designer ak-102
The AKM (" Avtomat Kalashnikova Modernizirovanniy " or " Kalashnikov modernized automatic rifle ") is a 7 . 62mm assault rifle designed by ___MASK43___ . It is a common modernized variant of the AK - 47 rifle developed in the 1940s . The AK - 102 assault rifle is a shortened carbine version of the AK - 101 rifle , which in turn was derived from the original AK - 47 design and its AK - 74 successor . The AK - 102 , AK - 104 , and AK - 105 are very similar in design , the only difference being the caliber and corresponding magazine type . The AK - 102 is an export version chambered to fire 5 . 56 × 45mm NATO ammunition . Compared to the AK - 101 and AK - 103 , which are full - size rifles of similar design , the AK - 102 , 104 , and 105 feature shortened barrels that make them a middle ground between a full rifle and the more compact AKS - 74U . Whereas the AK - 10x rifles have longer barrels , full - length gas pistons , and solid , side - folding polymer stocks , the AKS - 74U is shorter , and features a skeleton stock . The rifle ' s receiver is made of stamped steel . The magazine is lighter , and more durable than older models , being made out of reinforced fiberglass . The butt stock is made of plastic , making it lighter , more durable , and it is hollow , allowing a field kit to be stored in side of it . The AK - 102 uses an adjustable notched rear tangent iron sight calibrated in 100 m ( 109 yd ) increments from 100 to 500 m ( 109 to 547 yd ) . The front sight is a post adjustable for elevation in the field . Horizontal adjustment is done by the factory or armory before issue . The AK - 102 has a muzzle booster derived form the AKS - 74U . The 100 - series AKs are produced by the Izhmash factories in Izhevsk , Russia . The AK - 47 , or AK as it is officially known ( also known as the Kalashnikov ) is a selective - fire ( semi - automatic and automatic ), gas - operated 7 . 62 × 39 mm assault rifle , developed in the Soviet Union by ___MASK43___ . It is officially known in the Soviet documentation as " Avtomat Kalashnikova ". The 5 . 56 × 45mm NATO ( official NATO nomenclature 5 . 56 NATO ) is an intermediate cartridge developed in the United States and originally chambered in the M16 rifle . Under STANAG 4172 , it is a standard cartridge for NATO forces as well as many non - NATO countries . It is derived from , but is not identical to , the . 223 Remington cartridge . Russia ( from the  Rus '), also officially known as the Russian Federation , is a country in Eurasia . At , Russia is the largest country in the world by surface area , covering more than one - eighth of the Earth ' s inhabited land area , and the ninth most populous , with over 140 million people at the end of March 2016 . The European western part of the country is much more populated and urbanised than the eastern , about 77 % of the population live in European Russia . Russia ' s capital Moscow is one of the largest cities in the world , other ___MASK90___ urban centers include Saint Petersburg , Novosibirsk , Yekaterinburg , Nizhny Novgorod and Samara . The AK - 74 ( Russian : or " Kalashnikov automatic rifle model 1974 ") is an assault rifle developed in the early 1970s by Russian designer ___MASK43___ as the replacement for the earlier AKM ( itself a refined version of the AK - 47 ). It uses a smaller 5 . 45 × 39mm cartridge , replacing the 7 . 62 × 39mm chambering of earlier Kalashnikov - pattern weapons . The AK - 105 is a shortened carbine version of the AK - 74M rifle , which in turn was derived from the original AK - 47 design and its AK - 74 successor . The AK - 102 , AK - 104 , and AK - 105 are very similar in design , the only difference being the caliber and corresponding magazine type . The AK - 105 is chambered to fire 5 . 45 × 39mm ammunition . The AK - 105 is supplementing AKS - 74U carbines in Russian Army service since 2001 . An intermediate cartridge is a rifle / carbine cartridge that is less powerful than typical full - power battle rifle cartridges , such as the . 303 British , 7 . 62 × 54mmR , 7 . 92 × 57mm ___MASK88___ or . 30 - 06 Springfield , but still has significantly longer effective range than pistol cartridges . As their recoil is significantly reduced compared to high power rifle cartridges , fully automatic rifles firing intermediate cartridges are relatively easy to control . However , even though less powerful than a traditional rifle cartridge , the ballistics are still sufficient for an effective range of , which are the maximum typical engagement ranges in modern combat . This allowed for the development of the assault rifle , a selective fire weapon that is more compact and lighter than rifles that fire full power cartridges . The first intermediate cartridge to see widespread service was the German 7 . 92 × 33mm Kurz used in the StG 44 . Other notable examples include the Soviet 7 . 62 × 39mm used in the AK - 47 and AKM series , and the American 5 . 56 × 45mm NATO cartridge first used in the M16 .