. While Lee Enfields and FN FALs are still widely used and are appreciated for their reliability and quality, and therefore kept, the actual number of British small arms introduced in this fashion to the Yemeni tribes is limited. British military weapons are not commonly found today.

Mausers and Mauser variations are among the most common weapons in Yemen. Some are in the hands of youths whose parents have acquired more modern weapons. As the owner’s first token of manhood they are often prized possessions. The Mausers in Yemen today are nearly all Ottoman Empire in origin and represent the continuous re-equipment of the Ottoman forces throughout their occupation of Yemen, though there is also a large number of World War II era German 98K Mausers fielded in Yemen. It’s possible these 98Ks were from captured stocks provided by the Soviets as aid in the 1960s. While visiting a Bedouin encampment in the Hawdramawt, I fired probably a half-dozen Mauser 98Ks over the course of three days in impromptu shooting competitions. All were well maintained and serviceable.

Although the French never had a major presence in Yemen the French Gras rifle and the modified Chassepot are common and are found in use in Yemen. Few other French weapons are found. I handled about a half-dozen serviceable Gras rifles in the Sana’a silver souk. Gras rifles were already present in large numbers and with adequate quantities of cartridges and bayonets in the 1930s when more were purchased from France and brought in by Aden’s British colonial administration that issued them to local tribal levies.

Chinese and Soviet Weaponry in the Civil War

Egypt, in 1956 under President Nasser, nationalized the Suez Canal leading to a war with France, Israel, and Britain. After the intervention of the United States, the canal re-opened to shipping, and the warring countries returned to their territories. Yemen was key to the southern control of the Suez and through the support of Nasser’s regime the Soviets were able to influence the future of Yemen.

In 1962, Muhammad al-Badr inherited control of North Yemen from his father, Imam Ahmad Yayha and a week later he was overthrown in a military coup led by Colonel Abdullah al-Sallal. Colonel al-Sallal declared the northern region the “Yemen Arab Republic” (known as “North Yemen”) and started a Yemeni civil war. The deposed imam’s “royalists” received aid from the Saudis and the British, while the “republicans” received support from Egypt, Syria, and Iraq, including Egyptian troops. Nasser and King Faisal of Saudi Arabia met in 1965 to halt the civil war yet clashes resumed in 1966.

The British relinquished control of Aden on 30 November 1967 and pulled out of the South and the Communist-oriented Republic of Yemen (known as “South Yemen”) was established. Because some southern sheikhs allied themselves against the new Communist government, thousands of southern Yemenis fled north, seeking refuge in the Yemen Arab Republic and Saudi Arabia. Raiding (a Yemeni tribal pastime) soon began from the north into the Communist south. The raiders, supported by King Faisal of Saudi Arabia (unhappy with a new and radical pro-Communist nation on his border), were armed with U.S. surplus weapons as early as 1968.

When the British withdrew from Aden the Soviets quickly filled the vacuum, pouring military aid into South Yemen. Aid also included a huge buildup as the Soviets began large construction around Aden to support the Soviet military bases. Soviet weapons were funneled via Egypt and then directly to Yemen. South Yemen remained in the Soviet sphere of influence until the end of the Cold War.

Chinese weapons were probably smuggled into Yemen from the unguarded Omani border to the northeast. The 1965 Dhofari rebellion in Oman received Chinese support: Chinese small arms were smuggled across the Yemeni border to the Dhofar rebels. The Soviets and the Chinese both supplied arms to the Omanis in the renamed PFLOAG – Popular Front for the Liberation of the Occupied Arab Gulf). In 1972, the Cubans started sending officers to train PFLOAG units in South Yemen.

With the end of the Cold War, South Yemen suffered the same fate as other Soviet client states. Military aid and infrastructure support ended. The lack of continuing support also contributed to the unification of the two Yemens on 22 May 1990 under President Saleh. In 1994 the country erupted again into full-scale civil war fought by the regular armies of each former state with tribal support on each side.

President Saleh’s army wasn’t up to the task of defeating the South’s Soviet-equipped military. He made a bargain with the tribes if they helped defeat the South and brought their own weapons as the North didn’t have sufficient stocks of small arms to equip them, they could loot the South and carry off the large stockpiles of Soviet weaponry. The 1994 civil war resulted in an even wider distribution of small arms throughout Yemen.

During the 1994 civil war President Saleh also recruited Afghan veterans from across the Arab world to wage another victorious jihad against the secular socialists of South Yemen. At its height, the Yemeni Islamist network had its own school system, its own ministries, and even its own governorates, including Hawdramawt, the bin Laden ancestral home. After the fall of the socialists in the south, the Islamists set about filling the void with their own quasi-Taliban rule, a situation that Yemen has had to rectify.

(Rob Krott, SAR’s Military Affairs Correspondent, has been deployed in Iraq as an “independent contractor” with private security companies since December 2003. Prior to that, he was employed in Yemen as the regional security advisor for a large North American oil corporation.)

“The Lightweight Small Arms Technologies program has made tremendous progress, which includes a fully functioning dynamic model of the weapons system, a working weapon prototype, and hundreds of cased telescopic rounds fired to date.” Kori Spiegel, US Army ARDEC, Joint Service Small Arms Program

Ms. Spiegel’s presentation during the symposium part of NDIA’s annual gathering of infantry weaponry innovators should be of particular interest to SAW gunners and others who stand to benefit from scientific advances that are cutting the weight of weapons and ammunition. Sharing the rostrum with AAI’s Paul Shipley, her briefing detailed ongoing developments in JSSAP’s multi-million dollar Light Weight Machine Gun and Ammunition program.

AAI is particularly well suited to head up the effort, bringing decades of experience with innovative concepts such as the Vietnam era SPIW, ACR ca. 1990, and the run-up to today’s OICW. They have assembled a similarly distinguished team of companies for the program including ARES, Alliant Techsystems, Battelle Institute, St. Marks Powder, and Omega Training Group.

Recognizing that an alternative to traditional brass cased and steel linked ammunition represents the most productive avenue to meaningful reduction in overall system weight, two alternatives are being simultaneously explored, both featuring projectiles that are “telescoped” in a cavity in the propellant.

The CTA (Cased Telescoped Ammunition) employs conventional powder, primer and projectile, but packaged in polymer casings with synthetic links. This approach is said to be a “low risk” option, yielding significant weight reduction at acceptable levels of cost, complexity and weapon performance.

Fully caseless configuration is the second alternative, using advanced propellant technology where each round is fully consumed on firing so no case extraction and ejection action is necessary. This remarkable cartridge concept was developed to a high degree by Dynamit Nobel back in 1990 for HK’s G11 rifle and is said to promise a greater degree of weight reduction.

AAI has been successfully burst firing CTA in a prototype weapon that is evolving based on engineering refinement and application of advances in materials technology. Concept drawings show the gun as having a rotating chamber with in-line push-through feed and ejection. A fluted, quick change barrel gives high stiffness and heat exchange. Right now the configuration and construction are very conventional with extensive use of alloys and polymers.

Program goals call for successful demonstration firing next year, then transition to Program Manager Soldier Weapons by 2010.

