AK-47: Pop Culture's "Bad Guy" Gun

AK-47: Pop Culture's "Bad Guy" Gun - Loadout

Рет қаралды 235,485

Күн бұрын

The AK-47 is easily both the most famous and infamous firearm in all of the world’s history. With over 100 million made, its appearance in over half a century of cinema, and its place within the hands of players in hundreds of video games, the Avtomat Kalashnikova model of 1947 is undeniably the most recognisable weapon ever made.
With the help of Jonathan Ferguson, Keeper of Firearms & Artillery at the Royal Armouries Museum in the UK, we chart the AK-47’s journey, from its post-WW2 creation through to its huge pop culture footprint as the quintessential Hollywood “bad guy gun”.
0:00 - Intro
01:02 - Origins of the AK-47
02:30 - Misnaming the AK
04:02 - Different Variants
06:11 - AK-47 In Pop Culture
09:18 - AK-47 In Gaming
16:04 - Ending
In this episode of Loadout, Dave Jewitt visits the Royal Armouries to talk to Keeper of Firearms & Artillery Jonathan Ferguson to chat about the legendary AK-47 rifle, its history and production, and its mammoth pop culture footprint.
You can check out more episodes of Loadout right here. - • How Games Are Lying To...
You can check out our Firearms Expert Reacts series here. - • Firearms Expert Reacts...
If you're interested in seeing more of Jonathan's work, you can check out more from the Royal Armouries right here. - / royalarmouries
If you would like to support the Royal Armouries, you can make a charitable donation to the museum here. - royalarmouries.org/support-us...

Пікірлер: 609

@IrregularDave Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching another episode of Loadout! We wanted to do our very best to do the AK justice, and it was a real privilege to get to see some real historic firearms as part of making this episode. Stay tuned as tomorrow (5th Dec) we have a bonus chat with Jonathan, breaking down a few of the examples and their lives in games, including a golden AK....So make sure to come back for that. We could never cover every part of the AK's future in one episode, but I hope this was an interesting spotlight on a little of it's history as well as it's life in games and pop culture. I appreciate you all watching and sharing your thoughts and hope you are enjoying the series.

@IrregularDave Жыл бұрын

Also the Samuel L Jackson's line about the AK-47 in Jackie Brown is also up there for "AK hype script writing"

@fourleaf7570 Жыл бұрын

You're the man in demand, Daverino

@cruejones742 Жыл бұрын

What? You couldn't get Brandon Herrera as a guest for this episode?

@cruejones742 Жыл бұрын

@@IrregularDave next time ask Brandon Herrera who's shot more AKs than the entire British Royal Armory combined for input. I guarantee he would have loved to collaborate. Or is there a reason why you may have not wanted to?

@TheSundayShooter Жыл бұрын

@@cruejones742 Herrera lives in Texas, they would be coordinating over a six hour difference just for a video conference

@afd19850 Жыл бұрын

you will always have an "AR15" "AK", "M1911" "pump action" and "revolver/magnum in pretty much every FPS game. Too iconic now

@judsongaiden9878 Жыл бұрын

Dead Island has some Armalite-style rifles that look like a hybrid of the M-16 and the AR-18.

@phelpysan Жыл бұрын

Double barrel too

@Drega001 Жыл бұрын

M4 not AR

@WaylakeAnimations Жыл бұрын

@@Drega001 m4a1 and ar-15 is kinda similar though

@cerealmuffin465 Жыл бұрын

@@WaylakeAnimations ar 15 is a civilian sharpshooter m4 is a military grade rifle with full auto and ar 15 is designed for a customizable experience.

@jpabe9321 Жыл бұрын

Legend has it that if a Brit touches a rifle without gloves they're instantly teleported to prison.

@crusaderanimation6967 Жыл бұрын

Legends says that if Brits googles " gun" SAS breaks in right after. also *INSERT SCHOOL SHOOTING JOKE HERE*

@AmauryChihuahua Жыл бұрын

@@crusaderanimation6967 I dont understand that shooting joke since we talking bout' the brits not the murican's

@crusaderanimation6967 Жыл бұрын

@@AmauryChihuahua Yea that was joke about people who would inevedebly post school shooting joke as " counter joke" to "Brits cannot into guns jokes".

@fredjones5698 Жыл бұрын

@@crusaderanimation6967 why would former inmates be concerned about what people search on google

@crusaderanimation6967 Жыл бұрын

@@fredjones5698 idk why?

@ismarwinkelman5648 Жыл бұрын

That scene from 'Lord of War' where Yuri describes the AK-47 (with Tchaikovsky playing in the background) gives me goosebumps to this day. Perfection!

@Mak35hiFt Жыл бұрын

YES 👌

@tex4763 Жыл бұрын

Which is hilarious cause the armories in the movie were filled with vz-58s

@ismarwinkelman5648 Жыл бұрын

@@tex4763 Yeah, Brandon Herrera pointed that out in one of his awesome videos

@tex4763 Жыл бұрын

@@ismarwinkelman5648 based brandon Herrera fan

@ismarwinkelman5648 Жыл бұрын

@@tex4763 That’s where I found it out

@Hosenfuhrer Жыл бұрын

8:29 That actually happens to be a VZ-58, a Czech weapon that looks like an AK but quite isn't.

