Type 58 assault rifle Type 58 assault rifle The Type 58 is an assault rifle made in North Korea derived from the Soviet AK-47 designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It uses a 7.62×39mm cartridge. It is the longest version of the rifle at 890 mm, while the AK-47 is 870 mm. After the Korean War (1950–1953), North Korea was allied with the Soviet Union and continued to receive military support from them. President Kim Il-sung ordered the fabrication of the Type 58. The gun was used in the Vietnam War, along with the AK-47, AKM and China's Type 56 by Vietcong and North Vietnam Army
AK-47 The selector and safety were combined into a single control-lever/dust-cover on the right side of the rifle. And, the bolt-handle was simply attached to the bolt-carrier. This simplified the design and production of the rifle. The first army trial series began in early 1948. The new rifle proved to be reliable under a wide range of conditions with convenient handling characteristics. In 1949, it was adopted by the Soviet Army as "7.62 mm Kalashnikov assault rifle (AK)". There were many difficulties during the initial phase of production. The first production models had stamped sheet metal receivers with a milled trunnion