While a standout for this correspondent, the JSSAP/AAI briefing was only one of more than three dozen compelling presentations given during the period 16 to 18 May in Albuquerque’s impressive Convention Center. Other topics of interest included updates on weapons and equipment for Special Operations Forces, NATO research and development, a status report from Program Manager Soldier Weapons, and representatives of each of the US Armed Services charting near term plans for small arms upgrades and replacements. A few morsels from this banquet:

• Marine Corps Systems Command is looking for something beyond the SAW, but needs it sooner than 2010. “The Infantry Automatic Rifle… a light weight, magazine fed, 5.56mm, individual weapon,” sounds something like the CIS ULTIMAX.
• Suppressors are big with all the services seeking noise and flash reduction for everything from Barrett fifties to pistol poppers. Opportunities abound for designers and manufacturers.
• While USSOCOM is moving at flank speed to field the SCAR family, it is not neglecting those current operators still carrying M4 type carbines. NSWC Crane is closing in fast with the Miniature Day/Night Sight program to upgrade capabilities beyond the current hodgepodge of clamp-ons.
• The Coast Guard – and probably Navy Mobile Security – will be getting a reduced range 7.62mm round, developed by ARDEC, with standard velocity and penetration at moderate distance, but quick fall off after that to minimize collateral damage in crowded ports and narrow waterways.
• Remotely aimed weapon systems for a variety of platforms continue to gain favor. The robo turret on STRYKER vehicles will probably be the first to get General Dynamics’ XM307.
• USSOCOM’s MK47 Advanced Lightweight Grenade Launcher is on a parallel track with “Big Army’s” XM312/XM307.
• Knight’s is a big winner with the Army’s recent selection of their modified SR-25/MK 11 as the M110 SASS (Semiautomatic Sniper System).
• Countersniper technologies are getting lots of attention, but existing solutions tend to be complex and expensive. M2 Technologies and the Univ. of Kentucky have partnered to develop an infrared system using COTS components.
• ARDEC has a Rapid Design branch for urgent projects like the Afghan National Army’s need to mount their Russian-type DShK machine guns on American-supplied M113 APCs.
• Along with continued development of Barrett’s 25mm XM109, FN has a shoulder-fired high velocity 40mm launcher in JSSAP’s efforts to enhance anti-materiel capabilities.
• Everybody but the Coast Guard (they have the new SIG P229 in .40 caliber) wants a .45 ACP pistol. SOCOM and Big Army are, once again, conducting separate programs to this common goal.

Go online to get briefings for all of these topics and much more at www.dtic.mil/ndia/2006smallarms/2006smallarms.html

It’s a Small World

Once again this year the Awards Luncheon was enhanced immeasurably by a thoughtful presentation from JSSAP’s Dr. Stephen Small, who can always be counted upon to put current trials and tribulations into historical perspective. This time reaching back to 1326 A.D. and the dawn of gunpowder warfare, his “First Three Hundred Years of Small Arms” had an appreciative audience alternately chuckling and shaking their heads in recognition. Was some distant ancestor of Ronnie Barrett responsible for the 41 pound, carriage mounted, 27mm wheel lock “anti-materiel rifle” developed in Germany so long ago?

Small was honored immediately afterward with an NDIA Professional Service Award, as were Simunition’s Brian Berger, Aberdeen Test Center’s Marvin Maule, Broden Resources’ Dave Broden, and USMC Lieutenant Colonel Richard Adams.

This year’s George M. Chinn award was presented to Richard Swan of A.R.M.S. and the Carlos Hathcock award went to USMC Major Allen Bootby.

Hardware Show

Numerous breaks from scholarly proceedings in the auditorium gave attendees welcome opportunity to visit the large exhibit hall where more than sixty commercial firms and government entities showed their wares. There, many of the concepts and much of the hardware from dry technical papers could be found, along with knowledgeable reps to answer questions and discuss advantages that come with items on display.

ARDEC, JSSAP and Program Manager Small Arms held the biggest section of exhibit booths, a necessary and fitting situation for this giant of the military small arms community. We spoke at some length with engineers and others directly responsible for weapons and ammunition under development as well as those seeking and fielding COTS (commercial off-the-shelf) items to meet immediate needs of troops in harm’s way. From high tech “smart” weapons to Otis cleaning kits, this is the team that gets the good stuff for the good guys.

Several of JSSAP’s industry partners also had a large presence. General Dynamics was on hand with their convertible XM307 to XM312 Advanced Crew Served Weapon. AAI showed its concept mockup of the future light machine gun and its innovative cartridges. ATK had the amazing programmable airbursting ammo for the XM307 and the shoulder-fired XM25.

Long Mountain Outfitters and Defense Munitions combined their considerable assets to provide a billboard-sized display of old and new weapons from around the world, providing an engineering, reference and sales resource for the widest range of attendees. Suppressed pistols, submachine guns, assault rifles, belt guns, grenade chunkers, and antitank rockets snared enthusiasts of all types, sparking innumerable technical discussions and historical anecdotes with this walk-up-and-touch product catalog.

Other real gun guys were also much in evidence including ArmaLite, Barrett, Beretta, Colt, FN, Glock, HK, Knight’s, Remington, S&W, and Taurus.

Barrett is working with JSSAP to lighten the .50 cal M107 and to get the 25mm XM109 ready for fielding. Then there’s the exciting new bullpup XM500 in .416 caliber.

Colt Defense was showing a push-rod M16 called the Advanced Law Enforcement Carbine and a side-opening grenade launcher. Both were apparently developed as entries in recent Army and SOCOM trials. A prototype light machine gun also attracted interest, featuring quick change barrel, open and closed bolt operation, and a push-rod.

FNH USA proudly displayed several new variants of USSOCOM’s tough SCAR (Special Operations Combat Assault Rifle) including a 5.56mm version for sharpshooting, a SCAR Heavy in 7.62mm, and the clever left or right side opening Enhanced Grenade Launcher Module.

HK Defense, after fielding the push-rod HK416 in 5.56mm, has just added the 7.62mm HK417. Also on the table was the handy and hardy MG4, a 5.56mm SAW/LMG.

Knight’s has plenty of reason to crow with the Army’s recent selection of its candidate as the new M110 Semiautomatic Sniper Rifle System, but something much smaller took center stage at their booth. Weighing just 4.5 pounds and measuring only 19.5 inches with stock folded, the brand new 6x35mm PDW (Personal Defense Weapon) was a show stopper for those in the know. The unique high-performance ammo and its diminutive launch platform were developed with requirements and funding from Technical Support Working Group, a little known US Government counter-terrorism organization with direct links to the CIA, FBI and more than seventy other agencies.

Optimizing existing guns and ammo is the job of those who specialize in accessories and add-ons. Specific needs are met mostly by entrepreneurs with companies outside “the system” but well known in the tightly knit world of combat soldiers.

Some precision shooters from CENTCOM’s area of operations asked LaRue Tactical for a special mounting system and soon got the “S.T.O.M.P.” The Sniper’s Total Optic Mounting Package for Remington 700 actions consists of a suitable length of Picatinny Rail, quick-detach rings and inserts, and a quick-detach overarm for positioning night vision optics like the PVS-22 in front and in line with whatever day optic is preferred.

In the same vein, urban warrior shotgunners punished by the heavy recoil of slugs and breaching rounds asked for and got a special buffer from Enidine. The unit we saw was the “ShotShock,” neatly housed in the telescoping tubular stock with grip that Mesa Tactical makes for the Remington 870.

