MAJOR FINDING: The legendary "Kalashnikov Automat"

If you haven't spent your whole life alone in a cave or raised by gorillas, you've probably seen an image of an AK at least once in your life, our friends at MAJOR FINDING know. Hardly any villain in a Hollywood action movie comes without some form of AK, and just about every major first-person shooter has at least one variant of it. Whether it's "Call of Duty," "Battlefield," "Medal of Honor," or the unforgettable James Bond: Golden Eye - to name just a few - they all feature this iconic weapon.

The Avtomat Kalashnikova Model 47, developed in Soviet Russia in 1946, or in Russian "Awtomat Kalaschnikowa, obrasza 47", was developed by Mikhail Kalashnikov and named after him. Since its introduction, an estimated 80 to 100 million units of various models and copies have been produced to this day. So, if you're interested in firearms, the AK 47 (or a variant of it) is definitely one you want to have held at least once.

Especially since the video game "Escape from Tarkov" and the eponymous Russian film series that you can watch for free on YouTube (and in our opinion definitely should watch) have created an even greater hype around the weapon - especially in the USA. In the film series, the 100 series models are often seen, used by a fictional Russian special unit. The weapons are equipped with attachments just like rifles used by actual Russian special forces. For this article, we are looking at an AK 104 that is still in its original condition.

Before we get to the review, let's take a quick look at the development of the 100 series models.

The Evolution

In the early 90s, the AK 74M was the base model for the new 100 series of rifles, among which the Avtomat Kalashnikov 103 model became the most successful commercial version.

The 100 series of AK's includes over half a dozen models, all based on the same housing and designed by Kalashnikov to simplify production as much as possible.

The 104 model in caliber 7.62 x 39 is the shorter version of the 103 model.

By switching production to the 100 series, it was not only possible to produce many different models and configurations of AK's, but also practically manufacture all models on the same production line.

To get a better picture of the extent of the changes, let's take a look at the development of the original Avtomat Kalashnikov 47. Before the 100 series, Russian military weapons manufacturers had a huge variety of models with different configurations. The main groups were the AKM, the AK74N with a fixed stock, the AKS74 with a folding stock, and the AKS74U.

The muzzle devices, sight carriers, gas intakes, forends and stocks, barrels, bolt carriers and bolts - everything was different and practically nothing was interchangeable. In the 90s, the company Izhmash (formerly Izhevsk Arsenal) decided to redesign the Avtomat Kalashnikov from the ground up, involving none other than Mikhail Kalashnikov himself. The 100 series models are the last design he has been involved with.

The 100 series is all about the production process. It's about having a single production line where you can manufacture all variants and have minimal effort in changing parts. All models use the same rear trunnion with a 5.5mm diameter and the same stock. Additionally, all rifles in this series use the same housing, allowing the same forend to be used on all models, as well as the same bolt carrier and trigger unit.

The only differences between rifles of different calibers are the barrel, bolt, and sight. Between the standard lengths and the carbines, the differences are in the gas intake with an integrated front sight carrier, the sight, and the muzzle device.

Except for the muzzle devices and the few different parts of the various models, each rifle in the 100 series can be manufactured on the same production line.

Part 2 coming soon on SPARTANAT.

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ESCAPE FROM TARKOV can be found HERE on YOUTUBE