AK-47 Type 3
- Category
- Assault Rifle
- Barrel
- 415 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.30 kg
- Introduced
- 1955
About
What it is, and why it matters
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.
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.
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 Chinese, North Korean, and other early state-arsenal copies were derived from this pattern before the AKM superseded it.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Kalashnikov Concern
- Category
- Assault Rifle
- Country
- Soviet Union
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1955 to 1959
- Variant of
- Milled receiver
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 415 mm
- Overall length
- 870 mm
- Height
- 190 mm
- Width
- 45 mm
- Sight radius
- 378 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.30 kg
- Weight, loaded
- 4.78 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Gas operated long stroke
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Capacity
- 30
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 715 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 2010 J
- Effective range
- 300 m
- Maximum range
- 800 m
- Rate of fire
- 600 rpm
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Milled receiver
Receiver lightening groove
Chrome lined barrel
Chrome lined chamber
Curved magazine
Rotating bolt
Select fire
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 59 7.62x39mm assault rifles | 4.30 kg | 3.60 kg | Heavier than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 58 7.62x39mm assault rifles | 870 mm | 880 mm | Shorter than about 70% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 57 7.62x39mm assault rifles | 415 mm | 415 mm | Near the median |
| Magazine capacityAmong 59 7.62x39mm assault rifles | 30 | 30 | Near the median |
Answers
Questions about the AK-47 Type 3
How much does the AK-47 Type 3 weigh?
The AK-47 Type 3 weighs 4.30 kg (9.48 lb) empty and 4.78 kg (10.54 lb) loaded.
What caliber is the AK-47 Type 3?
The AK-47 Type 3 is chambered in 7.62x39mm.
How many rounds does the AK-47 Type 3 hold?
The AK-47 Type 3 holds 30 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the AK-47 Type 3?
The AK-47 Type 3 is 870 mm (34.3 in) long overall, with a 415 mm (16.3 in) barrel.
Who makes the AK-47 Type 3?
The AK-47 Type 3 is made by Kalashnikov Concern (Russia). It was designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov.
When was the AK-47 Type 3 introduced?
The AK-47 Type 3 was introduced in 1955 and discontinued in 1959.
How does the AK-47 Type 3 operate?
The AK-47 Type 3 uses a gas operated long stroke action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Soviet Armed Forces
- 1955
- Warsaw Pact Forces
- 1956
- Vietnam People's Army
- 1958
Provenance
Confidence in this record
72%
Stockists
Where to buy
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Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/ak-47-type-3' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "ak-47-type-3", "name": "AK-47 Type 3", "manufacturer": { "id": "kalashnikov-concern", "name": "Kalashnikov Concern", "countryCode": "RU", "foundedYear": 1807, "website": "https://kalashnikovgroup.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": "active", "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": true, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:38", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:43:38", "version": "3593fe6aaed7a4f74f79c1f4f9b92bb1f45e039a826875e780967c2ed2b49d04" }, "category": { "id": "assault-rifle", "name": "Assault Rifle", "description": "Selective-fire rifles chambered in intermediate cartridges" }, "country_of_origin": "SU", "year_introduced": 1955, "barrel_length_mm": 415, "weight_empty_g": 4300, "action_type": "gas_operated_long_stroke"}