De-ranged

For whatever reason, L3’s Sal Fanelli keeps volunteering to coordinate and conduct the Small Arms Symposium’s traditional government and industry live fire demonstrations. Never an easy task under the best conditions, but heartened that this time wasn’t in the Peoples Republic of New Jersey; Fanelli got everything set up with the Department of Energy’s Central Training Academy to use their superb range facilities on nearby Kirtland Air Force Base.

This became a no-go a few days before the event when those in charge of base entry security clearances realized that busloads of civilians including plenty of foreign attendees would be rolling up. An official case of the vapors ensued, leaving Sal scrambling to find another venue.

Fortunately the good-guy network kicked in and the Albuquerque Police Department cleared its scheduled training to make way for the day’s demos, apparently recognizing that real “national security” should take priority over bureaucratic BS. A big thanks to APD and Range Master Dave Bartram!

Crossed SWORDS

We got out there early on range day to have plenty of time to examine and photograph the weapons and ammo that would be in action later on. This paid off handsomely when the Army’s SWORDS team arrived with two of their mean little battle ‘bots. As ARDEC’s Mike Zecca, along with his team from Foster-Miller, went about their preparations, we watched closely, took pictures and asked a few questions.

Zecca’s planned demonstration, he said, would show how the armed mini-crawler was radio remote controlled by an operator using video link to navigate, acquire targets and then take them out with bursts of machine gun fire.

The first order of business was to swap out the demilled display gun for a real M240, a process that takes only a few minutes when the right tools are on hand. Then, with Deguire at the hardened laptop style computerized OCU (operator control unit), the battery powered rock ‘n roll robot cruised around a few obstacles and pulled up on the firing line. It was time for some test firing so the range went “hot” and a belt of 7.62mm ball got loaded in the 240.

Peering intently at crosshatches on the display screen, Deguire did some fine tuning with the aiming joystick then flipped up the red firing safety cover. The M240 roared to life with the first burst hitting high. Additional fine finger pressure sent a movement signal by radio link and the muzzle lowered almost imperceptibly. The next burst was right on target and a series of quick traverse signals moved the muzzle leftward to quickly engage each silhouette in turn. Satisfied with its practice run, the team powered down SWORDS in place and manually cleared its machine gun.

Most everyone is aware of the cruel truth of “Murphy’s Law” which states, “Anything that can go wrong will, and at the worst possible time.” Keep this in mind as we jump ahead a couple of hours and pick up the story when it was SWORDS’ turn for a live fire demo in front of a crowd including some of the most influential persons in the world of infantry weaponry.

In an unfortunate incident that may have taken its place ahead of all such others in the lore of NDIA Small Arms Demonstrations, the armed robot violated the most basic range safety rule. Our narrative continues with a statement from the Army’s official after action review, presented verbatim:

“SWORDS #5 was equipped with a M240B Machine Gun and flawlessly test fired on the range prior to the opening of the event. At the time that SWORDS was to start its demo, the vehicle started backing up in a counterclockwise arc without any input from the operator. At this time the weapon had loaded ammo but the safety was on, none of the redundant arming steps had been initiated, and because the robot was moving, no firing signals could be accepted (SWORDS cannot fire on the move) by the fire control. The robot was powered down and cleared. No one was injured. An immediate formal investigation of SWORDS #5 revealed that one wire in the operator control unit had broken and was causing a rearward command string to be sent to the tracks. The wiring has now been redesigned to reduce the chance of broken wires and to add wiring redundancy so that these wires have a backup signal.”

(Editor’s Note: Robert Bruce’s in-depth report on SWORDS may be found in SAR’s Vol. 8, No. 5, September 2005 issue.)

Blastin’ With the Big Boys

The ill-fated SWORDS demo took place on the APD range’s rifle lane, a facility that allows even .50 caliber BMGs to be fired safely when reasonable care is taken. Defense Munitions kicked off the firepower show with John Browning’s masterpiece, in this case a new Ohio Ordnance M2HB on the light and versatile Vinghog 12.7 soft mount with the Vingfoot high-low tripod. This was followed by some serious double tapping from LMO’s twin M240 right/left mount that gives over 1500 rpm of 7.62x51mm firepower with superb accuracy.

Then, US Ordnance showed some sustained Sixty shooting with long bursts from their M60E4/MK43, an improved version of a long time favorite of the Navy SEALs.

Others took a turn in demonstrating their wares which included several suppressors. SRT Arms has the Typhoon can for the M4 that quick couples to standard GI birdcages, and Surefire has a nice new addition to its Fast Attach High Endurance line with one for the M249 SAW. Knight’s Dave Lutz showed the dramatic reduction in signature that comes when the M110’s suppressor is in place.

Lewis Machine has a unique recoil compensator and flash suppressor that looks akin to a SKOL can welded under the barrel but is said to significantly reduce muzzle rise and signature. Karl Lewis also showed the easy one minute conversion on his special upper from 5.56mm to 6.8 by swapping out the bolt, barrel and magazine.

The last demo on the big range was a seriously long belt of Simunition’s new 7.62mm “ShortStop” reduced range training ammo, spectacularly sprayed from an M134 Minigun positioned atop an armored car. This rig was thoughtfully provided by the Department of Energy from those now in use by Nuclear Facility Security teams.

PDWs, Pistols, Pumps, Pistons, and Pumice

Live fire action moved a couple ranges over to the pistol lanes where some other interesting weapons awaited.

Earlier that morning we had gotten our hands on Knight’s 6mm PDW, including the chance to handle and strip it. Confidence must be kept but it is permissible to say that lead engineer Doug Olsen’s mechanical action is strongly influenced by a certain designer named Kalashnikov. We also got to fire a mag in semi and full, confirming the controllability and quick handling of this clever weapon/cartridge combo. SAR looks forward to the chance to do an in-depth feature in the near future.

Taurus fired its prototype .45 ACP that is intended for the upcoming military trials, and then Glock went one by one through a table full of their variants including the ever-popular Glock 18 full auto model.

Ammo guru Whit Engel wowed the crowd with a spectacular watermelon-busting shot. Designed for breaching with minimal overpenetration, his 12 gauge hollow point “Entry Frangible Safety Slug” pulverized the hapless melon without even denting the cardboard witness plate two feet behind it.

Colt’s team put the piston-powered Advanced Law Enforcement Carbine through its paces, shooting mag after mag in quick order without incident. This was a tough act to follow for the next presenter, intending to demonstrate the effectiveness of his proprietary metal finish formula and process. Common courtesy dictates that he will not be identified here. “It eliminates the need for lubrication,” he said, pouring handfuls of APD range sand down the barrel and into the receiver of an M16 type rifle just before firing. Painfully, one pop was all he got and no amount of pulling on the charging handle would help. Damn that Murphy…

Once the last round had been fired in formal demonstrations the line opened up for event attendees to come forward and put a few rounds downrange. Sadly, the Minigun had left the range.

