COMPLETE BOOK OF THE 60 YEARS IN SERVICE. 7 f- TRS BMC py Poa Loe iii liyes CONN SURG POURS eo Lada Riss Rn eon Cr NR oman CNN) =, COUNT (Oo pine SAN eos FIREARMS CS See Se POLL CRS STcd eo et Gyr ca COR UR UNC cme ies ene (omoy Ce) NRCS RU ES moe ca Oe aoa eo CieCS at ee ad 4 MEET MR. KALASHNIKOV ‘Tha inside tory cta Sov Union hero andi ile 12 mes arouno THE WoRLD Acoli! photo essay showing the many variants oti lassie design 20 UGLY BEAUTY ‘The AKA7 may bo ual to some, but to cthes she 15a beaut plece of work. 26 AMMUNITION FOR THE AVTOMAT The al of two caries: 7.62x38mm and 54539 insuding a headstamp guide 34 IMPROVING THE 7.62X39MM Perfomance of this 1989-vintage carvidge can ‘easy be improves 38 CENTURY’S WASR Tralnng dosent have tobe expensive. 58 A CHINESE FACTORY visIT More than 20 years ago the author was one of the est Westemers to vist @ Chinese AK plant 62 IN SOVIET SERVICE ‘A Soviet Alghan War veteran reminisces. 42 sucarian “xrinkov” 8 tue ax in irag “The author debunks th name and gives hs ‘ews on shores tke the Arsenal ne. SL-106U and SLR-107UR, 50 FOREARMS AND RAILS When you realy have to have las of stu. (Overtime, hs professional mitary end pobee fice develops a grudging respect, 14 KREBS CUSTOM Taking the Kalashnikov othe next love80 KALASHNIKOV Q&A (Quosten ime wah two welAnoun AK tains, 84 ZEROING THE AK47 A step-oystop guide o sighting the Soviet textbook nay 88 IRAQI TABUK /Athree-gun competitor tes his hand wth an AK. 96 PARATROOPER’S VIEW ‘Aer beng onthe recoWving end, a U.S, Army vet shares is ought, 102 REPLACING THE AK Te ANON Nikanov is Unique desig, but it too expensive fr Mother Russia? 108 BUILDING YOUR OWN Back othe future, mocharice-wise, 116 CHINA’S LAST AK “The QBZ-S8C 7.62129mm shorty i the end of China's Kalastnikoy tne. 122 MOUNTING A RED DOT SIGHT Toe way i mode rte gto you 128 (CRACKING THE COMBO TOOL ‘Acombination oo came wit your rifle, but do you know how 1 use Il? 132 SAIGA 12 GAUGE \When a puny 20-caliber bute isnt enough, how ‘bout an AK shotgun? Romanian GP WASR-10 Imported by J&G Sales {(wnvw jgsaies.com) Photo by Lynn Pedigo, Ca ar EDITORIAL STAFF JERRY LEE, Eator ‘DAMM, FORTIER esol tor JOSEPH VON BENEDICT, AesoateEaor KIMBERLY JO DOLBEE, Copy Cit JOY MCCANN, Copy Er FICHARO SOLOMON, Serio At Dretr ‘0x BIGLER rt Ossion PRYOR PRACZLMONEHA, Group Creare At Dre aovermisw sacs 'HUTOH LOONEY 8 AS8OC, West Pa 8) 0-000 Fac) 51-9787 DIRECT RESPONSE:NON-ENDEMIC: etary Soy, ator Samra com ae 700 Fax te) ose NATIONAL ENDEMIC SALES MANAGER, din Mean, 540 Haring, Nor geil (4 4205, ena jrmezontio@imardoore con Pa any a27-3610; MOBILE: 640-1009, EAST COAST STRATEGIC ACCOUNT MANAGER, Ptr Gres ee DDETROMT STRATEGIC ACCOUNT MANAGER Don nu: P te 35-2082 Wes COAST STRATEAIC ACCOUNT MANAGER BB Conn, Ps 2) or-288 PATRICK BENTZEL 717) 695-8005 Patek bertanoerusenae con PAT BARTEE, 40) 463-4500 Ensen ne OB WALKER, 309) 670-080, SCOTT FORSYTH, rodicton Manager ISABEL SANCHEZ, Producten Coorsnator fsyaar-2a4e [ANDY GOLDSTEM, Chis Paci OMcar LLY BURKHAROT, Cnc PTV Og Me Teo GRaaow, VP, sata Sls & Mating MICHAEL CAREY, VP, Coie Pat PETER WATT, VP, Corsuner Marana DEB OANELS, VP, Mantes | HOWARD STEVENS, VP, Chia imation Oier DAVE OHLAUG, Drei, Mehande Sales JOMDY CARY. Orc, Eee OF WHITE, ro, ag Si ret [CONME MENDOZA, Sac Orotr, Pedton [CHUCK HOFFUAN, sine Manager 'DAVO ROBBINS, Deca. igi Caner MATT JOHNSON, coun Repose, rratuotsenemeatsoor cor&LEFTHANDED2TL Pee ee Ee se em eer ao er fe risen to the top of the toolbox. The ballistic superiority of the ARIS has made it the clear choice for law cr TS ee een nero PRO RU NAS ee PROVEN themselves to be the go-to rifle. Pee eRe nth een te eee eee RUT ane es eae Seen Sane rae te Rae ee Coen en Enmore Oe eee ec e A ee Oe Ue STAG ARMS“a Cy Co ‘A heroin his own country, his rifle is een eed 4 GUNS=AMMO | Book OF The AK47 gunsandammomag.comKalash nikov A look at the hero of the Soviet Union and his rifle. Text and photos by David M. Fortier hat sets Mikhail Kalashnikov apart from other famous rifle designers? That's a fairly simple question to answer. No other weapons designer in history has breathed life into a rifle that hhas been manufactured even remotely in ‘the quantities of Kalashnikov’s Avtomat. ‘With estimates starting at 50 million, the Kalashnikov assault rifle simply has no peer in units manufactured. ‘The natural question to follow is why hhas this Russian design, scoffed at by many in the West, proven so popular and long lived? To understand the rifle, one must first understand its designer. For if one understands Mikhail Kalashnikov, the mi took to writing poetry. While those who ‘knew him at this time thought he would ‘eventually become a poet, he developed another passion as a young boy. This was investigating mechanical devices, Anything ‘mechanical he could get his hands on he ‘took apart, and if something was broke he tried to fxit. Eventually he ran into some trouble with the local authorities and left his family behind. He traveled to Kazakhstan with a fiend and soon went to work at the Matai iroad station. Within a short time the Young Communist League had taken note of his hard work and enthusiasm. This led to a promotion to the position of technical secretary ofthe political department of the secret of his Avtomat s revealed. To reach the beginning of our story ‘we must travel back in time to the days of the Russian Revolution. On November 10, ‘Born the son ofa peasant, Mikhail Kalashnikov went on to become the most famous weapons designer of our time. Ms rill seen onthe fags ‘of six countries and in some regions of Arica *Kalash” Is a common name for 2 boy. Photo Turkistan-Siberian railway. In the fall of 1938 Kalashnikov was drafted into the Workers and Peasants Red ‘Army (RKKA). At his draft board he stated 1919, in a small rural village of Kurya in the Altai Territory, Mikhail Timofeevich ‘Kalashnikov was born. His parents, Timofel and Alexandra Frolovna Kalashnikov, were peasants and he was born into a very hard life. Of his mother's 19 children (he being the 1th) only eight survived. ‘The world he grew up in was located 1,864 miles east of Moscow ‘on the border of southern Siberia and Mongolia, Winter here is very cold while summer is short, hot and often dry. Life was hard {or the young Kalashnikov, he worked as a horse driver stating at the age of seven doing field work for a neighbor. His labor lasted {rom suntise until 11 p.m. during the height of summer. It was at this early age that he learned the true price of bread. Even so, he grew up the same as most children. He laughed, sang and played. Art times he got in trouble, such as after falling through thin ice while skating or when caught smokingasa young boy. He had his rst teenage crush, a young gil named Zina, and courtesy Soviet Archives. gunsandammomag.com that he was technically minded and knew something of mechanical engineering. In doing so he managed to be assigned as a tank driver in the Kiev special military region. Unfortunately, his company’s Sergeant-Major took a dislike tothe young man, and made his life very hard. However, inthe end Kalashnikov ‘won him over, and it was here in his armored unit that he fist displayed his ability as designer. First he invented a fixture that made firing a TT-39 service pistol more convenient from a tank’s pistol por. Then he went ‘onto design an inertia revolution counter that kept track of how ‘many rounds had been fired from a tank’s gun, along with @ device that logged a tank's running time. It was the latter device that started him on his way as a successful designer. His work caught the attention of no less a person than General of the Army Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov. Impressed by what he saw, Zhukov ordered Kalashnikov GUNSZAMMO | Book OF The AK47 5be sent to Leningrad in June 1941 for the implementation of his invention, However Nazi Germany's invasion put an end to this. With his county suddenly under attack, Kalashnikov left Leningrad and made his way back to his unit, the 24th Tank Regiment. At this tage inthe war he, like most, was confident of a quick victory cover the fascist invaders. He managed to rejoin his unit at a small railroad station near Kharkov. Here he was promoted to the rank of Senior Sergeant and given command of aT-34, Senior Sergeant Kalashnikov first went into action in September of 1941 Fighting at the far reaches