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 off the versatility of the Assault Rifle for in return for enhanced stopping power, making it an excellent weapon for handling hordes of Common Infected and Tanks. On the downside, relative to the Assault Rifle, it has a slower fire rate, a smaller magazine capacity 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 ability to inflict a high level of damage makes it an excellent Tank killing weapon. It cannot 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 a loss of target acquisition owing to its high recoil, distant Infected can still be dispatched by taking careful aim and letting off single shots or double-taps. Crouching before firing will greatly increase the AK-47's accuracy when shooting Infected at a distance.
 * Shooting a Witch in the head with the AK-47 will stun her momentarily in the same way that a head shot from the Sniper Rifle will do. This is not recommended, however, unless the team has enough firepower to kill her before she can reach you.
 * The Laser Sight upgrade works best with the AK-47 since it transforms this weapon's accuracy, making it much more effective at achieving distance results.
 * With a Laser Sight fitted, crouching does not improve accuracy over a standing position unless a player is shooting while moving.
 * Explosive and Incendiary ammo upgrades do not complement the AK-47 as well as they do the Assault Rifle, although they still work well enough given the AK-47's easily controllable rate of fire.
 * The Magnum is a good secondary weapon to use with the AK-47 since this pistol is an effective long range weapon to support the AK-47 at close ranges and massed targets. The Pistols, however are not as effective in this role, though they remain better in this context than the AK-47.
 * Melee weapons work well with the AK-47 due to the weapon's versatility, but the AK-47's long-range accuracy shortcoming limits a user's overall effectiveness.
 * 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. This fine trigger control coupled with the bullet's power means distant Smokers and Hunters can be taken down with the expenditure of only 3 or 4 cartridges.
 * A similar method is to crouch and tap the fire button so as to fire off two bullets at a time - enough to kill a Common Infected on Expert mode if hit in the body.

Pros

 * Excellent close range weapon that can easily kill any class of Infected.
 * Highest damage per second of any assault rifle.
 * Able to fire single shots easily due to the slower rate of fire, greatly conserving ammo.
 * Attaching a Laser Sight will make the AK-47 one of the best assault rifles in the game, as it transforms the AK-47 into an accurate and hard-hitting weapon.
 * Works very well at taking out Tanks in wide open spaces; a task that is more difficult with a shotgun.
 * Works well with a Magnum because this pistol can compensate for the AK-47's poor accuracy at long ranges.
 * Works well if another Survivor is holding an Auto Shotgun, especially when facing a random Horde or a Tank on Advanced or Expert, although this combination lacks effectiveness versus distant targets.
 * Has a large bullet spread when firing on full automatic, which is an distinct benefit at short ranges when being mobbed by a horde.

Cons

 * Frequent ammunition shortages will be experienced if controlled burst fire is not used.
 * Explosive ammo and Incendiary ammo are less effective compared to the same ammunition fired from shotguns and the M-16 Assault Rifle.
 * Not recommended to use against a Witch because it cannot cr0wn her and its close range means that it is too dangerous to shoot her from a distance without close back-up from the team.
 * It has a relatively slow rate of fire and its high recoil makes it difficult to retain target acquisition; crouching helps but it is still a problem.
 * Has the largest bullet spread of any weapon except the shotguns and the M60.
 * When ensnared by a Smoker, a slow rate of fire and wide bullet dispersion makes it is difficult to kill him before being immobilized and dragged away.
 * In the absence of a laser sight, even when using burst shots it is quite inaccurate at medium and long ranges.