Michael hodges in the sixty years since general kalashnikov created the ak47. In writing the rifles history, larry kahaner had to write its designers story, and in many ways, the highly readable ak47. Historically, the germans had engineering as their trade craft, while the russians had gunsmithing as their craft. The original ak47 which was developed in russia by mikhail kalashnikov in the years after the second. Nathan chapman was the first american soldier felled by enemy fire in the war on terrorism, shot down b. Search the history of over 424 billion web pages on the internet.
This is a vintage 2011 dated soft cover military rifle history book entitled the ak47 kalashnikov rifles and was written by gordon l. In your book, you say that the ak47 changed the face of modern warfare as much as the atomic bomb did. Evolution of the kalashnikov weapons edward clinton ezell on. The ak47, officially known as the avtomat kalashnikova russian. Book of the ak47 is designed to educate you about the world of kalashnikovs, past, present and future as well as everything combloc related. Its extended magazine clips only make the rifle that much more of a legacy too. Kalashnikov and the weapon development was sound and accurate.
The complete history of the ar15 rifle small wars journal. Chivers explains how the gun became the weapon of choice. The gun is a nonfiction book written by journalist c. Taught me that if you can use an ak47, then you can use every variant of that weapon. The initials ak represent avtomat kalashnikova, russian for automatic kalashnikov, for its designer, mikhail timofeyevich kalashnikov, who designed the accepted version of the weapon in 1947.
This sort of history can work very well, and it can also lead to an exaggerated view of the significance of the item in question. The ak47 by mcnab, chris, 1970publication date 2001 topics ak47 rifle, ak47 rifle. Chivers traces the origins of modern assault riflesparticularly avtomat kalashnikov 47. Chivers about the ak47 rifle and its variants, and the impact they have had on the world. The new rifle was designed, a version of the m16 called the m16a1.
Feb 08, 2010 the guns of the south 1992 was the first, or anyway the first i encountered, of the new kind of timetravel alternate histories, the kind where a group of people from the future, with their techn. The ak47 and its variants can be seen as a lot of thingsamoral massacre machines, popculture icons, the most plentiful and influential weaponry of the past half century. Warfare history network is your best source for material on the history of armed conflict. Reviewed in the united states on february 8, 2010 after years of seeing fictionalized accounts of the ak47, i was giddy literally like a schoolgirl reading the final harry potter book when i started thumbing through the pages of this masterpiece. It is in good used condition with minimal wear from use, aging, and storage. Preorders now open for my book, chassepot to famas. An akm is essentially a modernized version of the ak47 hence akm. How the ak47 rewrote the rules of modern warfare wired.
History, nomenclature and all aspects of the kalashnikov design are thoroughly covered. The name ak47 is derived from the russian words avtomat kalashnikova, in honor of its automatic firing capabilities and its principal designer, mikhail kalashnikov. After the war in 1946, the ak46 was presented for official military trials. Apr 11, 2008 the start of the book, including the excellent history of mr. Rottman provides a very interesting history of the ak 47. Here youll find beautiful photos, fully detailed maps, and gripping features depicting all aspects of military history. It is also known as a kalashnikov, an ak, or in russian slang, kalash. An early development of the design was the akssskladnoy or folding, which was equipped with an underfolding metal shoulder stock. Mikhail kalashnikovs internationally recognized ak47 is an iconic symbol in gun culture around the globe, one with a universal adapter. This book is a social history of the ak47 rather than a technical history, and hodges chooses to build his history as a series of illustrative stories, linked with historical background. Also, the author was perhaps the first westerner to actually make contact and correspond personally with mikhail timofeyevich kalashnikov himself and the results make this book a. May 09, 2019 preorders now open for my book, chassepot to famas.
Explore through and see which you might want to buy first, or next. Included with the rifle was a comic book, outlining how to clean and take care of the rifle. Military histories typically cover leaders, major wars. Military histories typically cover leaders, major wars, or important battles, seldom. While this book is generally good, the author sometimes makes the mistake of thinking that the ak47 is the most important weapon in the world, and unstoppable.
In 1947 the fixedstock version was introduced into service with select units of the soviet army. The compact automatic rifle that stalins engineers unveiled in 1947 didnt look like much of a gun. Evolution of the kalashnikov weapons 1986, 256 pages. The american revolution was foughtand wonwith guns, and the weapons have become ingrained in u. Ak47 type characterized by ears on the pommel, which go around the barrel of the rifle to aid in mounting. The weapon that changed the face of war will appeal to anyone who has ever watched the history channelor the evening news. Operational history initially used by the red army, the ak47 and its variants were exported widely to other warsaw pact nations during the cold war. Vintage 2011 military rifle history the ak47 kalashnikov. The brainchild of russian inventor mikhail kalashnikov, the ak47 has been around for 60 years, and for good reason. After two chapters which tell the story of kalashnikov and his gun, we get. The 47 denotes the year 1947, when the trials started on the version of the rif. The ak47 was created by the soviets after world war ii and changed the way war is fought. It is officially known as avtomat kalashnikova russian. Most of the text enumerates the various recent conflicts in which ak style rifles have been used.