of Bryansk, his armored unit became hotly engaged with the 16th Panzer Division, During this IMiled receiver or stomped receiver, long or short barrel, &.45x29mm or 7.62x30mm, a Kalashnikov ‘unmistakable in profile no matter its model or calbe. It was designed tobe extremely reliable, ‘Simple to operate, and easy to manufacture 6 GUNS&AMMO | Book Of The AK47 huge armored en inflicted heavy losses on the Germans. Fate would not smile on his unit long During a counter-attack in early October Kalashnikov watched as his company commander's tank took a direct hit. A second later he was blinded by a bright flash as his own tank was put out of action Knocked unconscious, he awoke much later badly wounded. When his T-34 had been destroyed a piece of its armor had been blown through his left shoulder. Kalashnikov again escaped death when a German unit massacred his convoy of unarmed wounded while they were being evacuated to the rear. Caught behind enemy lines, Kalashnikov and two other survivors walked 15 kilometers before they received medical attention from a civilian doctor. They rested for a few days, then trudged for seven days to reach Soviet lines, he severity of his wounds Kalashnikov spent a long convalescence in Evacuation Hospital 1133 in Yelets. It was while recovering that he became determined to design a sound submachine gun. In the hospital he heard wounded soldiers complain about having to share rifles due to chronic shortages. The men also spoke bitterly about the lack of automatic weapons in general, and of submachine guns in particular Like in so many wars before soldiers were being sent off to fight with little more than the courag Kalashnikov resolved to change this. After ‘numerous discussions with other wounded soldiers he decided that he would design a lightweight and reliable submachine gun that was simple to manufacture. He not only accomplished this, but after being given a six-month sick leave, he returned to the Matai railway depot. Here, with considerable help, he produced a functioning model. While hisfirst design never madeit past the prototype stage, it caught the attention ofthe leading Soviet small arms designer of the time, Anatoliy A. Blagonravov. Realizing Kalashnikov was a novice in the field of weapons design, Blagonravov suggested he receive a proper technical education and continue in ths feld. So Kalashnikov was given the opportunity to study the history of firearms and the intricacies of design. When the Soviets began looking to replace their obsolete submachine guns with a modem 7.62x39mm assault rifle Due to Russian in their hears gunsandammomag.com(Avtoma), Kalashnikov began. His concept for the new weapon ‘was based directly upon his wartime experiences. He wanted it to be not only rellable, lightweight and compact but also simple to build and operate. Leading a design team, and receiving advice from senior colleagues, he had a prototype ready by 1946, This evolved into the famous Avtomat Kalashnikova 1947 as we know it today. Officially adopted on June 18, 1949, the AK-47 soon proved to be an incredibly rugged and reliable automatic weapon. Witha length of approximately 345 inches and a weight of 9.4 pounds, i is a quick: handling weapon. Selective-fire, it utilizes a rotating bolt operated by a long stroke gas piston attached to the bolt carrer. Feed is from detachable double-column 30 round box magazines. These hold a true intermediate cartridge, the 7.62x39mm M43, which is similar in concept to the German 7.92x33mm Kurz. This round gives the rifle adequate penetration and Xalashnikov was a T-94 tank commander atthe beginning ofthe war and saw heavy combat before being seriously wounded when his tank was put out of action in October of 1941. Photo courtesy Soviet Archives. terminal performance at normal infantry engagement ranges, yet allows it to be fairly controllable on full auto. Sights consist of a simple unprotected tangent rear adjustable in 100-meter increments out to 800 meters. The front is a protected post, frontadjustable for Advanced Mounting Solutions Ultra-low, Forward Optic Mounts 4, for M-14, M1A, Mini M1 Carbine & AK Aimpoint, EOTech windage and elevation, Controls consist of a simple selector lever on the right side of the weapon's receiver, and a paddle magazine release. When the selector is placed in its uppermost position the weapon ison Safe, the action is sealed, and. the bolt cannot be withdrawn far enough www.ultimak.com Patented, Combat Proven Rail Mounts, Stock Kits & grips Because Good People Need Better Weapons UItiMAK™ —-~— Enhanced Performance 2216 S. Main, Suite B2 Moscow, Idaho 83843 Phone: 208-883-4734 www.ultimak.com GUNS® AMMO | 00k Of The AK67 7 gunsandammomag.comThe ANAT was chambered for the 7.62139nm MAS cartridge, which bridged the gap between the 7.62x25mm (1) tized in pistols and subguns, and the ful-power 7.621548 (fh). tochamber a round. Inthe center position the weapon is on Fully Automatic, and fires at cyclic rate of approximately 600 rpm. In the lowest position the weapon is ‘on Semi-Automatic. Initially this model ‘was fitted with wooden furniture, and was not provided with a bayonet. When firstadopted the ile was builton a stamped sheet metal receiver, Structural problems led to a machined steel receiver being introduced in 1951. Approved in 1953 this model weighed 8.4 pounds, had ‘butt of smaller dimensions that attached differently and it accepted a bayonet. This is the classical AK47 that most think of, The original AK47 was built on a stamped-stee receiver. However, problems {ed to the introduction of a receiver machined trom a forged bilet, which ‘was used until the AKM was introduced in 1958. Soviet fre-conro parts ‘were also machined from ste! bilets. Unfortunately its receiver, machined from forged billet of steel, was time-consuming and expensive to manufacture. ‘The AK#7 was “modernized” to become the AKM (Avtomat Kalashnikova Modernizirovannyi-Modernized Kalashnikov Assault Rifle) in 1959. The ‘most significant change was the return to an improved stamped-steel receiver. Other changes included the addition of a hammer trip retarder, receiver impact point changed from the right front to the left front, sighting plane extended from £800 to 1000 meters and the furniture was changed to resin-bonded-plywood. The 8 GUNS®AMMO | Book Of The AK47 extensive use of stamped parts reduced the weapon's empty weight to just 7.4 pounds. At this time a multi-purpose knife bayonet replaced the older model bayonet then in service. When the U.S. introduced the 5.56x45mm cartridge in Vietnam, the Soviets were quick to grasp its attributes, Realizing the potential of a small-caliber high velocity round, they developed a low-recoil impulse cartridge of their own, the 5.45:39mm. At this time the Soviets hhad done sufficient research to desire a revolutionary rather than evolutionary step in small arms. During the middle to late 1960s a series of experimental rifles designed by Youriy Alexandrov were produced that eliminated felt recoil via a balanced counter-recoil system. Offering 1 greater hit probability across its entire ‘effective range than the AKM or M16 series ‘was capable of, his AL7 was a great step forward. However, at this time the Soviet Union did not have the finances to switch toan entirely new rifle design, Rather than replacing the AKM with a different design, a new small-caliber ‘version was developed. Chambered for the 5.45x39mm M74 cartridge it was adopted as the AK74 (Avtomat Kalashnikova 1974) in i974, ‘This small-caliber assault rifle differs from the AKM in more than just caliber. ‘The most noticeable feature ofthis model isa prominent, and very effective, muzzle brake. The foresight bracket is different with a lug at its rear for the cleaning gunsandammomag.comrod and a threaded cylinder at its front for the muzzle brake, Another change is the addition of an oval spring washer at the rear of the gas tube and handguard assembly. Plus, the bolt carrier has been lightened, a protrusion added, and the bolt itself is smaller with minute changes. ‘a grooved rubber buttplate is mounted. This model tips the scales at 7.2,pounds, The AK74 combat in Afghanistan and proved to be a capable ‘and aceurate combat rifle the AK74 was updated to become the AK7AM. (Avtomat Kalashnikova 1974 Modernizirovannyi-Modernized 1974 Kalashnikov Assault Rifle). Adopted in 1991, it features a