Is the AK-47 The Ultimate Assault Rifle? | Weapons That Changed The World | War Stories

No weapon is more feared, or more misunderstood, than the Assault Rifle. And no assault rifle has proved more successful, or more lethal, than the Soviet AK-47. Host Wil Willis tracks the history of this revolutionary firearm.
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[@DK-gy7ll]

1. The AK-47 does not weigh 12 pounds. More like 8 pounds. 2. The M-14 was not the first US assault rifle. If fires a full-power cartridge so it is a battle rifle. The M2 Carbine came closer to being the first US assault rifle, although its cartridge was too anemic to be considered an intermediate-power round.

[@DSS-jj2cw]

I was surprised they called the M14 an assault rifle when it is clearly a battle rifle.

[@AmericanGi370]

@@DSS-jj2cw makes you wonder how much these experts know on these videos haha

[@ropshimopshi5709]

True the m14 is a battle rifle not an assault rifle The m14 has the capability to fire automatic but that’s not viable for the 7,62 NATO round it’s too much power

[@stevenspilly]

​@@ropshimopshi5709doesn't the AK fire a 7.62 at full auto?

[@jeff7.629]

​@@stevenspilly M14 fires a 7.62x51mm round. AK47/AKM fires a 7.62x39mm round. Two different rounds.

[@sixsixsix.]

AK more accurate than people say...AR more reliable than people say.

[@trev6783]

I think this was the biggest misconception I had about firearms before I really gained in depth knowledge of weapon platforms. Any platform can be inaccurate or unreliable or vice versa. There are only small factors of the platform itself that lend to its performance and reliability. AK's heavy piston and BCG, lend to increased recoil impulse, whereas the AR's direct impingement and light BCG lend to less recoil impulse. Accuracy is largely based on the quality of the barrel and the ballistics of the ammo used. Either way you could have an AK that shoots sub moa, however most AK's are manufactured to be minute of bad guy. Any weapon platform can be built with quality components and be as accurate and reliable as you want.

[@MarineVeteran99]

I like that. I ask why choose? I tell people buy both, own both, love both, be married to none!

[@AnthonyOMulligan-yv9cg]

More reliable, not as accurate as the FN

[@AnthonyOMulligan-yv9cg]

​@@MarineVeteran99Mmmm too much to carry multiples, travel light.....as.

[@castlerock58]

@@AnthonyOMulligan-yv9cg The FN is a battle rifle. An assault rifle like the AK or AR trade the long distance accuracy of a battle rifle so that they can be useful on full auto. It is still accurate enough for the distances that most combat takes place. It has replaced battle rifles in just about every army.

[@P46345]

A friend of mine that was a U.S. Marine told me on his way over to Viet Nam he checked out an M14 from the armory to do some target practice. The M14's they had had no selector switch, the armorer had to put it on aemi or full auto. He said he asked for full auto and the armorer tried to talk him out this, after one magazine he had it changed back to semi auto. ;-)

[@RyuTheAsian47]

It's weird seeing some of the first firearms media I can remember, and seeing the inaccuracies/misinterpretations/oversimplifications compared to the common knowledge of today

[@rikulappi9664]

The RK-62, RK-92S and RK-95 AK variants from Finland show how accurate a rifle of the AK-47 design you can produce.

[@XtreeM_FaiL]

RK-92S. That's a new one! M92S is the civilian version. RK-92 kind of exist. It was made for FDF trials which later became the RK-95TP.

[@jmjones7897]

Sure. If it's made by Finns

[@nicoshafes]

War Stories on Monday night? Yeah boy! Popcorn is ready.!

[@Apetape375]

How many times does he say "ASSAULT RIFLE". sounds like a politician

[@XtreeM_FaiL]

How many times/often politicians (Murican) say "assault rifle" instead of "assault weapon"? The latter one is political weapon, not a real weapon.

