“The AK-47 has become the world’s most prolific and effective combat weapon, a device so cheap and simple that it can be bought in many countries for less than the cost of a live chicken,” Larry Kahaner wrote in an interesting op-ed piece in the Washington Post about the development and proliferation of the Russian assault rifle, which is responsible for a quarter million deaths a year. “For all of the billions of dollars Washington has spent on space-age weapons and military technology, the AK still remains the most devastating weapon on the planet, transforming conflicts from Vietnam to Afghanistan to Iraq.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
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43 Comments
Now if only in America I could buy one for less than the cost of a chicken.
That would be something.
They are much more reliable than the M-16. The U.S. Military once again did the usual uneducated thing by not using AK-47s extensively. Lots of soldiers found in Vietnam that the M-16 was an inferior weapon.
A chicken in every pot.An AK for every tot.
Sounds like a real bargain, but have you priced a chicken in Iraq? Especially a live one?
Hank
It’s not the price of the gun that I object to. It’s the price of ammo.
I don’t really want to drop 50 cents everytime I pull the trigger of a .45 or .357 mag.
When I plink, I plink with a venerable .22.
“Weapons are the tools of power. In the hands of the state, they can be the tools of decency or the tools of oppression, depending on the righteousness that state. In the hands of criminals, they are the tools of evil. In the hands of the free and decent citizen, they should be the tools of liberty. Weapons compound man’s power to achieve whatever purpose he may have. They amplify the capabilities of both the good man and the bad, and to exactly the same degree., having no will of their own. Thus, we must regard them as servants, not masters–and good servants of good men. Without them, man is diminished, and his opportunities to fulfill his destiny are lessened. An unarmed man can only flee from evil, and evil is not overcome by fleeing from it.”
Jeff Cooper
The AK is overrated. My SKS is just as good and cost about 250 dollars less.
Wow, that’s poetic, Heckler.
So explain Gandhi and M. L. King.
You NRA nuts really should get past the phallic stage of your Freudian gun worship.
I grew up with guns, I own guns and I enjoy hunting and target shooting.
But I don’t feel my guns “keep me free” or that our society is inherently better because I can own a gun.
A gun is a weak “tool” against a society that lacks morality and decency.
Just look at Iraq.
“But I don’t feel my guns “keep me free” or that our society is inherently better because I can own a gun.”
Do you feel the same way about free speech?
Capn
Apparently you completely mis-understood my entire post. And they are not my words.
An AK47 is used for one purpose only: to kill people, and do it efficiently. It is, and should be, limited to combat situations. I have no desire to own one, as I plan on no combat situations. Besdies, I have my trusty 454.
What’s the “purpose” of a hand-cannon like the 454?
The AK-47 may be more reliable, at the cost of accuracy.
The M16 is a very accurate weapon and when treated well is very reliable.
I love my M16A2 as a T/O weapon and I also love my Bushmaster M4 which I personally own.
Nathan, isn’t that the reason that the AK-47 is so prized? It was my limited experience with the M16 that it was a fine weapon, but in order for it to be reliable, needed a lot of “care and treatment” that, in the heat of battle over many days, the time for which might not always be available. In talking with VN vets who had obtained the AK, the one point each made was that irrespective of the conditions, that thing would fire reliably where an M16 wouldn’t.
Isn’t a 454 an airplane? LOL jk.
Not my subject here.
454 engine?
That is true Vaughn.
The other thing which makes the AK-47 a more used weapon is the ease in which one is made.
They can stamp them or machine them or probably even spot weld the darn thing together.
Ultimately it is a very easy weapon to produce and copy.
However, most are not very accurate and those that are decently made are still only effectively accurate at about 300 meters.
The M16A2 can reach out and touch someone accurately at 500 meters easily and 800 meters area target.
I’ll just take care of my weapon.
If memory serves, both the M16 and the AK are takeoffs on an original German world war 2 weapon. I do not remember the model. The concept was for an assualt rifle.
This is another example of Soviet devotion to utility vs, American attention to technical prowess.
For its utility and mission (close combat) the AK is the superior weapon.
.454 is a caliber of weapon.
As in .454 of an inch in diameter.
JR,
I’ll take the accuracy of my M16 any day of the week over the ability of an AK-47 to fire all gunked up.
Fortunately most of the people behind an AK-47 don’t have any type of marksmanship training plus the inaccuracy of the weapon equals they die while firing their “superior” weapon wildly and getting shot with one shot from the trained soldier with his M16.
Wasn’t the Army looking at some H&K models to replace the M-16A2?
Yeah,
I think they were looking at the XM-8.
They have been looking at a few different 5.56 mm variants.
Well…
Accuracy has its advantages. But these are both automatic weapons. Too. as close assault weapons, marksmanship is not terribly important.
Nathan haven’t you managed to liberate one of these yet? Or do they let you do that anymore?
