Simple to build, with only eight working parts, and reliable in extreme conditions, there are estimated to be around 100,000,000 in circulation

Alarmingly, the AK47 is now one of the most successful man-made artefacts in history. There is no question that the AK-47 submachine gun is the weapon of choice for guerrillas, terrorists, insurgents and rebel armies across the world. Simple to build, with only eight moving parts, and reliable in extreme conditions, there are estimated to be around 100,000,000 in circulation.

Until late in World War One the objective of gun designers was to be able to knock out the enemy at the greatest possible distance. Then, in 1918, the Germans almost overwhelmed the British Army when they attacked in small groups, infiltrating the British trenches and decimating the troops with a withering storm of bullets from hand-held Schmeisser machine guns.

It took some considerable time for the submachine gun to find its way into the British Army, who spurned it as merely a ‘gangsters’ gun’. But the Russians were not so reticent.

During World War Two, the Russians took to the submachine gun (SMG) in a big way, equipping whole armies with them. This was partly out of expediency but also for tactical reasons. As the Germans swept across Russia, many armament factories were overrun and had to be rapidly re-located to the east. SMGs are much easier to manufacture than conventional rifles, with most of their parts being made of sheet metal pressings spot-welded together. This allowed largely unskilled Russian workers to produce SMGs in their millions. Tactically, the SMG was the ideal weapon for the sort of close-quarter street fighting taking place in cities like Stalingrad and also for the tank support troops who rode into battle aboard their T34s.
 
Mikhail Timofeyevitch Kalashnikov was born on November 10, 1919, into a poor peasant family in Kurya, Siberia. As a teenager he started work as an apprentice on the Turkistan-Siberian railway but was called up for military service in 1938. His mechanical skills were quickly recognised and he is credited with inventing several devices for use in tanks.

In 1941 Kalashnikov, now a tank commander, was badly wounded. While recovering in hospital he started to sketch his ideas for a simple, rugged submachine gun and managed to get a prototype built at an Army workshop. The authorities were so impressed that he was transferred to the Moscow Aviation Institute, where a second version was made, which led to him being permanently transferred to the Main Ordnance Directorate of the Red Army.
 
His original SMG did not reach production but, in 1946, Kalashnikov developed what was eventually to become the world’s most reproduced weapon – the Automat Kalashnikov. The AK, designated 46, was submitted to the military for testing and, after a few modifications, in 1947 went into production as the AK-47. Kalashnikov was awarded the Stalin Prize First Class, the first of many honours to be bestowed upon him in a long and productive life.

In the murky world of Russian history and politics, some claim that Kalashnikov’s boss, Vasily Lyuty, should share the credit for developing the imperfect AK-46 into the 47. But he got written out of the story.

For those who’d rather not have an AK-47 around the house but would still like to own something with similar stopping power, how about Kalashnikov Vodka? Yes, in 2004 our Hero of the Soviet Union launched a high-proof Vodka bearing his name.