Demand in many parts of the world for Kalashnikov assault rifles remains strong, not least because the price remains relatively low. Unlike the price of other global commodities such as oil and gas, copper and zinc, the price of a Kalashnikov continues to fall in real terms, aiding its proliferation in poverty-stricken regions of the world. The price of an AK-47 derivative varies depending on sale location, quality, and quantity. A brand new Kalashnikov from a Russian factory costs around $240, depending on the derivative and size of the purchase. In Africa an AK-47 can be bought for around $30 in areas where supplies are plentiful. Thousands of Jordanian Kalashnikovs were bought by the US for the new Iraqi security forces retailed at approximately $60 each. Stockpiled Balkan AK-47 variants cost US and European buyers between $50 and $100 per rifle.
One significant buyer of Kalashnikov rifles and ammunition in the last two years is the US Department of Defence. The EU-led peace-keeping force (EUFOR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) state that more than 350,000 AK-47 rifles and derivatives were transferred out of BiH and Serbia and Montenegro by a chain of private contractors operating on behalf of the US Department of Defence between 2004 and 2005, purportedly destined for Iraq. Both the NATO force (SFOR), and subsequently EUFOR in BiH, authorised the transfer of such weapons and associated ammunition via intermediaries to Iraq.
An unknown number of such weapons and ammunition were also shipped to Afghanistan. Private contractors include a network of brokers and shipping agents operating in the USA, UK, Germany, Croatia, Serbia, Moldova, and Switzerland. This list excludes shipments made from Albania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Estonia which have either sold or donated AK-47 derivatives purportedly delivered to the new Iraqi and Afghan security forces.
The UK is also a storage and distribution centre for Kalashnikov weapons from the Balkans. In May 2006, it was reported that over 20,000 Kalashnikovs have been imported into the UK by three UK companies: York Guns, Jago (UK) Ltd, and Procurement Management Services Ltd. Documentation issued by EUFOR peace-keeping forces in Bosnia shows that these inter-related UK companies have been involved in the procurement of thousands of weapons from Bosnian stockpiles. One of the directors of Jago is the owner of Transarms, a German gun dealership that trades in large quantities of AK-47 ammunition and other items. Since such military specification weaponry cannot be sold on the UK private internal gun market (current UK law forbids the private ownership of an AK-47 rifle), it is assumed that such weapons must be for subsequent re-export. York Guns’ manager has denied purchasing the Kalashnikov rifles from Bosnia.
With the production of new variants, including the new Russian AK-100 series, the demand for Kalashnikov rifles is likely to remain strong in the future, with many producers also now offering the weapon in NATO calibre for export markets. Evidence suggests that the Kalashnikov 7.62 x 39 mm calibre assault rifle will remain the dominant military assault rifle in many of parts of the world at least for the next two decades and probably longer.
Venezuela has recently signed production contracts for large numbers of Kalashnikov weapons. In June 2005, Jane’s Defence reported that Venezuela had ordered 100,000 Kalashnikov AK-103 assault rifles in a US$54 million deal. The deal also involved assembly of the weapons in Venezuela, adding another production centre for the Kalashnikov, its first in the Americas. In June 2006 it was reported that an initial batch of some 30,000 weapons had been delivered. The deal has caused controversy in the USA, as the US government believes that weapons produced in Venezuela may end up in the hands of Colombian rebels. Kalashnikovs have been supplied to Colombian rebels before from within the region; in 1999, under a deal involving corrupt officials in Peru, more than 10,000 AK-47 derivatives brokered from Jordan were diverted to FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) guerrillas in Colombia, who are documented as serious human rights abusers.
As a battlefield infantry weapon, the Kalashnikov falls well within accuracy specifications for assault rifles. Its reputation for poor accuracy can be attributed to its widespread misuse rather than any production or design fault with the weapon itself. Many armed groups that use AK weapons are inadequately trained. Also at fault is the usually poor quality ammunition which is often very old and procured from vast surplus stockpiles in Eastern Europe and elsewhere. Key Kalashnikov variants include: Albanian Type A, B, and C; Bulgarian AR-M1 and AR-SF; Chinese Type 65; Hungarian AKM-63 and AMD-65; Iraqi Tabuk; North Korean Type 58 and 68; Poland’s AKM Kainek and Tantal; Romania’s AKM 63 and 65, and the Serbian Zastava M70.
The first full-auto AK's reaching the USA would have come back with Vietnam veterans starting around 1967. Comercial import would have been the early '80's. First the Valmet, then Maddi, Poly-Tech/Norinco, & FEG. (FEG SA-85's were imported by Kassner Imports. Mitchell Arms brought in the first Zastava weapons in 1986.
The very first semi-automatic-only Kalashnikov to reach the USA was the Valmet Valtion Metallitehtaat (or State Metal Works) M62/S, imported from Finland by Interarms in Alexandria, Va. Based upon the third model AK-47, the M62/S was a decided marketing failure in the United States...By the mid 1970's, Finland introduced an AKM-type rifle with a pinned and riveted sheet-metal reciever. Designated the M62-76, it was also imported in semiauto-only form as the M-76...Designated as the "ARM" (Automatic Rifle Misr), a semiautomatic-only version of the Egyptian AKM was introduced to the American public in 1982 by the U.S. division of Steyr-Daimler-Puch in Styer, Austria. For all intents and purposes this is as close as most of us will ever come to a Russian AKM." (from Kokalis in Shotgun News)
The MAK-90 semi-automatic "sportster" model deserves a special mention because more MAK-90 rifles were imported from China into the USA than any other model of AK type rifle from any other country. The model name MAK-90 stands for Modified AK-1990. This was because AK rifles with pistol grips, folding stocks, threaded muzzles and bayonets were banned from importation to the USA in 1989.
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