AKM
| AKM | |
|---|---|
The AKM assault rifle
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| Type | Assault rifle |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1959–present |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars | |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Mikhail Kalashnikov |
| Designed | 1957 |
| Manufacturer | Izhmash, Tula Arms Plant, others. |
| Produced | 1959–1977 (Soviet Union) |
| No. built | More than 10,278,300 |
| Variants | See Variants |
| Specifications (Updated information) | |
| Weight | AKM: 3.1 kg (6.83 lb) w/unloaded magazine AKML: 3.80 kg (8.4 lb) AKMS: 3.3 kg (7.3 lb) AKMSN: 3.77 kg (8.3 lb) AKMS: 3.8 kg (8.4 lb) with full magazine 30-rnd magazine: 0.33 kg (0.73 lb) 6H4 bayonet: 0.32 kg (0.71 lb) |
| Length | AKM, AKML: 880 mm (34.6 in) AKMS, AKMSN: 920 mm (36.2 in) stock extended / 655 mm (25.8 in) stock folded |
| Barrel length | 415 mm (16.3 in) |
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| Cartridge | 7.62×39mm M43 |
| Action | Gas operated, rotating bolt |
| Rate of fire | Cyclic rate of fire: 600 rds/min Practical rate of fire: Semi-auto 40 rds/min Full-auto 100 rds/min |
| Muzzle velocity | 715 m/s (2,346 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 350 m (383 yd) |
| Feed system | 10, 20, or 30 round detachable box magazines. Also compatible with 40 round box magazines and 75-round drum magazines from the RPK. |
| Sights | Rear sight notch on sliding tangent, front post 100–1,000 m sight adjustments Sight radius: 378 mm (14.9 in) |
The AKM (Russian: Автомат Калашникова Модернизированный; Avtomat Kalashnikova Modernizirovanniy or "Kalashnikov modernized automatic rifle") is a 7.62mm assault rifle designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is a common modernized variant of the AK-47 rifle developed in the 1940s.
Introduced into service with the Soviet Army in 1959, the AKM is the most ubiquitous variant of the entire AK series of firearms and it has found widespread use with most member states of the former Warsaw Pact and its African and Asian allies as well as being widely exported and produced in many other countries. The production of these Soviet rifles was carried out at both the Tula Arms Plant and Izhmash. It was officially replaced in Soviet frontline service by the AK-74 in the late 1970s, but remains in use worldwide.
The AKM is an assault rifle using the 7.62×39mm Soviet intermediate cartridge. It is gas operated with a rotating bolt. The AKM is capable of selective fire, firing either single shots or automatic at a cyclic rate of 600 rounds/min. Despite being replaced in the late 1970s by the AK-74 the AKM is still in service in some Russian Army reserve and second-line units and several east European countries.
Compared to the AK-47, the AKM features detail improvements and enhancements that optimized the rifle for mass production; some parts and assemblies were conceived using simplified manufacturing methods. Notably, the AK-47's milled steel receiver was replaced by a U-shaped steel stamping. As a result of these modifications, the AKM’s weight was reduced by ≈ 1 kg (2.2 lb), the accuracy during automatic fire was increased and several reliability issues were addressed. The AK-47's chrome-lined barrel was retained, a common feature of Soviet weapons which resists wear and corrosion, particularly under harsh field conditions and near-universal Eastern Bloc use of corrosively primed ammunition.
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