AK-47.us went online in December 2002.This is the story of the site, the collection and the network that grew from it.
1The Story in Chapters
1. The Rifle in the Logo
The first AK in the collection and the photo that became the face of the site.
Read3. Why the Network Exists
4. Why the AK Is Different
5. The End of the Cold War
6. Twelve Feet Away
7. Made With What We Had
8. Built for Everyone
9. From Ambassador to Activist
2AK-47.us Through the Years
Home page captures from the Internet Archive, one per year.
December 2003
The AK 47 Supersite, the first look, with the rifle in the logo.
March 2004
The menu of AK variants and resources grows down the left side.
January 2005
Ask the AK Experts arrives, and the editor note from Pete P.
January 2006
A member of the Gun Websites.com Network, with the bayonet line banner.
January 2007
Most recent articles, reader ratings and the AK47 Classified.
January 2008
The AK47 rifle index: basics, history, laws, builders and factories.
February 2009
The menu moves to the right, and the network sponsors appear.
February 2010
SHOT Show coverage on the home page.
February 2011
Donate and Subscribe buttons and the Gun Websites Blog.
January 2012
Sponsored in part by a local Arizona business.
January 2013
The last year of the classic layout.
February 2014
The move to WordPress and the Kalashnikovs by Country pages.
January 2015
The yellow AK-47.us header and the Gun Websites shooting team logo.
January 2017
The last capture before the domain lapsed in 2018.
3Inside the Old Site
4The AK Network
Over the years more AK sites joined AK-47.us, each for one part of the story. The AK47 Websites and AK47 Website directories listed them all, and both domains now lead here.
| Site | Started | Today |
|---|---|---|
| AK-47.us | 2002 | History and collector archive |
| AK47 Stuff.com | 2006 | Gear, apparel and collectibles |
| AK47 Bayonets.com | By 2006 | The bayonet reference |
| AK47 Builder.com | 2007 | Builds and builders |
| AK47 Books.com | 2007 | Books and manuals |
| AK47 Websites.com | 2006 | Folded into AK-47.us |
| AK47 Website.com | 2006 | Folded into AK-47.us |
| AK47 Review.com | By 2007 | Now AK47 Reviews.com |
| AK47 Videos.com | By 2008 | The video archive |
| AK47 Buyers Guide.com | 2008 | Buying and collecting |
5Network Classics
The cross-link banners from the old AK-47.us logo folder, at their original size.
Each one now points to the site that carries it on.
Screen captures from the Internet Archive Wayback Machine. Old sponsor phone numbers are blurred.