Why is the AK-47 Kalashnikov assault rifle the first weapon of choice for insurgents and rebels in almost every conflict?
 First focus on this: Is the AK-47 the first weapon of choice for insurgents and rebels? Which assault rifle would they prefer  over it ? Probably something more expensive… cost does relate with function. The FN SCAR and HK-416 are some examples of this. The British SA-80, French FAMAS, Chinese QBZ-95, IWI Tavor, Steyr Aug, and M4 are all some options that a client rebel group  if it had the luxury of choice.     They all have trending features of the modern times which 1960’s era AKM’s do not; lighter and tougher materials, modularity, a more evolved caliber than the WWII-era designed 7.62x39mm, and their own fundamental design differences from the Kalashnikov. There is a multi-generational gap in technology in what is called “ AK-47 ” and the assault rifles that exist today.         So the answer is  no the  AK-47 is not seriously a weapon of choice for anybody.  Any operator would in the least prefer a more modern derivative of the AK-47; the AK-74, AK-74M, AK-12, or t...