AK-47 Type 3
Kalashnikov Concern (formerly Izhmash) · Assault Rifle · Discontinued · 1955
Also known as: AK-47 Type III, Milled AK-47, Avtomat Kalashnikova 1947
Overview
The AK-47 Type 3 is the final and definitive milled-receiver generation of the AK-47, produced at Izhmash from 1955 to 1959 and the pattern most people picture as the 'classic' Kalashnikov. Refining the earlier Type 2, the Type 3 receiver is machined from a solid steel forging but features a long, shallow lightening groove milled into each side to reduce weight, along with a simplified buttstock attachment. It also standardised the smooth, slab-sided receiver profile and the two-position safety/selector lever that became the visual signature of the rifle. Mechanically it is identical to the rest of the AK-47 family: a gas-operated long-stroke piston action with rotating bolt, select-fire trigger group, 7.62x39mm chambering, and a 30-round curved magazine. The Type 3 was the most widely produced milled AK-47 before the design transitioned to the lighter, cheaper stamped-receiver AKM in 1959.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 4300 g (151.7 oz) |
| Weight (loaded) | 4780 g (168.6 oz) |
| Overall Length | 870 mm (34.25") |
| Barrel Length | 415 mm (16.34") |
| Height | 190 mm (7.48") |
| Width | 45 mm (1.77") |
| Sight Radius | 378 mm (14.88") |
| Action Type | Gas Operated Long Stroke |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 30 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 715 m/s (2346 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 2010 J (1482 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 300 m (328 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 800 m (875 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 600 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 240 mm (9.45") |
| Number of Grooves | 4 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 7.62x39mm · primary — also known as 7.62x39mm Soviet, M43, 7.62mm Kalashnikov
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic, Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety Selector, Hammer Notch
- Features: Milled Receiver, Receiver Lightening Groove, Chrome Lined Barrel, Chrome Lined Chamber, Curved Magazine, Rotating Bolt, Select Fire
Variants
- AK-47 Type 2 — Milled Receiver
- AKS — Folding Stock
- AKM — Modernized
Base model
Service history
Operators
- Soviet Armed Forces · adopted 1955 · as AK-47
- Warsaw Pact Forces · adopted 1956 · as AK-47
- Vietnam People's Army · adopted 1958 · as AK-47
Conflicts
- Vietnam War (1955-1975)
- Six-Day War (1967-1967)
- Soviet-Afghan War (1979-1989)
Production
Production years: 1955-1959
Most widely produced milled-receiver AK-47; superseded by the stamped-receiver AKM in 1959. Not documented separately from overall AK-47 production figures.
Origin
Country of origin: Soviet Union
Designer: Mikhail Kalashnikov
Discontinued: 1959
Notes
The Type 3 is the most common original milled AK-47 and the basis for most published AK-47 specifications. It is distinguished from the Type 2 by the long lightening groove milled into both sides of the receiver and a simplified stock attachment. When people refer generically to a 'milled AK-47', they almost always mean the Type 3. Chinese, North Korean, and other early state-arsenal copies were derived from this pattern before the AKM superseded it.
Background
The Type 3's slab-sided milled receiver with its long lightening groove is the shape that became a global icon, appearing on flags and coats of arms; ironically it was an interim solution, kept in production only until Soviet industry finally mastered the stamped receiver that Kalashnikov had wanted from the very start.