[@Apetape375]

@@XtreeM_FaiL it's a sporting firearm

[@XtreeM_FaiL]

@@Apetape375 Sporting firearm is not a classification. It can be a pistol, rifle or a shotgun. It can be meant to be used for hunting or indoor range only.

[@JHolewka]

It’s a machine gun.

[@tylerblalack6684]

But this is literally an assault rifle...

[@Snuffy03]

I think the AK is the ultimate. If I were stranded on an alien planet THIS would be my weapon of choice. As it is now.

[@robertonavarro7713]

My weapon of choice would be the RIA 1911 A2 hi cap (13) 45 ACP pistol. I am not into rifles.

[@5.45animal]

12 lbs?!?! No, more like 8. Get your facts straight. 😂

[@bmphil3400]

Maybe a milled receiver gun with full mag and bayonet attached.......

[@muddybranch1678]

Soon as it started he said "Russian AK-47" as he fires a Chinese type 56

[@mcmelonmaster]

My milled one is 13 pounds empty.

[@bmphil3400]

@@mcmelonmaster yikes....I was always told to add a pound for milled..... Do you have added rails? Ultimak, optics?

[@mcmelonmaster]

@@bmphil3400 nope. Underfolder yugo with the gas cut-off for grenades. It was born as an RPK. Imported as an AKM.

[@MarineVeteran99]

It's nice to see experts from different countries and backgrounds give input on the weapons.

[@imjustthere9343]

Its sad to see them mistake a Type 56 for an AK47.

[@johnwalsh4857]

true true true, and I bet the AK47(or its derivatives the AKM, AK74 etc.) will still be used even in the 22nd century

[@reddevilparatrooper]

I have very much respect for the AK series rifle because I have faced it during combat first in Panama 1989-90 and Iraq 2006-08 as an infantryman. I would dispute that the AK series is not very accurate by design. A good infantryman with proper marksmanship skills will hit his targets. I was very lucky not to get hit with it but they came close to taking me out a few times at closer ranges under 100 meters. I own 2 of the semi-auto versions of this weapon.

[@castlerock58]

The real test is being able to hit enemy soldiers at the ranges faced in actual battles. The AK can do that firing single shots or full auto.

[@globetrotter7778]

Thank you for publishing these full-length versions. Heavy machine guns up next please!

[@davegravel882]

Google store trigger Weapons that change the world Season 2 ma deuce

[@user-vv1ub8hq6e]

I love the Kalash own several. But the ultimate assault rifle would have been what the Sturmgewehr would have evolved into. But Germany would have had to won before that could happen right. Oh well Mikhail Kalashnikov picked up where the nazis left off

[@davegravel882]

@@user-vv1ub8hq6e well FG-42 is also a good one while not an true AK I OWN a Type 81 lmg that I have turn into a tabuk sniper

[@totensiebush]

@@davegravel882 while the FG42 was an incredible piece of technology, and aside from things like optics mounting keeps up with firearms 80 years newer, I would argue that it isn't a true assault rifle since it fires a full power cartridge. I think it's one of the most versatile firearms ever mass produced, given the ability to function adequately as an LMG, and if it wasn't for Hughes amendment I'd put serious resources into a clone in 7.62N, but the cartridge makes it a battle rifle rather than an assault rifle.

[@davegravel882]

@@totensiebush did you know they also made a FG-42 in 7,92 Kurz was almost adopted but One of the Higher up nazis said no !! On forgotten Weapons channel if you want to know more

[@adamlimbu3258]

The most popular and notorious gun in the world AK-47

[@seNor916x4]

Samuel L. Jackson: “The AK-47, when you absolutely, positively, got to kill everybody in the room, accept no substitutes!!”

