The AK-47, officially known as the Avtomat Kalashnikova, is a gas-operated assault rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Developed in the Soviet Union by Russian small-arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov, it is the originating firearm of the Kalashnikov family of rifles. After more than seven decades since its creation, the AK-47 model and its variants remain one of the most popular and widely used firearms in the world.
A general-purpose machine gun (GPMG) is an air-cooled, usually belt-fed machine gun that can be adapted flexibly to various tactical roles for light and medium machine guns. A GPMG typically features a quick-change barrel design calibered for various fully powered cartridges such as the 7.62×51mm NATO, 7.62×54mmR, 7.5×54mm French, 7.5×55mm Swiss and 7.92×57mm Mauser, and be configured for mounting to different stabilizing platforms from bipods and tripods to vehicles, aircraft, boats and fortifications, usually as an infantry support weapon or squad automatic weapon.
A squad automatic weapon (SAW), also known as a section automatic weapon or light support weapon (LSW), is a man-portable automatic firearm attached to infantry squads or sections as a source of rapid direct firepower. Weapons fulfilling this role can be light machine guns, or modified selective-fire rifles fitted with a heavier barrel, bipod and a belt/drum-fed design.
The AK-74 is an assault rifle designed by small arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1974. While primarily associated with the Soviet Union, it has been used by many countries since the 1970s. It is chambered for the 5.45×39mm cartridge, which replaced the 7.62×39mm cartridge of Kalashnikov's earlier automatic weapons for the Soviet armed forces.
The RK 62, officially 7.62 RK 62 and commercially M62, is an assault rifle manufactured by Valmet and Sako. It is the standard issue infantry weapon of the Finnish Defence Forces.
The SVD, GRAU index 6V1, is a semi-automatic designated marksman rifle chambered in the fully-powered 7.62×54mmR cartridge, developed in the Soviet Union. The SVD was designed to serve a squad support role to provide precise long-range engagement capabilities to ordinary troops following the Warsaw Pact adoption of the 7.62×39mm intermediate cartridge and assault rifles as standard infantry weapon systems. At the time, NATO used battle rifles chambered in 7.62×51mm NATO as standard infantry weapon systems and had not yet adopted an intermediate cartridge and assault rifle of their own, allowing them to outrange their Warsaw Pact counterparts.
The Type 56 also known as AK-56, is a Chinese 7.62×39mm rifle. It is a variant of the Soviet-designed AK-47 and AKM rifles. The Type 56 rifle was designated by the Chinese military as "Type 1956 Sub-Machinegun", because the Type 56 took the role of SMG rather than infantry service rifle in the PLA in the rifle's early service years. Production started in 1956 at State Factory 66 but was eventually handed over to Norinco and PolyTech, who continue to manufacture the rifle primarily for export.
The PK, is a belt-fed general-purpose machine gun, chambered for the 7.62×54mmR rimmed cartridge.
The RPK, sometimes retroactively termed the RPK-47, is a Soviet 7.62×39mm light machine gun that was developed by Mikhail Kalashnikov in the early 1960s, in parallel with the AKM assault rifle. It was created to standardize the small arms inventory of the Soviet Army, where it replaced the 7.62×39mm RPD machine gun. The RPK continues to be used by the military of the post-Soviet states and certain African and Asian nations. The RPK is also manufactured in Bulgaria, Romania, and Serbia.
The INSAS, or Indian small arms system, is a family of infantry arms consisting of an assault rifle and a light machine gun (LMG). These weapons were developed in India by the Armament Research and Development Establishment and manufactured by the Ordnance Factories Board at its various factories. The INSAS assault rifle was the standard infantry weapon of the Indian Armed Forces for almost three decades.
A designated marksman rifle (DMR) is a modern scoped high-precision rifle used by infantry in the designated marksman (DM) role. It generally fills the engagement range gap between a service rifle and a dedicated sniper rifle, at around 300–600 metres (330–660 yd).
The Tabuk Sniper Rifle is an Iraqi semi-automatic designated marksman rifle, made from a modified version of the Zastava M70 assault rifle. The Tabuk Rifle was manufactured at the Al-Qadissiya Establishments in Iraq using machinery sold to Iraq by Zastava Arms of Yugoslavia when Saddam Hussein was president.
The Colt Automatic Rifle or Colt Light Machine Gun is a 5.56 mm NATO, open-bolt, full-automatic-only firearm developed by Colt Defense. It is based on the M16A2/A4, and has a distinctive squared-off handguard, vertical grip, carrying handle and integrated bipod.
The Zastava M76 is a military semi-automatic designated marksman rifle developed and manufactured by Zastava Arms.
The Zastava M70 is a 7.62x39mm assault rifle. Developed in Yugoslavia by Zastava Arms during the 1960s, the M70 was an unlicensed derivative of the Soviet AK-47. It became the standard issue infantry weapon in the Yugoslav People's Army in 1970, complementing and later superseding the Zastava M59/66. Both the original M70 design, as well as commercial variants of the weapon without select-fire capability, known as the Zastava PAP series, were still produced by Zastava for export up until July 15th 2023. Serbia has now put an export ban in place for rifles.
The AKM is an assault rifle designed by Soviet small arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1959. It was developed as a replacement to the AK-47 introduced a decade prior.
A Kalashnikov rifle is any one of a series of automatic rifles based on the original design of Mikhail Kalashnikov. They are officially known in Russian as "avtomát Kaláshnikova", but are widely known as Kalashnikovs, AKs, or in Russian slang, a "Kalash". They were originally manufactured in the Soviet Union, primarily by Kalashnikov Concern, formerly Izhmash, but these rifles and their variants are now manufactured in many other countries. The Kalashnikov is one of the most widely used guns in the world, with an estimated 72 million rifles in global circulation.
The NHM-91 is a semi-automatic civilian development of the Russian Kalashnikov AKM and RPK infantry small arm built by Norinco of China and marketed in the U.S. by China Sports Inc. of Ontario, California.
The AK-12, "Avtomat Kalashnikova, 2012" is a Russian assault rifle chambered in 5.45×39mm designed and manufactured by the Kalashnikov Concern, making it the fifth generation of Kalashnikov rifles.
The PSL is a Romanian military designated marksman rifle. It is also called PSL-54C, Romak III, FPK and SSG-97. Though similar in appearance, mission, and specifications to the SVD Dragunov, the PSL rifle is, mechanically speaking, completely different as it is based on the AKM assault rifle - with its internals simply being scaled up to accommodate the more powerful 7.62×54mmR cartridge.
