What is the AK-47/AKM bolt type?

What is the AK-47/AKM bolt type?

• A. Fixed bolt
• B. Gas piston
• C. Rotating bolt
• D. Open bolt

Answer: (C)

Rotating bolt is the key feature here. In the AK-47 and AKM, the bolt carries locking lugs on its face that engage recesses in the receiver. The long-stroke gas piston drives the bolt carrier rearward, and a cam on the bolt causes the bolt to rotate about 90 degrees to unlock, extract, and eject the spent case. As the bolt carrier travels forward again, the bolt rotates back into the locked position and chambers a new round. This rotating-lock design is what makes the action secure and reliable, especially in dirty or harsh conditions. Open-bolt systems fire from an open breech and aren’t how the AK operates, and a fixed bolt wouldn’t provide the necessary rotational locking that the AK design uses. The term gas piston describes the operating mechanism, not the bolt’s locking style.

Rotating bolt is the key feature here. In the AK-47 and AKM, the bolt carries locking lugs on its face that engage recesses in the receiver. The long-stroke gas piston drives the bolt carrier rearward, and a cam on the bolt causes the bolt to rotate about 90 degrees to unlock, extract, and eject the spent case. As the bolt carrier travels forward again, the bolt rotates back into the locked position and chambers a new round. This rotating-lock design is what makes the action secure and reliable, especially in dirty or harsh conditions. Open-bolt systems fire from an open breech and aren’t how the AK operates, and a fixed bolt wouldn’t provide the necessary rotational locking that the AK design uses. The term gas piston describes the operating mechanism, not the bolt’s locking style.