side folding stock and furniture made from a glass-filled polyamide material. Barrel len; approximately 16.37 inches, and weight is 4 pounds. In addition, ara for mounting ‘optics is provided on the left side of the rile's receiver. This is the current service rill of the Federal Russian Army Lastly saw heavy Eventually The genesis of the AKA7 was Nazi Germany's invasion of Soviet Fussia in 1941. Senior ‘Sergeant Kalashnikov frst went into action in ‘September of 1941 near Bryansk Photo courtesy of the Department of Defense. When the Russians shifted to the 5.45x39mm M74 round they quickly found that many of their traditional foreign customers were no longer placing ‘orders, Countries that had used the older 7.62x39mm Ma3 AKMSs in heavy combat were reluctant to switch from the older, well-proven cartridge. Iti aso interesting to note that Kalashnikov himself has a strong disdain for the 5.45x39mm M74 artridge, much preferring the original 7.62x39mm M43. So the Russians, attempt obolstersaggingsales, introduced the AK100 series. AK, ofcourse, stil stands for Avtomat Kalashnikova, while 100 is an ‘ld coded designation of the IZHMASH Armory. Using the AK74M as a base rifles, ‘and carbines in 5.56x45 (AK-101, 102) and 7.62x39 (AK-103, 104) were introduced along with a carbine in 5.45x39 (AK-105) So the nev designation gives both the model and manufacturer. The Kalashnikov series is very much fa product of the designer's times and experiences. It is simple to manufacture requiting only basic machinery, and so produced in huge quantities This allows it to be used to arm large armies in the case of total wat. Not only that, but it's also relatively inexpensive to produ Due tothisitwill not drain a poor ERA) ae ec) lh Tee oe eel ct) Paicountry’s economy. Extremely rugged and reliable, it will continue to funetion in even the harshest of environments. Easy to operate, training even uneducated troops to use the Kalashnikov is not difficult. In the hands of well-trained troops it has proven to be highly effective, While an aging design from a previous generation, the Kalashnikov will soldier on well into the future Lunch with the Legend Exiting the van we headed up the walk towards the summer home of Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov. After traveling thousands of miles my friends and I had finally arrived at the home of the Grand old Man himself. In Russia he is a legend, hero ofthe people known to every school child. I knew the legend; now I was about tomeet the man, The door opened and he met us on his porch. Dressed in Reed pattern ‘camouflage pants and alight shirt, Mikhail Kalashnikov warmly welcomed us to his, summer home. Our hosts introduced us and we followed him inside. The home sits in the midst of an attractive and well kept garden with many flowers and exotic plants. The cottage was floored and walled in nicely finished pine boards. Rustic, it was obviously the home of a man who loved the outdoors. We removed our shoes and he invited us into his living room. There we settled ourselves around him and presented him witha few gifts. Mr. Kalashnikovisaserious knife collector, so we felt a presentation grade Ka-Bar would be appropriate. In Russian tradition, he reached into his ‘hile Simonov's handy 762x38mm SKS carbine was adopted in 1945 it was soon relegated fo ‘ceremonial use by the adoption ofthe AKA. pocket and pulled out a coin which he gave in return, Along with the knife, we gave him letters from American firearms enthusiasts who owned various versions of his rifle and respected his design. As a Life member of the NRA, this made him smile—and he exhorted us to keep the anti-gunners at bay. Then Mark Vorobiev, a veteran of the Soviet Army, emotionally thanked him for designing the rifle that had saved his life during his service in Afghanistan, ‘Kalashnikov is also the father of one of the best GPMG in the wort, the PKM. Not ony iit extremely ‘oil, but it's also sinificanly lighter than our own M24OB. Photo courtesy U.S. Army. 10. GUNS®AMMO | 800k Of The AK47 This greatly moved him, and you could see the tears well up in his eyes as he nodded knowingly. You could tell that it was for a moment such as this that he hhad worked so hard around the clock so ‘many years ago. “My intentions were to build a rile to protect and defend my Motherland. A simple and utterly reliable rifle, which our young soldiers could taust and depend on. Today some people accuse me of making a weapon of war, weapon used by terrorists. That was never my intention. I designed my rifle only to defend my country. Over the next few hours we had a chance to get to know and dine with the man behind the legend. A gifted storyteller, he made us fel right at home ‘with colorful tales from his past. He grew up in exciting times, and talked about his, youth, his days as an aspiring weapons designer, and, of course, his weapons, He expounded on how he felt the Soviet switch from the 7.62x39mm cartridge to the 5.45x39mm was a huge mistake. And he reminisced about time spent with Eugene Stoner, who became a dear friend before he passed away. As we sat discussing firearms and sharing stories, T became impressed by how down-to-earth Mr. Kalashnikov is, Originally 1 had not been sure what to expect, but in the end my expectations didn’t matter: He far exceeded them with his friendly open attitude and fatherly demeanor. When our time together was lover all to0 soon, I came away with the impression that Mikhail Kalashnikov is ‘one of the few legends who actually lives up tohis reputation. G&A Kalashnikov ries armed the Soviet Empire, 8s well as counties around the world, Here @ Romanian soldier is armod witha folding-stock PM Mode 65. Photo courtesy US. Army. gunsandammomag.comtae SMALL PACKAGE. The ultimate concealed-carry op BOC ec Ue ere CUCU eC LL ee rival the .357 magnum and blow away the .38 Special +P. The 85-grain Premium” Personal Defense” offering delivers nearly 100 foot-pounds more energy than a 129-grain .38 Special +P load—now that’s power. And with 20-percentless recoil than a 357 Magnum, the 327 Federal is very manageable and provides for an additional round in the cylinder—six versus five shots for the .38 and .357. It's the result of advanced powder technology and superior engineering and ideal for carry. Now available in several small, lightweight handguns including the Ruger® SP101 r Pee ce ciAROUND > | WORLD LN TE WEES Oe A EEL SOUR UeSTa Rss ian TST Text and Photos by Tim Pack 12 GUNS AMMO | Book Of ThPAPA PA eats Oxon PAE NEN AA PSERIAPLOLE RTA eRePR Peng seas Whehebeceheheents EVEN ERENE ACh neha wae OVEN NSNeNes, PLEIN ON en Kets Rey ON Reet aSe RoR: ean RAS 3 pisa te Romanian AIMS 74 The 546x39mm variant ofthe PM md 65, it thas a vertical grip onthe lower handguar ‘stock. The stock ols tothe right side ofOf the Type 56 after China and the Soviet Union spit. Because ofthis, the stamped-receiver model seen here was reverse-engineered without Tis side-older is chambered in Soviet technical assistance. Two unique features ofthe Type 56 are the 762x39mm and was produced at the Emist Thaelman factory in East fully enclosed front sight, andthe folding bayonet cracitomm. Also note the Germany. With a wire stock, Bakelite grip and upper handguar, it was distinctive Chinese rivet pattern at the front ofthe receiver. It is estimated originally issued to Airborne and mechanized infantry units. that 10 to 15 mition Type 56 rifles have been produced since the 1950s — —__ earboret in 7.62x30n0, this stamped-stee! receiver AKS has 2 side-flaing Phenolic stack set. It is one of the rarest of the ‘Chinese guns in tho US. A semi-auto version ofthe milled ‘receiver 7.62x38mm Type 56, itis the closest copy of ‘the Russian AK-47 Type 3 that China ever made. Type {56 production was setup by the Soviets who supplied ‘machinery and technical assistance. 