Cookies on the Business Insider India website

Business Insider India has updated its Privacy and Cookie policy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the better experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we\'ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Insider India website. However, you can change your cookie setting at any time by clicking on our Cookie Policy at any time. You can also see our Privacy Policy.

This Chart Shows How The AK-47 Became The Most Popular Assault Rifle

Gus LubinDec 24, 2013, 23:00 IST

REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

As Mikhail Kalashnikov died yesterday, the AK-47 that he designed in 1947 remains the most popular assault rifle in the world, used from Russia to South Sudan (above).

Its competition includes the U.S.-designed M-16 and AR-15, as well as the new AK-12.

While these rifles offer various innovations, they have struggled to match the durability and reliability of the AK-47. Moreover, the best thing about the AK-47 is that it is cheap and available, which isn't surprising considering that 75 million have been produced. Check it out:

REUTERS