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Which Is The Right Choice?AR-15 vs. AK-47

By Randy Tucker |

AK-47 vs. AR-15

The AR-15 and the AK-47 were first introduced as fully automatic combat assault rifles. The AR-15 is better known in its fully automatic version, the M-16, while the AK-47 hasn’t changed much since Mikhail Kalashnikov introduced it in 1947. The AK-47 remains the most popular assault rifle on earth, even adorning the flag in some nations.

The AK-47 proved to be a formidable weapon for North Korean and Chinese troops fighting UN forces armed with the M-1. A decade after the Korean Conflict, the United State Army and Marine Corp replaced the fully automatic modification of the venerable M-1 (the M-14) with the M-16.

Both rifles were designed for similar purposes, but they have vast differences in performance, complexity, accuracy, and firepower.

The AK-47 remains a combat, assault rifle, with only a minor niche usage in a semi-automatic version offered on the civilian market. The AR-15 has a much wider appeal as a personal defense weapon, a target rifle and a hunting rifle. The AR-15 is much more accurate, and lends itself well to hunting and target shooting. The AR-15 is now available in both 5.56 mm (.223 caliber) and a more powerful 7.62mm (.308 caliber) cartridge.

Major Differences Between the AR-15 and the AK-47

Attribute AR-15 AK-47
Ammunition 5.56x45mm (originally) 7.62x39mm
Effective Range 600+ yards 300 yards
Bullet size (grains) 55 122
Operating system Gas impingement system Long-stroke piston
Energy at 200 yards 764 foot pounds 2084 foot pounds
Velocity at 200 yards 2405 feet per second 2502 feet per second
Modularity More modular Less modular
Accuracy Accurate to 800 yards Accurate to 250 yards

A Response to Superior German Weapons

The German Army was the first to employ large scale use of assault weapons in combat. Nazi troops armed with the Sturmgewehr 44 from 1943 to the end of the war changed battlefield tactics. The over 400,000 STG-44s produced were considered the first fully automatic combat assault rifle.

Most German soldiers were armed with five-shot, bolt-action Mauser rifles originally produced in 1898, a similar weapon to the bolt-action Springfield .30-06 caliber rifle carried by American troops.

American soldiers in combat with the Germans bolstered their firepower with heavy Browning Automatic Rifles firing the high-powered .30-06 cartridge, and with the short-range power of the Thompson sub-machine gun firing .45 ACP cartridges.

The bolt-action vestiges of World War I were designed for long distance shooting, with soldiers sniping away at each other from fixed positions in trenches located half-a-mile or more apart. The mechanized, fast moving war that came in 1939 limited the effectiveness of long distance rifles in favor of delivering lead more rapidly on target. The Germans had a decided advantage in this technology.

The 7.62mm platform featured a shorter cartridge, better suited to shorter stroke, faster action rifles. The cartridges were shorter, but delivered nearly as much energy as their heavier allied counterparts in a much lighter format, allowing German soldiers to carry more ammunition into battle.

Development of the AK-47

The Soviet Union suffered more casualties than any other nation in World War II and were the first to find a weapon to counter the German advantage. The Soviet Army fought most of the war with simple bolt-action Mosin-Nagant, first introduced in 1891, The Mosin-Nagant remains the most widely produced rifle ever made.

Mikhail Kalashnikov developed a switchable semi-auto / fully automatic rifle in response to the German style weapons. Work began on AK-47 in 1945, and the Soviet Army received them by 1949. Many observers note that Kalashnikov’s design has many features copied directly from the MTG-42.

Kalashnikov designed a weapon that would work from the frigid arctic to the extreme heat of the Takla Makan desert. The AK-47 was the answer, a simple design with only six moving parts, made with loose tolerances that allowed it to fire reliably when packed with dirt, debris and even mud. The weapon was perfect for the horde style military assault that the Soviet Union was able to mass in battle.

The AK-47

Man shooting AK-47

Untrained soldiers are able to use the AK-47 in combat. The design of the AK-47 with just seven moving parts, and 15 total is a much simpler mechanism than the AR-15 with 31 major parts, and over 100 smaller parts in some models.

This simple mechanism could be cleaned with something as common as a shoelace dipped in motor oil making it a perfect combat weapon, something American soldiers were quick to learn in the jungles of Vietnam.

