Ignoramus29573 wrote:

Get it right! In Afghanistan, the Soviets were testing the AK-74 and
the new 5.45X39 ammo. The AK-47 was long gone, replaced in the early
'60's by the AKM, just in time for the Russians to dump all their
now obsolete AK-47s in Vietnam. The stamped receiver AKM was what
the AK-47 was intended to be, but it took a while for the Russians
to produce a durable sheet metal receiver.


I do not see the difference between the AK-47 and AKM to be very
meaningful. Both shoot the same. I have one with a milled receiver
(non-auto, obviously), and it would not shoot or function any
different if it was stamped.

Compare the weight. A stamped receiver is a lot lighter than a milled one. It's
also more flexible, making the whole rifle less accurate. Function is the same,
and many parts can be interchanged, but the AKM was a lot cheaper to make and
lighter to carry.

In Afghanistan, the Russians has both AK-47/AKM as well as AK-74, I
believe, but the mujahideen had AK-47s.

In Afghanistan, the AK-74 was being tested, it wasn't general issue yet, many
troops still had the AKM. AK-47s, not necessarily Russian, were supplied to the
Afghan Army troops supporting the Russians. Many of each model ended up in the
hands of the mujahideen.

David