AK-47

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

- Ellis

The AK-47 is an Assault Rifle variant in Left 4 Dead 2. It trades the versatility of the Assault Rifle for incredible stopping power at closer ranges, making it an excellent weapon for killing Common Infected and Tanks. It also has a highly controllable fire rate for picking off Common Infected at medium range.

Differences
Compared to the Assault Rifle and Combat Rifle, the AK-47 has the lowest magazine size and slowest fire rate. In addition, accuracy is comparatively poor and kickback from each shot makes the weapon impractical at long range. However, it kills Common Infected in one or two shots based on difficulty, has a moderately fast reload speed, and has a very high DPS (Damage per Shot), making it a very useful weapon against Tanks. Combined with The laser sight the AK-47 becomes extremely effective at all ranges, especially against distant Special Infected.

Tactics

 * The AK-47 can kill Common Infected with one shot on Easy and Normal difficulty, and two shots on Advanced and Expert, headshots are always a single hit kill.
 * The AK-47 is a great weapon to use on hordes. The high accuracy and reliably slow fire rate makes it easy to crouch and gun them down without wasting ammunition, though melee weapons are highly advised with hordes.
 * The AK-47's slower firing rate makes it easier to conserve ammunition, which is extremely useful considering its lower magazine capacity. This also makes it easier to fire in short bursts or single shots for picking off lone Common Infected.
 * The AK-47's high power and bullet penetration tears through Common Infected fairly easily and makes an excellent weapon against Tanks and Special Infected.
 * Remember that while the AK-47 is not a sniper rifle, it can still pack an accurate hit at a very long range and can be very useful at picking off Special Infected on rooftops or otherwise far away.
 * The laser sight upgrade works particularly well with the AK-47. Keep an eye out for it.
 * Shooting a Witch in the head with the AK-47 will stun her, like if you headshot her with a Sniper Rifle or Hunting Rifle. This is ill-advised, however, unless you have enough firepower to kill her before she can get to you.
 * The Magnum or Pistol(s) are ill advised to be used as sidearms with the AK-47, as it is versatile at both long and mid ranges, at close ranges, you should rely upon melee weapons instead.

Trivia

 * The AK-47 in Left 4 Dead 2 appears to be based on the AKM, a modernized, but nearly identical and more widely used variant.
 * It is unlikely to stumble upon an automatic version of this rifle in civilian life, though semi-automatic "sporter" versions are prominent throughout the United States.
 * The real-life AK-47 uses a 30 round magazine. It Is possible, though, for it to have 40 round capacity by using heavy box magazines designed for RPK; however, they make the Ak-47 weigh slightly more. 40 rounds was probably chosen for the sake of game balance.
 * The AK series is still being produced all over the world under different models and variants in numerous countries due to its ease of use, high durability, and low production cost.
 * The representation of the AK-47 in game is actually fairly accurate compared to real life, as the AK fires stronger rounds that can penetrate cover, often fires in full-automatic, and has poorer recoil compensation and a slower fire rate compared to the M16.
 * A team of survivors using this gun makes for an easy E/R in any situation, as it is a great weapon for blowing the Infected's legs off, killing them in about 2 shots.
 * Although this only applies to the AK-47 in real-life, the AK-47 is known for being near impossible to jam and is waterproof. If these features were to apply in-game, the AK-47 would be the most useful in Swamp Fever and Hard Rain.
 * The thrid-person reloading animation is odd. It is the same as the other Assault Rifles, but the magazine will not be removed.
 * Interestingly, the loading screen poster of campaign "Dark Carnival", as well as several loading screens shown right after the intro movie when the game is initializing,the AK variant held by Nick (and in one occasion, Coach) is clearly an AK-74M-the current standard service rifle of the Russian army, instead of the AKM as in actual gameplay. It can be easily identified with its more gradually tapered magazine, (designed to house the modernized 5.45x39mm ammunition instead of the 7.62x39mm used in AK-47 and AKM). the solid polymer side folding stock instead of the ingame AKM's fixed wooden butt. Also through varying from poster to poster, a large conical shaped muzzle device is visible, while the ingame AKM model sports an simple muzzle nut. Leading to the speculation that the original AK model featured ingame could have once been the AK-74M, but dropped at a later date during development in favor of the more common AKM, due to AK-74M's scarcity in United States.
 * There is also a possibility that, even through scrapped, it's already finished 3D model and mapping was partially salvaged for building the AKM. evidence includes the left side optic mounting rail, and the rear dome-shaped rivet placement, found on the left side of the ingame AKM model, being clearly of the AK-74M design.