18 GUNS. AMMO | Book OF The AK47BASSASEZSunderstand way some people think the AK47 isa tacky ‘unsophisticated, ugly, no-good, lousy gun and wouldn't be caught dead with one. That's fine; I respect their opinions. However, consider this: There are probably more AK#7s and its variants extant than any other gun ever made. They seem to work nearly all the time and are inexpensive to make, especially the AKM version with its stamped sheetmetal receiver. They are simple to operate, ‘00. Generally speaking, AKs are accurate enough for social work or hunting, are fun to shoot and require litle maintenance. Ifyou want pretty, T understand. | appreciate a good-looking gun, too, but [also think there is beauty in a device that does exactly what itwas designed to do, rarely breaks ands inexpensive, even ifitis, not as refined or easy to use as some would like Kalashnikov-designed AK47-style guns have probably been built in more countries than any other firearm and have been distributed to belligerents in about every confit since the late 1940s, Just take a look at television reports from overseas and you'l see all sorts of people carrying them. But with the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, several Eastern European countries that had been forced by the Soviet Bear to ‘manufacture AKs for use in furthering the Soviet cause were suddenly able to export AKs for profit. One of those countries is Romania, the ability to fire in fully automatic mode. The .581-inch-diameter barrels on each gun are 16 ‘-inches and while the GP WASR-10 is chrome lined, the U.S.-made barrel on the GP 1975 is not. Most people know that the heart of an accurate firearm is the barrel, but don't expect match-rifle accuracy from these surplus guns; they just aren'tbuiltforit. They are accurate enough, however, for practical purposes, and during testing using iron sights they printed 100-yard groups of three to five inches. Both have a slant-style muzzlebrake that is attached with fine left-hand threads and indexed by a spring-loaded plunger. The brake is fairly effective in reducing muzzle rise and is an aid to bringing the gun back on target after fring a round. Just behind the brake, both guns have a typical AK47-style post sight that is protected by two sturdy wings that are sometimes mistaken for the front post when aiming, throwing the shot far off target. Elevation can be adjusted by screwing the post up or down, while windage is changed by drifting the post left or right with a drift punch and hammer or a sight-moving tool. There are no index marks, so adjustment is by trial and error, a procedure tha often aided by the utterance of Russian swear words. Another less than user-fiendly attribute of AK7s is the diminutive fore-end that exposes the shooter to burned hands if care is not exercised when grasping the gun. The two-piece fore The AK47 may be ugly to some, but to others it’s a beautiful piece of work. J&G Sales in Prescott, Arizona, a major seller of firearms, accessories and ammunition, provided a Romanian GP WASR-10 and a GP 1975, referred to in J&G Sales advertisements as a GP for testing and comparison. The guns are similar, both made with a mixture of Romanian-made and USS, components that are assembled in a manner to comply with US. law Section 922(+) that dictates the number of foreign parts that may be used. Both are semiautomatic civilian versions of the AKM chambered in 32x39mm and are not assault rifles, which are characterized by ‘Opposite: Athough very sila in appearance and identical in function, the GP WASR-10 on the eff bull on a Romanian-made stamped ‘sheetmetal receiver and features wooden furniture, while the GP 1975 ‘has polymer furniture and i assembled on a US-manufactured receiver. gunsandammomag.com end on the GP WASR-10 is rough, linseed-oil-treated wood with two vent cuts to aid in cooling the barrel and gas cylinder, which they surround. The corresponding parts on the GP 1975 are about the same shape but are made of black polymer. On the left side of each gun's lower fore-end cap is a %-inch-wide sling mount, ‘and about halfway between the cap and the front sight is the gas block, the bottom of which is where the bayonet lugislocated. For the collector, the GP WASR-10 comes with an AKM-style bayonet ‘complete with leather frog and a sheath that when combined with the bayonet serves as a wit ‘cuter. For those who want to modernize or jazz-up their Kalashnikov, various makers offer aftermarket fore-ends that sport Picatinny-styleralls to which a number of accessories may be mounted. The blued GP WASR-10's receiver is made in Romania and arrives in the U.S. able to accommodate only 10-round single- GUNS®:AMMO | Book Of The AK47 21‘The GP WASR-10 arrived witha leather sling: 30-round ‘magazine; KM bayonet, sheath and fog; ol ote; fla leaning kt that fits inthe butistock; and canvas magazine ouch. With al the accessories, it's 2 good deal stack magazines. The importer, Century International Arms, widens the magazine well and makes other modifications so that the gun will accept standard 30-round magazines. The Parkerized GP 1975 receiver is made in St. Paul, Minnesota, and has the standard magazine-stabilizing dimples usually seen on AKM receivers, It accepts 30-round magazines. Another difference between the two receivers is a plate or rail riveted to the left side of the GP WASR-10 receiver, to Which @ scope mount can be attached, ‘Accompanying the test guns was such a ‘mount from Promag Industries along with 4x30 NeStar scope. ‘The stamped sheetmetal receiver ‘covers on both guns are identical, but J&G also supplied another receiver cover with {integral Picatinny rail for scope mounting, AKs, because they are not very accurate guns, can benefit greatly from the addition ‘of a scope, especially ifthe shooter's eyes are aging like mine. The rear sight, designed for young eyes, is located atop the front trunion, which mates the receiver to the barrel. It {sa small, 50-inch square notch that is The GP WASR-10 receiver at the boom is ‘manufactured in Romana, and when it arrves {inthe US. it wil accommodate only single- ‘stack 10-round magazines until Century Intemational Arms widons the well fo accept _30-round magazines. The GP 1975 receiver ‘is made in St.Paul, Minnesota and carries ‘mounted on a tangent and can be adjusted for ranges from 100 to 1,000 meters by ‘moving a slide fore and aft to correspond. to one of 10 index marks. The GP WASR: 10 marks are painted white and are much ‘easier to read than the black marks on the GP 1975. Each gun also has batte-sight zero setting that is marked with aP. Reciprocating on stamped sheetmetal rails inside the receiver is the bolt carrier, which is attached to the gas piston. At the ‘bottom of the bolt carrier rides the rotating bolt itself, which has two lugs that mate securely to grooves in the front trunion, The extractors robust, to say the least, and its claw circumscribes about a quarter of the circumference of the bolt face to help assure positive removal of spent brass. As the bolt moves to the rear, it drags that spent brass until the brass encounters the ejector (actually a protrusion on the left rail) and is enthusiastically thrown to the right and slightly forward. Inside the bolt lives the free-floating firing pin, another typically robust AK47 part. Tolerances between all the moving parts are generous, which contributes to reliability but also reduces accuracy. AKs have a large, stamped sheetmetal safety lever on the right side ofthe receiver, In a true military weapon, the lever has three positions—Safe, Full Auto and Semiautomatic—but on civilian versions there are only two positions—down for 22 GUNS AMMO | Book Of The AK47 gunsandammomag.comBh 2 The GP WASA-10 is equipped with a plate ‘riveted to the left sde of the receiver, {to whieh a scope mount canbe attached, GPWASR-10 is of the same rough, linseed: oil-treated wood as the fore-end and has a rear sling mount on the toe and a metal buttplate with a trapdoor to store the field cleaning kit that accompanied the gun. ‘The GP 1975's buttstock, on the other hand, is made by TAPCO of black polymer ‘with a metal buttplate, no trapdoor and a rear sling mount on the left side. Overall length of both guns is 35 4 inches. Disassembly of AKs is easy. After clearing the gun, making darn sure itis unloaded and pointed in a safe direction, it should be cocked. Then the rear of the recoll-spring rod that protrudes from the backofthereceiver covers pressed inward until the cover can be lifted off the gun. ‘Next, the recoil-spring guide is pushed forward so that it clears the grooves in the rear trunion and can be removed. The bolt cartier is then slid all the way to the rear, here it can be lifted off the receiver. To remove the bolt from the carrier, the bolt is rotated until its camming lug clears the camway and the two pieces can be separated, The gas cylinder is detached by pushing the lever on the right side of the front sight mount upward until the cylinder can be lifted free. Assembly isin reverse order. SPECIFICATIONS nian GP WASR Semiautomatic gas operated 7.62%39mm Russian 30+1 rounds, detachable box 16% inches 35% inches 7b. Blued Wood with polymer pistol grip Rear notch adjustable for range, front post adjustable for elevation; scope mount on left side of receiver 3b, 4.02, Call for price 8G Sales, (928) 445-9650, wwrw.igsales.com Century Arms GP19' Semiautomatic, gas operated 7.629mm Russian 30+ rounds, detachable box 16% inches 35% inches 6b, 120 Parkerzed Black polymer Rear notch adjustable for range, front post adjustable for elevation. 