Kalashnikov's AK-47 is probably the most famous assault rifle in the modern world, with over 70,000,000 having been made. Now Kalashnikov: Machine Pistols, Assault Rifles and Machine-Guns, 1945 to the Present by John Walter is to be published in the Greenhill Military Manual Series. From the first gun designed by a convalescing Red Army sergeant in 1941, to mass production and use by a vast number of armed forces throughout the world, this is the complete story complemented by detailed specifications, dimensions and performance assessments of the Kalashnikov family of weapons. The first submachine-gun prototype was developed into the legendary AK-47 by 1949, and by the 1950s, when initial teething problems had been overcome, the Kalashnikov achieved runaway success based on simplicity and reliability. Production was on an international level, leading to a wealth of variants and types adapted to local needs. This superbly illustrated directory by a leading firearms expert covers the AK-47 and its international variants, the AKM, AK-74, RPK, PK, PKM and the Dragunov, among others, and details the various designs of bayonets, sights and ammunition in use. John Walter is a respected authority on all aspects of weaponry and is the author of numerous books including The Luger Story, Rifles of the World and the forthcoming The Guns that Won the West. Operating mechanism of the Kalashnikov Back to Greenhill Military Book News No. 90 Table of Contents Back to Greenhill Military Book News List of Issues Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 1999 by Greenhill Books This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com