[@herrcobblermachen]

Melanie: "He's just repeating the $h!t he overheard"

[@TheWolvesCurse]

*accept

[@jakeh6980]

“Assault rifle, assault rifles, assault rifle”. “Ak47,ak47,ak47”- “Green beret, Navy Seal, military badass”

[@DSS-jj2cw]

When i joined the Army in '84 we were using the M16a1s which did not have a built-in brass deflector. The detachable brass deflector we used then was a piece of mostly plastic which was stuck in the carry handle. (Not really a carry handle). I am left-handed and if the range did not have the brass deflector, I would have brass flying in my face which did not lead to a pleasant shooting experience or a good qualification score.

[@joshuaclay3675]

You would have been issued the M16A2 by ‘84

[@DSS-jj2cw]

@@joshuaclay3675 Oh no. I was still using the A1 when I left the army in '86 and when I joined the Reserves, we weren't issued the A2 until '88. The process does not happen overnight.

[@warmracer2692]

Weight of ak is to control the recoil from fully automatic 🔥

[@bryandale7125]

The M16 does NOT use a "16 inch barrel" but a 20.

[@user-bs2fv4ne8v]

That's not wrong

[@robertlambert4514]

Depends on what make and year. The Corps has all types of barrels in use.

[@OpieOG]

They had all different lengths of barrels. Barrel length is dependent on what they where being used for and what service is carrying it

[@hellbent650]

Demiter's ptsd kicked in. "My name is Victir Reznov!"

[@castlerock58]

The M14 is a battle rifle, not an assault rifle. It fires a full power cartridge. The M16 is an assault rifle that fires and intermediate cartridge.

[@NikiLynn72882]

This gun has a special place in my heart ❤

[@samuelrodriguez5412]

Fun fact. American soldiers in Vietnam favored the AK more then the m16 because function wise the AK was better.

[@georgestem2039]

Not a fact at all

[@akyukon]

​@@georgestem2039 Some myths never die. My favorite is the belief that super glue was designed as a wound closure in Vietnam.

[@samuelrodriguez5412]

@georgestem2039 they where used by South Vietnamese and US forces .

[@MrFelixset]

Only for cross border operation

[@jason200912]

It was because the first m16s weren't reliable and had bad ammo. Also the magazine made a big difference. But only the nva had ak. The vietcong would have junk gun leftovers from ww2

[@humedesmond7774]

AK47 is about one of the oldest assault rifles in existence but definitely still not obsolete compared to today's modern ARs. Key advantages is the extreme ruggedness and durability plus powerful rate of fire allows you to punch though any body armor. The ideal weapon to have in a zombie apocalypse😆

[@alexhoang4272]

For 762x39 rounds, 123 grains out of a 1/10 twist rate 16 1/2” bbl. At 100 yards, I get 3 to 4” groupings. At 200 yards drop rate is about 5 to 6”. Realistically it’s effective range is 200 yards. Anything beyond that it’s spray and pray

[@janfwagner]

The Trigger series is iconic. I had no idea that the AK-47 was 1) descended from the German Sturmgewehr 44 and 2) was thus so devastating. I understand that the M16 was more accurate, but it was not sturdy enough. I say this as a former GI. That is very worrisome when the enemy armed with an AK-47 is firing off so many rounds

[@redfirekla]

AT 4:35 mark that is fake information, the AK weights around 8lbs especially the stamped vers making it on par with the M16. Without the Mag it's actually 7lbs...

[@totensiebush]

I have to say that I have major issues in the first minute: the firearm they call an AK47 is very clearly an AKM, as it has a stamped receiver (and not an early AK47 one)

[@totensiebush]

wait... he claims "similar muzzle velocity to the M4"? that's by no means accurate

[@totensiebush]

also, 9:45 30.06mm... yeah, the garand ain't an autocannon

[@ImYourIchigo]

Ain't it a Chinese Type-56 AK copy?

