Facebook: http://facebook.com/XboxAhoy Twitter: http://twitter.com/xboxahoy In this episode we're covering the AK-47. It's an automatic weapon, unlocked at level 38. The AK-47, or Avtomat Kalashnikova, is a weapon that originates from the former Soviet Union. As its designation implies, its design was finalised in the year 1947. It was World War 2 that spurred small arms development in the 1940s, and the introduction of the first assault rifle - the German Sturmgewehr 44 - forged a new niche between rifle and submachine gun. Mikhail Kalashnikov, then a tank driver and mechanic in the Red Army, would come up with the now-infamous AK assault rifle design while recuperating in hospital after being wounded during the Battle of Bryansk. His combat experience led to his rifle design being extremely soldier-focussed: rugged, as lightweight as possible and simple to use and maintain. In 1949, Kalashnikov's Avtomat was officially adopted by the Red Army - its simple design ideal for mass production, an important consideration for any large-scale military force. The design was further improved in the later AKM design - with a stamped receiver rather than a milled one, improved muzzle brake and other small mechanical improvements, what most people regard as an AK-47 is, in fact the AKM design. With approximately 75 million such rifles manufactured, no other rifle is as ubiquitous, nor as recognisable: and the AK is unlikely to disappear anytime soon. Even today, the AK serves as the basis for many modern military rifles - albeit in a derivative form. The AK-74 is a notable iteration, designed to fire a smaller, higher-velocity round, with improved terminal ballistics. The AK-100 series, and the new AK-12, are the most modern variants - making use of modern manufacturing techniques, but with a solid grounding in Kalashnikov's original design. The AK fires the M43 cartridge - first used in the RPD light machine gun, 7.62-by-39 millimet