National Defense Industrial Association’s Small Arms Systems Division

Small Arms Review strongly supports the work of NDIA. Make plans now to be at the 2007 Small Arms event in Virginia Beach, Virginia, 7 to 10 May. For membership categories and other information contact:

National Defense Industrial Association
“Strength Through Industry and
Technology”
2111 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 400
Arlington, VA 22201
www.ndia.org

All Russian rifles in the AK-100 Series have folding stocks and are select fire. The US versions have neither of these features. Otherwise, though, the US versions of the AK-100s are virtually identical to their Russian counterparts and cannot be distinguished from them except under close inspection. All Kalashnikov USA rifles in the AK-100 Series have U.S. manufactured furniture of black polymer and are finished in black powder coat. Barrels are chrome lined with four grooves with right hand twist. While Russian rifles in the AK-100 series are shipped with four 30 round magazines and a bayonet, the American version is provided only with two five round magazines and no bayonet lug, much less the bayonet itself! The American AK-103 that we received for evaluation does, however, accept standard 30 round AK magazines.

Izhmash did not pick the AK-100 designation “out of the blue,” so to speak. Most readers are aware that “AK” stands for Avtomat Kalashnikova, while past practice generally has used a number indicating the year of classification for military service, as with the AK-47 and AK-74. The AK-100 designation, however, is derived from a Soviet-era code for the Izhmash Armory, Production Nr. 100. From the information at Table 1, the reader will note that there are a variety of rifles and carbines in the AK-100 series in not only 5.45x39mm, 7.62x39mm, but also in 5.56x45mm. The AK-107 and AK-108, while included in AK-100 series, are quite different rifles than any of the others in that they incorporate a “balanced” operating system derived from the experimental AL-7 rifle of the early 1970s. This operating system essentially eliminates felt recoil, but bears little resemblance to the original AK system.

Kalashnikov USA’s AK-103 begins life as a Saiga 7.62x39mm carbine. Saiga carbines are imported by Kalashnikov USA and then contracted out to a custom gun shop for conversion to AK-103 configuration. We actually were sent evaluation AK-103s from two different Kalashnikov USA contractors. The firm that converted our initial AK-103 will remain nameless for reasons that will soon become apparent. The rifles converted by this original shop did not meet quality standards and Saiga carbines are now being modified by DGS, Inc. of Fort Myers, Florida. The original Kalashnikov USA AK-103 rifle that we received for evaluation was disappointing in terms of overall fit and finish, which was rough and uneven. The powder-coated dust cover and receiver were different texture and shade and the overall finish felt like fine sandpaper to the touch. The finish was apparently not very resistant to abrasion, as there were several scuffs and scratches and the safety selector had already worn a deep scratch entirely through the receiver finish. This can be expected after lengthy use, but not in a new rifle. There were several significant assembly flaws, as well. For example, the AK103’s stock retaining screws both had “buggered” slots where the screwdriver had slipped, flared the edges and removed some of the finish. This usually is the result of using the incorrect size screwdriver or overtightening by an amateur gunsmith and we find it hard to accept in a new rifle, particularly one that has a suggested retail price of over $700. The cleaning rod retaining boss, part of the front sight base, did not properly retain the cleaning rod. The rod was loose, rattled and slid back and forth between the retaining boss and the guide on the barrel when the rifle was fired. The receiver cover was also extremely difficult to remove and replace. We have disassembled literally hundreds of AKs over the years, and this is the first instance we have encountered where the cover was difficult to remove. The disassembly button required two separate and distinct motions to free the cover. One first had to push in very hard and then down. Even after this, the cover was difficult to lift. Replacing the cover was slightly less difficult than removing it, but still was more difficult than any AK we have ever seen.

When we called Kalashnikov USA to advise them of our assessment, we were told that this was unfortunately typical of the original contractor’s rifles. Kalashnikov USA further advised us that they had switched to a new firm, DGS, for conversion. The first of the new rifles would be ready for shipment in approximately a week. We were offered a DGS converted AK-103 to replace the earlier rifle and upon receipt, found it to be significantly improved over the original. The powder coating was a slightly lustrous black and was applied uniformly to the all of the rifle’s surfaces. Disassembly of the replacement rifle was typical Kalashnikov, and should need no explanation to the readers of SAR. We should note that the DGS conversion had a 14.5-inch barrel, while the original rifle we received had a 16-inch barrel. The nondetachable muzzle brake of the 14.5-inch carbine brings the overall barrel length to legal specifications, but there is no 14.5-inch barrel in the AK-100 line offered by Izhmash, although a 12.5 inch version designated AK-104 is catalogued by the parent firm. Kalashnikov USA’s rifle retains the AK-103 designation, however, despite its shorter barrel length. We actually prefer the “look” of the rifle we evaluated to the longer barreled version, but a completely “proper” clone of an AK-103 would have a 16-inch barrel not including the muzzle brake.

The AK103 conversion is packed in a hard polymer padded case along with sling, soft canvas field carrying case, oil bottle, pouch for four high capacity magazines, cleaning kit, manual and two Saiga five round magazines. As mentioned, the rifle will also accept the widely available and inexpensive East German and Bulgarian 30 round magazines. Sufficient US manufactured components are included to make the AK-103 legal in its pistol grip configuration. These include pistol grip, stock, gas tube, fire control components and operating rod gas piston. The AK-74 style muzzle brake is fixed in place by drilling and welding. The small spot where this was accomplished is visible at the top of the brake and was the only flaw we noticed in the DGS rifle’s finish. Actual AK100 Series muzzle brakes are, of course, removable. The detent at the top of the brake that normally mates with a spring-loaded retaining pin in the front sight base is not present on the DGS rifle that we received. The AK-103’s muzzle brake is well known as one of the most efficient in the world, and although we did not directly compare it to one of our AKMs, felt recoil was approximately that of a 5.56x45mm rifle, although there was a notable increase in muzzle blast. The AK-103 type muzzle brake is also noted for reducing muzzle rise under full automatic fire.

We should note that conversion from the Saiga to AK103 lookalike did not consist of simply replacing the stock and adding a muzzle brake. The barrel had to be cut two inches, crowned, the front sight relocated and perfectly aligned and a muzzle brake adapter permanently fixed in place. Accommodation also had to be made for the pistol grip, which is not present in the Saiga carbine. This does not merely involve adding a pistol grip, but actually relocating the entire fire control mechanism because the trigger of the Saiga carbine is in the place normally occupied by the pistol grip on an AK carbine. All in all, the DGS conversion was well executed.

The AK103’s receiver is very well made, with heavy-duty rails and internal components and quality welds. Fit of bolt, bolt carrier and overall operation of the reciprocating components was excellent. The bolt carrier and bolt are serially numbered to match the rifle and moved smoothly back and forth with no binding. The two-stage trigger had an initial take-up pull of four pounds with release averaging seven pounds. There was a small amount of backlash, but it should be kept in mind that this is not a precision rifle, but a short to medium-range carbine derived from an assault rifle.

The AK103 functioned flawlessly. We tried the rifle with Wolf full metal jacket and hollow point ammunition, with “Tiger” FMJ and JHP and with Black Hills 123-grain soft point. Tula Arsenal manufactures Wolf, while Barnaul JSC produces Tiger ammunition. These represent two of the three major Russian small arms ammunition manufacturers. Kalashnikov USA is now importing Barnaul ammunition under the Tiger brand name. It is appropriate to note that some domestic producers have ceased manufacture of 7.62x39mm ammunition because of recent low cost imports like Tiger and Wolf. This is not to disparage Wolf or Tiger ammunition; we have found Wolf ammunition to be of excellent quality, reliability and highly accurate in every firearm in which we have used it. Although this was our first experience with Tiger cartridges, we found them to be every bit as accurate as their competitors. For a rifle like the AK103, Russian ammunition seems ideally suited, as both Wolf and Tiger are produced to Russian military standards.

