@povscience: The AK-47 was designed to fail less than every other rifle on Earth. Mikhail Kalashnikov — a self-taught Soviet sergeant — built deliberate slop into the design. Loose parts. Wide gaps. Engineers were horrified. But in frozen mud and desert sand, those gaps are exactly why it still fires when every other weapon chokes. 100 million manufactured. 30+ countries. Still in use 77 years later. The rifled barrel spins a bullet at 715 m/s. Chamber pressure hits 45,000 PSI at the moment of firing — enough force to balance a car on your thumbnail. The chrome lining you're seeing? It survives temperatures above 1,500°C. Every single shot. The most influential mechanical object of the 20th century. And it was designed by a man who never finished school. #ak47 #firearms #engineering #History #military #satisfying #Science
