The main advantages of the Kalashnikov rifle are its simple design, fairly compact size, easy to clean and maintain. The large gas piston, generous clearances between moving parts, and tapered cartridge case design allow the gun to endure large amounts of foreign matter and fouling without failing to cycle. The gas operation uses what is known as a long-stroke that is the piston moves back into the receiver a long way, pushing the bolt carrier along.

The AK-47 uses a notched rear tangent iron sight; it is adjustable and is calibrated in hundreds from 100 to 800 meters (100 to 1000 meters for AKM models). The front sight is a post adjustable for elevation in the field. Horizontal adjustment is done by the armory before issue. The "fixed" battle setting can be used for all ranges up to 300 meters. This "point-blank range" setting marked "_", allows the shooter to fire at close range targets without adjusting the sights. These settings mirror the Mosin_Nagant and SKS rifles which the AK-47 replaced. Some AK-type rifles have a front sight with a flip-up luminous dot that is calibrated at 50 meters, for improved night fighting.