3b, 14.02. Call for price J&G Sales, (928) 445-9650, wwvwjasales.com 24 GUNSZAMMO | Book Of The AK47 The bolt carior and bolt on AKs are robust, to say the least. Note the ize ofthe locking lugs and cam lug. The extractor covers about 2 {fourth of the bot’ circumference to help assure positive extraction. 8G Sates aso offers a variety of firearms accessories, including this receiver cover with built-in Pcatinny ral that serves as a scope ‘mount. Also included are two scope rings. The screws at the rear of the receiver cover are designed to prevent it from rocking sideways, when tightened. a bo Oe Inside the receiver are two rails on which the bolt carver rides. The ‘d-shaped protrusion on the left als the elector, which positively tosses spent cases tothe right and slighty forward. Te hammer and trigger mechanism is made by TAPCO. gunsandammomag.comTd Ce een Cad ore ae La as ee eed nt aoe et et etn ‘securely attaching a scope once the three Semiautomatic fire and up for Safe. When in the up position, besides preventing the trigger from being pulled, the lever also prevents the bolt from moving all the way to the rear, AK safeties cannot be operated by right-handers without releasing the pistol grip unless one has fingers long enough to pick up a watermelon with fone hand. Most well-trained operators therefore carry the gun with the safety on and the fring hand grasping the receiver forward of the magazine so that a simple rearward movement of the hand sweeps the safety off as it moves to a firing grip. Special care must be taken so that the ‘rigger is not pulled during the movement; therefore, the gun must always be pointed gunsandammomag.com ina safe direction, ‘The trigger pull on both of the test guns was characterized by a long, smooth takeup and a mushy letoff of three to five pounds, followed by significant overtravel. However, the triggers are not what I would describe as bad. They are easy to get used to because there is no stacking and let-off {s smooth. I've encountered many triggers than were not nearly as good. ‘The only other external control is the ‘magazine release, which is a paddle at the front of he triggerguard, Pushing it forward releases the magazine. This, again, is not ‘very user-friendly, but with alte practice, experienced and well-trained shooters ‘often accomplish a magazine change fairly Pa mt Each gun comes with a cleaning rod that is ‘stowed beneath the bare. The front sights aro ‘identical and consist of a post that i adjustable for windage and elevation and is protected ‘by two stout wings. The slant muzzlebrake {attached wit fie, left-hand threads, and {indexed by a spring-loaded plunger. I's supposed to fit loosely. quickly byusing theloadled magazinetoslap the release and sweep the spent magazine forward out of the gun in one motion. The full magazine is then pushed up into the recelver and rocked firmly ito place. Each {gun was accompanied by one 30-round double-stack AK magazine of unknown origin, and the GP WASR-10 also included ‘a magazine pouch. Additionally, J&G Sales supplied two each of its three grades of magazines for testing. The excellent/like new, good/very good and fait magazines all worked, although some were better- looking than others. The pistol grips on both guns are black polymer with straight front- and ‘backstraps and shallow checkering on the sides, The buttstock on the seven-pound Sighting systoms on both guns are the same, ‘except thatthe ranging marks on the GP WASR- 10,re painted white, which makes them easier to see. Tho P isthe batle-sight zero setting, and the other marks denote ranges in meters {rom 100 to 1,000. GUNSS:AMMO | Book OF The AK47 23The feldstipped AK consists ofthe receiver cover; bot bolt carrier and gas piston, which is semi-permanent attached oI the gas cylinder, recoil Spring and guide; muzaebrake; cleaning rod; magazine; and, ofcourse, the barreVrecever group. it all comes apart and reassembles quite easily It doesn't take much to clean and lubricate the gun, because AKs seem to run with very litte maintenance. Besides wiping down the parts with a Lite oil, the bore can be cleaned with the leaning rod stored beneath each gun's barrel. Incidentally, the GP WASR-10 Iso came with an oller bottle with two compartments, one for solvent and the other for oil, although it was empty. So, how do these guns shoot? Remember, these are military look alikes and are not precision instruments designed for a high degree of accuracy Firing off a bench at 100 yards using iron sights, both guns exhibited accuracy that was within normal standards for a military arm and printed groups in the area of three to four inches with all six loads supplied by J&G Sales. That's ‘There were no complaints about the accuracy ofthe two test guns, and both printed ‘acceptable groups. These are not precision firearms, but they ae plenty accurate for ‘linking or hunting at ranges witin which the 7.62x38nm cartridge is effective. unsandammomag.com plenty accurate for most applications even hunting deer-size game within the range that the 7.62 x 39mm cartridge is effective. After testing for accuracy, I put the guns through a series of tactical drills shooting offhand from a few feet o about 50 yards. Again, these guns handled just as expected; that is, they were typical AKS and f the right techniques were used, they put their bullets where they were aimed. The only malfunction was a failure ofthe bolt to fully seat twice on the GP 1975, but 1 attribute that to the break-in process. No other malfunctions of any kind were experienced—again, just as expected, With the recent increase in demand for these military look-alikes—indeed, almost any semiautomatic military look alike—they have become more difficult to find and prices have increased. At the time of this writing, J4G Sales will quote a price only with a phone call, and Tam sure the company is attempting to replenish its stock, so keep trying if you want an ugly beauty. The AK-style gun is not for everyone, but those who like efficiency in design and execution and put reliability over appearance are likely to find that the AK isa fun gun to shoot and one they ‘would like to own. G&A AMMO TEST RESULTS TABLE | GP WASR-10 i wacin |ave-wioaw | | ANG. chou Golden Tiger FBT 124 225 0 429 Brown Bear HP 123 2241 1" 459 Brown Bear SP 125 2211 7 447 silver Bear HP 123 2237 3 408) Wolf Military Classic uP [124 2,291 18 Wolf Steel Case FM) 12 2379 2 Golden Tiger FMT 1 2317 " 338 ‘Brown Bear HP 123 2.385 7 395 ‘Brown Bear SP 125 233 2 544 silver Bear HP 123 2att 31 as | ‘Wolf Military Classic HP 124 2,351 18 561. | Wolf Stee Case FM) 12 2471 2B 6 | ect 10 et tm te ier 25 conogaph Accuracy wastes ot | satdg fet ug rons, Resi ae ne vrage fee tvee tt rouge t 10 GUNS© AMMO | Book OF The AK47 25adopted by the Soviet Army in 1949, the 7.82x39mm cartridge isthe Coe Standard by which all intermediate cartridges are measured. Feed in 2 variety etna el ted 26 GUNS:AMMO | Book Of The AK47 gunsandammomag.comAT our.this changed over time by studying the hheadstamps of captured ammunition. For these purposes, Ihave provided a unique identification chart ofthe wo prinlpal AK cartridges atthe end of the text. t's hoped that this may assist Coalition troops in identifying ammunition caches, as well as stimulating budding cartridge collectors. But, frst les take a close look at the history of these two cartridges and their respective wound-ballstes potential. M43 Cartridge Attributed to designers Nikolai M. Flizarov and Boris V. Semin, Soviet historians contend that work on the M&3 (Mode! 1948) 7.62x39mm cartridge began in 1939, was temporarily suspended because of the Great Patriotic War and then re-commenced and finalized Jn 1943. Others have stated