AKM

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AKM
Both sides of the AKM
Type	Assault rifle
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Service history
In service	1959–1974
Used by	See Users
Wars	See Conflicts
Production history
Designer	Mikhail Kalashnikov
Designed	1950s
Manufacturer	Izhmash Tula Arms Plant
Produced	1959–1977[1]
No. built	10,278,300[2]
Variants	See Variants
Specifications
Mass	AKM: 3.3 kg (7.28 lb) AKMS: 3.5 kg (7.7 lb) 30-round magazine: 0.33 kg (0.73 lb) 6H4 bayonet: 0.32 kg (0.71 lb)
Length	AKM, AKML: 880 mm (34.6 in)[3] AKMS, AKMSN: 920 mm (36.2 in) stock extended / 655 mm (25.8 in) stock folded
Barrel length	415 mm (16.3 in)[3]
Cartridge	7.62×39mm
Action	Gas-operated, long-stroke piston, closed rotating bolt
Rate of fire	Cyclic rate of fire: 600 rounds/min[3] Practical rate of fire: Semi-automatic: 40 rounds/min[3] Fully automatic: 100 rounds/min[3]
Muzzle velocity	715 m/s (2,346 ft/s)[3]
Effective firing range	350 m (383 yd)[3]
Feed system	10-, 20-, or 30-round detachable box magazines. Also compatible with 40-round box magazines and 75-round drum magazines from the RPK
Sights	Rear sight notch on sliding tangent, front post 100–1,000 m sight adjustments Sight radius: 378 mm (14.9 in)[3]

The AKM (Russian: Автомат Калашникова модернизированный, romanized: Avtomat Kalashnikova modernizirovanny, lit. 'Kalashnikov's Automatic Rifle Modernised') is an assault rifle designed by Soviet small arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1959. It was developed as the successor to the AK-47 adopted by the Soviet Union a decade prior.

Introduced into service with the Soviet Army in 1959, the AKM was the most prevalent variant of the Kalashnikov rifles in the Warsaw Pact. The rifle was produced at the Tula Arms Plant and Izhmash factories in Russia. It was eventually replaced by the AK-74 in 1974.

The AKM maintains the AK-47's wood stock, but has simpler individual parts that are favorable for mass production. Like the AK-47, many variants of the AKM exist such as the AKMS, AKML, and AKMP.