Washington Post AK History Article

[EBWhite]

Seems pretty informative:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/24/AR2006112400788.html

~ebwhite

[jumbopanda]

Wow I just read the whole thing...a first for me as I always skim through things. Shows where my interests lie eh? Might be because I plan on building one soon. :D

As far as Iraq goes, I think IEDs are probably a bigger threat than small arms fire though...

[M. Sage]

Bah, this article is a bit sensationalized:

It combined the best characteristics of a submachine gun (light weight and durability) and a machine gun (killing power).

Nope, it combined the best of the SMG (rate of fire, low recoil) with the best of a RIFLE (power, accuracy - compared to a SMG, anyway.) The thing the Soviets loved most about subguns was that they didn't have to bother with as much training. You have to learn how to hit things with a rifle, with a SMG, their instructions were "get close; point; pull trigger."

And "Weapon of Mass Destruction?" Please.

The AK is beloved because it's simple to teach someone how to use it as a bullet hose, and mostly because it's cheap.