AKS-47
AK-47 variant with a metal under-folding stock, developed for airborne troops and vehicle crews.
AKS-47
Community
Data trust
- Reliability
- Partially verified
- Sources
- The Russian Way of War (Kalashnikov family and RPK; authors’ study, 2016)Army University Press / Foreign Military Studies Office · Accessed
- Last reviewed
Identity
- Designation
- AKS-47
- Alias
- Avtomat Kalashnikova Skladnoy
- Manufacturer
- Izhmash
- Country
- Russia
- Year
- 1949
- Category
- Assault rifle
- Status
- Historic
Ballistics
- Caliber
- 7.62×39 mm
- Muzzle velocity
- 715 m/s
- Rate of fire
- ~600 rpm
- Effective range
- 350 m
- Maximum range
- 800 m
Dimensions
- Barrel length
- 415 mm
- Overall length
- 645 / 868 mm
- Empty weight
- 3.8 kg
Mechanics
- Operating system
- Gas-operated, long-stroke piston
- Bolt / action
- Rotating bolt
Feed
- System
- Curved double-stack magazine
- Standard capacity
- 30 rounds
Fire modes
Historical profile
Development
The AKS-47 is the side-folding metal stock variant of the AK-47, developed in the early 1950s for Soviet paratroopers, tank crews and special forces requiring a more compact weapon.
The 'S' stands for Skladnoy ('folding'). The stock is made of stamped sheet metal, hinged sideways under the receiver.
Operational service
Widely issued to Soviet VDV airborne troops and armored units, it was also produced under license across the Warsaw Pact.
It saw extensive use in Cold War proxy conflicts, from the Vietnam War to African colonial wars, valued for its compactness during transport.
Legacy
The folding-stock configuration was inherited by all subsequent compact variants of the Kalashnikov family, through the AKS-74 and the modern AK-12K.
It remains in service in many armies worldwide as a second-line weapon and is widely available on the military surplus market.
Variants
Main users
USSR · China · Patto di Varsavia
Key components
- ●Stock — Metal under-folding stock of the AK-47 family, rather than the fixed wooden stock of the standard rifle.
- ●Receiver — AK-47-family receiver housing the Kalashnikov action; the folding stock does not make this a stamped-receiver AKM.
- ●Grip — Pistol grip providing the firing hold on the folding-stock AK-47 configuration.
- ●Magazine — Detachable box magazine feeding 7.62×39 mm cartridges in the AK-47 family.
- ●Barrel — Barrel and gas block of the 7.62×39 mm Kalashnikov long-stroke system.
