Once operational, it proved something of a departure from the wartime implements fielded by the Soviet Union during World War 2 - weapon systems that were hurriedly shuffled out of factories in less than desirable finishes utilizing cheap construction methods to meet production goals. The AK-47, despite its designation (implying the service year of 1947), was actually not formally accepted into Soviet Army service until 1949. While the AK-47 (and the American M16 for that matter) borrowed much of the successful concepts behind the German wartime StG44, it was mechanically a Russian design. As such, StG44 development by the German Armament Office continued under the guise that it was a submachine gun to cover its true battlefield nature. Interestingly, Adolf Hitler was not keen on its design at the beginning of its development and pressured for more submachine guns to go into production. The AK-47 was a revolutionary design in her own time, owing some of her success to research from the captured German wartime assault rifle - the MP43/MP44/StG44 Sturmgewehr (meaning "Storm Rifle", leading to the use of the phrasing "Assault Rifle") - generally regarded as the "Father of Assault Rifles". Like the original AK-47, the AKM was designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov, the iconic Soviet arms designer. Despite it being formally replaced by the AK-74 assault rifle line of 1974, the AKM - on some areas of the world - still remains a frontline weapons system for many nations the world over, even seeing limited use with Russian forces today. The AKM saw combat actions in a myriad of operations concerning the Vietnam War and other regional conflicts around Southeast Asia to follow as well as finding use in the Iran-Iraq War, the First Chechen War, the Persian Gulf War and Operation Enduring Freedom to name a few hotspots. In a drastic comparison showcasing the vast reach of the original, it is said that over 75 million base AK-47 assault rifles were made in all, making her one of the most successful firearms of all time - though the AKM would not reach these lofty production goals she would forge her own successful legacy in time. As such, the AKM went on to become the most numerous of all the AK-series assault rifle variants - it being produced in some 10.2 million examples from a combined effort from Izhevsk Mechanical Works and the Tula Arsenal. Efforts were made to deliver an end-product that ultimately became a lighter, easier-to-control and cheaper weapon system that could be mass produced in a shorter rate of time while still increasing reliability. The AKM became a successful attempt at essentially reintroducing the AK-47 as an improved form that was made easier to mass produce. The original AK-47 began life in the latter stages of World War 2 and went on to see extensive use throughout the upcoming Cold War years after it began service in 1949.
#Milled steel assault rifles series#
The AKM was designed in the 1950s as a modernized successor to the fabled AK-47 assault rifle series of the late 1940s.
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