Mikhail Kalashnikov developed AK-47 after serving as Soviet tank commander in World War II . Guinness recognized AK-47 as the world 's most common machine gun . In 2011 , Izhmash , the Russian manufacturer of the AK-47 family of weapons , said it was abandoning the design in favor of a new one for its next-generation assault rifles . Comment:
Mikhail Kalashnikov developed AK-47 after serving as Soviet tank commander in World War II . Guinness recognized AK-47 as the world 's most common machine gun . Comment: