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Is the m16 better than ak47?

Updated: 8/18/2019
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14y ago

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Denis Block

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3y ago
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10y ago

Personally, I favor the AK platform (I prefer the more manual feel), but it really just depends on personal preference of the user. I'm going to give a very static and unbiased look at the attributes of both weapons.

"Which is more deadly?" By this I mean, which is more likely to kill you if you are hit in a not so optimal area? The 7.62x39mm (AK-47's round) has a low powder to weight ratio, as well as having a bi metal steel copperwash jacket, in other words, the bullet sails through the target without deforming, causing very little damage. The 5.56 (M16's bullet) Has a copper jacket and hits flesh going much faster than the 7.62x39mm, this causes the bullet to break apart after penetrating about 3-4 inches into flesh. The bullet breaks apart into two main jagged parts, while fragments of metal peel off of those. This leads to much bigger temporary and permanent wound cavities than the 7.62x39mm and makes dressing a 5.56 wound near impossible. (The Russians saw what the 5.56 was doing in Vietnam, so they decided to try to replicate it with the 5.45, unsuccessfully)

"Which rifle is more accurate?" Hands down, the M16 is going to be more accurate than the AK-47 in all situations, this isn't even due to the user, the faster bullet and tighter tolerances of the M16 make it inherently more accurate. This isn't to say that the AK-47 is inaccurate, however. The inaccuracy of the AK-47 is often over-exaggerated (much like the "unreliability" of the M16). Hitting a man sized target at 100m with the AK-47 is very easy to do. The AK-47 has sub-par accuracy compared to most assault rifle, but is not inaccurate.

"Which is more reliable?" The AK-47 is known for having legendary reliability, although it can be very overestimated. AK's, much like any other man-made machine, can and do jam. When asking one why they think the M16 is unreliable, they often point to Vietnam. During Vietnam, the M16 was issued without cleaning kits (The M16 was advertised as being a self-cleaning weapon) and up until late into the war, was issued with ball powder in the ammo. This led to the ammo gunking up the extremely quickly, and the troops weren't able to clean it. When using half decent ammo, and cleaning every thousand rounds or so, the M16 will function flawlessly.

"Which is cheaper?" AK's in general do tend to be cheaper, although this is because knock-offs of this great rifle are in large numbers, cheap copies such as Wasr-10s (bottom bin AKs) are inexpensive, but very poor quality. A quality AK such as Arsenal will run you around $900-$1,000, while a decent AR will run you around the same price. Very good quality AR's can be built for around the same price, purchasing them however will run anywhere between $2,000-$3,000. (Note: these prices are generally speaking, there are extremely expensive variants of both rifles.)

"Ergonomics?" Ergonomically speaking, the M16 once again trumps the AK in terms of comfort, however, as I stated before, I prefer the feel of the AK.

"Durability?" The M16 is a very durable weapon, but for the most part, this is where AK's shine. Although not "they can be run over by a tank" durable as many say, AK's are extremely resilient due to their thick steel receivers, loose tolerances and thick parts.

"Ease of use?" This depends entirely on the user.

Conclusion:

Realistically, neither rifle is "better" than the other. In order to be better one must trump the other in every category, which neither rifle does. Some people prefer one, some prefer the other. It's a matter of personal preference. Both are the two greatest automatic rifles in history, and both are the most used and prized rifles in the world.

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14y ago

From the perspective of a manufacturer the AK wins hands down. It can be produced faster, easier, and cheaper.

From the perspective of a military commander they are approximately equal, but require different tactics.

From the end user perspective the M16 is much easier to carry and use, but needs more care. An M16 is easier to break.

The accuracy at combat ranges is comparable, provided similar quality ammunition is used. However, the AK ammunition, whether 7.62 or 5.45, tends to be of inferior quality. This gives the AK a reputation for being less accurate.

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14y ago

They both have their strong and weak points. The AK is generally more durable, and forgiving of mishandling, as it was intended for conscript troops, and thus, is suitable for conscript militaries, hastily composed militias, and the like, who would probably not take too well to the M16 (though it should be noted that the Israeli Defence Force, which is a conscript force, uses the M16 and M4 as their standard issue rifles, and that Iran, whose Army is a conscript force, has recently adopted a bullpup rifle based on the action of the Chinese-made Norinco CQ-556, which is a reverse engineered copy of the M16A1).

The M16, on the other hand, is geared more for a professional force, with tighter tolerances, a greater degree of accuracy, and more sophisticated engineering.

In it's favour, the AK47 and AKM fire a more powerful round, has looser tolerances, are more forgiving of mishandling, and are less expensive to manufacture (with the possible exception of the Finns and Indonesians, no country manufacturing AK rifles spends more than $250 per unit to manufacture them), as well as being quicker and easier to field strip.

To its disadvantage, it has greater recoil, is difficult to control on full auto, is heavier, is less accurate, the receivers are made of rust prone steel, rather than aluminum, the large ejection port allows foreign objects to get in easily, even with the bolt closed, and has the fire selector lever in an awkward postion.

In the M16/M4's favour, it's lighter, the ammunition is lighter (allowing more to be carried, which is especially beneficial, considering that most ammo expended is used for suppression), it's design makes it a very modular weapon, it's very easy to control in automatic fire, is more accurate, and the small ejection port opening makes it difficult for foreign debris to get into the internal components of the rifle.

To its disadvantage, the round is less powerful, you have to match your rifling twist to the weight of the round you're firing, the direct impingement system blows carbon into the action, the awkward design of the chamber makes it difficult to clean, it's more expensive, it must be opened up and drained out before firing after being submerged in water, field stripping is more complicated, and involves small parts which could be lost if the operator is not careful.

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