What is an AK Airsoft Rifle?

Just like the real AK, the airsoft counterpart is a popular rifle and can come from many different manufacturers, each with their own features and nuances. The rifles that we carry come from ASG, Echo1, Classic Army, and occasionally some other brands. ASG produces some great quality starter AKs under the Arsenal series. You can have it the classic way or the modern tactical style. Echo1 produces both sportline and proline level guns and their Red Star series are probably some of the best AKs made that don't cost too much. Their metal guns in particular feel great and the wood models will have real wood for the furniture. These guns shoot at the highest limit so these are perfect outdoor guns.

About the AK rifle

The AK is a 7.62x39mm assault rifle of Soviet origin developed by Mikhail Kalashnikov. AK stands for Avtomat Kalashnikova (Kalashnikov's Automatic Rifle). Kalashnikov began development in 1945 in post World War II Soviet Russia where the lessons learned from that conflict instilled a strong desire within him to see his countrymen armed with better weapons. He had served in the war and was wounded, and spent time recovering in a hospital where he listened to the musings of other soldiers who were grumbling about the weapons they had and what they were up against. He like many other Russians observed that the Germans had superior weaponry in the form of the StG44, which many consider to be the grandfather of all assault rifles. It was after this that Kalashnikov began designing weapons. At the time, the Soviets pushed to develop and adopt a new intermediate caliber rifle round which gave us the 7.62x39mm round when they saw the effectiveness and flexibility the StG44 had. The assault rifle concept was new at the time when many were still fielding large caliber rifles in bolt action configuration. The Americans were fielding Garands which were using similar caliber rounds but was semi-automatic. Post WWII, the Soviets started to use the SKS rifle which was a semi-auto clip fed rifle using their newly developed round. Kalashnikov took note of the Garand and StG44 for all the elements that made them good and began coming up with an intermediate rifle caliber gun that was select fire, effectively making it a machine gun designed for the individual soldier.

Formally adopted in 1949 by the Soviet military, this simple but effective rifle saw huge success and became one of the most prominent and most iconic weapons in the world. The original models were AK-47s but many of the rifles you will see today are based on the later improved versions dubbed the AKM which was introduced in 1959. This gun has been produced by many countries both legally and illegally and can be put together with simplistic tools when compared to how modern rifles are built. This is one of the most prolific and influential firearms in the world.

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Q & A:

Q: What is better, an AK or an M4?

A: This all depends on personal preference. Generally people who like the AKs enjoy a more classic look to their airsoft rifles and enjoy having wood furniture on them. There are also many modern versions of AKs that have many similar rail features that you find on modern M4s.

Q: Can I mount a flashlight to an AK variant?

A: This depends on the specific model. Some feature rail systems, and some do not. If you have questions on a specific product make sure to contact us and we'll be happy to help!