The AK-103’s rear sight is carried over from the Saiga carbine and is graduated only to 300 meters, with range marks indicated by a “1,” “2” and “3.” The remainder of the sight where the longer-range graduations usually are found is simply blank, and while the notches for locking the elevation ramp for longer distances are present, the sight cannot be elevated beyond the 300 meter mark. While graduating the sights of the military version of the rifle to 1,000 meters is wildly optimistic, we believe that having original-type sights would be appropriate to a rifle such as this, as the blank spaces on the rear sight simply do not look “right.” Most purchasers of the AK-103 will probably replace the AK-103’s rear sight with one from an AKM, which we expect should work. The Saiga sight may also be responsible for the fact that the rifle shot extremely low at 100 yards, hitting in the dirt in front of the target frames. This ultimately required that the threaded front sight post be removed and cut off at the base so that it could be screwed down sufficiently to raise the point of aim and zero the rifle’s open sights at 100 yards. Using open sights at 100 yards, we shot groups of approximately three inches using Black Hills, Tiger and Wolf ammunition, perfectly acceptable for a rifle of this class. Using the optional “Cobra-3” reflex sight for rapid fire, squeezing off rounds as quickly as we could fire and reacquire the target, we placed 30 shots inside a 4.5 inch circle at 100 yards.

The AK-103 also came with two optional extras that transform the rifle in our estimation. One option was the venerable PSO-1 4×24 telescopic sight that has been in production for over 30 years and continues to soldier on in Russian service. The PSO-1 that came with our rifle was graduated to 400 meters to accommodate 7.62x39mm ballistics. The other was a “Cobra-3” reflex or “collimator” sight. Both sights are current Russian military issue. All recent Kalashnikov manufactured rifles and shotguns are shipped from the factory in Izhevsk with the Russian military type rail mounting system on the left side of the receiver. This system is quite different than the MIL-STD-1913 rail used by NATO, but functions extremely well. Accessories are attached via a lever and cam system that positively locks the optic in place and ensures return to zero each time the accessory is replaced.

Kalashnikov USA is presently offering a Russian-manufactured side rail that can be mounted to any AK-type rifle, regardless of receiver type. We recommend this type of rail mount for any individual who wishes to equip his AK-type rifle with optics. It is a positive mounting system, identical to the original, so it will accept any Russian manufactured optic. The rail must be precisely placed on the receiver, however, so we recommend that it be installed by a gunsmith.

The Cobra-3 reflex sight is powered by two “AA” batteries and is slightly larger in size than some similar Western sights, but it has capabilities that are not present in most such devices. First, the Cobra-3 returns to the last intensity setting when switched off and back on, rather than to a low or intermediate setting. The Cobra-3 also has four reticle patterns that can be instantly changed by the user by simply pressing a button. These are a “Open T,” inverted red chevron and dot, inverted red chevron only and red dot only. The red dot subsumes less than 1 MOA and is advertised as the smallest red dot available. The Cobra-3 has ten different intensity settings. While the version we received utilizes a Russian side rail mount, a MIL-STD-1913 mount version is also available. Like all such sights, the Cobra-3 is parallax free. For shooters whose eyes cannot focus well on open sights and those who are right handed, but left eye dominant, the Corba-3 is a godsend! We found that both sights hold zero when detached and remounted.

The AK-103’s PSO-1 4×24 telescopic sight is manufactured in Belarus to Russian military specifications, and includes the standard illuminated reticle for use in low light conditions. Unlike the Russian version of the PSO-1, this sight utilizes a single AA battery for power. As mentioned, this version is graduated only to 400 meters with a bullet drop compensator matched to 7.62x39mm ballistics. The PSO-1 sight makes shots at longer ranges much easier and as we mentioned, transforms the AK-103 by offering the shooter a much higher degree of flexibility with his carbine.

The AK-103 is the only true Russian AK available in the United States. While it is a converted Izhmash hunting carbine and not an actual AK103, it captures the essence of the original and is as close as the American shooter, collector and enthusiast can come to owning the real thing in today’s milieu. For that reason alone, it is a worthwhile and desirable firearm. Moreover, the little carbine is fun to shoot! The extremely effective muzzle brake reduces felt recoil to a negligible level and enhances the ability to shoot quickly and accurately. The AK-103 is also an “in your face” statement to the “Barbara Fineslimes” and “Chuckie Schumers” of the world, another cogent reason for owning the AK-103, or for that matter any AK-type rifle. At the same time, the AK-103 offers the traditional AK values of utter reliability, ruggedness and long service life, not to mention the AK’s panache. This replica is also the only such rifle at the moment that offers the Russian receiver side mount that will accept a variety of Russian optics and night vision devices, most of which are commercially available. In addition to the traditional AK merits, the AK103 also inherits all the AK’s disadvantages. These include noisy, cumbersome controls totally lacking in ergonomic design and a length of pull that is best suited for heavily clad short statured troops from one of Russia’s far eastern districts like the Yakut or Chukchi republics. And finally, one has to consider the rifle’s suggested retail price of over $700. Is the AK103 worth its price? That is something that the reader will have to decide, but the fact is that if one seeks a quality AK that was manufactured by the original manufacturer, Kalashnikov USA’s AK103 is the “only act in town!”

Kalashnikov USA
1019 Holbrook Ct, C-3
Port St Lucie, Florida 34952
Tel: (561) 337-3398
Fax: (561) 337-0258
www.weapons-russian.com

By Walter Hern

Those of us in the shooting world are very familiar with the “What-if” sessions, or “What’s better” discussions that surround our favorite small arms. Walter Hern sent us this interesting article on the outcome of just such a discussion, and we thought we would bring the outcome to SAR’s readers. It is a very interesting comparison, done from the ergonomic view- Dan 

I had an interesting conversation with my friend John recently. We were spending a quiet Sunday afternoon at my loading bench, producing mass quantities of ammo, and listening to Tom Gresham’s radio show. The subject of assault rifles came up, and we began discussing which was the better rifle, the German Sturmgewehr 44 or the Kalashnikov. Curiously, we both initially picked the same weapon for similar reasons. Hmm, this subject deserved a little more research. Since John owns each, our discussion led a few weeks later to a greater analysis and a shootoff between the two designs. We also thought it would be useful to bring in some folks with little or no exposure to the two rifles and get their impressions- sort of a fresh perspective.

The Sturmgewehr and Kalashnikov are both products of World War II. The Sturmgewehr was developed first and saw action during the war. The Kalashnikov was developed in the immediate post war period and first adopted by the Soviet Union as the AK47. Robert Cortese did an extensive article on their development entitled “Birth of an Assault Rifle” that appeared in Small Arms Review Vol. 1 No. 12, September 1998, also an article by Charles Cutshaw and Lyn Haywood,” The Worlds First Assault Rifles”, Vol. 3 No. 5. I will only touch upon the development history of these rifles, for those who did not see Mr. Cortese’s article.