@BravoOneCharlie Жыл бұрын

I was looking for this comment lol

@ENKTDeeColon_and_randomnumbers Жыл бұрын

Czechoslovakia either were denied that AK data package or were allowed to make their own design (can't remember which it was but both are just as plausible)

@colbunkmust Жыл бұрын

@@ENKTDeeColon_and_randomnumbers The Czechs refused to adopt a Russian design as they had for their previous VZ-52, which wasn't even caliber compliant with the rest of the Warsaw Pact. The VZ-58 using the same ammunition, but no other parts compatibility was a compromise of sorts.

@ZombieWilfred Жыл бұрын

@@ENKTDeeColon_and_randomnumbers It was the latter, they were allowed to make their own design as long as they changed the round to 7.62x39. I love my VZ 58!

@IrregularDave Жыл бұрын

Copy/pasted from another of my replies on this point, but you're 100 percent correct. 👍 The point is that to the average movie-goer, especially in 1983 it works as one of many "stand-ins" for being an AK in cinema. It would do so again as the background weapons from the Lord of War Scene. There was a part in the script that talked about some of the other rifles that "sat in" for the AK -in terms of matching enough of the aesthetic that a cinema-goer would have the same emotional ties that they would to the AK - and fit in the story of the movie the same way. While that part of the script was cut down, I thought it still matched the visuals/narrative of the video, and perhaps now sits as either an ironic or fitting moment of "AK but not AK" usage in media haha

@fpteamkvitka6223 Жыл бұрын

As a Russian speaker, I must remark that you said Metros "Kalash" is a changed name, and while technically yes, it isn't referred to as AK-47, this isn't exactly a change. "Kalash", short from "Kalashnikov" is genuinely what people call the AK in the post soviet space

@jeremyroland5602 Жыл бұрын

Gotta dodge them copyrights ayy

@KasumiRINA Жыл бұрын

@@jeremyroland5602 no, not really. Nobody calls them AKs here. It's always just Kalash.

@jeremyroland5602 Жыл бұрын

@@KasumiRINA "Automatic Kalashnikov," "Kalashnikov," "AK-47," and the other variations are all trademarked. Kalash is not. A gun can be called something that isn't it's official name. Just like how the M1A1 Thompson sub machine gun can be called the "Chicago Typewriter," but that's not it's official name so it's therefore not trademarked. The name of the 1911 pistol and the name Colt are trademarks, hence why many games settle to use "Kolt .45" or something similar. Etc.

@Swagmaster07 7 ай бұрын

@@jeremyroland5602Trademarks dont prevent you from using the actual name, are you gonna get a cease and desist just over that? Thad be very dumb especially if you own thst gun.

@CrashRacknShoot 5 ай бұрын

@@jeremyroland56021911 is a firearm pattern, not a trademarked name. Colt is a firearm brand. Hence wh6 dozens of companies make 1911s, but nobody but Colt makes Colts.

@scottjs5207 Жыл бұрын

I think the inevitable comparison between the SCAR H and AKM in games should be talked about more. They're fundamentally different types of weapon systems with very different roles IRL but they always end up playing those high damage, lower fire rate with long effective ranges if you can land your shots role and it's almost a necessity to have the SCAR-H if you're game has the 7.62 AK.

@dreadpirate677 Жыл бұрын

They did a video about the SCAR, as well, and pointed out how the H version is usually the one visible in games because it fills the role of the heavier "battle" rifle. The AK series is essentially included for similar reasons, making it a matter of dev choice which to include, so a lot of the commentary there would apply here as well.

@whoelsebutmeofcoursei Жыл бұрын

@@dreadpirate677 from a game development perspective, I wouldn't add a scar l to a game. It's "just an M4 but Belgian". The scar h is, in a lot of ways, "FAL but modern", which is better than having two 556 assault rifles...

@Klovaneer Жыл бұрын

That's actually absurd as the difference in muzzle energy between AKM and M16 is four times smaller than between AKM and SCAR-H which should run against SVD really. You can even give it 20 round magazines (which are a real thing) and take down the scope.

@jfs1291 Жыл бұрын

OH MY GOD. I never thought I would see a reference to Conflict: Desert Storm. I loved those games growing up and it seems I was in a minority. So seeing such a reference warms my heart

@clutchmctryhard3110 Жыл бұрын

Same! I absolutely loved that game as a kid, I wish it had more recognition

@JoshuaC923 Жыл бұрын

Scud hunt was my favourite mission, Cpt Foley was my favourite character

@alanmacpherson3225 Жыл бұрын

I have all 4 games on Ps2 they are some of my favourites. I play them at least once a year. I wish they did a sequel to Global Storm so we could find out what happened to Foley.

@IrregularDave Жыл бұрын

I was pretty nostalgic for it, but playing the game for the footage used in the episode took a little shine off of that haha. The control scheme alone felt bizarre to me in 2022

@jfs1291 Жыл бұрын

@@alanmacpherson3225 they did. Conflict: Denied Ops..... It's not a good game. But Foley is in one of the missions....

@cyn6440 Жыл бұрын

I'd like to point out that the AKS-74U being miscategorized as an SMG isn't necessarily a miscategorization, since from what I've heard, the USSR officially designated the 74U as an SMG rather than a carbine.

