pt. 1. Origins -- The birth of machine guns -- Machine guns in action -- Hiram Maxim changes war -- pt. 2. Invention and distribution -- Stalin's contest : the creation of the AK-47 -- The breakout : mass-production, distribution, and early use of the AK-47 -- pt. 3. Aftermath -- The accidental rifle -- Everyman's gun -- Epilogue -- Appendices.