that it was derived from the German 7.92x33mm Kurz Patrone (short cartridge) developed for the world’s first assault rifle produced in significant quantities, the World War Il MbA3/44 (StG44/45). This later scenario is highly unlikely, 2s the Soviets would have required specimens of 7.9233mm Kurz ammunition at least a year or two prior to their adoption ofthe 7.62x39mm round in 1943, well before the MP43 was fielded on the Osten front (first reported Ammunition torte Avtomat Kalashnikova use was December 1942). ‘Whatever the case, the Soviet M&3 cartridge is a true intermediate assault rile round. The first prototypes featured cases that were 40.29mm in length (thus: 7.62x41mm). The case was trimmed 10 8.6mm, as the original projectile proved ‘unsatisfactory; a new bullet was adopted that required a shorter case. The following countries have ‘manufactured ammunition inthis caliber: Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Bast Germany, Egypt, Finland, France, Hungary, Iraq, Israel, Netherlands, North Korea, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, People's Republic of China,’ Romania, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Syria, United States, USSR, West Germany, and Yugoslavia In addition to Full Metal Jacket (FMI) ball ammunition, it has been produced with hollowpoint, soft-point, tracer, APL (armor-piercing incendiary), and IT {incendiary tracer projectiles. Special-purpose loads have included heavy subsonic ball (for use with sound suppressors), practice blanks, short range loads and drill rounds. Ball ammunition will be encountered in two configurations. Most prevalent is a 123-grain boattall bullet, which usually consists ofa copper-washed steel jacket, lead and antimony sleeve, and a mild steel core (Soviet Type PS). Yugoslava's M67 ball ammunition, as well as that of several other countries, uses a flat-based bullet of approximately the same weight with a copper-alloy jacket and lead core. “Muzzle velocity of both types is between 2,330 and 2,400 fps. In its boattail configuration, the 7.62x39mm FMJ bullet travels point- forward about 10 inches in soft tissue before significant yaw occurs. At that point the bullet will yaw to less than 90 degrees, then come back down to a point-forward position, and finally yaw 180 degrees—ending its ravel in a base -forward position. Bilobbed yaw cycles of this type are commonly observed with pointed, non-deforming bullets. Total Penetration in living tissue is almost 29 inches. Abdominal shots usually exhibit No greater tissue disruption than that produced by a 38 Special pistol bullet since, after 10 inches of travel without yawing, the bullet has generally passed ‘through the abdominal cavity. However, ofcourse, thisround is capable of inflicting such damage at far greater ranges than a hhandgun would. When T was working at the Wound Ballistics Laboratory at the Letterman Army Institute of Research in San Francisco, we tested the lead-cored, ‘A sores of craws made by dies are used to frm a cartridge case. Left: ‘brass pellet ater the frst draw; center: two intermediate stage draws of ‘copper-washed ste! Cuban cases found in the ballast bag of 2 Cuban ‘eighterin an Haan harbor; right: finished 7:62x38mm ball cartridge. Caliber 7.2x29nm cartridge cases are principal of three types, lef to ‘ight, brass, copper-washed stel, and lacquered ste! in varying shades (of grey, 00 or brown lacquer,Color codes on a project's tp are use to ‘identity the type of armunition. Lett right, ‘aller 7.62c38mm East German gallery round with roundnose plastic bul, Egyptian tracer, ‘and armor-percing incendiary rounds. flat-base Yugoslav bullet and found it to be considerably more effective. It ‘commences its yaw cycle after only three tofour inches of penetration. Once again, the yaw cycle is generally bi-lobed. The bullet reaches its maximum penetration (0 23 to 26 inches traveling base-forward, somewhat flattened and retaining almost all of its original weight (two or three small fragments are shed in the area of ‘maximum cavitation). Although the flat-based 7.62x39mm bulletisshorter(0.990-inch) thanthemore ‘common boattail projectile (1.040-inch), ‘twill be expected to cause more damage tothe abdomen, liver, spleen, or pancreas because the bullet passes through these organs at a large yaw angle. If we have neither mushrooming nor fragmentation, ‘yawing is all that remains to maximize tissue disruption and enhance the bullet's performance—provided that we do not sacrifice penetration, The 5.45x39mm Cartridge Development of the 5.45x3%mm cartridge was quite obviously in direct response to the 5.56x45mm NATO M193 '56-grainballround, deployed with arguable success in Vietnam. Research on the ‘concept began in the late 1960s. Engineer Viktor Sabelnikov headed the project. ‘The rimless 5.45x39mm bottlenecked steel case is actually 39.6mm in length. ‘The 53-grain boattal bullet has a gilding: mmetal-clad steel jacket. The un-hardened ‘ke the iraqi Tabuk. flat-tip steel core Is covered by a lead sleeve that does not fll the entire interior ofthe jacket, leaving ahollow cavity inside the nose—the focal point of the imbroglio over wounding potential. Large-caliber steel cores, such as the hhardened penetrator ofthe US .50-caliber AP round, can be screw-turned to a pointed tip without too much trouble. It ‘would be difficult to screw-turn, or even swage, a pointed tip on the 5.45x39mm buller's small steel core. I personally believe it was simply more cost-effective to fabricate a flat-tipped core and leave an air pocket under the jacket’s tip as lke the RPD and RPK (seen here with 75-round drum) and even Designated Marksman files ‘Kalashnikovs chambored forthe 7.62x38nm cartridge were produced by # numberof long as it did not affect the projectle’s aerodynamic qualities. The fact that it might enhance the bullet's wounding potential was, in this instance, merely coincidental. (Some reliable Russian sources plainly state the design ofthe 7N6 projectile was in part to enhance terminal performance.) ‘There is nothing new about this type of construction. During World War I, the British .303-inch Mark VII bullet contained an aluminum (and sometimes fiber, wood, pottery or compressed paper) filler in front of its lead and antimony core, directly under the jackets tip. This Top to bottom: Finnish Valmet Mé2, an AKA7-type with a mill-inished forged receiver; ‘Hungarian AMO-65—an AKM-type wit a stamped sheet-metal receiver and 20-round magazine ‘peculiar to this model; and Yugostavian M&2, a so-called Krnkov-type.was principally an attempt to reduce the bullet's weight. ‘With one peculiar exception, the 5.45x39mm bullet exhibits no more, or Jess, than the usual performance characteristics expected from a non: deforming Full Metal Jacket (FMI) military bullet. There is a rather typical bilobe yaw cycle in soft tissue, with the bullet ending its travel base-forward. Yaw {from the People's Republic of China, has ‘oth a blac plastic bullet and primer. MOOR G CEST ‘commences after only about three inches Of penetration in living tissue. This will increase the tissue disruption, even in many extremity hits on the arms or leg. Inall tests performed on this cartridge by Dr. Martin L. Fackler at the Wound Ballistics Laboratory at the Letterman Army Institute of Research in San Francisco, the angle of this bullet's long auis after It came to rest in the tissue simulant showed a change in direction of between 80 and 90 degrees. Curvature of a boattail FM) bullet's path is not uncommon, but always sporadic and generally no more than 45 degrees. X-rays taken at the Wound Ballistics Lab of recovered 5.45x39mm bullets showed thatthe lead sleeve flowed asymmetrically forward into the jacket tip after rapid deceleration upon striking tissue, to the older 7.62x29mm. Here are afew Kalashnikovs chambered forthe newer round, tp to bottom: Finland produced a wide variety of caliber 7.62x39nm plastic traning blanks in somewhat Stating colors with rater strange “duckbil" and thre-sided chise-poit projectile heads for ‘se withthe VametKalashnikov-ype rife in service with their armed forces. Polish Tanal AKA (known in Poland asthe wzor-88), Russian AK1O5 selective-fire version troe- ‘shot burst mode, and Bulgarian *Krinkoy" (a complete misnomer with 85-inch bare. unbalance the projectile and possibly initiate its right-angle turn, Curious, bbut the