[@user-uo2yv3pb1t]

Are you kidding back in the day the AK was called the war maker for a reason if I was in a war it's the only gun I would want outside of the M60 the true AK will always be the best for anyone who thinks otherwise you don't know much about the weapon I assure you of that

[@Spacemanpan]

Firearms don't scare me. They haven't scared me since I was 15. I have now owned three AK's. The first was a Maadi AK that was stolen. The second was a type 56 Mak 90 from China that I lost in a pawn shop. The third is a PSA AK 103. There is Nothing to fear.

[@andrewcampbell3314]

The AR-10 is my personal favorite

[@jason200912]

How'd you lose it in a pawn shop

[@mikea.6608]

Im scared of my guns. They steal all my mortgage money. And use it to stockpile ammo 🤦🏾‍♂️

[@sentryogmixmaster]

gotta look sideways at a guy that wanders around pawn shops losing his guns....

[@ronalddunne3413]

@@mikea.6608 HAHAHAHAAAAA!!!!! BTDT!😄

[@TheAdhipraz]

Somehow i'm amazed by the amount of "assault rifle" being said in this show

[@RunaAnderson-hi5kz]

That's so many modern weapons inspired from German tech, especially AK (Avtomat Kalashnikova). AK was inspired from German Sturmgewehr 44 and Sudayev's project of AS-44 (Avtomat Sudayeva 44). And it's better than any weapon has Kalashnikov designed but failed to use by Red Army.

[@richardturk7162]

Will is shooting a Chinese MAK 90.

[@OhioCruffler]

I noticed that.

[@user-vv1ub8hq6e]

And stamped would only be 6-7 lbs. so glad I kept all my pre ban norincos and poly techs. Especially the Bakelite side folder😊

[@keiththom2240]

@@user-vv1ub8hq6eyeah I’ve noticed some inaccuracy in this video. For example the AK vs M14, performance of the AK has a lot more to do with a Soviet zero he doesn’t understand and less to do with poor performance of the iron sights. Also why are we allowing him to modernize the M14 with modern attachments and force multipliers even though the AK is perfectly capable of doing the same, as a matter of fact modernized AKs are much more popular and involved in conflict currently.

[@jason200912]

The best aks ever achieve 1.5 moa at best while the best ar15s achieve 0.5 moA

[@williamlusdoc4986]

this is the kind of show that i won't fall asleep while watching, i like guns but i never tried one since philippines has a strict rule about gun ownership

[@CALILIFE8251]

1:02 imagine he accidentally shoots camera man 😂

[@fredstr70]

It's competition between shooters, not between the weapons. To compare the weapons, they shoud be fired by the same shooters , and there you can say which weapon was better for the mission.

[@rayparker9163]

Love this content

[@solentlifeuk]

One modification many users of AK47 - change the distance between the 'iron sights' - that gave the AK a greater range accuracy. The AK was designed to give the Russian soldier street / house clearance capability instead of the usual long barrel rifle that had been issued for years.

[@stdew07]

This was awesome ❤❤

[@conradhuhn3659]

I was a Paratrooper in a Commando unit in the Canadian Army. The AK-47 is badass, you can put it in a mud puddle for a day, take it out and it will still fire.

[@zpetar]

Someone said M16 is rifle with optional automatic fire. AK47 is assault rifle with optional single fire. Bottom line they are both are equally good at what they are designed for.

[@DJLOG74]

I really like this show! I remember when it played on historia, time flies by!😅

[@JordanTaylor8u]

It’s wild how bad of a shooter the big fella was.

[@anuradhakularathna1384]

34:06 Reacher!🤩

[@mazen044]

its crazy to see how many weapons they had to go through and upgrades just so they can make a weapon that can be as good as the AK-47 and yet they barley got it, the AK-47 is a top tier assault rifle and its my favorite of all time in war games, the design and its impact its just so beautiful and sexy i swear😂😂 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@aaronkelley1425]

Now he just said the M14 weighs 11 lb meaning it's lighter than a 12 lb. AK man, these people don't know what they're talking about. The AK is way lighter than a M14 it weighs way lesser

[@Kriegerdammerung]

32:50 in fact the sight radius of the AK-47 is 2.5 cm greater than the M16's

[@jamessveinsson6006]

Let’s make a drinking game out of every time he says assault rifle I know he’s just saying that to scare the general public who doesn’t know anything about weapons I counted 30 times already and I’m four minutes into this vid!

