A commentary on firearms shown in Bollywood

[Grumpy]

"A-V-A-I-L-A-B-I-L-I-T-Y" is right. It`s not even down to cost* as rebel weaponry is very often supplied ( or paid for ) by third parties with a vested interest ..... although that `vested interest` can often appear very tenuous. It`s also a fact that to ignorant `rebels` the likelyhood is that the AK-47 is the only gun that they`ve heard of AND is the gun that they see`rebels` with around the world on TV.
*The cost of AK-47s have varied enormously over the years and from conflict to conflict. During one African war the unit cost was reported to be $5 or less. In others a figure of several hundred dollars has been quoted.
As regards reliability there have been major problems with the M-16 but they have mostly been solved. There was a SOCOM report back in 2000 that stated that the design of all M-16 carbines and the M-4 was `fundamentally flawed` ( due to the direct impingement gas system. ) It has to be said that for a `fundamentally flawed` design the M-16 has evolved into an effective firearm and it needs to be pointed-out that the perfect military firearm has yet to be produced. The M-4A1 however is another matter entirely as it`s problems are well reported. One should remember that the AK-47s `legendary` reliability is at the expense of accuracy and they are not perfect. After just about every engagement jammed AK-47s will be found left behind. The AK-47 is low maintenance but it is NOT zero maintenance - and zero maintenance is what a heck of a lot AK-47s get.
Two Rivers is also absolutely correct in saying that the AK-47 is very unsuited for use in desert warfare - it is a hopeless choice for desert warfare in fact. In the mountains ? Well that depends on the mountains; In mountains like the Alps it would be useless but in many of the narrow passes in the mountains of Afghanistan it is effective providing there is plenty of ammunition. The British discovered how easy it was to be ambushed in the Afghan mountains a very long time ago.
Generally the movie industry has relied on public ignorance in just about any and every aspect when matters become `technical` - the BS that has been spouted about firearms has been duplicated with aircraft ( Hollywood directors used Northrop F-5s as `MIG`s in more than one movie for example ) vehicles, space travel, etc, etc, etc.