The Type 56 is a Chinese 7.62×39mm rifle, a variant of the Soviet-designed AK-47 and later a modified copy of the AKM rifle. It is the most produced and prolific version of Mikhail Kalashnikov's AK rifle design.
A pair of Type 56-2 rifles and a Type 69 RPG.
A Type 56-2 rifle with stock folded.
Bangladesh Navy sailor fires a Type 56-2 rifle.
Type 56S-1 (left), Type-84S (center), and Type 56S (right). Note that the Type 56 rifles in this image have been fitted with the distinctive slant compensator of the AKM, a feature not found on the original Type 56
The 7.62×39mm round is a rimless bottlenecked intermediate cartridge of Soviet origin. The cartridge is widely used due to the worldwide proliferation of Kalashnikov rifles, as well as the SKS, RPD, and RPK light machine guns.
A steel-cased 7.62×39mm FMJ cartridge
Steel-cased 7.62×39mm FMJ cartridge
From left to right: 7.62×54mmR, 7.62×39mm and 7.62×25mm Tokarev
7.62×39mm bullet wound on an American soldier from the Vietnam War