German military rifles during the Cold War. Adopted and standardized in 1947, it was designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov and originally produced by Russian manufacturer Izhmash. Compared with most auto-loading rifles of World War II, the AK-47 is compact, of comparable range, moderate power, and capable of selective fire. It was one of the first true assault rifles and remains the most widely used, known as the "Best Automatic Assault Rifle". More AK-type rifles have been produced than of any other assault rifle type. East German AK copies served with the National People's Army throughout its existence. The MPi-K and MPi-KS were derived from
TKB-517 TKB-517 The TKB-517 () is an assault rifle designed by German Aleksandrovich Korobov. This rifle was externally similar to the AK-47, but based on the lever-delayed blowback mechanism invented by John Pedersen and refined by Pál Király. It turned out to be more reliable and accurate, and easier to produce and maintain. Like the AK series, it was also manufactured with folding stocks, longer, heavier barrels with bipods (forming light support weapons) and even a belt-fed variant. Its rejection was because of a greater proficiency with the AK-47 among the Russian military. The TKB-517 is externally similar to the AK-47