The Soviet/Russian experience during World War II demonstrated the need for a weapon somewhere between the fast-firing, but short range PPSh-41 submachine gun, and the powerful, long range, but slow loading and firing Mosin-Nagant bolt-action rifle and/or carbine. Rifle marksmanship has too many variables to be considered an exact science, but experience, good rifle maintenance, and a general understanding of ballistics and mathematics can enable any serious marksman to improve the performance he gets from any rifle - and marksmanship with an AK-47 should be no exception. Other important factors include cheek weld, sight alignment, eye relief, trigger squeeze, follow through, etc. AK-47.” Although both presentations praised the AK-47’s reliability and rate of fire, its ability to “put out a lot of lead,” and both criticized the AK-47 for its “lack of accuracy,” did anyone ever ask who was doing the test shooting when judging the accuracy of the AKs? What kind of AKs and ammunition did they use? Did the marksmen on the programs ever zero the sights before shooting their targets? A serious marksman never fires unaimed shots and considers many factors when he tries to put a bullet on a target such as the diameter and condition of the rifle’s bore, the manufacturer and Lot of ammunition being used, the weather conditions of temperature and humidity, the shooter’s eye sight, the circumstances he is under while the firing is being conducted, his own skill and capabilities as a marksman, and the general variations of marksmanship. The Military Channel aired a program entitled, “Top 10 Combat Rifles,” and The Discovery Channel aired a program entitled “M16 vs.
But why is the AK-47 considered an inherently inaccurate firearm? Is the problem the AK-47’s lack of accuracy, or is it the shooter’s lack of marksmanship skills? Some experts claim, “The AK-47 compensates for its lack of accuracy by delivering a greater volume of fire.” However, this line of thinking only adds to the AK-47 inaccuracy myth. With over 50 million AKs produced worldwide, in various forms, there must be something good about AK rifles. For some shooters, a five-inch group at 100 yards is good enough. Of course, that is not to say that a firearm will not need a certain degree of fine tuning when it first comes out of the box. Simply put, “If it can’t hit the target, a true marksman won’t use it.” Every shooter should demand a high degree of accuracy from his firearms.
Watching clay pigeons break into a thousand pieces from a bullet fired from 400 yards away is very gratifying. A true marksman loves accuracy and precision. “It’s a poor craftsman who blames his tools.” This proverb appropriately fits the main criticism of the AK-47 and its supposed lack of accuracy. AK Accuracy: Separating Fact from Fiction