AK-47: The Grim Reaper Hardcover – March 23, 2016

Wow, what have I done. $400 for a book because it's out of print!? Am I stupid? Am I high?No, I just really need this book for a personal project I'm working on, and I have to say, this work is more than worth it. The level of detail on the history of each and every variant of the AK-47 rifle is essential to anybody that wants a true understanding of the platform and its uses. Some rifles with completely different designs (such as the VZ-58) even get a section just to disspell the myth that it is a variant of the AK, an appreciated motion in an already ginormous book.The level of detail, the pictures, the quality of research which has gone into the work, and the breadth of the book combine to make this book more than worth the price I paid. That being said, I really do wish there were just another printing of the book so I could have paid the MSRP, but oh well.

This is the definitive collector's book on the AK series of firearms. It covers the full series of the AK rifles country by country, and is lavishly illustrated with excellent mostly B&W photos covering the most minute details. It makes identifying the exact model of the rifle by country and by version of the rifle a cinch. By way of an example:I was sold a Chinese type 56 (AKM) with the built in spike bayonet. On close examination I noted absence of Chinese factory marks plus a few other small anomalies, compared with the illustrations in other AK books. Frank's book showed it was an Albanian copy of the type 56, and in seconds I could establish this. It details ALL of the differences, some of which I had missed. The book is fully comprehensive at this level throughout. The only thing that could add to the book is colour illustrations throughout, although there is a pretty comprehensive set of colour illustrations at the end. This would add a lot to the cost though. I rate this book as the 'bible' of the AK series. Don't waste your money on any others, as you will end up having to buy this one anyway.

Most thorough book I have ever encountered on any weapon. As a Kalashnikov owner, collector or fan of them. You want this book. Great photos color and b&w, in depth descriptions of all the variants, the bayonets, timeline productions, etc.Everything, you might imagine or want to know.

Having owned and built many different makes and configurations of the AKM and AK-74 rifles, this is by far the most information packed book I have in my collection. My wife can't figure out how I flip through the pages, going back and forth! I remember being a kid in the early 80's and wanting a Steyr Maadi to go with my Colt SP-1. Still a black rifle guy but have more AK's than I do AR's!

Excellent reference. What keeps me from giving 5 stars is that I was hoping for more detail. But I can't really fault the author for that, since I understand that to keep the book to a "manageable" 1100 pages, something HAS to get left out. No doubt he had a vicious editor. Fifty-two pages devoted to magazines and it barely scratches the surface. If it had the detail I would like it would be the size of an Unabridged Oxford English Dictionary.Paper IS a bit thin, but with a nice finish, and photographs are sharp.I suspect that the weight of the paper is a factor of being 1100 pages.Good photos, but too many shots of the left side only for my taste. Myself, if I can't see both sides, I want to see the right side, but this is nitpicking.Now the author needs to get to work and produce an 1100 page book on each nation's AK......

Excellent reference for the AK-47 & variants. I own the 1st edition of the book and decided to get the 2nd Edition as well. There are many updates in the 2nd Edition. Nice photos & excellent descriptions of the rifles, accessories, magazines, bayonets, etc. This is my go to reference book for AK47 rifles & accessories.

Expensive volume but well worth it. History, nomenclature and all aspects of the Kalashnikov design are thoroughly covered. As far as some reviews noting the paper is "thin" this book is 1100 pages and weighs 6 pounds... Pictures are black and white but good quality. Last chapter does have 100 pages of color plates.If anything the binding might be a little weak, time will tell. Overall a must for any military arms library.

Probably the best Kalashnikov reference guide available in the West, with hundreds of pictures both black and white and in full color, complete with descriptions of the numerous military variants to have come out of the Com Bloc during the Cold War plus the commercial variants offered on the US market. It also has sections dedicated to weapon accoutrement, bayonets, magazines, &c. and the differences between those offered by the manifold countries to have manufactured the Kalashnikov weapon system and its variants.Unfortunately, it lacks anything on the two most direct Western descendants of the Avtomat Kalashnikova, the Finnish Valmet Rk62, its family and descendants, and the Israeli Galil, although it does cover the Finnish Rk62 magazines in steel and polymer and the purchase by Finland of Chinese and Russian Kalashnikovs.