results are less than awesome. When the AK74 rifle and its cartridge first surfaced in Afghanistan, rumors were Widely circulated that its muzzle velocity ‘exceeded 4,000 fps, and that it produced massive tissue damage, Obviously, this was not true. The performance approximates that of the M183 round, albeit for somewhat different reasons. ‘The ammunition used in my tests and evaluations of rifles chambered for the 5.45x39mm cartridge was imported by Wolf Performance Ammunition (www. wolfammo.com) and manufactured at Tula Cartridge Works in Russia, Headstamped "5.45X39. WOLF,” the lacquered steel case has a red caseExamining the base ofa cartridge case usualy provides the most valuable source of information ‘concerning its origin. Caller 7.62x29mm cartridges from left fright: Cuban CWS case with “13” code, East German LSC with “04” code, Egyptian BSC with “27” code in Arabic script, and ‘Dutch BSC with “NWN” fr Nederondsche Wapen-En Munitiefabriek. ‘mouth sealant and primer annulus. The flattened ball, single-base nitrocellulose propellant has a charge weight of 20.5 grains, nominal. Although the packaging stated the projectile to be 60 grains, itwas infact 59 grains, nominal It is claimed that this bullet provides the same wound-balistic characteristics as the standard Russian 7N6 military round, but I have not confirmed this. Chronographing this ammunition ‘through a Polish TANTAL rifle produced the following results. Al chronograph tests were conducted with a PACT MKIV timer with chronograph and cyclic rate ‘counter. Velocities were measured at a distance of 10 feet from the muzzle. The ambient temperature at the time of the tests was 79 degres Farenheit. ‘The average velocity froma 16.25-inch barrel was about 3,020 fps. The extreme spread of velocities varied from 57 to 74 fps. The standard variation ranged from 18 to 28 fps, while the MAD (Mean Absolute Deviation) as a percent of the average velocity was about 0.55 percent; Caliber 782x39mm blank cartridges: the two a the far right are training-type, which wil ‘function in a weapon equipped witha BFA (Blank Fring Attachmen); the other rounds were ‘intended for launching rife grenades. that Is excellent, and indicates almost match-grade ammunition. ‘Accuracy has long been an area of criticism with the Kalashnikov series. Very rarely will any AK shoot better than 3 or 4 MOA. Ammunition is usually pat of the problem, as true match-grade ball ammo is rarely available. In addition, the AAK's exceptional reliability is partially a result of manufacturing tolerances designed to maximize reliability under adverse conditions. This, without doubt, alfeets the rfe's accuracy potential However, the question remains: how much accuracy is necessary, or even desired, fora battlefield infantry rifle? In ‘most instances the Kalashnikov is “good enough for government work” with the usual high level of reliability and accuracy intended forthe battlefield, not bullseye paper targets. G&A ‘Dovelopment of the 5.45x36mm cartridge was ‘quite obviousiy in arect response to the U.S. ‘5.56x45mm NATO M193 round deployed in Vietnam. Left: East Germany galery round with ‘white plastic projectile; right: East German caliber 548x38mm ball ammunition.7.62x39mm and 5.45x39mm Cartridge Identification Guide ‘The most important information used to determine the origin of a cartridge is found at the base of the cartridge case. At that location will be found what is, called the headstamp, which is placed there by what is. called a bunter during the series of draws made by dies that form the cartridge case through several distinct stages. The information usually, but not always, found ‘on the headstamp indicates the arsenal of manufacture, the year of manufacture (usually just the last two digits), and the caliber. Ths information is most often embossed into the head of the case, but sometimes, such as on Russian caliber 7.62354R cases, it will be found as raised leters and numerals. There are other characteristics that can help us determine the origin of a cartridge. The nature of the case itself is useful as it can be made of brass, copper- washed steel, brass-washed steel, or lacquered stel ‘The color and type of the primer annulus (the sealer 7.62x39mm Cartridges around the primer) and the ease mouth or projectile sealant, if present, can also indicate the origin. For example, the primer annulus and case mouth sealant from the arsenal in Yugoslavia are a distinctive red- orange used by no other manufacturer. The color tip of a bullet can indicate the type of projectile—such as ball, tracer, armor-piercing incendiary, or incendiary tracer —and sometimes also the origin. Below is a detailed list of this data, as found on hundreds of cartridges in the calibers 7.62x39mm and 5.4539mm. ‘The abbreviations used inthe list are: CWS = copper- washed steel case, BrWS = brass-washed steel case, BRS = brass case, LSC = lacquered steel case, cm = case ‘mouth, OD = olive drab, ann = primer annulus, seal = projectile sealant, proj = projectile, RN = roundnose, HP =hollowpoint, SP = soft point, API = armor-piercing Incendiary, and IT = incendiary trace. HP *7,62x39 Belgium FN with 70,76, 0 77, purple or no ann; BRS ball Brazil ‘CBC or MRP with 7.62x39 purple ann; BRS ball and sometimes a date Bulgaria 10 with dates from 57 to 94 red of no ann; LSC; green tip for tracer various ‘Cuba 13 with dates from 81to 87 red ann and seal, CWS ball Czechoslovakia 7V, ban or aym from 54 to 87 | black primer, grey LSC fluted-case dummies; | various green tip for tracer East Germany 04 or 05 dates from 62 to 88 ‘no ann, purple or red ann OD LSC; green tip various for tracer Egypt mostly 27, but also 03 39; dates red or purple ann; BRS black/red tip for API, various from 59 to 90 green tip for tracer Finland ‘mostly VPT, but also PT, LAPUA, SO, | no ann; BRS; numerous plastic training rounds; | various SAKO or 539 white tip for tracer F: Hungary 21 or 23; dates from 60 to 88 red or no ann; grey LSC blacired tip for API, | various green tip for tracer Iraq (Arabic script) (69) no ann; BRS ball Israel IMI 7.62x39 no ann; BRS ball or E Netherlands NWM 7.62338 59 date black or red ann, BRS ballNorth Korea 93 or Korean script dates from no ann; CWS; green tip for tracer various 74 to 85 ‘Norway No markings colored plastic bodies w/aluminum projectiles | blank Peru FAME 7.62139 green ann; BRS ball Poland 21 or 343 with inverted dates from | no or red ann; OD LSC ball 57 to 82 Portugal 7.62439 FNM with 2-digit date green ann; BRS ball and -1 or -2 People’s Republic of || numerous arsenals: 31, 51, 61, 71, | green or red ann; red proj seal; CWS or green | various China 81, 101, 111, 121, 131, 141, 201, LSC; black tip for API; green tip for tracer; many 301, 311, 321, 341, 351, 391, 501, | dummy training rounds with black 601, 651, 661, 671, 811,921, 946, | plastic bullets 948, 964, 6201, 6202, 6203, 9121, 9141 and 7.62X39_CNIC Romania RPR 22,22, 323, 32, 324, 325 with | red proj seal and red or green ann, grey LSC | various 2-digit year date, or no code with | with green tip for tracer date only South Africa 12 or 13 with 87 or 88 date red or no ann; BRS ball South Korea PMC 7.62X39MM_ red or no ann; BRS ball Sweden NORMA _7.62X39 no ann; BRS ball Syria 39X7.62 or 7.62139 *64 red or purple proj seal/ann; BRS ball *(64 to 80) United States none, L C7 1, MIDWAY 7.62X39, red ann; BRS ball FC 7.62 x 39,R - P 7.62X 39mm 101, bxn 53 1 (reworked 7.62x45mm - T.C.C.), WC C 7.62 X 39, WINCHESTER 7.62 x 39 USSR Tumerous arsenals: 3, 17, 60, 270, | red pro] seal and ann; mostly CWS, some green | various 539, 711, dates from 51 to 93 | LSC; blac/red tip for API, green tip for tracer [sometimes in Cyril West Germany none or 01 71 ‘green ann; BRS ball Yugoslavia nny (Cyrillic with 4-digit date), red-orange ann, occasionally violet ann; various IK with 2-digit date, NK (Cyrillic | green tip for tracer; BRS or grey LSC with 4-git date) 5.45x39mm Cartridges Bulgaria 10 with 2-digit dates in the 80s__| red proj seal and ann; LSC ball East Germany 05 with 2-digit dates in the 80s red proj seal and ann; LSC; green tip for tracer, | various white plastic bullet for gallery round West Germany ‘[Rws 215 no ann; LSC JHP. Romania 323 with 2-digit dates in the 80s | red proj seal and ann; LSC ball USSR. ‘numerous arsenals: 3, 17, 60,270 _| red proj seal and ann; LSC; green tip for tracer | various and 539 with 2digit