The Gun

219–20, 223, 227–28, 236, 242, 245–51, 256–59, 265–68, 270, 272–73, 294–95, 308–10, 313, 317, 324, 332, 335– 36, 338–46, 349–54, 356–59, 361–65, 367, 377–82, 386–87, 390–91, 399, 401–2, 406–13, 419n, 432n–34n, 435n–36n, 442n, 444n

propaganda on, 9, 17–19, 211n

prototypes of, 4, 152, 186–94, 197, 199–200, 201, 204–5, 249, 432n– 33n

publicity on, 211n

reliability of, 5–7, 15–16, 145, 197, 200, 206, 307–9, 335–36, 415

reputation of, 5, 188

secrecy about, 20, 211n, 256, 402

in secret contest, 4, 144–48, 150–54, 160–61, 188–89, 191–92, 195n, 197, 199– 200, 205, 207, 345

size and weight of, 8, 145, 187, 197, 199, 209, 227–28, 243

in song lyrics, 384–85

specialness of, 197–98

sporting rifles based on, 399

stockpiling of, 5, 9, 12–13, 340–44, 354, 356–58

symbolism of, 11, 14–15, 154, 225–27, 237, 239–42, 341, 383–85

technical manual for, 256, 402

tests and demonstrations of, 3, 146, 187–92, 194, 197, 199–200, 204–5, 242, 256–57, 274, 283–90, 294–95, 308, 360

training on, 11, 359–60, 378, 380, 387, 404–5, 409–10

ubiquity of, 4–14, 17, 20, 201–2, 214, 361, 380–82, 408, 410, 432n

in violence against civilians, 14, 219–20, 223, 338–41, 346–48, 350–52, 357–58, 365, 387, 406n

AK-74 (Avtomat Kalashnikova-74), 16, 444n

ammunition of, 353, 366, 383

design and development of, 353

purchase prices of, 383

AKM (Avtomat Kalashnikova Modernizirovanny), 15–16, 242–43, 269

collapsible, 382

cultural status of, 359

design of, 360

illegal transfers of, 369

knock-offs of, 385–86

production and distribution of, 242, 345, 350, 353

purchase prices of, 382, 386

training on, 359–60, 387

AKS, 15–16

AKSU-74 (Krinkov), 383

Al Aqsa Martyr’s Brigades, 384

Albania, 214

and AK and AK-type rifle production and distribution, 12, 218n, 250, 343, 367

break with Soviet Union of, 342–43

fall of communism in, 365, 367

weapons pilfering in, 367–68

weapons stockpiling in, 342–43, 367–68

Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, 84

Alero, Francis, 377–78

Alexander II, Czar of Russia, 40, 48

Algeria, Algiers, 248, 338, 349

Al Jazeera, 15

al Khalil, Ibrahim, 98

Allende, Salvador, 383–84

Alma-Ata, 181–82, 184, 220

al Qaeda, 11, 380, 396

al-Wazir, Khalil “Abu Jihad,” 350

AMD, 16

American Rifleman, 298

Amin, Idi, 9, 225, 356, 358, 374

ammunition, 92–95, 107, 160–70, 251–58, 275–83, 368–69, 373, 433n– 35n

of AK and AK-type rifles, 3–4, 16, 19–20, 145, 161, 185, 192, 196–99, 205–7, 215, 217, 227, 249, 251, 257– 58, 265, 288, 309, 340, 349, 353, 362, 364–66, 369, 371, 378–79, 382–83, 393–95, 402, 411, 429n, 442n, 444n

of AR-10, 275–76

of AR-15, 276–82, 285n, 286, 288, 291

of automatic and assault rifles, 138–39, 155, 160–67, 169–70, 184–85, 195–97, 253

in Civil War, 33–34, 36

construction of, 196

experiments on, 229–33, 235, 252–53, 284–85, 287, 391, 435n, 438n–39n

of Gardner gun, 68, 81

of Gatling gun, 29, 31–32, 36, 38, 40–42, 46, 50, 52, 67, 88, 90, 92–93, 95

illegal transfers of, 366–71

Kurz rounds, 161–63, 165–67, 199, 255

of Lewis gun, 138

of M1, 253–54

of M-14, 256, 273, 276, 288

of M-16, 20, 269, 271, 294, 297–99, 301–2, 304, 307, 310–11, 316–17, 322, 324–27, 334, 353, 415, 444n

M35 rounds, 162–63, 166

M1943 rounds, see M1943 rounds

of machine guns, 27, 65, 110–11, 136–37, 227

of Maschinenkarabiner 42, 164

of Mauser rifle, 94, 162–63

of Maxim gun, 68–69, 75–77, 82–84, 87, 105, 113–14, 122

of mitrailleur, 43

of Mosin-Nagant rifle, 169

musket balls, 27, 33

muzzle velocity and, 167, 198, 252–53, 284, 291, 293, 383

NATO’s standardization of, 255–57, 275, 436n, 444n

of PK, 243

and reducing power and strength of cartridges, 162–63, 165–67

Remington rounds, 276

SCHV, 276–77, 353, 438n