AKS-47
- Category
- Assault Rifle
- Barrel
- 415 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.30 kg
- Introduced
- 1949
About
What it is, and why it matters
The AKS-47 is a folding-stock variant of the original milled-receiver AK-47 assault rifle, chambered in 7.62x39mm. Introduced alongside the AK-47 around 1949, it replaced the fixed wooden buttstock with a downward-folding (underfolding) stamped-steel stock derived from the German MP40, reducing the rifle's length for paratroopers and armored-vehicle crews operating in confined spaces. Mechanically identical to the AK-47, it uses a long-stroke gas piston and rotating bolt to deliver selective-fire automatic and semi-automatic operation.
Designed for Soviet paratroopers and BMP/armored-vehicle crews who needed a more compact weapon, the AKS-47 borrowed its underfolding stock layout from captured German MP40 submachine guns, establishing the iconic underfolder silhouette later carried forward by the AKMS.
The 'S' in AKS denotes 'skladnoy' (folding). Issued primarily to airborne and armored troops; produced in relatively small numbers compared to the fixed-stock AK-47 before being superseded by the lighter stamped-receiver AKM and AKMS.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Izhevsk Machine Building Plant (Izhmash)
- Category
- Assault Rifle
- Country
- Soviet Union
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1949 to 1959
- Variant of
- Folding stock
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 415 mm
- Overall length
- 875 mm
- Sight radius
- 378 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.30 kg
- Weight, loaded
- 4.80 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Gas operated
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single action
- Capacity
- 30
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Steel
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 710 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 2010 J
- Effective range
- 300 m
- Maximum range
- 1000 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.
Long stroke gas piston
Rotating bolt
Milled receiver
Underfolding metal stock
Chrome lined barrel
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 | 875 mm | 880 mm | Shorter than about 60% |
| 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 AKS-47
How much does the AKS-47 weigh?
The AKS-47 weighs 4.30 kg (9.48 lb) empty and 4.80 kg (10.58 lb) loaded.
What caliber is the AKS-47?
The AKS-47 is chambered in 7.62x39mm.
How many rounds does the AKS-47 hold?
The AKS-47 holds 30 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the AKS-47?
The AKS-47 is 875 mm (34.4 in) long overall, with a 415 mm (16.3 in) barrel.
Who makes the AKS-47?
The AKS-47 is made by Izhevsk Machine Building Plant (Izhmash) (Russia). It was designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov.
When was the AKS-47 introduced?
The AKS-47 was introduced in 1949 and discontinued in 1959.
How does the AKS-47 operate?
The AKS-47 uses a gas operated 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
- 1949
- Soviet Airborne Forces
- 1949
Provenance
Confidence in this record
82%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
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/aks-47' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "aks-47", "name": "AKS-47", "manufacturer": { "id": "izhmash", "name": "Izhevsk Machine Building Plant (Izhmash)", "countryCode": "RU", "foundedYear": 1807, "website": "https://kalashnikovgroup.ru", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "updatedAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "version": "9758b272c4082a5b8a3cb74546ec83f848df13e131b9700224561e9ac6c8647a" }, "category": { "id": "assault-rifle", "name": "Assault Rifle", "description": "Selective-fire rifles chambered in intermediate cartridges" }, "country_of_origin": "SU", "year_introduced": 1949, "barrel_length_mm": 415, "weight_empty_g": 4300, "action_type": "gas_operated"}