My grandad had a whole footlocker full of German weapons. Walther, Luger, MP40 and that assault rifle I can’t remember the name of right now. Stuff would be worth a fortune now. He sold the whole mess for a couple hundred bucks.
I served for 10 years in the early 90’s. I “humped the Pig” for most of the time. Volunteered for it. I thought the M-60 was one of the best light crew served weapons in the inventory. Heard a nasty rumor it was being phased out for the M-249. Now the SAW is a fine weapon, but when it comes to area targets, I’d kinda like to see 7.62mm flying down range. A little more punch you know?
There are no more M-60’s that I know of in service.
They have been replaced by the M240 7.62 mm Crew Served Machine Gun.
The SAW is meant to serve as a one man light machine gun, which it does well.
The M240 is a very good weapon. It’s components are simple and the weapon operates well too.
Is there a replacement being considered for the ma deuce (M2) 50 cal?
JR,
Marksmanship is very important, even at close ranges. Accuracy may not be too terribly important, but marksmanship most definately is.
The ECW’s (Enemy Captured Weapons) are destroyed. Few are selected to be De-milled (made non-functional) for display.
I could almost cry at the destruction of some of the weapons I see here.
However, you knows those anti-gun liberals would have a hissy fit if the military were to actually bring them back for civilians to purchase.
Gster,
At this time I don’t know of anything to replace the M2 .50 caliber machine gun.
It’s design is one of those things of genius which lasts through the ages.
It is still the primary heavy machine gun in the military.
Nathan- Thanks, that what I expected. It’s bulletproof and very effective, as long as the head space and timing are set properly.
Well you obviously could not have every soldier bringing home ECW from one of the formerly most armed nations on the planet and selling them on Ebay.
My grandad was a master sergeant in supply. They had regs on what those guys could bring home too. I still have the triplicate form he had to fill out for the Luger. LOL he had connections. He coulda brought home a Tiger tank if he coulda found a big enough box to hide it in!
Last I knew, it was policy to allow each household in Iraq one pistol and one AK 47. I wonder if this is still the case. That would seem very unwise in a nation we are trying to pacify.
JR,
It is indeed the case to allow each household the right to have an AK-47 for defense.
In a nation plagued with violence like Iraq I think it is common sense to allow a man the ability to defend his family and home.
Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition….F**cking hypocrite Christians.
Was that really you Mary?
If it was how does a Christian having a firearm make that Christian a hypocrite?
I don’t see Christians out saying guns are bad and then owning them, so where does the hypocrisy come in to play?
Consider those rhetorical questions, I know you were just taking another shot at Christians like you love to do… justified or not.
JR
FYI from the Wick.
“In July 1944 at a meeting of the various army heads about the Eastern Front, when Hitler asked what they needed, a general blurted out “More of these new rifles!” This caused some confusion, but once Hitler was given a chance to test fire the MP44, he was impressed and gave it the title Sturmgewehr. Seeing the possibility of a propaganda win, the rifle was again renamed as the StG44, to highlight the new class of weapon it represented, literally “storm rifle, model 1944″, thereby introducing the term.”
Nathan,when I was in they were bringing the SAW in. It was like a mini M-60 (VERY uncomfortable to ‘hump’) but it fired 5.56. Are you saying it is now a 7.62? I think the nomenclature was M-249
“Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition….F**cking hypocrite Christians.”
Bigoted idiot.
Ah yes thank you Heckler. That’s interesting. I didn’t know Hitler was that “hands on” with the weaponry.
SolDevVB,
There are two seperate weapon systems employed now.
The M249 SAW and M240.
The M249 SAW is a light machine gun which is not crew served. IT fires 5.56mm rounds.
The M240 is a crew served weapon which fires 7.62mm rounds.
The M240 is the replacement for the M60.
The M249 is simply another automatic weapon for a squad to employ.
Now days the M249 is usually modified with a collapsable butt stock, short barrel, and 100 round soft magazine pouch. All in all with those all added it is smaller than the M16A2.
Throw on some rail system handguards and feed tray cover with rail system. Mount your laser, tac light, and scope and you have one bad little machine gun.
Googled them. Thx
Has anybody done any studies on the lethality of the rifles in question?
One school of thought was that a big bore weapon causes more damage–think 12 gauge shot gun slug. The other schools says that diameter is not as important as velocity–a small bullet does more damage if the velocity is higher because of the shock wave effect. Gun designer Weatherby held to this school.
I don’t know that much about it. What do you all think?
“Happiness is a warm gun…….”
Is it true that it’s fun to kill people?
The way you guys talk about weapons like toys, one would think so.
I heard once that one of underlying issues to PTSD is the guilt that soldiers feel returning from war after having experienced how much fun it is to kill.
Do you think that’s true?
So where did everyone go? Come on back, guys!