[@schneiderman1996]

Ak 47 is milled I believe. AKM was stamped steel

[@one-metallica4156]

Very true

[@robertdelacruz2951]

Amusing show.

[@amgozo2007]

M4 is a Cadillac that’s right, but when you arm half a million or one million personnel army, who not all of them well educated, in a harsh environment like snow or desert, you won’t give them all Cadillacs … the AK would be better for them and easier to use , and you still can arm your special units with the M4! So the AK is useful for that purpose !

[@chaoscarnage9581]

It's capable of shooting down helicopters, just a testament of how scary it is.

[@landryabraham642]

Great insights thanks

[@user-ci8le8qt7u]

Dimitri has such a long patience getting his name miss pronounced

[@user-ul3bj3ix9n]

There has never been, or will be, an assault rifle to beat the AK47 when it comes to history, reliability and cost.

[@ahmedshaharyarejaz9886]

AK-47 will be around for a long time in human history.

[@thothheartmaat2833]

the ak47 in breakpoint can have all the upgraded scopes and stuff on it too.. should have went with that..

[@user-zs7eb5uc9r]

오늘날 우리가 보는 대다수의 AK는 47모델이 아니라 정확히는 AKM모델임. 오리지널 AK47은 되려 찾아보기가 힘들지. ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

[@swissgi]

« Safe! Moving !» what kind of strange drill is it?!

[@johnmorganjr769]

It depends on your mission,'philosophy of use', but yes its formidable. 🌴👍

[@aaronkelley1425]

Doesn't matter about the weapon it matters about the operator in the AK in the right hands is better than the m4 and anything else. It's the best rifle

[@brandondavis4306]

What I find funny is the ak 47 was only around for 2 year and the weapon was redesigned and renamed the akm that is the weapon we have known for years.

[@JoaoSoares-rs6ec]

the AK is built not for acurary, but for short burst fire, the M16/M4, FAMAS, G36 ETC, were built for acuracy, big filosophy diference.

[@Jeff-xn1ew]

Assault is a action of a human,,, not a tool without a human behind it.

[@XtreeM_FaiL]

Go on. You obviously want to tell something.

[@user-ux1mu5np3p]

Nerdin' out: (3:47) that's a Chinese stamped type 56 - not an actual AK-47 - confused yet?

[@Clintondmb]

Holy cow, it’s illya from For All Mankind season four.

[@kakodae6298]

Looking good Will! Hoorah!!!😆✊🏿✊🏻✊🏿

[@thothheartmaat2833]

the m1 had an under barrel grenade launcher too..

[@kent3779]

History ❤

[@Conorkinsella]

Can you do a sniper rifle next!?

[@1982asd]

Because the Kalashnikov has a simple structure (although it was developed from the basic idea of ​​the German STG44), it works in all conditions, it is a relatively undemanding weapon, and it has a powerful caliber Compared to this, the M16 or the later M4A1 is a more modern but slightly more complicated solution and it is questionable how well it can withstand extreme conditions Russian weapons are characterized by the fact that they always work in all conditions and are usually cheaper than Western weapons, and even a child can take them apart and put them back together (during the communist period it was mandatory for certain military units to take apart and reassemble the AK47 blindfolded only by touch at the Hungarian Military Forces) Although technically, Russia is generally a bit behind the West in terms of weapons these days, the western arms industry has boomed in the last 30 years

[@farahida5754]

It might be god confused get a bit from a AK-47 any type 56 the weapon that you showed us was a type 56 because the Ironside was round

[@CM-fv2js]

The “ASSAULT RIFLE” 😂🤣

[@oceanhome2023]

It’s true More people have been killed with this gun than any other ! Even Mr Kalishnicov was uncomfortable with this fact saying “I only made this weapon to protect our Motherland !”