@zwenkwiel816 Жыл бұрын

still doesn't fit traditional SMG definition though since the 5.45x39 it fires isn't really a pistol cartridge.

@gn4128 Жыл бұрын

USSR designed AK as smg, so it is not valid argument

@chris.3711 Жыл бұрын

That was actually the initial plan for the original AK.

@mcintoshpc Жыл бұрын

Gun categorization is pretty flimsy, it both is and isn’t an smg

@scottjs5207 Жыл бұрын

@@mcintoshpc The categorization is not, just people's understanding of it. I'm sure the SMG part is more like a lost in translation type of thing. SMG defines pistol caliber full auto weapons. PDWs are compact weapons meant to fulfill a self-defense role such that helicopter pilots or tank personnel would require should they have to leave their vehicle but that is not restricted by caliber. By definition, the AK74U is a PDW, not an SMG.

@pretzelstein2117 Жыл бұрын

I believe that in the James Bond clip is not the AK but the Czech VZ.58

@Smintjes Жыл бұрын

True.

@ChaosBahamut Жыл бұрын

You'd be right.

@angelichexa Жыл бұрын

Yeah, it is. Instantly recognised it being a VZ.58, as I got one at home.

@hubertjack7724 Жыл бұрын

Suggestion for a future episode - the SA80 series in gaming? Seems like a good one to have given that Jonathan's book goes into great detail on the real thing, and that the SA80 series has frequently appeared in games as an unlockable/special weapon since the '90s but very few games seem to get the details (visual look and / or handling drills) correct. E.g. the monstrosity of the "L86 LSW" in the 2011 Modern Warfare 2, (which was a hybrid L85 & L86).

@timberwolfmountaineer873 Жыл бұрын

I once picked up an L85A1 in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. by mistake. One of my lowest moments in gaming.

@whoelsebutmeofcoursei Жыл бұрын

@@timberwolfmountaineer873 I once stepped right into a vortex anomaly in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. It was one of my best "I'm glad I did not pick a L85A1" moments in gaming.

@timberwolfmountaineer873 Жыл бұрын

@@whoelsebutmeofcoursei :D

@IrregularDave Жыл бұрын

I will certainly keep it in mind :) I suppose it's an unusual one in terms of it's appearances in pop culture, but even folk who aren't super into firearms history I think still have some awareness of it's reputation from games, movies, TV etc!

@iamjames8200 Жыл бұрын

@@IrregularDave Squad is pretty much the only game (That I can think of) that has represents it right.

@xanthropod7789 Жыл бұрын

8:25 that's a Czech vz. 58

@harrierrex3688 Жыл бұрын

I just want to say that

@larkenkuznetsov3413 Жыл бұрын

Unless a person really knows their stuff it seems like there's always going to be one mis-identification in a video about AK's.

@Sseltraeh89 Жыл бұрын

Not only that, it's fireworks disguised as Sa vz. 58, notice it's bolt isn't moving when he fires

@martynas6ha4griefer Жыл бұрын

Oh! What a cool an interesting video. "We've come here to the Royal armories-" Jonathan Ferguson! EVEN BETTER!

@dreadpirate677 Жыл бұрын

Harry Turtledove wrote a book about people going back in time and giving the American Confederacy crates of Kalashnikov rifles. The premise of the whole story required a gun that was easy to learn and maintain, as well as being available in mass quantities uptime, so there really wasn't any other choice.

@AICW Жыл бұрын

Harry Harrison did a similar premise a decade before Turtledove did. The story was called "A Rebel in Time" and the story's villain goes back in time to give the Confederates the Sten gun, which is an even simpler gun to make than a Kalashnikov.

@generalilbis Жыл бұрын

I love Turtledove's "The Guns of the South"! Especially the scene where...Robert E. Lee...first hears the Kalashnikov fire in semi-auto offscreen at a rate compatible to standard musket fire...then Minuteman-style "rapid" fire of like 3 rounds per minute...then the rifle's actual automatic fire rate that stuns him 😉

@filanfyretracker Жыл бұрын

The Soviet/Russian AK models and the American Browning M2, Two guns that will somehow be still with us when we are exploring the stars and have laser weapons.

@KasumiRINA Жыл бұрын

We're literally already on the way of replacing them with 5.56 because ammo is lacking. 5.45 is exotic enough and the older bullets used in 47s and AKMs (7.62x39, no to be confused with NATO 7.62x51)are no-go and are only used for training and territorial defense units.

@Yeeoldman63 Жыл бұрын

My biggest pet peeve is when games call a AKM or AK-74 a “AK-47” and when games call the AKS-74u a smg when it was designed as a sub machine gun but its a carbine version of the AKS-74N.

@rbgerald2469 Жыл бұрын

Aye. And also seeing the AK-47 in shooters that have Russians use it as a standard issue rifle instead of the AK-74, AK-74M, or AK-12.

@Yeeoldman63 Жыл бұрын

@@rbgerald2469 same

@judsongaiden9878 Жыл бұрын

Does the letter "N" have something to do with night vision? "S" indicates a folding stock. "U" indicates a short barrel. But what about "N?" Don't night vision scopes for AKs use the same dovetail mounting system as other optics?

