There have been many good rifle designs but it’s hard to argue that any of them have had more history or combat use than the AK-47. This is a rifle that has been in service for close to 75 years at this point, in some variation or another, and it has been used in pretty much every part of the world.
When AK-47 inventor and designer, Mikhail Kalashnikov, set out to create a rifle during World War II that would make the Soviet soldiers as well equipped as the Nazis. The war ended before he could finish his design, but Kalashnikov continued his efforts and finished the rifle in 1947. The AK-47 is officially known as the Avtomat Kalashnikov which translates to Automatic Kalashnikov and the number 47 is simply a nod to the year it was completed in, 1947. When the rifle hit the ranges, Kalashnikov knew he had something special.
So why is the AK-47 the best rifle ever made? Well for starters, it’s an incredibly simply design. From the overall look of the rifle down to the firing mechanism, this is a very simple rifle. This is probably the most important point as it makes the AK-47 incredible easy to use, repair and it’s deadly reliable. This is a rifle that just doesn’t care whether it’s dirty, thrown in sandy, or even gets wet. When you get the sights up, it’ll shoot. On average, an AK-47 rifle can have a service life ranging from 20 to 40 years depending on the origin of where it was manufactured and it’s operating conditions.
Which brings me into the next point, which is that the AK-47 is proven. There are an estimated 120 million AK-47 variants out in the world which makes it the highest produced rifle ever. This is a rifle that has been thrown into combat from Mexico and Columbia, to Bosnia, to Afghanistan, To Vietnam and everywhere in between. Every conflict the AK-47 has been in service for it has shown to be reliable and extremely effective. I don’t think there is another rifle on the market with the service and use history that the AK-47 has. This is important to point out because many other rifles that are considered “better” rifles don’t feature in all parts of the world or are in use by militaries that have budgets to maintain these guns. The Ak-47 on the other hand has literally been the rifle of choice by small factions with very small operating budgets.
If you want simplicity, reliability and performance, there is nothing else that will come close to the AK-47.
Ben