Also known as Kalishnikov Modernized Automatic Rifle, MPi-KMS-72
The AKM () is a 7.62×39 mm Soviet assault rifle introduced in 1959 as a lighter, more modern successor to the AK-47.
Key facts
- Weapon.name
- AKM
- Weapon.image
- 300px
- Weapon.caption
- Both sides of the AKM
- Weapon.origin
- Soviet Union
- Weapon.type
- Assault rifle
- Weapon.is_ranged
- yes
- Weapon.service
- 1959–present
- Weapon.used_by
- See Users
- Weapon.wars
- See Conflicts
- Weapon.designer
- Mikhail Kalashnikov
- Weapon.design_date
- 1950s
- Weapon.production_date
- 1959–1977 (Soviet Union) 1959–present (licensed manufacturers)
- Weapon.number
- 10,278,300
- Weapon.variants
- See Variants
- Weapon.cartridge
- 7.62×39mm
- Weapon.action
- Gas-operated, long-stroke piston, closed rotating bolt
- Weapon.feed
- 10-, 20-, or 30-round detachable box magazines. Also compatible with 40-round box magazines and 75-round drum magazines from the RPK
via Wikipedia infobox
~31 min read
Encyclopedic overview
41 sectionsContents
- Design details
- Improvements over AK-47
- Barrel
- Gas block
- Bolt carrier assembly
- Stock
- Recoil/return spring assembly
- Trigger assembly
- Sights
- Ammunition
- Magazines
- Accessories
- Variants
- Foreign variants
- East Germany
- Peru
- Vietnam
- Romania
- Hungary
- China
- North Korea
- South Korea
- Semi-automatic only variant
- Accuracy potential
- Users
- Former users
- Non-state users
- Conflicts
- 1960s
- 1970s
- 1980s
- 1990s
- 2000s
- 2010s
- 2020s
- Gallery
- See also
- References
- Citations
- Cited sources
- External links
The AKM () is a 7.62×39 mm Soviet assault rifle introduced in 1959 as a lighter, more modern successor to the AK-47.
Designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov, it became the most widely produced variant of the Kalashnikov series, serving as the standard service rifle of the Soviet Army and Warsaw Pact states. Featuring a gas‑operated rotating bolt, slanted muzzle compensator, and simplified manufacturing for cost‑effective mass production, the AKM enhanced automatic accuracy and reliability while reducing weight by approximately 1 kg.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “AKM” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.