It took the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union for the AK-47 to reach the American market in semi-automatic format. Its accessories and customizations have now caught up to the AR-15.

The AK-47 has proven itself as a reliable firearm, with a track record of excellent performance in many climates and circumstances. It is extremely difficult to damage its gas piston design.

You’d never win a marksmanship contest with an AK-47. The AK’s loose tolerances make it less accurate, with a maximum effective range of 300 yards. Even at the close range of just 100 yards, it groups about 6 inches.

The AK-47 Pros & Cons

Pros Cons
  • Easy to clean
  • Simple mechanical design
  • Durable
  • Reliable
  • Higher energy 7.62mm cartridge
  • Inexpensive
  • Heavier to carry
  • Strong recoil
  • Lower cyclical rate of fire
  • Less accurate
  • Available only in 7.62x39mm

Development of the AR-15

woman shooting AR-15

The American military’s weapons procurement system, which can be impacted by bidding, political influence, and preference of the various branches, slowed the process of acquiring a fully automatic combat rifle.

The M-14 – America’s First Automatic Combat Rifle

The M-14 arrived to the scene amid heavy controversy. The .308 calibe version was not adopted until 1959, in part because it represented a step down in size from the longer .30-06 used in the M-1 – even though the .308 was almost identical to the Soviet counterpart of 7.62mm.

The huge recoil of the M-14 made it nearly impossible to control in fully automatic mode, and the rifle lasted less than five years as the standard front line rifle for the US Military, before being replaced by the M-16.

The M-16 – A Lightweight Fully Automatic Combat Rifle

The M-16 is a more complex firearm than the AK-47. It fires a smaller 5.56 mm or .223 caliber cartridge. This makes it more difficult to produce.

Eugen Stoner and his team combined aluminum, plastic, and their unique gas impingement system to reduce the recoil problem of the M-14. The lighter weight of the 5.56 mm ammunition allowed American troops and Marines to carry larger amounts of it into the field.

The M-16 had reliability issues early in its design when it first found combat in Vietnam, but those problems were quickly eliminated and it emerged as a quality, front line combat rifle.

The AR-15 – The Semi-Automatic, Civilian Version of the M-16

The semi-automatic version of the M-16, quickly moved to the civilian market. The AR-15 is extremely modular, meaning different parts can be matched to different bases. Civilians looking to design their own weapons have greatly contributed to the market for AR-15s. In the 1990s, the flat-top upper receiver became available, allowing users to attach different types of sights to their rifles.

With a wealth of component parts comes more complexity in operating and maintaining. But if you learn how to use an AR-15 properly, complexity means more control, and more efficient use of your firearm. It’s also easily configured for a right or left-handed shooter.

If you want your AR-15 to function reliably, you need to maintain it. The gas impingement system quickly makes the interior of the gun dirty. If you lubricate the gun, and clean it regularly, it will run reliably. Most maintenance issues on an average AR-15 can be solved with the replacement of small parts.

Unlike the AK-47, the AR-15 is a very accurate over distance. Its effective range is at least 600 yards in the original 5.56 mm caliber, but many manufacturers now offer it in .308 caliber. A quality AR will shoot accurately right out of the box, but there are additional customizations that can increase the accuracy even further.

The AR-15 Pros & Cons

Pros Cons
  • Lightweight
  • Adjustable stock/cheek pad
  • Lighter recoil
  • Higher cyclical rate of fire
  • Greater accuracy
  • Longer range
  • Left or right hand design
  • Available in .223 or .308 caliber
  • Lighter energy ammunition
  • Complex design
  • More difficult to clean
  • Less durable

In Conclusion

Ultimately, you will be able to select the gun that best suits your needs, wishes, and comfort. If you are looking for a low-maintenance, simple firearm with serious power and don’t need incredible accuracy, the AK-47 may just be right for you if you take the effort and expense to get the proper permits for a fully automatic weapon. The additional historical charm of owning the weapon that challenged the USA for more than half-a-century is another attractive feature.

If you want to shoot longer distances, hunt, target shoot and put the bullet on target, or if you enjoy customizing a firearm, spend some time with the AR-15 in either the 5.56 or .308 variety.