The AK-47 [Hardcover]

Chris McNab (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 26, 2001

Originally conceived as a replacement for the Red Army's submachine guns, the AK-47's simplicity, reliability and cheapness made it one of the most widely distributed and most-manufactured rifles ever. This illustrated history examines the design and development of the AK-47, its internal mechanisms, its use in combat and all variants produced since its introduction in 1947. An authoritative text is complemented by detailed full-color cutaway drawings and appendices, providing detailed specifications and comparisons to contemporary guns. In addition, both color and black-and-white photographs depict the AK-47 in use on battlefields from Eastern Europe to the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

The author: (Location:Wales) is a specialist military and weaponry author and is also the author of Twentieth Century Small Arms. A weapons enthusiast, he was written and edited numerous books detailing the experiences of soldiers on the battlefield and the weapons they used, including German Paratroopers of World War II and The Illustrated History of the Vietnam War. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Zenith Press (November 26, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760310254
• ISBN-13: 978-0760310250
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 8.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #894,797 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Great for filling those small gap spaces in your library., September 11, 2005

By 

Love-my-guns Man "Destitute trucker" (91765 USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The AK-47 (Hardcover)

As a reference to research the communist block nations' weapon of choice, I advice to look at other publications. This needs more picts instead of leaving it to readers to use their imagination on what a particular model of AK must look like if author simply says "...similar in appearance to..." However, the history of how it was developed was well covered.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good for basic reference., August 2, 2004

By 

M. Francis (Southaven, MS) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The AK-47 (Hardcover)

This book does actually cover several different topics concerning the AK-47/AKM, but it doesn't cover any of them too deeply. The colored pictures don't really have a quality beyond "neat" and the book has a more than usual share of spelling/punctuation errors.

If you're looking for just a cursory overview of AK-47/AKM history, application, and modification, this book is more or less satisfactory, but those looking for more depth are going to be wishing this book had more meat to it.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Resource, March 27, 2005

By 

H. Keeter (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The AK-47 (Hardcover)

Dr. McNab's work does a most admirable job of covering the history and evolution of this ubiquitous firearm. The book includes a great deal of technical detail differentiating the variety of weapons that have derived from Kalashnikov's early designs. The photo illustrations do an effective job of documenting the extent to which the AK47 and its derivatives have been adopted by fighting forces across the globe. Finally, the accessible style and readability of this work must rank it among the more valuable and useful references in any library.