Mikhail Dead at 94

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It may look like the German Sturmgewehr 44 in 7.92x33, but the two are fundamentally different in the way they operate. However the ergonomics of the AK47 and the implementation of the 7.62x39mm round in it are probably inspired by the German designs. The safety is clearly lifted from John Browning's Remington Model 8 and 81 autoloading rifles. Kalashnikov admitted to stealing some ideas he thought were solid. But if you strip an AK47(especially early ones with the milled receiver) and a StG44 you will see the differences pretty quickly.
 
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Kalashnikov often said he felt personally untroubled by his contribution to bloodshed.

"I sleep well. It's the politicians who are to blame for failing to come to an agreement and resorting to violence," he told The Associated Press in 2007.



I always wonder what we would have seen in the gun industry if Kalashnikov had defected to the US in the 1960s or 1970s and went to work for S&W, Colt, Remington, Winchester, et al.
 
Originally Posted By: strat81
Quote:
Kalashnikov often said he felt personally untroubled by his contribution to bloodshed.

"I sleep well. It's the politicians who are to blame for failing to come to an agreement and resorting to violence," he told The Associated Press in 2007.



I always wonder what we would have seen in the gun industry if Kalashnikov had defected to the US in the 1960s or 1970s and went to work for S&W, Colt, Remington, Winchester, et al.


While he was a good designer, most people do not realize he was just the head of a group of many people that helped develop the finished product. There were several competing design teams at the time, and his came out on top, so the gun got his name. And his back story just made it very politically savy to make him into a Soviet hero at the time.
 
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