Work began in the mid 1930s within the German armament community on an intermediate-power rifle cartridge. This new round would be less powerful than the standard 7.92 X 57 mm rifle cartridge, but more powerful than the 9mm Parabellum pistol round. First World War experience had shown that the rifleman did not need a cartridge capable of shooting out to 2000 meters. One that would be good out to around 500 meters would be fine. A new self-loading rifle capable of fully automatic fire would replace both the bolt-action rifles and submachine guns in the German Army. About a year later in the Soviet Union, designers there decided that small arms development was greatly hampered by use of the rimmed 7.62 X 54 mm M1891 cartridge. They too decided that a rimless design of intermediate power was the way to go. The start of the European war in September 1939 put all of these projects on the back burner for a while.

When development proceeded in Germany, Hugo Schmeisser of Haenel developed a gas operated Carbine to shoot the new cartridge, developed by the Polte Werke. The Walther company also developed a competing design. Test lots of these Machine Carbines, (Maschinen Karabiner) MKb42(H) and MKb42(W) were produced. The Haenel design fired from an open bolt, and the Walther from a closed bolt. Testing showed that that closed bolt operation was superior, and Schmeisser was directed to redesign to that form of operation. Hitler stuck his nose into things by ordering all work on new rifle designs stopped, so another change was in terminology. The new weapon came out as the Maschinen Pistole 43, or MP43. A series of small changes led to the MP44. When Hitler finally heard of this new rifle from Eastern Front commanders, and saw how good it was, he decreed the name be changed to Sturmgewehr, so the stamp at the factories changed to StG44. About 426,000 were produced by the end of the war.

The Russians standardized their 7.62 X 39 mm round in 1943 as the M43. The first weapon developed to fire this round was designed by Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov. His Samozaryadnya karabin Siminova obrazets 1945 (SKS 45) was a self loading carbine fed by a fixed 10 round magazine. Some of these rifles were used during the battle for Berlin in the closing days of World War II. They would remain in first line use for only a few years. In 1947 the Soviets adopted a rifle capable of firing the new cartridge full auto. It was designed by former tank driver Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov. No one knows for sure how many of his Automat Kalashnikova obrazets 1947 (AK 47) in its several variations have been produced, but some estimates put Russian and foreign production at around 75 MILLION.

The Sturmgwehrs we evaluated are German wartime made weapons. One is marked StG 44 and the other MP 44. The Kalashnikov tested was a Chinese made Norinco AKM-47S stamped receiver gun, converted to selective fire by Jonathan Arthur Ciener.
To get an independent, “outside” so-to-speak, set of evaluators in on this, John and I asked our friend Ray and his two sons to help us. Ray Sr. is a career law enforcement officer who regularly qualifies with the MP-5. His sons, Ray Jr., 19, and Joe 15 have both proven to be pretty handy with a submachine gun too. My friend John served in the Army, and Army National Guard as a tank driver and scout. He also shot on the Louisiana National Guard rifle team. I retired from the Air Force a few years ago as a munitions officer, where I spent much of my time working with weapons that had their energy levels measured in megatons rather than foot pounds. Why did we include the two youngsters in this? Combat soldiers tend to be a lot closer in age, size, and weight to them, than to us older folks. Size and weight of the shooter do play a part in shooting a rifle, especially one capable of hand held fully automatic fire.

The purpose of a rifle is to shoot bullets and hit a target. For our evaluation we looked at two broad areas. We looked at how various design features aided or hindered the shooter in operating the weapon and hitting targets. We also, naturally, shot the rifles in both the full and semi-automatic modes to judge the shootability of the designs.

The two designs are surprisingly similar in a number of ways. Both are gas operated, using a gas piston over the barrel fixed to a bolt carrier that moves the bolt. Both feature significant usage of stampings in their production. Some versions of the Kalashnikov were produced with milled receivers and others with stamped. Both feature selective fire capability. The barrels of both are a little over 16 inches in length. The barrel ends of both are threaded to accept a blank adapter. The StG in service features a thread protector, while the AK 47 series is fitted with a simple “sugar scoop” compensator. Both feature open sights with the rear sight mounted forward on the receiver. The cartridges for both are similar, firing bullets of around 124 grains weight. The German Pistole Patronen 43 round is a little shorter and fatter in both case and projectile than the Russian MP43 cartridge. The German round is also slightly slower. Thirty round magazines are standard for both. Both are compact, the StG44 being 37” overall in length and the AK a bit shorter at 34.25”. The StG is somewhat heavier. It weighs in at 11.5 lbs. The AK weighs either 10.58 lbs. or 8.87 lbs. Those versions produced with milled receiver being heavier. In full auto fire both fire at from 500-600 rounds per minute, with the StG having a somewhat slower rate of fire.

There are some significant differences in the two designs from the operator’s point of view. The StG has its charging handle and safety both on the left side of the rifle. Those of the Kalashnikov are on the right side. The magazine release of the StG is a push button on the left side. The AK uses a paddle type release on the front of the trigger guard. The StG features a separate push button for choosing semi-automatic and full-automatic modes of fire. The AK uses three positions on the single safety lever for this function. The handguard of the StG is of sheet steel while that of the AK is of wood, or plastic, depending on where and when it was made. The AK features a bayonet mount, while the StG does not.

Let’s look a little more in depth at the controls on each rifle and what the members of our group thought of them. As noted, the charging handle on the StG is on the left hand side, while that of the AK is on the right. For operation while holding the rifle in the right hand, the left side mounted one on the StG was preferred by everyone. It was easier to grasp and operate, when compared to reaching over the top of the receiver to get to the AK’s. The safety of the StG is operated by a lever convenient to the thumb on the left hand side, while that of the AK is a long lever on the right side of the receiver. To switch from Safe to Fire on the StG, one merely presses down on the safety lever with the thumb of the right hand while holding the pistol grip. For the AK you have to reach over the receiver with the left hand to press the lever down, or release the pistol grip from the right hand to reach forward and press it down. The AK’s safety lever is also relatively noisy in operation. The Semi/Auto selector for the StG is a separate button located above the safety lever. It is pushed from side to side through the receiver. For the AK, selecting Full or Semi Automatic operation is made through the safety lever. All the way up is Safe, one click down is Full Auto, and all the way to the bottom is Semi Auto. Once again, everyone preferred the arrangement of safety and selector as found on the StG.

The ideal trigger pull is often compared with the crisp snapping of a glass rod. That is a description that will never be used in describing the triggers on these weapons. I have used electric drills with better triggers. The trigger pulls on both the StG and AK are long, mushy, and have a lot of overtravel. The StG has a two-stage military-type trigger pull. After a long initial 3 lb. pull, one reaches the second stage that mushily breaks at 4 lbs. with a lot of overtravel. The trigger pull of the AK depends on whether it is in full, or semi auto modes. The semi auto trigger breaks somewhere in a long single 3 lb. pull, with a lot of overtravel. With full auto selected, the pull jumps to 5 lbs. As bad as these trigger pulls were, no one found them too much of an obstacle in hitting the targets. Combat firemarms frequently have heavier trigger pulls to counteract the adrenaline “Rush” experienced in combat.
Both designs feature open sights. No apertures or ghost rings. The rear sight of the StG is graduated from 100-800 meters and has a “V” notch. The front is a sloping blade with a protected hood over it. The AK rear sight is graduated from 100-800 meters as well. It may also be set in a “battle sight” setting. It features a “U” notch. The front is a post, adjustable up and down for elevation zeroing. The carrier may also be pushed from side to side, to allow windage zeroing. The model tested had a hood over the front sight. This hood had a hole in its top to allow a tool to reach the post for adjustment. In both designs the rear sight notch is around 19 inches from the face of the butt. The StG rear sight is mounted about 3/8” higher above the bore line than that of the AK. No one had any real preference for the sight picture of one rifle over the other. Several folks mentioned both could be improved if the front sights featured protective wings, as on say a Garand, rather than the hoods.