dates from | and white plastic bullet for gallery round 76 to mid 90s122 GR. FMy omar Poet iri 20 CARTRIDGES bl | Pemba eee < hy i ie < uDGES wr, ke a a ia es Pies pacer conta eaererancersemeet sate oatey Cee ed eed Cee teed ed Creer rsis sometimes hard to look past the most common loading to see a cartridge's full potential The .62x39mmisagood example of this phenomenon. The ubiquitous military loadings of the 7.62x39mm were state-of-the-art in the 1940s but give lackluster performance today. In this article I'l describe three strengths of the cartridge which are largely ignored by its users: good performance in short-barreled rifles(SBR); the use of modem and heavy projectiles which have near ideal terminal performance; and heavy subsonic loads for suppressed use. The popularity of the 7.62x39mm in the United States and the AK#7and SKS-based sporting rifles is based primarily on the historie rock-bottom prices of surplus ammunition. Within the last decade, cases of 7.62x39mm could be had for less than $100; however, today that price has risen by about 250 percent. Although itis popular for simply blasting and plinking, the :2x39mm has ballistic value. The two old military loadings which dominate 7.6x39mm ammunition both use FMI projectiles. The original Soviet M1943 load used a 123-grain FM) boattall bullet with a large mild steel core In the 1960s the Yugoslavs decided to improve upon the Soviet load, and introduced their M67 ball loading. This differed from the Soviet load by being topped with a slightly shorter flat-base lead core FMI. These changes were made to enhance terminal Chinese military ammunition in 7.62x39mm follows the Soviet pattern with a steel core and, like other Chinese ammunition, is banned from importation into the U.S, Standard mil-spec 7.62x39mm ammunition has a muzzle velocity of 2,329 fps with the 123-grain projectile Ballistics experts such as Dr. Gary K. Roberts (LCDR, USNR) have defined what “ideal” terminal effects look like from a quantitative standpoint. As a bullet enters a uniform tissue By Zak Smith The 7.62x38mm cartridge is very mucha child of World War I I's Seen here with some ofits ‘poor, LtoR: 9x1mm, 72x33 Kurz, 7.62x25mm, 7.62x38mm, 762x45mm, 5.86x45mm, 8 45x39. gunsandammomag.com ‘medium it creates a wound channel. This channelis conceptually splitinto several sections. As the bullet enters itcontinues straight and stabilized for some distance. This is called the initial upset depth, or the neck length. In this region, the bullet essentially ‘ereates a hole, more or less the same diameter of the bullet lige. At the end of the neck, the bullet starts to yaw, expand, or fragment and it creates a larger wound channel. This large wound cavity is defined by its length, height, and width. It's here where the most tissue damage occurs, as the bullet fragments split up and cause alot of damage. At the end of this maximum damage cavity, the largest bullet fragment or fragments will continue creating a wound channel until they stop in the medium. This is the total depth of penetration. Overall, the bullet pokes in the medium the “neck length’ distance, then it expands, fragments, and/or yaws to create usually a football-or fan-shaped large internal wound. The largest fragments continue penetrating {0 the maximum penetration depth. Ideally, the inital upset depth is one inch or less; up to three inches is acceptable. The length of the maximum damage cavity should be as long as possible in the first 12 inches of penetration, and the cavity height and width should be as large as possible to ensure maximum damage. Finally, the total depth of the penetration should be ideally between 12 and 18 inches. The wound channel produced by 7.62x3%mm M43 FMJ-BT ‘ammunition is far from ths ideal. According to tests by Martin L Fackler, M.D, its wound channel has an almost 10-inch neck. The bullet yaws and turns around to a backwards orientation causing slightly larger internal wound for another nine to 10 inches, and then continues producinga thin wound channel for up toanother inches. Although the Yugoslav M67 load isslightly beter inthis regard, it still has a neck length of almost seven inches. ‘Compared tothe experts’ ideal wound profile, the 7.62x39mm failsall criteria, Iwelookatthe35-grain M193 and 62-grain M855 loadings of 5.56mm NATO, they have necks of approximately four to five inches, maximum damage cavities four to six inches GUNS= AMMO | Book OF The AKA7 35De ee Cartridge. Note the mid tee! Ce aad es - Jong and maximum penetration of 12 to inches. The 7.62x39mm’s terminal ballistics using standard military ammunition are poor due to low muzzle velocity, the Impact velocity is low, which prevents fragmentation. Thebulletconstructionalso hasno features that aid bullet expansion or fragmentation. In short, standard military Joadings in 7.62x39mm have terminal ballistics similar o small handgun rounds with non-expanding bullets However, the 7.62x39mm have a redeeming quality: it penetrates intermediate barriers—such as thin metal ora chest-rig of loaded magazines—better than 5.56mm NATO. Just as the War On Terror was getting underway, the US. Army Special Operations Command created the Special Purpose Rifle-Variant (SPR- V) program to fill the need for a modular assault rifle capable of shooting 5.56 in addition to 7.62x38mm. This project was eventually cancelled, but Special Forces soldiers had come to realize 7.62x39mm, does eee DEE ee a ee ne es ‘At close range, where the AK is most efectve, accuracy may not be Ne eee Tee een provided increased lethality over 5.56mm, especially when penetrating barriers. The Enhanced Rifle Cartridge (ERC) project followed, which created the 6.8x43mm SPC cartridge; however, that's another story From the drawing board, what can 7.62x39mm_ accomplish? With a case capacity of only 35.5 grains (the actu water capacity ofthe case), it has relatively litle powder capacity versus its bore size For comparison, the .308 Winchester has 56 grains of water capacity, while the 223, Remington has 30.9 grains. Even the .30- 30 Winchester has a 45.0 grain capacity If “overbore” cartridges have more than standard case capacity versus their bore size (such as magnums), the 7.62x39mm could be considered “underbore.” This underbore configuration leads to several intrinsic characteristics. First, ballistics are limited by powder volume This means that not enough moderate or slow powder can fit in the case to produce proper pressure and high velocity. Faster burning powder must be used to produce ore 36. GUNS:AMMO | Book Of The AK47 nille pressures; due to the burn rate, the velocity of medium and heavy projectiles will be limited. Second, lightweight projectiles that can be fired at high velocity will have ballistic coefficient (BC) values too low to retain a velocity advantage over much distance For example, if a lightweight bullet could go 300 fps faster than M43, butts BC ‘was half the Ma3's FM}, the 300 fps muzzle advantage would be lost by arange of even 100 yards. Thus, it's pointless to try to gain a lot of muzzle velocity at the expense of BC with 7.62x39mm. With modern powders, the militarystandard 2,380 fps ay be improved by 100 to 130 fps. Third the 7.62339mm will retain performance as, the barrel length is reduced. With these characteristics in mind, the 7.62x39mm is a good platform for launching medium and heavy .30 caliber Projectiles at a somewhat sedate velocity ‘The standard loading of a 123-grain bullet ‘at2,330 fps represents what [believe ought tobe the lowerend of bullet mass used with the cartridge. In this bullet-weight clas, terminal performance can be improved simply with the use of better bullets Unlike Western 7.62mm or .30 calibe cartridges, the Russian 7.62x39mm uses a non-standard bullet diameter: .310 inch (like the 7.62354R) instead of .308. Thus ‘most Western .30 caliber (08) bullets are not ideal for use in the 7.62x39mm, This is slowly changing as a few bullet makers have come forth with modern bullets specifically forthe 7.62x39mm, ‘The most interesting is the 123-grain Barnes TSX-BT. Bares’ TSX bullets are made from solid copper; they do not have a conventional jacket and core, The ‘TSX bullet has a solid shank, and then 2 hollow-point nose. When the bullet impacts tissue, the hollow point expands to create a wide wound channel while the solid bottom shank stays solid for ‘gunsandammomag.com