@Yeeoldman63 Жыл бұрын

@@judsongaiden9878 yea the N means folding stock like the AK-74N is a full size AK-74 but with a folding skeleton stock

@judsongaiden9878 Жыл бұрын

@@Yeeoldman63 "S" is folding stock. Not sure what "N" is.

@user-oj5jr8rm4z Жыл бұрын

Having all the aks including galils and other foreign variants is such a huge muah moment to have in games and real life to they are fun to shoot

@latewizard301 Жыл бұрын

What i found funny about MW2019, is that it's an actual AK-47, or at least a milled AK, which is kinda funny to me, because i think that would be very rare for the insurgents in that game to get a hold of. But i guess Activision just wanted to do an "well actually" when they made the AK...

@whoelsebutmeofcoursei Жыл бұрын

I guess only museums have milled 47s

@latewizard301 Жыл бұрын

@@whoelsebutmeofcoursei yeah, so probably they raided a museum and got milled AKs? Tbh they could have just done a Battlefield Hardline, and named it AKM.

@Saul_Atreides Жыл бұрын

8:25 "In the hands of James Bond" Proceeds to show a clip of the VZ-58...

@IrregularDave Жыл бұрын

It is indeed, but the point is that to the average movie-goer, especially in 1983 it works as one of many "stand-ins" for being an AK in cinema. Good movie gun knowledge though!

@barroncze2187 Жыл бұрын

@@IrregularDave it cannot be used and stand-in its entirely different gun.

@Saul_Atreides Жыл бұрын

@@IrregularDave I totally get what you mean by that. Mixing the two up is a classic in and of itself. Just a little ironic letting it slip in a vid detailing how other pop culture has got it slightly wrong throughout time.

@scottjs5207 Жыл бұрын

@@barroncze2187 You're missing the point. Those who don't know about guns will not see any difference.

@Zack_Wester Жыл бұрын

@@IrregularDave true and there was a massive problem whit getting the correct gun for a long time (be it one nation getting one or another another ones or juts any specific kind). remember a cold war movie (might have been golden eye) where its stated that every enemy was AK-47 / AKM. but what every single AK weapon shown was was a completely different gun that had revised some cosmetic job to at least look at bit more like the gun they said it was. I mean every single one (the hero AK, the bad guy AK, the AK closest to the camera and in focus in a group shot (this was usually the correct gun if they could at least get one copy) even here it was not the AK-47/AKM dressed as AK-47. nope every single AK in that movie was something else (some closer in look then some other but none was the correct one and this was at a time when there was a good amount of AK in existence).

@user-bv7zo6vd4m Жыл бұрын

Considering most "AK-47" 's are a completely different model to that, I wonder why the term kalasnicov isn't used more often, it just sounds way cooler, at least for me

@kalamir93 Жыл бұрын

At least in germany, "Kalaschnikov" or simply "AK" is the common name. I guess it's to some extent because most of us here don't really care about designation-names and stuff like that. (Luckily) We don't have such a "gun culture" here like in the US which would influence that.

@R.Tafolla Жыл бұрын

Russians just call it Kalash. Which is its name in Metro.

@whoelsebutmeofcoursei Жыл бұрын

@@kalamir93 "Luckily"? 🤦‍♂️🙄

@kalamir93 Жыл бұрын

@@whoelsebutmeofcoursei Yep. I see the gun culture in the US quite sceptical and would not want that in my country. But that seems to be a difference in mindset and culture in general. And I respect these differences. :)

@evanburdick8503 Жыл бұрын

Because Kalashnikov is too difficult for Western people to pronounce. Some Eastern Europeans too, as it's gained the nickname "Kalash"

@corkbulb2895 Жыл бұрын

I've heard the 100 million count for the number of AK-47s in the world very frequently. However, I've also heard there may be more than 3x as many (so 300 million) when you take into account the number of unassembled spare parts out in the world. If you put them all together into functioning AKs, you get another 200 million. So the number is something like 250-300 million total. Supposedly. It's impossible to actually know.

@parkerlong2658 Жыл бұрын

Well you have to take into account that like ten different countries were making exact copies at any given time and trading between each other. It's hard to tell in ledger reports if it was domesticly made ak47s or something from a Soviet factory. Making it all the harder to count especially considering that probably a half of them weren't made in the Soviet union and thus have a much less record keeping.

@IrregularDave Жыл бұрын

The book keeping and accounts of that period of time perhaps not being the most accurate or reliable certainly doesn't help there haha. And yet even with all the ifs and buts, it's pretty amazing that it's still well and clear the most produced firearm.

@Treblaine Жыл бұрын

As the receiver of an ak doesn't really wear out there would be no point in making a "spare part" for that and the receiver is generally considered "the gun" it is the component where the serial number is printed. And if an AK has a warped barrel or rusted gas tube generally they aren't replaced as the effort to replace those components costs more than just getting a new AK. It's not the price of the components that is the issue... It's the cost in man hours. So I think the production number is quite reflective of the actual total practical number.