The stocks on both designs place the top of the butt just above the boreline, to better control muzzle rise during shooting. The length of pull, or distance between the trigger face and the butt plate, is different. The StG has a 14 1/2 inch pull, while that of the AK is only 13 1/4 inches. The longer pull, and higher sights of the StG allow for a better cheek weld and more natural head position when shooting. The head must be forced into position to acquire the sights of the AK. Everyone commented that the StG felt much better to hold in shooting position, and that it was easier and quicker to acquire the sights. One “furniture” area where the AK showed a definite advantage was with the handguard. The StG handguard is a sheet steel pressing. The AK we shot uses wood. After only a short amount of shooting, the StG handguard gets very hot. While this may have not been too disconcerting on the Russian Front in January, it definitely was an annoyance in Louisiana in the summer. A cotton work glove from my shooting bag, normally used for brass pickup, was soon being worn by all on the left hand while shooting the StGs.

The magazine release on the StG is a button on the left side. The AK uses a paddle on the front of the trigger guard. Neither rifle lets the magazine drop free, they must be withdrawn with the hand. The StG magazines are merely inserted into the magazine well, while those of the AK must be hooked at the front and then rocked into position. Opinions were pretty evenly divided on which system was preferable, both being deemed acceptable.

The shooting portion of our evaluation was done at the Bossier Machinegun Club range. Located in northern Bossier Parish, Louisiana, it has berms at 25, 100, and 200 yards. These rifles are combat weapons, not bench rest guns. The StG 44s tested were over 50 years old; therefore, we did not shoot them for groups from the bench. From previous experience all are capable of 2” to 3” groups at 100 yards. For targets we used cardboard silhouettes, and the ever popular 2 liter plastic soda bottle. The shooting impressions we were interested in were, felt recoil, controllability, and target pickup on multiple targets in both semi and full auto.
During our semi auto firing, everyone said that the StG had a softer recoil than the AK. The AK’s recoil was not objectionable, even for the lightest shooters, but it did feel sharper. The StG was also viewed as more controllable. The sights stayed on target much better. Again, the AK was not viewed badly in this area, just not as good as the StG. This also played a role in judging the rifles on their ability to engage multiple targets. The StG could rapidly shift from target to target, while more time was required to bring the sights of the AK on the new target.

The full auto firing was done in short bursts of 2-3 rounds. In “rock and roll,” everyone preferred the Sturmgewehr by a wide margin. Recoil and muzzle rise were significantly greater with the AK. The StG was much easier to control. Target acquisition and hitting with multiple shots were far easier with the StG. It was also markedly easier to engage multiple targets with the StG. Though we had initially intended to shoot only on full auto out to 100 yards, experience showed that the StG was capable of hitting a silhouette with automatic fire at 200 yards. With the AK at that range, the first round would be on target and the second lucky to hit the berm.
Why was the StG easier to shoot? Three main factors seemed to contribute to this. The StG is heavier by about 2 lbs. than the AK. This weight helps cut down the effects of recoil and muzzle rise. It is also firing a slightly slower round. This again contributes to lessened recoil and muzzle rise. This plays a role in controllability when firing in semi auto, but is far more noticeable in full auto. Primarily, the StG “fits” better. The higher sights, and longer length of pull, enable the rifle to held more naturally and properly. This greatly aids in sight acquisition and controllability, and makes the rifle much more shootable.

When John and I had our first discussion of these rifles, we both picked the Sturmgewehr as the better of the two. Bringing in outside friends to help with a more in depth examination only confirmed our initial opinions. In order to prevent bias, neither of us had mentioned which we preferred. When asked, all three said, that given the choice, they too would prefer to take the StG into battle. Ray Sr. told me something that makes a pretty good conclusion for this article, “Good thing the Germans didn’t have it in 1939.”

The author wishes to thank Mr. Valery Shilin of Izmash, JSC, whose kind assistance made this article possible.

The AK100 Series Kalashnikov assault rifles is the latest iteration of the most successful such weapon in the world and probably the most successful military rifle in history. This newest generation of Kalashnikov rifles is manufactured by Izmash Joint Stock Company, Izhevsk, Russia, home of the Kalashnikov Design Bureau. There is no AK-100 rifle, per se. The term is derived from a factory code (Number 100) for Izmash from the “bad old days” of the Soviet Union. There are a number of different versions of the latest Kalashnikov assault rifles. The AK100 rifles’ designations run from AK101 through AK105, caliber and barrel length determining the actual designation. The latest version of the AK-74, the AK74M, is also included in the AK100 family. All are different from their predecessors in their execution while retaining the basic elements of the classic Kalashnikov design that make the rifle so reliable under adverse battlefield conditions. Before discussing the latest products of the Kalashnikov Design Bureau, however, it is appropriate to briefly discuss the history of the AK weapons family, setting aside a few misconceptions along the way.

Mikhail Timofeyvich Kalashnikov is commonly thought to have designed the AK47 while recuperating from battle wounds, but this is not true. Kalashnikov was wounded in 1941 and while recuperating, he did dream of Soviet troops armed with thousands of submachine guns attacking the hated Nazis. But the AK47 did not spring from his fertile mind on the spot. Kalashnikov was released from the hospital and sent home to recuperate, but his hand did not heal properly and the young sergeant eventually found himself working in the political office of a railroad depot in Alma-Ata while local medical specialists continued to treat his wounds. It was while working there that Kalashnikov designed his first weapon, a submachine gun chambered for the 7.62x25mm TT-33 cartridge. Kalashnikov’s design was good enough to reach trial production, but it was not adopted by the Soviet military. What the design got Kalashnikov was the attention of very influential people in the Soviet small arms industry, who recognized his innate genius and ensured that he was first properly trained and then put to work to exploit his remarkable talent for small arms design.

Kalashnikov was assigned the task of designing an avtomat, or assault rifle, in 7.62x39mm, a cartridge which had already been adopted by the Soviet military as the M1943. The Soviets had been very impressed by the German Sturmgewehr (MP43/MP44/StG44, et.al.) designs and began working to improve on them and adopt the assault rifle concept to their own military doctrine. There are several myths surrounding the 7.62x39mm cartridge and the AK-47 rifle that fires it, not the least of which is that both were copied from earlier German designs. In fact, the Soviets had begun working on intermediate cartridge designs as early as 1939 and the M1943 cartridge was the result of that research, not the result of modifying an existing German cartridge. The fact that the Soviet cartridge was adopted in 1943 is virtual proof that the 7.62x39mm was not copied from the Germans as there would hardly have been time between the introduction of the German 7.62x33mm for the Soviets to develop a cartridge of their own based on it. Likewise, the AK47, while probably inspired by the Sturmgewehr concept introduced by the Germans, was not simply a copy of German firearms. There is only superficial resemblance between the AK47 and any of the German assault rifle designs of World War II.

