The safety (selector) of an AK-47 is designed to be easily hit with the index finger while the middle finger remains on the trigger. Ranging between 2.27 and 3.9kg, the AR-15 is lighter than the 4.3kg AK-47. It has a heavy steel construction with “feed lips” to make it resistant to damage.Īs the AR-15 was designed to be more lightweight and less durable, its magazine is made of pressed/stamped aluminum, and its feed lips are weaker than the AK-47’s as a result. The AK-47’s magazine features a pronounced curve that allows it to smoothly feed ammunition into the chamber.
Gun-control advocates consider the AR-15 an "assault weapon" even though it fires about 45 to 60 rounds per minute, which is significantly lower than fully automatic weapons like the M16, which can fire up to 900 rounds per minute. The AR-15 is a direct impingement or a rotating bolt rifle. The AK-47 is a gas-operated, rotating bolt (Long Stroke Gas Piston) rifle. The AK-47 has a barrel length of 415 mm, while the AR-15 has a standard barrel length of 508 mm. The AK-47 uses 7.62x39mm M45 cartridges, while the AR-15 uses. For example, the A3 tactical carbine is legal for sale and possession in the United States generally, but is illegal for sale in California.Ī golden AK47 seen at Parlor Gallery in Asbury Park. New York, California, Maryland, and Connecticut regulate possession of AR-15 rifles either through restriction of certain features or outright bans of certain manufacturers' models. However, some states have restricted their sale and use. The Soviet Union did not control the manufacture of AK-47s through copyright law or patents, meaning production of the assault rifle spread quickly.īoth the AK-47 and the AR-15 are available in the United States. The popularity of Kalashnikov rifles is at least partly connected to the lack of regulation on their already affordable production. The accuracy of an AK-47 (16" barrel) is 2-5 MOA, while the AR-15 (16" barrel) is around 1-3 MOA, depending on the barrel installed and fore end provisions for barrel float that eliminate deflections caused by the operator's support and/or sling tension.Īccording to the World Bank, there are 500 million firearms in circulation around the world 100 million are in the Kalashnikov family, and 75 million of those are AK-47s. The AK-47 is not as accurate as the AR-15. Iraqi airmen fire AK-47s during a firing drill. Mild, but easily managed in semiautomaticĮasily controllable, even under rapid fire James Sullivan of the Fairchild ArmaLite corporation in 1958.
Prone to failure when exposed to dirt, dust, and mudĭeveloped in the USSR by Mikhail Kalashnikov in the late 1940s.īased on the 7.62 mm AR-10, designed by Eugene Stoner, Robert Fremont, and L. No federal restrictions on semi-auto variant ownership in the US. Most 47's are actually the 1959 AKM.ĪR-15 is a lightweight semi-automatic rifle built with aluminum alloys and synthetic materials.It is air-cooled, gas-operated, magazine-fed and has a rotating-lock bolt. It is a selective fire, gas operated 7.62x39mm assault rifle. Manufacturer Kalashnikov Concern (formerly Izhmash)ĪrmaLite, Colt, Bushmaster, Rock River Arms, Stag Arms, DPMS Panther Arms, Olympic Arms, and othersĪK-47 stands for Kalashnikov automatic rifle model of 1947.
Various, including 20 or 30 round staggered-column magazine and drum magazines with 90 and 100 rounds.ģ00 metres (330 yd) full automatic, 400 metres (440 yd) semi-automatic 50 BMG.Ģ0 or 30-round detachable box magazine, also compatible with 40-round box or 75-round drum magazines from the RPK Gas-operated, rotating bolt (Long Stroke Gas Piston)Īdjustable iron sights, 100–800 metre adjustments, 378 mm (14.9 in) sight radiusġ947 (Originally designed in '44-46, but it gets its name from the new 1947 model)ĪK-47 1948–51, AK-47 1952, AKS-47, RPK, AKM (most ubiquitous variant), AKMS Sport utility rifle (semi-automatic, full-auto available in US to certain federal licensees) Assault rifle (semi-automatic, full-auto available in US to certain federal licensees)