@corkbulb2895 Жыл бұрын

@@Treblaine There are plenty of spare AK receivers and parts kits out there. And the receiver is the "registered part" in the United States only. Because that's where the fire control group is located and the US government is obsessed with banning full auto weapons (which is pathetic but that is a whole different story) Pretty much every other country in the world uses the pressure bearing parts, such as the barrel and bolt, as the "registered part" for a firearm. And many countries don't even have a "registered firearm database" and make random spare parts for all kinds of firearms all the time. Point is, there are definitely more AKs out there than any other firearm, and much more than we could ever attempt to count.

@Treblaine Жыл бұрын

@@corkbulb2895 But were they made AS spare receivers or was an entire AK built (as part of the 100 million count) and after being cannibalized for parts you're left with just a receiver? A lot of research has gone into analysing the strength of armies and how many rifles they have, the 100 million number for AK rifles is quite accurate. I have no doubt you'll find boxes full of AK rifle components somewhere but where did they come from? They were far more likely cannibalized from damaged AK rifles that left the factory as whole rifles than factories were producing components for one of the most overproduced firearms in the world. Now if some of the 100 million AK rifles are so damaged that they are cannibalized for parts then you cannot reassemble any parts to increase the total number of AK rifles. "Pretty much every other country in the world uses the pressure bearing parts, such as the barrel and bolt, as the "registered part" for a firearm." No they don't, they registered the component that HOLDS the pressure bearing parts, not barrel or bolts which are replaceable. In the case of all AK variants it is the receiver which holds the pressure bearing parts like the barrel and bolt. I makes no difference in this matter as the receiver both holds the barrel/bolt AND the trigger mechanism.

@juliobrian4757 Жыл бұрын

No matter how you slice it...strictly speaking...technical...scientific... It is considered one of the most basic of tools... The Hammer... ...the Sickle... the *AK47!*

@tenshi6293 5 ай бұрын

is this a reference to ahoy

@MaxwellAerialPhotography 4 ай бұрын

@@tenshi6293YES!

@AHappyCub Жыл бұрын

Before EFT i never like the look on AKs with those wooden parts, but after EFT its one of my favorite gun to look at, it just look so good in that game + moddability

@Klovaneer 9 ай бұрын

Physically based rendering did wonders, especially for models that are right in your face and even more so for wood that often looked like plastic before.

@dodo-ur5os Жыл бұрын

truly one of the guns ever made

@whoelsebutmeofcoursei Жыл бұрын

The most gun ever made*

@user-kl8dq8eg6h Жыл бұрын

One of the guns of all time. But honestly, I love AKs

@JerryKosloski Жыл бұрын

it truly do be

@trulyinfamous Жыл бұрын

I think this kind of content is where gamespot can continue to carve out its own niche. I don't much care for the game news or reviews as I already follow a number of different channels where I can get that kind of content. Everything with Jonathan Ferguson has been great and this series is a nice addition as well.

@raka1996 Жыл бұрын

When some of the gun shown was VZ-58 but most people I know still refers it as AK-47 kinda tells how popular it is for that silhouette == AK

@vtheman1850 Жыл бұрын

Interestingly, while the AK is the famous "Bad guy gun", in reality it was the tool countless millions used in rebellions and liberations :D

@Valkyrie1166 Жыл бұрын

It's pretty cool to see reference to one of my favorite old games, Conflict: Desert Storm. Not to sound full of myself, but it's a game I tend to think no one played except myself and a few friends. It has you commanding a squad of up to four troops (each individually controllable), and you can pick between American Delta Force and British SAS; this changes their voices and clothing. I'm rambling here, so I need to go play it again.

@SocialNetworkWhore Жыл бұрын

Kinda surprised the Heartbreak Ridge AK scene wasnt in this. "This is the AK47, the preffered weapon of your enemy. It makes a very distinctive sound when fired."

@cold-wolf Жыл бұрын

I must admit your AK-47 and it's designer name pronunciation is pretty decent, I've heard that name butchered countless times) Kinda surprised actually. Your channel is decent too, I've started watching it mainly because of your collaboration with Jonathan Fergusson, I look forward to see more of that kind of content.

@KasumiRINA Жыл бұрын

Shouldn't be that hard to pronounce Hugo Shmeisser, the guy who actually made it while his russian overseer who was an uneducated peasant took all credit and never actually invented a thing in his life he.

@jonahlowe7649 Жыл бұрын

Easy answer because it along with the AKM and AK 74 are the most produced small arm ever.

@tex4763 Жыл бұрын

I would say more so because they’re the most proliferated Russia and china sell them a dime a dozen to any nation arming every third world country and ally they can

@Rashed1255 Жыл бұрын

If games set in the future had AKMs, it probably won’t be unrealistic for it to be there.

@IrregularDave Жыл бұрын

Warhammer 40k-47

@filippaustralovenator4.040 Жыл бұрын

Cod Inf Warfare has a laser AK47.)

@danasaeed9018 Жыл бұрын

Truly Iconic.

@MiniMC546 Жыл бұрын

In the recent CoD: MW2, the AK is called as a Kastov.

@whoelsebutmeofcoursei Жыл бұрын

😭

@jesseservin4012 Жыл бұрын

Produced in Kastovia, the fictional post soviet country from MW19

@hz3068 Жыл бұрын

Whyyyyy just whyyyyy

@H33333 Жыл бұрын

When mobile games have better copyright to guns than your triple A game does.