Along with the young Kalashnikov, several other Soviet weapons designers, including Simonov, designer of the SKS, and Sudayev, who designed the PPs43 submachine gun, were working on avtomat designs for the Soviet government. This practice is typical of Russia and the Soviet Union. A number of competing designers will be assigned to develop a new weapon, the competing designs evaluated, and one selected. Compared to Simonov and Sudayev, Kalashnikov was a “Johnny come lately,” and Sudayev’s candidate weapon was considered to be the prime candidate for adoption, as he had prototypes under development and test as early as 1944. Tests of Kalashnikov’s rifle did not begin until 1946, but it was so clearly superior to all others in early testing that it immediately got the attention of the highest levels of the Soviet military. There were a few problems in testing, but these were resolved and the rifle was type-classified in 1947. Sudayev did have a part in the final AK design, however. Kalashnikov’s final design that was type – classified as the AK47 used Sudayev’s magazine. Despite the AK47 designation, the rifle did not actually enter into service until 1949.

Three types of AK47 were produced by the Soviet Union. The Type I AK47 with a stamped sheet metal receiver was manufactured for three years. There have been a number of theories as to why production was transitioned to the weapon that has come to be known in the west as the Type II AK47, none of which is fully satisfactory and all of which are beyond the scope of this article. (See Birth of an Assault Rifle in this issue of SAR) For whatever reason, the Type II AK47 with a machined steel receiver went into production in 1951. This type of AK47 was also short-lived and was noted for its machined receiver that began life as a 5.7lb block of solid steel and emerged 120 machining operations later as a 1.41 lb AK47 receiver. The Type II was also noted for its unsatisfactory method of stock attachment and this type of AK47 was supplanted by the Type III rifle in 1954. The Type III is essentially the “definitive” version of the AK47, as it was the most widely distributed and was produced in the largest numbers. Interestingly, the Russians do not distinguish between different AK47 types; this categorization is a product of western small arms analysts. The Type III AK47 remained in production until 1959, when it was replaced by the AKM (Avtomat Kalashnikova Modernizirovanniyi).

The AKM marked the return to a stamped receiver, but one that was far different from the original AK47. The AKM receiver was more complex than the original AK stamped receiver, but it reduced weight and production costs over the machined Type II and Type III versions with no sacrifice in reliability. The AKM was also the first production AK to incorporate a muzzle device to offset muzzle rise on full-automatic fire. This version of the AK remained in production until 1974 and is the “definitive” Kalashnikov rifle, if such a claim can be made. The AKM was produced in greater numbers and by more countries than any rifle in history. It is still in production in some countries, but was replaced in Soviet use in the mid 1970s by the AK74. One version of the AK-100 Series is essentially an updated version of this rifle, as we shall see.

The AK74 is the direct predecessor of the AK-100 Series and the latest AK74 version, the AK74M, is included as a part of the AK100 family. The AK74 was originally developed to reduce recoil and increase accuracy according to authoritative Russian sources, but the rifle was only partially successful in achieving those goals, despite having a very effective muzzle brake/compensator. This ultimately led to the development of an entirely new rifle, the AN94, which will ultimately replace the AK series in Russian service. Meantime, the venerable AK has been upgraded into what is probably its final permutation, making use of modern materials and manufacturing processes along with modifications to enhance the weapon’s operational capabilities. The new rifles were developed in the late 1980s when Izmash was approached by several customers who wanted new rifles in both 5.56x45mm and 7.62x39mm. Another factor was that Russian military orders for the AK74M were significantly declining in the wake of the Cold War’s end. Implementing different calibers was not difficult; tooling costs were minimal and the result was a much wider diversification of the AK product line, enabling Izmash to better meet the needs of its customers.

All versions of the AK74M/AK100-Series rifles have several features in common. All have a folding stock of a new and improved design, hard phosphate coating on exposed metal parts, glass-fiber reinforced furniture and a new bayonet. Magazines are all polymer, regardless of the rifle’s caliber. All retain the proven Kalashnikov operating gas operating system, rotating bolt and select-fire capability. Sights are typical Kalashnikov, round post front and tangent rear, with “U” notch. The sights are graduated to 1,000 meters, hugely optimistic for weapons of this class, which in the hands of average soldiers are capable of an effective range of no more than 300 to 500 meters. All of the new rifles have a standard mount on the left side of the receiver which accepts any one of several optics or night vision devices and all will accept the GP15/GP25/GP30 underbarrel grenade launchers. The stock cannot be folded with the optics in place.

Standard versions of the AK100 series include the AK74M in 5.45x39mm, the AK101 in 5.56x45mm (.223 Remington) and the AK103 in 7.62x39mm. The latter rifle is essentially a modernized and improved AKM. Izmash also manufactures carbine versions of the standard rifles. These not only have a shorter barrel, but also a modified gas system and AKS74U-type compensator/flash suppressor. In 5.56x45mm, the compact AK100 is designated the AK102; it is designated AK104 in 7.62x39mm and AK105 in 5.45x39mm.

As mentioned previously, these rifles probably represent the ultimate development of Kalashnikov’s superb rifle. No matter how good a firearm design, there is only so much that can be done to upgrade it before it no longer meets military requirements. There is little remaining that may be done to further improve the basic Kalashnikov design, which is truly the most successful small arm in military history both in terms of longevity and numbers produced. The latest Russian service rifle, the AN94, is quite different in concept than the AK rifles it will eventually replace and it signals a new direction in Russian small unit infantry tactical doctrine. Despite this, AK rifles remain viable military arms and the AK100 Series can compete with the latest rifles of most manufacturers on an equal footing. In terms of both reliability and accuracy, current versions of the AK are the peer of any other military rifle. Indeed, Izmash claims that their latest Kalashnikov product will equal or surpass the accuracy and mean number of rounds between failure of any competitor, as confirmed by testing at Izmash. Tests are not only for accuracy and simple test firing, however, but also include dust, salt fog, cold and hot climate and drop tests from several aspects. The weapon must function after each test.

The latest iterations of the Kalashnikov are clearly intended for export, where they would be attractive to nations seeking modern but proven rifles in 5.56mm NATO or traditional Russian calibers at very reasonable prices. AK100 rifles can be purchased for only US$230 FOB Izhevsk. Regardless, the AK100 Series carries on the Kalashnikov tradition of robustness, reliability and proven effectiveness at a very reasonable price. How well they sell, though, may well be determined not by the rifles of western manufacturers, but by earlier Kalashnikov rifles of both Russian and foreign production. During the Cold War, AKs of all types and national origin were provided by the millions to many governments and insurgent movements, and a huge number of these rifles remain in service. In sub-Saharan Africa, for instance, a serviceable AKM recently could be purchased for the local equivalent of US$14.00! Although rifles such as this are probably not in the best condition, they can be counted upon to fire when the trigger is pulled and this, coupled with the ridiculously low price, makes them a far better bargain for a poor African or Central American tribesman than anything the west or Izmash currently has to offer. Current sales do not approach a volume any where near that of Cold War days, but are sufficient to keep the lines open, US$6.5 to $8 million per year. Regardless of how well the AK100 Series sells, however, Kalashnikov rifles of some sort will be in the hands of the world’s military and para-military forces for the foreseeable future, whether they are beat-up vintage AKMs or current production AK103s.