February 23

Featured Article

Did you know that today is "Defender of the Fatherland Day" in Russia? It is. (it used to be called "Soviet Army Day" until the Soviet Union tanked) With that in mind, let's talk about one of the most common rifles in the world... Few, if any, would dare argue that the Avtomat Kalashnikova obraztsa 1947 goda, more commonly known in the Western world as the "AK-47," is anything but the most famous and recognizable assault rifle ever designed. It was the brainchild of Soviet sergeant Mikhail Kalashnikov, who began his career as a weapon designer while in a hospital after being wounded during the Battle of Bryansk. Like the Nazi German Sturmgewehr 44, the AK-47 was designed around the thinking that the vast majority of infantry combat would take place at ranges of under 300 yards. It is therefore chambered for the lower-powered, but still impressive, 7.62x39mm Soviet cartridge. Its true fame, however, comes from its legendary reliability. It has been said that it would still fire after being run over by a tank, and that when the end of the world comes, all that will be left are cockroaches and AK-47s. Surprisingly few would disagree. (Read on ... )

[more] What else happened today
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