@BigBossJ Жыл бұрын

Lame I hate how Cod started doing that

@Kriiispy Жыл бұрын

I always found it odd that someone would go through the effort of modelling an AKM as closely as possible, studying hundreds of images of the AKM in detail, getting every pin right, getting the muzzle device mostly right, showing it has a stamped receiver etc etc then label it AK-47 and slap an aftermarket siderail on it. I'm looking at you, CSGO devs

@justinbeath5169 Жыл бұрын

AK-47 is a better name than AKM

@Kubiac79 Жыл бұрын

I personally always call something that looks like an AK or part of the AK-platform a Kalashnikov thus avoiding any confusion/misnaming.

@MxerEdits Жыл бұрын

I’m an AK guy and I am in love with the Kalashnikov platform and this video has explained the greatest rifle platform vey well

@outdoorvideoswithbrad Жыл бұрын

I’m an AK guy too and I have multiple “bad guy” load outs

@theblondesiouxsiesioux Жыл бұрын

Always loved AK's. The only issue I have with the old vanilla AKs is (for me personally) that the stock is a tad too short for me. But that's an easy fix.

@Hoppelite Жыл бұрын

You did a great job on this

@-nomi.- Жыл бұрын

I feel like people not understanding the difference between 7.62x39 and 7.62x51 has been behind so many videogame AKs with too much recoil

@KasumiRINA Жыл бұрын

Please upvote this. 7.52x39 cartridge is not "more powerful," it's an obsolete thing that is worse than 5.45 (or 5.56) in so many ways, it fell out of use almost entirely here.

@cow_tools_ Жыл бұрын

This series is so interesting and well researched!

@Purple_Wayne Жыл бұрын

The nomenclature can get very convoluted. I have A WASR-10, but I just call it an AK or an AKM. AK just translates to Automatic Kalashnikov so you can't really go wrong with that.

@whoelsebutmeofcoursei Жыл бұрын

Yes! Like how I call AR15-type weapons "AR-15's" although 99% of them aren't manufactured by Armalite

@LastGoatKnight Жыл бұрын

Where I live, the AK still is the main assault rifle for ground units (AK-63 to be precise). I hope I won't need to learn to shoot it😅

@adenkyramud5005 Жыл бұрын

I'm a massive AK nerd and seeing all the weird frankenguns in games always leads to angry rants...

@erikasan3299 Жыл бұрын

yessss jonathon is back

@kelvinsantiago7061 Жыл бұрын

They should make a video about the Venerable but often overlooked Lever Action Rifles.

@George_M_ Жыл бұрын

First game gun to organically teach me to single shot fire it most of the time (L4D2)

@security864 Жыл бұрын

This was my suggestion!!!

@whoelsebutmeofcoursei Жыл бұрын

There's few things in life I am sure about. One of them is: The AK47 from that game you played is not an AK47. Jokes apart, they always tend to be either a not-so-accurate AKM, or for the sake of pedantism: some Norinco model.

@x7VenGeaNcE7x Жыл бұрын

Maaaan the COnflict Desert storm series was such a legend of gaming back int he PS2 days. had the entire series . such a good series

@jeffbenton6183 Жыл бұрын

Great video as always. I would've liked to see a little bit more comparing the AK-47 and AKM on one hand with the AK-74. Since they mentioned how games always portray AKs as having more stopping power per round at the cost of more recoil than M16 style weapons, it would've been interesting to have them talk more about the AK-74 (which fires a cartridge very similar to the M16's).

@KasumiRINA Жыл бұрын

Some of our Ukrainian guys posted tests online and interestingly, 5.45 performs better than 7.62x39 against armor, it's just overall better designer cartridge too, our army is split between 556 and 545, Soviet 762 is completely obsolete and games showing it as stronger are doing what they always do with Soviet/russian tech in games, make them better than they are IRL.

@harrisondejoux8520 Жыл бұрын

The best part of that Lord of War scene was, as if to highlight the AKs cheapness, that those rifles were real, not props, because it was cheaper to buy them bulk than buying AK props.

@xycomm5604 Жыл бұрын

Such a beautiful rifle.

@legobuilder2655 Жыл бұрын

Great video

@konstantinlozev2272 Жыл бұрын

Most guys who went on military service in eastern Europe have shot with an AK 47. It's a super simple weapon, I think even a 3 y.o. will understand how it works and will be able to disassemble and reassemble it with ease.

@TheBigOne0305 Жыл бұрын

That "AK" James Bond is sliding down the stairs with at 08:25 is a VZ-58 😅

@brumfiba Жыл бұрын

This is a great series

@_-KR-_ Жыл бұрын

shoutout to Conflict: Desert Storm. Its age shows but I look back fondly on it. This game birthed a love for the SVD.

@nathanlewis2681 Жыл бұрын

Would be good if a mention to the ak74, introduced in the 70s. So now chambered to 5.45x39mm rounds. Never reflected in any of the games.

@HATECELL 2 ай бұрын

About the AKS74U not being a submachinegun: In NVA (east German army) doctrine many of the AK variants are referred to as an MPi, or Maschinenpistole (so a submachinegun). But the RPK variants were still considered light machineguns, and some scoped AK variants were considered precision rifles. Of course that doesn't make them SMGs, but I think its an interesting factoid

@DogeickBateman Жыл бұрын

Pedantic correction, I don't think there were AKs used by the hijackers in Air Force One, they used reappropriated MP5s. AKs were used by the prison guards later in the film.

