Many players in CS:GO exclusively use the AK-47 as their go-to rifle on the T-side. However, with the rising usage rate of the SG-553, the way that CS:GO has been played for years may be approaching a different weapon as the go-to for T-side rifles. In the following article, you will see an in-depth comparison of these two weapons and the advantages that both of them have against the other in terms of economy, accuracy, power, fire rate, and overall usefulness in the game.

Firstly, let's go over each gun in a broader sense of the game. The AK-47 is the most used gun in the game. The AK has an astounding 39.38% usage rate according to HLTV, and in many situations, if a CT has the opportunity to, they will drop their M4, and even sometimes an AWP, to get the AK. The SG-553 on the other hand can't boast numbers anywhere close to the AK in usage rate. The SG has had a meager 0.43% usage rate, making it one of the most unused guns in the game, until recently. With its recent price update, the SG has managed to climb to a 2.42% usage rate, and while that is still extremely low, there are some players that are deciding to change their weapon of choice.

Economy/Price

So why has the SG's usage rate gone up by nearly 2% in the last two months? Well the first reason is that its price dropped by $250, from $3000 to $2750. One of the main reasons that the AK-47 was purchased so much was that it had a $300 lower price tag compared to the SG-553, but now that the difference is only $50, the difference is almost negligible. Since the only thing you can buy with the extra $50 is a decoy, there is no real need to have the extra $50, unless you are buying the SG-553 constantly, and the increased cost can build up over time to possibly limit you by ~$300 by the end of the half. With that said, the economy difference is near non-existent, so this category is a draw, but slightly favored for the AK.

Accuracy

The next category is accuracy. The accuracy of the two weapons is no real comparison. The SG has an accurate range of 50m, while the AK has an accurate range of only 31m. This is a very large difference, especially if you are going for long range headshots. And this difference isn't even including the scope that you get with the SG. While using the scope, the accurate range is an astounding 150m! With the SG scoped, you are able to take long range fights with AWPs and win those engagements at a much higher rate than with the AK.

Additionally, the standing accuracy of the SG has a lower variance rate the AK does. These charts show the average variance for both weapons. The first graph shows the AK and the graph below it shows the SG.

The SG's tapping accuracy values are on average slightly more consistent than the AK's, and even these small values are crucial in the outcome of rounds and interactions, so the SG takes this category.

Damage Output

Next, the damage of both guns. Both weapons are a one shot kill if a headshot occurs. As shown in the chart above, The AK excels over the SG against unarmored enemies because its raw damage amount is higher, however the SG is better than the AK against armored enemies because it has 100% armor penetration, meaning that while the AK's damage is lowered against enemies with armor by 22.5%, the SG's damage will always be the same no matter if the enemy has armor or not. The winner of this category really comes down to the enemy. If the enemy you are fighting has no armor, then the AK's damage will be superior. If the enemy does have armor, then the SG's damage will be greater than that of the AK. But it is important to remember that on most rounds, the enemies that you are fighting will have purchased armor. Because of this, the SG will have a damage advantage for more rounds in each game, so the SG also wins this round.

Rate of Fire

The last category is rate of fire. The SG has an RPM of 666, while the AK has an RPM of 600. Simply due to the higher RPM, the SG has a greater DPS than the AK does, and the SG is also able to rival the fire rate of the M4A4 and AUG, making it tied for the fastest firing rifle on either side. Since the RPM is just a static value, and greater is better, the SG also takes this round.

Conclusion

After analyzing all of the data and advantages of both weapons, the overall winner of the matchup is the SG-553. It excels in accurate range, variance amount, rate of fire, and, in most situations, will have a higher damage amount than the AK-47, making it overall a better weapon in terms of raw stats and efficiency to win gun fights. Since the SG is an overall better weapon than the AK is, the trend of the SG's usage rate increasing will most likely increase, and if it does, will it ever reach or even surpass the AK's? Only time will tell!

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