Sorry but I believe the AK-47 was actually designed by Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov as an assault rifle and in it's various guises has been the weapon of choice by many armies worldwide...
http://kalashnikov.guns.ru/
Anyhow, I think maybe there has been a wee bit of thread drift here?
Any chance of returning to the original subject please. Ta muchly.
Mike A