AK-47

The AK-47, officially known as the Avtomat Kalashnikova(Russian: Автома́т Кала́шникова,  tr.  Avtomát Kaláshnikova,  lit. Kalashnikov's Automatic Rifle), is a gas-operated, 7.62×39mm assault rifle, developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is the originating firearm of the Kalashnikov rifle (or "AK") family.

In early 1949, the AK-47 was officially accepted by the Soviet Armed Forces and used by the majority of the member states of the Warsaw Pact. Even after almost seven decades, the model and its variants remain the most popular and widely used assault rifles in the world because of its reliability under harsh conditions, low production costs compared to contemporary Western weapons, availability in virtually every geographic region, and ease of use. The AK-47 has been manufactured in many countries and has seen service with armed forces as well as irregular forces and insurgencies worldwide, and was the basis for developing many other types of individual, crew-served and specialized firearms. As of 2004, "Of the estimated 500 million firearms worldwide, approximately 100 million belong to the Kalashnikov family, three-quarters of which are AK-47s".

A 30-round box magazine is standard for the AK-47, but 5-, 10-, 20-, and 40-round box magazines are available, as well as 75- and 100-round drum magazines. The available alternative box magazines cost the same as a standard 30-round magazine, and do not noticeably affect the rifle's weight. The 75-round drum magazine costs $60 and increases the rifle's weight by 4.5 lbs (13 lbs total). The 100-round drum magazine costs $75 and increases the rifle's weight by 5 lbs (13.5 lbs total).

Variants
AKM: A simplified, lighter version of the AK-47, the AKM is the most common variant. It weighs 7 lbs, but is otherwise statistically identical to the AK-47.

Zastava M70: A Serbian copy of the AKM that became the standard issue rifle of the Yugoslav People's Army in 1970. It is statistically identical to the AK-47.