The KAC (Knights Armament Corporation) SR-47 is one of the rarest firearms in the world. While many have heard of it, few know that only seven of them exist, and one of those seven is in KAC’s own museum. So what’s an SR-47 and why is it so rare? In simple terms, the SR-47 is what you would get if you crossed an AR-15 with an AK-47. One month after the attacks of September 11th, 2001, Operation Enduring Freedom began. Over the following years, U.S. Army soldiers and Special Forces were deployed to Afghanistan with missions ranging from building schools to patrolling the region in an effort to stamp out Al Queida. As is the case with many Special Forces, operators were often under deep cover in remote regions where delivery of supplies, ammo, and weapons was not practical. In this case, the remote regions were deep, complex cave tunnels in the mountains of Afghanistan. Units often found themselves without ammunition or magazines for their own weapons, but with a large supply of enemy 7.62x39mm rounds and AK-47 magazines that had been seized or confiscated by enemy combatants. Because of this, US SOCOM (United States Special Operations COMmand) issued a request for small arms manufacturers to develop an M4-type rifle capable of using 7.62x39mm ammunition. Three companies, Lewis Machine & Tool, Robinson Armament, and KAC submitted their designs for testing. The three were narrowed down to the Robinson RAV-02 and the KAC SR-47, and ultimately the SR-47 was chosen. The original idea was to create drop-in parts kits that could be retrofitted to existing M4 carbines and a special magazine to feed the different ammunition. However, SOCOM wanted the new carbines to feed from existing Kalashnikov magazines. Unfortunately, a Kalashnikov magazine is too big to fit in a standard M16/M4 receiver, so a completely new design was required. The new design mandated a lengthened upper and lower receiver to accept the AK magazine. The bolt carrier was also lengthened, and the bolt enlarged to accommodate the 7.62×39 round. Controls were kept in the usual location, the M4 pistol grip and stock were carried over, and a free-float hand guard with quad picatinny rails replaced the usual plastic hand guards. According to Knights Armament, one of the most difficult parts of the design was getting an M4-type magazine release to function with an AK-47 magazine. Standard M4 magazine swaps rely on the magazine dropping free when the release is pushed, but the AK magazine would not drop free from the new weapon. KAC solved this problem by creating an ejector for the inside of the magazine well. When the mag release button is pushed, a lever inside the weapon pushes on the magazine, forcing it to drop out. When all was said and done, although the SOCOM request had been fulfilled, the result was a weapon with very little compatibility with the platform it was based on. Because of the lengthened upper and lower receiver and enlarged magazine well, it was not possible to retrofit existing rifles with new upper receiver groups. In addition, specially made spare parts had to be kept on hand, as regular M4/M16 parts could not be used. Though the SR-47 fulfilled a certain need, many felt it was an over-thought solution to a problem that could’ve been solved simply by using AK-47s. The SR-47 was certainly more accurate than an AK, but there were many reports of failures to feed as well as reports of quick fouling of internal components due to cheap, dirty 7.62×39 ammo being used. These problems, coupled with the absolute abundance of confiscated AK-47’s in enemy territory, led to the SR-47’s demise. It was not adopted by any armed forces, and today is one of the rarest rifles in the world. The SR-47 was a noble, innovative attempt at a niche rifle, but sometimes the best solution to a problem is the simplest one.

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