Re: The joy of actual numbers, was Democracy

On Thu, 31 Oct 2024 21:21:17 +0100, D wrote:
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Wouldn't those countries mostly just buy AK-47:s from russia?

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Probably not. I'll say 'AK style' rifles rather than AK-47.  The AK-47 was
superceded by the AKM in '59. It was still 7.62x39 but was simpler to
manufacture. The receiver is stamped from a flat sheet of steel or maybe
hammered into shape in the home workshop. China's Type 56 and N Korea's
Type 58 and Type 68 follow derive from that as well as a lot of other
countries designs, licensed or unlicensed.
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That was followed by the AK-74 in 1974, strange to say. That's 5.45×39
rather than 7.62x39. That followed the US philosophy in Vietnam. If they
can't hit anything anyway a lighter cartridge means they can carry more
ammo to burn. The typical bullet is 53 grains rather than 123. Again, that
was/is manufactured in a lot of countries.
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Next up is the AK-100 series from '94. I guess AK-94 didn't sound right.
You can get that in either chambering. Next was the AK-200 series, a
little cheaper tham the AK-100 design to build. India bought a raft of
them and the factory in Urrar Pradesh is licensed to build 600000 more.
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And then, the AK-12 from 2012 when they went back to the tried and true
year numbering system. The AK-15 and AK-19 are minor upgrades. I believe
the current Russian menu for exports has AK-100, AK-200, and AK-12s.
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So anybody buying new in the box AK pattern rifles may be buying from
Russia or from many other countries that are manufacturing variants on the
models.  Even Romania is in the game with the WASR-10 semi-auto variant
for the US market.
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