AK-47 AK-47 The AK-47, AK, or as it is officially known (), also known as the Kalashnikov, 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. Design work on the AK-47 began in 1945. In 1946, the AK-47 was presented for official military trials, and in 1948, the fixed-stock version was introduced into active service with selected units of the Soviet Army. An early development of the design was the "AKS" (S—"Skladnoy" or "folding"), which was equipped with an underfolding metal shoulder stock. In
AK-102 AK-102 The AK-102 assault rifle is a shortened carbine version of the AK-101 rifle, which in turn was derived from the original AK-47 design and its AK-74 successor. The AK-102, AK-104, and AK-105 are very similar in design, the only difference being the caliber and corresponding magazine type. The AK-102 is an export version chambered to fire 5.56×45mm NATO ammunition. Compared to the AK-101 and AK-103, which are full-size rifles of similar design, the AK-102, 104, and 105 feature shortened barrels that make them a middle ground between a full rifle and the more compact AKS-74U. Whereas the AK-10x rifles