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AK47: The Complete Kalashnikov Family Of Assault Rifles


by Duncan Long

List Price: $20.00
Price: $16.00
You Save: $4.00 (20%)
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Sales Rank: 753613
Studio: Paladin Press
Binding: Paperback
Number Of Pages: 192
Publication Date: December 31, 1969
Publisher: Paladin Press


EDITORIAL REVIEWS

Product Description
The Soviet AK47/AKM assault rifle is tough and dependable, and has spawned many spinoffs worldwide. These rifles are now available in the U.S., but solid information on them is scarce. Learn about specs, ammo and more - find out why the AK47 is the world's most widely used gun.


CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 3.0 based on 6 reviews)

Good information with some glaring errors  
Overall, the book provides some very useful information, but at least two glaring errors, both concerning the non-AK Czech rifle known as the vz58, leave questions about Long's research. On page 34 he writes, "These selective fire rifles are chambered for the 7.62x45mm Czech, which is identical to the Soviet M43 round." First, the 7.62x45 Czech is a different round; it is not identical to the Soviet M43, which is 7.62x39. (The earlier vz52 rifle, which was chambered in 7.62x45 Czech, was replaced with the vz52/57 in 7.62x39 as a result of Soviet insistence upon a standard round for all Warsaw Pact nations. This change would have been unnecessary if the two were identical.) In addition, the vz58 -- which replaced the vz52/57 -- was, and is, chambered in the 7.62x39 Soviet round.

Also, he barely mentions some variations of the AK -- such as the Egyptian and Bulgarian models.
October 18, 2006

The Complete Kalashnikov Family Of Assault Rifles  
A tired rehash .
Very few pictures mostly line drawings
Totally out of date.
October 19, 2005

Interesting Story of the Most Influential Rifle in History  
The AK-47 may not have been the very first "assault" rifle created to fill the gap between smaller sirearms and largerer machine guns in the military, but it is certainly the most influential and important rifle in the history of the 20th century. Duncan Long's tale explains the gun's origins, functioning, and its influence on the design and construction of such vaunted modern firearms as the FN-FAL (a weapon used heavily in Europe and by UN forces), the Galil (the Israeli assaut rifle), etc.

Is this book a manual on how to care for your Kalashnikov rifle or a catalog of its varied accessories? No--and it's not meant to be. Instead, it is a thorough and very readable history of the AK-family, from the AK-47's origins as a successor to the not-so-good SKS to its endurance as one of the best weapons ever designed to its successor the AK-74 and beyond.

If you have an interest in this fine firearm, please give Long's book a read--you'll enjoy it.
March 13, 2003


Too BAD  
this is not a book for starters cause it does not has any meaning in it
April 20, 1999

This book is the backbone of any AK47 historian.  
I have always found the AK47 and its spinoffs to be among the most fascinating, absorbing, and attractive firearms in existance. It's the 1911 of long-arms. This book serves as the perfect source of information for those who are in the same position as I am. Long writes in a manner which is extremely readable, and he sticks to the topic without digressing. Even though some of the info contained has been obsoleted by recent gun-control legislation in the U.S. and the further modernization of the AK in the form of the AK100 series, it provides the most complete compilation of the AK family around, from infantry to sniper, including even the smallest technical detail. I highly recommend it.
October 20, 1998


SIMILAR PRODUCTS

AK-47 Assembly, Disassembly Manual 7.62 X 39mm [ILLUSTRATED]
by Skennerton & Riling (Author)

The AK-47 and AK74 Kalashnikov Rifles and Their Variations
by Joe Poyer

The Official Soviet AKM Manual
by James F. Gebhardt

AK-47: The Weapon that Changed the Face of War
by Larry Kahaner

Kalashnikov (Greenhill Military Manuals)
by John Walter

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