[@tomislavpetrina700]

Very.nice good.ak.47

[@UnCuntained]

“Safe!”

[@pontifixmax]

Interesting that Mikhail Kalashnikov was a self-taught weapons designer. So was Gaston Glock.

[@Bertg1982]

I’d say the effective range is more like 200-300 yards lol

[@aaronkelley1425]

It's hilarious they missed several shots with the HK 416. They missed several shots with the m4 but they did not talk about that. They only talked about messing with the AK. Then he showed the HK with the piston dripping identical to the AKA firing the lower caliper round. But he never talked about putting the optic on the AK because the AK will hold a opted also. And he also never talked about the ak-74 which is better than the m4. And he doesn't realize the AK weighs the same weight as an m4 and it's lighter than a m4 with plastic on the 74 and the '74 is more accurate than the m4

[@paul85039]

Well said Sir 👏 👌 and they don't want to talk about the numerous soldiers found dead in the jungle and desert with ammo still in the magazine and the gun JAMMED

[@eyeball2eyeball]

The ak47 is so easy to use even a child can use it, and the do.

[@JayEdelgardVT]

The operating system was based off the M1 Garand. It's a popular fallacy about the STG.

[@pashapasovski5860]

You mean upside down! It's a longstroke mechanism that fires intermediate rounds!

[@JayEdelgardVT]

@@pashapasovski5860 ah yeah. I was trying to remember what Brandon said

[@pashapasovski5860]

@JayEdelgard fact is,people inventing come to similar forms because Form fits function and their are only few ways you can reinvent the wheel

[@butchssurvivorranch360]

THIS IS LIKE THE GUN VERSION OF FORGED IN FIRE ... LOVIN THIS CONTENT Keep it Coming ✌️💀👍THE SURVIVOR RANCH ☠️ ⚔️🇦🇺

[@thunderkatz4219]

Have y’all heard of the fedrov atovmat

[@ropshimopshi5709]

Should have compared the M1 Garand to the SKS

[@travisruble6873]

3:31, that's actually a Chinese type 56. 😂

[@user-xh3lz9xt4l]

And whats does the inventor of the Ak47 do now, distills vodka also knownas AK 47

[@ImYourIchigo]

"The Russian AK-47" *Brandishes a Chinese Type-56 AK copy*

[@AnthonyOMulligan-yv9cg]

Nah, the FN is still the longest hardest hitting auto rifle in the world.

[@johnfeliciano585]

Do you mean FN FAL?

[@ApatheticBlogger]

Starts with a lie that's a type 56 ,only Chinese AKs have factory fixed bayonets , Russian AKs have to be manually fixed as most of you know

[@BastardOfTheNorth]

Can you guys please make a playlist?

[@lethalcitizens]

They started it with bin Ladin and terrorist getting smoked holding Ak’s I feel some biases 😂

[@Mrgunsngear]

🇺🇸

[@Kriegerdammerung]

40:10 and 40:46, the same clip 😅🤣😂

[@imjustthere9343]

Thats a Chinese type 56 not a Russian AK47, and that is not an AK47, those are likely to be AKMS

[@imjustthere9343]

And if you want to know how i know, the gun sight has a ring and only the Chinese have rings on their Ak replicas.

[@one7decimal2eight]

No one gets between me and my AK

[@mikea.6608]

I've got a few AKs. Love them

[@BosaBogans]

I have two of these and it is my favorite out of our collection. ❤

[@lastfirst78]

M14.

[@wacobob56dad]

The AR is a better rifle. The AK a better machine gun.

[@odobrovolskiy87]

4:34 “About 12 pounds” last time I checked AKM-47 is about 8 pounds

[@SuperGreatSphinx]

Bellona The Goddess Of War