@igodreamer7096 Жыл бұрын

Awesome!

@ownlydown5933 Жыл бұрын

It's crazy how we are living in the moment of history.... 200 years from now they got well documented vids on simple stuff like this.

@Aseriu Жыл бұрын

HK MP5 and variants next please , awesome video btw .

@benhemmings1290 Жыл бұрын

Important, but understandably not included in the video, detail about Metro and Stalker for why they have *so many* AK's, they are set in Russia and Ukraine respectively and are made by Ukrainian studios, though both studios have moved out of Ukraine for safety reasons.

@KasumiRINA Жыл бұрын

Not entirely, at least one of the Stalker devs was killed on the frontlines, as he volunteered for armed forces.

@calv279 Жыл бұрын

Shows vz58 "AK in 007 movies"

@KinRyu143 Жыл бұрын

Soldiers don't use the AR15 it's a M16 or M4 I know that it's not that big of a deal but it gets old hearing it's a weapon of war when it has no full auto switch

@whoelsebutmeofcoursei Жыл бұрын

Yes, the M16, M4, are special military rifles based off the armalite rifle "AR-15" which wasn't made for the military

@Uriel238 Жыл бұрын

In my understanding (mind you I'm not an academic but an armchair enthusiast that reads about stuff), The American encounter of AKs in Vietnam not only turned the AK into a bad-guy gun, but also drove the US to consider implementing its own US standard assault rifle. The M14 was a full-powered battle rifle using some design elements of the M1. Opinions of a friend who was in the USMC at the time noted there was some disappointment from his fellow infantrymen on the performance of the M16 over the M14. (The primary nightmare the US was trying to avoid was threading in yet another ammunition type into its supply lines). Besides which Americans want to see a visible hole in the thing they just shot. The story I heard was that some generals were trying to reconfigure ten-man squads to include three M2 fire teams rather than one, but to do this they had to lighten the carry-loads of the riflemen, and switching them to the M16 allowed them to do that, and this was what finally got the Armalite commissioned for deployment by the US in the Vietnam theater.

@brandonlett Жыл бұрын

I really liked this episode the AK is iconic and also misunderstood I personally own 2, a classic AK 49 Russian and a M model Chinese I Also own a few SKS rifles and they are sometimes mistaken for the AK by people who don't know about them or just see the Kalashnikov styling and think they are the same thing from them playing video game s or seeing them in a movie but the AK weapon system is one of the greatest weapon systems ever made.

@Malthanos Жыл бұрын

Conflict desert storm!! Lt Bradley and his machine gunner Connor, my go to two man team!

@dragonstormdipro1013 Жыл бұрын

Awesome video. Although the first iconic venture of AK in a video game is in System Shock, not Golden eye 007

@CancerGaming56 Жыл бұрын

Thing is tho, everyone remembers Goldeneye which is why it’s “first iconic”, not “first”.

@evanfish4505 Жыл бұрын

as an owner of an actual Kalashnikov (specifically, an Arsenal SL-106) the most impressive thing to me has always been that they used the same iron sights setup that Russia had been using since 1891. they used these sights into the 2010s by the way

@KasumiRINA Жыл бұрын

Absolutely everyone who can replaces ironsights with holo scopes and the like in Ukraine. The reason ironsights weren't updated is that nobody is using them if they can.

@estherstreet4582 Жыл бұрын

since you own an actual kalashnikov, is it true that real ones are often cheaper than any kind of replica because there were so many made? It's something I've heard a few times

@lucagerulat307 Жыл бұрын

The kalash naming in metro is not a renaming of the ak-47 but an actual nickname for any ak weapon. Calling an ak kalash or kalashnikov is common in the former Eastern block.

@jeremyroland5602 Жыл бұрын

Nicolas Cage lovingly caressing an AK was an image I didn't know I needed in my life, but I'm glad I have it

@azzamat001 5 ай бұрын

8:28 That's not an AK of any variety in the hands of James Bond. It's a Czech Vz.58V. Apart from sort of looking alike and using the same cartridge, they are totally different weapons, that use different methods of operation. Ask Johnathan, he'll tell you. :)

@foodank_atr817 Жыл бұрын

My favorite game evaluation of the AK comes from the PS2 game _Cold Winter's_ Andrew Sterling: "An AK... nice."

@mooneyes2k478 Жыл бұрын

"Why is the AK-47 the most iconic gun?" "With over 100 million made" Well, gee. One in every 5 guns in the world is an AK-47, or some derivative there-of, be it a later model or a foreign model. That, right there, is the reason.

@icecream6256 Жыл бұрын

Yall can name the AK however you want, but it will always stay AK-47 in my heart. Once an AK, always an AK

@skyhi9h Жыл бұрын

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!! You guy or guys I dont know how many guys are making this awesome channel alive. You guys I mean its a GameSpot channel. Boom.

