AK-47

"This rifle right here got my name all over it."

- Ellis

The AK-47 is an Assault Rifle variant that made its debut in Left 4 Dead 2. It trades the versatility of the Assault Rifle for incredible stopping power, making it an excellent weapon for handling hordes of Common Infected and Tanks. However, it also has a slower fire rate, a smaller magazine, and poor accuracy.

Official Description
What this Soviet-made assault rifle lacks in accuracy, it makes up for in firepower. You can squeeze off these higher caliber rounds in single shots for ammo conservation, or room-clear with fully automatic fire.

Tactics

 * The AK-47 can kill Common Infected with one or two shots based on difficulty, making it an incredibly useful weapon for taking down hordes.
 * The slower firing rate on the AK-47 means that you can save ammunition when picking off lone Common Infected.
 * The AK-47's high damage makes it an excellent Tank busting weapon. It can't quite match the auto shotguns in damage per second, but the weapon's range makes it the better weapon for killing Tanks in open spaces.
 * While the AK-47 has poor accuracy when moving and high recoil, you can still pull off somewhat accurate bursts to kill distant Infected with. Crouching before firing will greatly increase accuracy in shooting Infected at a distance.
 * Shooting a Witch in the head with the AK-47 will stun her as if you headshot her with a Sniper Rifle. This isn't recommended, however, unless your team has enough firepower to kill her before she can reach you.
 * The Laser Sight upgrade works best with the AK-47, patching up the weapon's main drawback and making it a much more effective weapon for distance shots.
 * With a Laser Sight, crouching does not improve accuracy over a standing position unless shooting while moving.
 * Explosive and Incendiary ammo upgrades don't complement the AK-47 as well as they do the Assault Rifle, although they still work well with it given the easily controllable rate of fire.
 * The Magnum is a good secondary to use with the AK-47, as it gives you a longer-distance weapon while you save your AK-47 for close range. The Pistols, however, aren't as effective, though still moreso than the AKM.
 * Melee weapons work well with the AK-47 due to the weapon's versatility, but leave you vulnerable at long range.
 * A useful method for the AK-47 is to repeatedly tap the primary fire button (but not fast enough for full-auto) while crouching. This fires single bullets which are fairly accurate, and given the time between shots, the AK-47 can be made into a decent ranged weapon without the use of a Laser Sight. The power of the bullets mean it would only take 3-4 shots to down a Smoker or Hunter in the distance, and this method can also conserve ammo.

Pros

 * Excellent close range weapon that can easily kill any Common Infected as well as Special Infected.
 * Highest damage per second of the assault rifles.
 * Able to fire single shots easily when required, greatly conserving ammo.
 * Attaching a Laser Sight will make the AK-47 one of the best assault rifles in the game, as it will make the AK-47 accurate while preserving the pure damage the gun can inflict.
 * Works very well at taking out a Tank in wide open spaces which the shotguns have more difficulty doing.
 * Works well with a Magnum because it can help shoot targets that are far away.
 * Works well if another Survivor is holding an Auto Shotgun, especially from a random Horde or a Tank on Advanced or Expert, though this puts you at a disadvantage at range.

Cons

 * If you do not use controlled burst fire, you may find yourself running low on ammo quite often.
 * Does not work as well with Explosive ammo and Incendiary ammo, as the shotguns or the M-16 Assault Rifle does.
 * Not recommended to use against a Witch because it cannot cr0wn her and it is close ranged, meaning it is too dangerous to fire just with the AK-47.
 * It has a quite slow rate of fire and high recoil (crouching helps with this, but it's still a problem).
 * Has the largest bullet spread of any weapon except the shotguns and the M60.
 * When ensnared by a Smoker, it is difficult to kill him before being dragged away.
 * Is inaccurate at medium to long range, even when using burst shots without a laser sight.