'Freedom fighter' or 'terrorist,' this is their assault rifle

The AK-47 is turning 60 years old next year, so of course someone wrote a book. For a shorter version, the Washington Post has an article by the same author.

It's pretty wild that these things have been around, and effective, as so many other aspects of warfare have changed. In the same 60 years, the United States has moved through the following long arms:

M-1 - Second World War and Korean War
M-14 - used until Vietnam; wood stock; still used today as a sniper rifle
M-16 - used through 1980s; mostly plastic; fully automatic; jammed a lot
M-16A2 - used until about 2003; jams less; 3-round burst instead of auto
M-4s - more compact than A2, more accessories

But meanwhile, the "other team" stayed with the AK-47 and its knock-off variants. And for obvious reasons.

Consider the cost difference: A civilian version of an M-16 will cost you at least $500. If you want omething similar to the M-4s that our folks are carrying in Iraq today, you'll pay more than $1,000. However, you can get a civilian rifle similar to an AK, called an SKS, for around $200 - with grenade launcher attachment.

What are the downsides? AK-47s are bigger and bulkier than more advanced arms, and don't have as much range: M-16s and M-4s can engage targets at 500+meters, but AKs are only accurate to 300 meters.

I do love M-16s - they're not as delicate as some people make them out to be. I've seen them go through hell and still fire fine.

But the amount of money the U.S. and other states spend on their infantry long arms reminds me of this joke about NASA:

When NASA first started sending up astronauts, they quickly discovered that ballpoint pens would not work in zero gravity.

To combat the problem, NASA scientists spent a decade and $12 billion to develop a pen that writes in zero gravity, upside down, underwater, on almost any surface including glass and at temperatures ranging from below freezing to 300ºC.

The Russians used a pencil.

p.s. this is how I party on a Saturday night.