Question regarding AK-47 manufactured by Indian Ordinance Factory

[kanzakibullet]

Hello Everyone!

Quite some time back, I watched a video by WTV, an Indian firearms channel, showcasing an AK variant rifle which the sir stated to be an IOF-manufactured AK-47. The rifle was black in color and appear to be made from stamped sheet metal. Now, I read the Wikipedia article on the AK-47 which states that the AK-47 has a milled receiver and wood furniture, while the AKM was entirely made from stamped sheet metal. Another difference between the AK-47 and AKM is the slanted muzzle brake in the latter. Now, I have been puzzled about this; is the sir from WTV right or the Wikipedia article? I have been thinking about it, and I am wondering if both are right and if the IOF simply manufactures an AK in stamped sheet metal without the slanted muzzle break.

Can anyone help me resolve my doubts?

By the way, I can no longer find the concerned video on the WTV channel. I am sharing the Youtube channel link itself if it helps.

Link to WTV: https://www.youtube.com/@WTVi/featured
Wikipedia Article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AK-47

Sincerely,
KanzakiBullet

[hornet22]

The main difference between them is the fixed stock of ak and the folding stock of the AKM. I think IOF makes only the fixed stock version

[cottage cheese]

Sorry to drop in late.... The issue of manufacture of Kalashnikov derived rifles in India is a long tale of sarkari absurdity. Almost the entire natak is simply a prolonged and misdirected effort in reverse engineering and reinventing the wheel. If i recall the earliest attempt was a reverse engineered fixed stock AKM which was peddled in the OFB online catalogue in the early 2000s, as the rather blandly named "7.62mm Assault Rifle" ...else where in internal circles it was peddled as the "A7"....go figure ....much to their embarassment, and awkwardness this was offered as one of OFBs product at one of the big international defense expos, where old Mr.Kalashnikov himself was in attendance as an ambassador for the actual Kalashnikov! ... It appears he made his displeasure known.
The 'project' apparently was shelved for a while....then the late 2000s and early 2010s saw this sudden deluge of dubious prototype contraptions emanating from the various small arms units of the OFB, most of them promising over optimistic attributes of all kinds.
Things finally settled on the RFI's Ghatak and OFTs TAR....to add ro the confusion OFT was developing a modified SLR that fired AK ammo which was also called TAR ....then without any forewarning, bang! ....OFT suddenly came up with a near identical copy of the Bulgarian AR M1 and M1F41...at the same time offering copies of a range of Bulgarian AK types....meanwhile with nothing else available concurrently (given the Make in India push) RFIs Ghatak was already being procured in significant numbers by paramilitary and police forces. The ghatak uses the INSAS receiver slightly altered to take the AK type change lever....
So...thats two govt entities of the same organisation, working at crossed purposes, competing in the same market which in any case has mostly inept decision makers and a very confused end user base. Then came that bombastic announcement of license producing (!!) AK203s in India.....i haven't actually followed that one but i dont hear much about it these days....then we can throw in Kalashnikov based weapons from SSS and IWI-PLR competing in what is already a chaotic market and confused user base.
Even 7.62x39 ammo is made separately (possibly with very little coordination) at KF and OFV...both are labelled differently... The KF ammo continues to bear the hilarious 'A7' headstamp while the OVF is marked and hopefully not spec'd differently! ...and bear in mind even the Ammo was very proudly reverse engineered....knowing the vagaries of the organisation one wouldn't be surprised if the two factories took time and effort reverse engineering the ammunition separately in parallel with no cross coordination
...and all this while, huge quantities of Bulgarian AK variants were being imported....
Wait....where was I ? ... I've already confused myself thoroughly....apologies...please try to make some logical conclusions from this.
Cheers!

[marksman]

Sorry, going slightly off topic but can anyone explain why the muzzle break in most Kalashnikovs I've seen have a 45 degree slant cut? This will plough in some mud straight into the barrel lest it fell in mud muzzle down, according to my logic.

Marksman

[timmy]

Actually, the angle-cut device on the end of AKMs is not a muzzle brake, which directs blast to the rear to reduce recoil.

It is a compensator, which directs the muzzle blast upward to counteract the rise of the barrel when shooting, especially during rapid (as in automatic) shooting.

But, you may note, the angle doesn't point straight up, and that's because when the rifle is held and fired, the recoil motion is also at an angle, not straight up and down. The device counteracts that recoil force.



Also but, you may note, wouldn't a left handed shooter's recoil motion be in a mirror image to vertical? Yes. Like so many gun designs, left handed shooters were not considered.

[Eshan]

I am basically a lurker on this forum but I thought I should reply to this for I have some expertise in this, haha. Anyways, it is neither strictly an AK47 nor an AKM (if you adhere by the Wiki norms of course), IOF produces a copy of the Bulgarian Arsenal AR-M1, and its side folding variant (AR-M1F41) under the name of "TAR" or Trichy Assault Rifle, it is a poor copy at finest. It has the muzzle brake, Receiver, Circle10 Magazine, the polymer furniture, and the folding stock from the Bulgarian variant, it misses out on a cleaning rod which is beneath the barrel along with a side scope mount and a side safety switch which is found on the side folding variant of the AR-M1. It is a copy of a copy, and in real life, The Original Arsenal Variant feels much better to hold compared to its Indian Copy in my personal experience.
p.s do not go by wikipedia articles when it comes to a mass copied and produced rifles like AK, there are so many variants and copies you cannot contain everything about it at one place. cheers.

[hornet22]

The finish and performance looks decent