Three Hundred Words: The World's Most Prolific Rifle

posted on April 4, 2016
kalashnikov_300_words.jpg
By October of 1941, Operation Barbarossa was in full swing. From Latvia to Crimea, the entire western boundary of the Soviet Union was crumbling beneath the feet of 4 million Axis troops. As the Panzers rumbled eastward, the heart of Soviet industrial production collapsed and the soldiers of the Red Army began to increasingly run short of arms and ammunition. Under Stalin’s direction, there was no retreat and no surrender.

In Bryansk, less than 400 kilometers from Moscow, 50,000 Soviet soldiers were taken prisoner in a week, making it over 3 million captured since the invasion began. Only 150 tanks narrowly escaped encirclement during the onslaught. Even worse were the casualty figures: 80,000 dead or wounded. Only 90,000 men were left in service to defend Moscow.

One of the casualties of the Battle of Bryansk, a tank commander, lay convalescing in a hospital bed a few weeks later. As he replayed the sorry events over and over in his mind, he listened to the cries and complaints of his fellow countrymen and he found a common theme: The Germans seemed armed to the teeth while the Soviets were merely fortunate to equip themselves with whatever their comrade dropped when he fell dead. Upon recovery, he dove headlong into creating a selective-fire rifle that would ensure his countrymen would never face this nightmare again.



Since 1947, more than 100 million “Avtomat Kalashnikova” Model 1947s have been produced. The distinctive sound still heard in every corner of the world signifies it as the most widely produced rifle ever made.

When asked about the legacy of his AK-47, Mikhail Kalashnikov responded, “I'm proud of my invention, but I would prefer to have invented a machine that people could use and that would help farmers with their work … for example, a lawn mower.”

USSR Photo

Latest

NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits, Atlanta
NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits, Atlanta

The Rifleman Report: New Developments

Our official coverage of new products for the current year is set for next month, but we included two substantial new developments in this issue that have the potential to make significant ripples in the firearm business even before then.

Arkansas To Begin Mandatory Gun Safety Lessons In Schools

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed into law requiring public and open enrollment public charter schools to provide age-appropriate firearm safety instruction beginning during the 2025-2026 school year.

Adams Arms Set To Relaunch

Alexandria Pro-Fab, a contract machine shop based in Minnesota, announced that it has purchased the assets of Adams Arms, along with all of the company’s intellectual property, and it plans to relaunch the company in the second quarter of 2025.

I Have This Old Gun: Bayard Auto Pistol

The Herstal, Belgium, firm of Anciens Etablissements Pieper was apparently expecting big things when, in 1908, it named its new semi-automatic pocket pistol “Bayard.”

The Armed Citizen® March 31, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

New For 2025: Benelli USA Nova 3 Tactical

This latest update to Benelli’s pump-action shotgun gives users a few upgrades over previous generations, making the new NOVA 3 the most exciting pump-gun yet to come from the Italian maker.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.