Ak47, also called kalashnikov model 1947, soviet assault rifle, possibly the most widely used shoulder weapon in the world. Nathan chapman was the first american soldier felled by enemy fire in the war on. Chiverss the gun about the history of the ak47 and its relationship to the m16 the story of how the ak47 became the most important firearm of the twentieth. Springfield armory national historic site gas operated with a shortstroke piston and a rotating bolt, the initial models of the ak47 used. Developmental history of the ak with max popenker forgotten weapons. Oct 12, 2010 the ak47 was created by the soviets after world war ii and changed the way war is fought. The ak47 story is his first release which covers the history of the development of the intermediate rifles themselves which evolves into the history of the 7.
Design work on the ak47 began in the last year of world war ii 1945. The weapon that changed the face of war will appeal to anyone who has ever. The guns of the south is an alternate history novel set during the american civil war by harry turtledove. Snows book, the ultimate shooting skills manual, which is available here. From william the conqueror to the war of the roses to the battle of the bulge, from medieval weapons to incredible modern weapons, to weve assembled an extensive collection of.
Cheap to manufacture, with only eight moving parts, it is a marvel of murderous. Open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Chivers traces the origins of modern assault riflesparticularly avtomat kalashnikov 47, or. The result of a secret design contest, its components were simple, inelegant, workmanlike. On january 4, 2002, a 31 yearold green beret was killed during an ambush in afghanistans paktria province. An early milled ak47 captured in vietnam in 1965 photo.
Developmental history of the ak with max popenker youtube. No filler text where i tell you how long the barrel is, that the stock is plastic and folds, or what you can observe from the photographs. Read this book back during the cold war when i was a spc in the 82nd airborne. Created in the soviet union at the start of the cold war, the automatic kalashnikov rifle, or ak47, as it was first called, was a breakthrough weapon a cheap, simple, and reliable device that. In the early sixties the romanian state arms factories romarm started to build their own version of the russian akm assault rifle. Production of the first ar15s for civilians begins. It has become a mainstay of armies and terrorists alike, and a universal icon of revolutionary upheaval. Trying to complete a list of all books in the ultimate ak library check out our kalashnikov library. The story deals with a group of timetravelling white supremacist members of the afrikaner weerstandsbeweging awb from an imagined 21stcentury south africa, who attempt to supply robert e. This model, dubbed the ak47 type 4 or akm, entered service in 1959 and became the definitive model of the weapon. In this book the bayonets have been classified into four basic knife types as follows. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
Peek inside and youll find indepth articles on firearms, ammunition, optic mounts, accessories, plus the men who make and use them. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1, 2, or 3 months new customers receive 15% off your. The 47 denotes the year 1947, when the trials started on the version of the rifle that was finally approved for adoption by the soviet armed forces soon after. Despite its widespread use by the soviet armed forces, the ak only became known in the west during the hungarian revolution of 1956, when soviet troops sent to quell the uprising carried the new weapon. Many have wondered how the soviet system could design such a cheap and practical weapon while the supposedly more innovative and freethinking west could not. Looks at the history of small arms production in russia, describes the career of kalashnikov, the leading russian weapons designer, and explains why the ak47 is used around the world from inside the book. The story of a gun authored by michael hodges, is an incredible account of one of the worlds best made automatic rifles. The chair is composed of genuine, formally still in service 4 stb ak47 featuring a fixed stock and 2 stb ak47 featuring a socalled folding stock, which utilized as a front chair legs and at the same time as both arm rests. Larry kahaners book is the best history of this weapon that i have seen. History of the ak47 the ak47 is a selectivefire, gasoperated 7. The ak47 is a magically reliable rifle that has killed millions of people in a manner that no other rifle could ever have done. In 1946, the ak47 was presented for official military trials, and in 1948, the fixedstock version was introduced into active service with selected units of the soviet army. It was released in the united states on september 22, 1992.
After, the weapon itself somehow becomes the cause of all things terrible, and while the little stories are quaint, they have little to do with reality. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that. There was a hint, i thought, or wished, of a russified jack. Vietnam a north vietnamese trucker on the ho chi minh trail becomes a propaganda hero. Kalashnikovseries assault rifles weapon, band 8 gordon l.
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