File:Converted Izhmash AK 47.JPG

English: A schematic showing the workings of a assault rifle (Izhmash AK47), especially focusing on the blowback mechanism. The schematic was based on an image in the book: "Infantry weapons" by Chris Bishop, and was altered showing the possibility of adding an alternative magazine, which is horizontal, and includes propellants and metal balls, thus no bullets. The magazine is soldered on next to the firing chamber. The magazine is linked to the blowback mechanism, and works trough a seperator which moves up and down, locking the firing chamber when firing, and moving downwards to a lower space in the magazine when the next mixture + metal ball needs to be loaded. The whole could eg be bundled in a conversion kit and allows to make the mixture and balls DIY, hereby decreasing the cost. Note that if solid propellant mixtures are used which do will not detonate by kinetic impact (the firing pin), it will be necessairy to also add a flint or magnesium plate to the inside of the firing chamber. This plate needs to be placed at the front of the firing chamber (firing pin side) and the plate needs to be placed in an angle (tilted at bottom towards the barrel), this plate will act similar to a scraper in a flint lock rifle. Note that other solids are best used that detonate more easily, an alterantive could be liquids such as hydrogen peroxide. A similar conversion as the one on the drawing could also be done using compressed air as a propellant, using the same magazine but by adding some additional parts, ...