@BM-13_KATYUSHA Жыл бұрын

12:02 at least in my country we say kalash (kalaš) more often than AK or AK-47. Actually if you just called it an AK it would take us some time to figure out what you're talking about because we always call it kalashnikov (kalšnjikov) or kalash for short. So it's not made up, it's a real nickname for the gun and a completely normal way to call it in most slavic countries.

@LtCmderPasternak Жыл бұрын

Fantastic episode, you guys! The ol' reliable~ The weapon of the bad guys. LOL I love it~ Guys, guys? Could you guys talk about the history and implementation in games of...the...Tavor/TAR-21 platform~? It's an old favorite of mine dating all the way back to the very first time I saw it in an Israeli Self-Defense Forces mod for the original "Ghost Recon" on PC. :3 I didn't see it again till...I think "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" in the mission "Wolverines!" It's a beautiful rifle, in my opinion~! Thanks again!

@filipeamaral216 Жыл бұрын

11:50 Oh my God, they remembered Perfect Dark!

@grievousdemise Жыл бұрын

do the MP40

@DtWolfwood Жыл бұрын

It's also in star wars now.

@whoelsebutmeofcoursei Жыл бұрын

With minor modifications it seem

@andreweisen99 Жыл бұрын

James Bond is not using an AK in that scene its a czech VZ.58 paratrooper model

@imanassole9421 Жыл бұрын

Idk why I think it's just a pretty gun. Like the 1911. They just look good.

@TheUndeadslayer221 Жыл бұрын

Thing is, lately, recent mud tests have shown that the AK 47 (and its variants and derivatives) are not as reliable as once thought. Guns are not meant to get mud in them and an AK will jam just like any other weapon if it gets mud in it (which is why more modern weapons have tried to focus on keeping mud out of them in the first place).

@atlas4733 Жыл бұрын

They’re good with ice though. The ar15 is the inverse weapon, since its tighter parts help keep mud out but seize up when ice builds up. (The jet of gas coming from the bolt carrier through the ejection port can also help)

@TheSundayShooter Жыл бұрын

@@atlas4733 Moral of the story: do _not_ pour mud on your weapon nor water to freeze it overnight

@whoelsebutmeofcoursei Жыл бұрын

@@TheSundayShooter but mom

@Bastardsword01 Жыл бұрын

If you want something powerful, feature the excellent G3A3 or FN FAL for cold war, or modern times, SCAR-H.

@whoelsebutmeofcoursei Жыл бұрын

I want them to do one too on bullpup in general

@IrregularDave Жыл бұрын

@@whoelsebutmeofcoursei 👀

@timberwolfmountaineer873 Жыл бұрын

Just a little trivia: Kalashnikov translated literally means "of braid bread". *Hef a nais dey.

@mikebirks2336 Жыл бұрын

I'd love to see gun expert reacts to GR: Breakpoint. Especially if they look closely to weapon calibers.

@whoelsebutmeofcoursei Жыл бұрын

Ugh! If I remember well, that game has the Barett and the Deagle using the same round, albeit they feed from different inventory ammo pools. ".50"

@mikebirks2336 Жыл бұрын

@@whoelsebutmeofcoursei It's worse than that. I think both according to the game fire .338 🤣

@kincamell2 Жыл бұрын

Pain.

@Uriel238 Жыл бұрын

_...An elegantly simple nine pound amalgamation of forged steel and plywood. It doesn't break, jam or overheat, it will shoot whether it's covered in mud or filled with sand. It's so easy, even a child can use it, and they do. The soviets put the gun on a coin, Mozambique put it on their flag..._ I personally never found the alleged Soviet coin that featured the AK-47

@SasquachPL 3 ай бұрын

"Kałasz" (the name of the AK in Metro 2033) is just a real world nickname for the Kalashnikov in Russian (also Polish and probably some other languages too).

@ph43drus Жыл бұрын

Gotta be the pedant that points out that is a VZ-58 in Ocotopussy.

@nickshaffer80 Жыл бұрын

5:03 could have been a prime opportunity for a pun Kalashing Names

@chaprandom8362 Жыл бұрын

At 5:52 you say that the AKS-74U is often mislabeled as a submachine guns. Well yes and no, sure it's just a shortened assault rifle but the Soviet army's officially designated it as a SMG. In fact the original AK-47 was adopted to fufill the SMGs role while the SKS was supposed to be the main fighting rifle, however things turned out differently in practice.

@jessemorris744 Жыл бұрын

I looked away and heard the reload from metro and knew it instantly 😅

@obi0914 Жыл бұрын

Same

@Frank_N_Stein 6 ай бұрын

Is it possible to use AK 74 mags for an AKS 74u? As far as I know they use the same cartridges, but the magazines have different shapes for some reason. So I wonder, if they're interchangeable

@planescaped Жыл бұрын

In regards to what Johnathan was saying, another thing pop-culture does tend to exaggerate a lot with the AK is its reliability/robustness. Sure it's a pretty sturdy rifle, but it's not jam and malfunction proof as people often seem to think. Nor is it particularly special in that regard, as modern day AR's are probably even more reliable. >__> _cut to boos and hisses_

@zMaykr 3 ай бұрын

Honestly sort of surprised i haven't seen anything too akin to the ak-308 in any games yet i mean it's a modern AK chambered in .308 winchester, what more could you want?!