Courtesy of AK47.net
Posted on 11/26/2006 2:55:42 PM PST by HoldFast
By Larry Kahaner Sunday, November 26, 2006; B01
In the grand narrative of World War II, the Battle of Bryansk is a minor conflict, barely deserving of a footnote. But Bryansk has another place in history. It was there that a then-unknown tank commander named Mikhail Kalashnikov decided that his Russian comrades would never again be defeated. In the years following the Great Patriotic War, as Soviet propagandists dubbed it, he was to conceive and fabricate a weapon so simple, and yet so revolutionary, that it would change the way wars were fought and won. It was the AK-47 assault rifle.
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. Depicted on the flag and currency of several countries, waved by guerrillas and rebels everywhere, the AK is responsible for about a quarter-million deaths every year. It is the firearm of choice for at least 50 legitimate standing armies and countless fighting forces from Africa and the Middle East to Central America and Los Angeles. It has become a cultural icon, its signature form -- that banana-shaped magazine -- defining in our consciousness the contours of a deadly weapon.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
That article caused me to wet myself. I am now so frightened.
for later
Actually, my first thought is the gunman is obviously poor and clueless about rifles.
I hate it when the AK, or any other weapon, just goes around firing itself and killing people.
Also, I guess it's time for me to open my usual can of worms by saying the AK is a blatant ripoff of the German MP-44. Someone always disagrees, however.
What??? Larry needs to study history a little bit before making such a stupid statement.
If the Iraqis are allowed one AK-47 per family, why not us in the US also?
Thanks, but I'll take a BUF for my iconic weapon... even has a bathroom, of sorts.
Courtesy of AK47.net
You want Iraqis in the US to have AK-47s?
Drool!
Kalashnikov is reported to have copied the Wehrmacht's original, selective-fire, rifle—the StG 44. (The REAL assault-weapon).
The guy has pretty low standards for marksmanship if he likes the AK.Give me a HK91,FN-FAL,M1A or any number of good accurate rifles-leave that other piece of junk on the rack.
Bang for the Buck, is it an excellent weapon.
I would however take a Russian AK-47 instead of an M-16 in a desert or jungle environment due to its loser tolerances and ability to take a beating and of course a round with more stopping power than the 5.56.
There are however a glut of crappy low tolerance AK clones out there though.
I wouldn't mind picking up one of the AK104s
Ahh,another Christmas present for myself -as soon as I get the money.
Battle of Bryansk ping
A very effective weapon, but given my nearsightedness I'll just stick with my Remington 1100 for a long gun. At a range I can clearly identify my target there isn't much in East Texas it won't knock down.
Too funny, I think.
"But it was heavy, clunky and held only eight rounds in its magazine, and was not an automatic weapon".
Oh, well. It was in the Washington Post after all.
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