AK-47 Assault Rifle with Fixed Wooden Stock, Russia 1947

Description of the Product

AK-47 (short for Avtomat Kalashnikova 1947) is a successful Soviet assault rifle designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov. This very well known assault rifle is often also nicknamed Kalashnikov or AK. The weapon was introduced in 1947, and in addition to the Red Army, it was used e.g. in many Eastern Bloc countries during the Cold War. Today the AK-47, as an inexpensive and reliable weapon, has become the most common firearm in the world and is still used in several conflict areas. An estimated one hundred million pieces of this weapon and its copies have been made, and the manufacturing still continues.

Compared to other World War II -era automatic rifles, the AK-47 is more compact, more reliable and easier to maintain. The AK-47 uses a relatively light 7.62x39 mm cartridge. The AK-47's moving parts are powered by gunpowder pressure and  in addition to a repeat fire it can fire single shots in a semi-automatic position. The most common magazine holds 20 cartridges and the weapon is effective up to a distance of 350m.

The design of the new weapon began in 1945 and was put into mass production and use by the Soviet armed forces in 1949. By the very end of World War II in 1944, the Germans had developed the world's first assault rifle (Sturmgewehr 44) and Germany's biggest enemy, the Soviet Union, began developing its own counterpart. The Soviet Army organized a competition to develop a light, simple, and reliable weapon for the infantry. The weapon had to operate reliably in frost, mud and in the humid conditions on the front. It should be able to shoot like a machine gun, but be used by a single soldier and have a range beyond the submachine gun. The weapon did not have to shoot far, as in many combat situations that was not needed.

The design premise was the same as in Germany in the development of the StG 44, i.e. to find a suitable compromise between a submachine gun and a rifle that would replace both types of weapons in most situations. The rifles are powerful, carry far, and are accurate, but on modern battlefields you couldn’t shoot a skillfully moving enemy from afar, and even a smaller power would suffice. The submachine guns, on the other hand, were light and had firepower, but their range or impact force were not sufficient beyond close range. One of the advantages of an assault rifle and a submachine gun over rifles is that smaller ammunition can be carried in larger quantities, and repeat fire is controlled more effectively with a smaller recoil compared to heavy rifle bullets. A lighter bullet has a faster take-off speed and a straighter trajectory, and fighters almost never need a weapon where the bullet would carry farther than the distance where the weapon could be aimed.

Most of these new assault rifles were made in the Soviet Union in the 1950s, from where individual pieces also came to Finland. Immediately in the early 1960s, deals were reached with the Soviet Union, and a larger batch of both fixed-stock and folding-stock Kalashnikovs was purchased. The folding ones went to paratroopers, military police and armored units, and the fixed-stock ones to infantry and educational use. In Finland, the AK-47 was named RK-54. When domestic assault rifle production gained momentum, these Soviet assault rifles were transferred to storage. By the end of the 1980s, the AK-47s had been completely replaced by domestic production. The RK-62 currently used by the Finnish Army has been developed on the basis of Kalashnikov, like many other modern assault rifles.

The AK-47 remained the standard weapon of the Soviet army for the 1980s, but of course even today, for example in Chechnya, the Russians still use this assault rifle. As the most common weapon in the world, this assault rifle can still be found almost everywhere on earth and has been used in almost every conflict since the 1950s. Kalasnikovs have been used by officials, soldiers and police, as well as revolutionaries, terrorists, criminals and ordinary civilians, so this replica is well suited for a wide variety of projects and a wide variety of characters in addition to historical collectible value. While in the West the AK-47 has often been seen as a symbol of the enemy, the AK-47 is also a positive symbol of revolution and freedom in several developing countries, especially those where the Soviet Union and China have supported the development of communism by supplying arms. You can for example find the AK-47 on the Mozambique flag.

• This gun is an exact replica of the original. The replica matches the original in size and weight. The mechanisms of the weapon are working. The weapon can be cocked and dry fired like a real one. The magazine is detachable and the gun can be field stripped. Due to the materials used, the mechanisms cannot withstand continuous cocking and firing for long periods.
• Genuine wood and cast metal has been used to make this replica weapon. Zamac differs from steel in many respects, so the structure of the gun does not withstand pressure, it cannot be used to fire bullets, nor can it be converted to a functional weapon by any means.
• Replica guns such as this do not require permits in Finland, nor in many other countries. However, since the gun looks real, it should not be carried in public.
•  A replica gun is perfect for historical re-enactment, on a theater stage, in film productions, for collectors of historical memorabilia, and as decoration.
• Length: 87 cm
• Weight: 4,2 kg
• Manufacturer: Denix, Spain.

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