So who designed the AK?

[Manticore]

The most prolific weapon in the world was designed by a now famous Soviet era Senior Sergeant named Mikhail Kalashnikov who faced the fierce Nazi StG44 in battle and wanted to give his motherland a similarly formidable weapon.

Right?


Not exactly.

You see, the AK-47 was designed by a team, several teams really, which was headed up by Mr. Kalashnikov. He didn't design the rifle at all, he just oversaw the team that did. But that didn't make for a very propaganda worthy story, so the Soviet propaganda machine made him out to be the sole designer, giving him full credit. They painted Mr. Kalashnikov as a tinkerer, a designer and a genius... the true patriotic hero who gave an incredible gift single handily to his country.

But in the end Mr. Kalashnikov is still a great man in my opinion. They picked a great figurehead to be the namesake of the now famous rifle.

A Wired article can be found here that gives you a little more info on the story, despite the rather corny title of the article.

Military Arms Channel Blog: So who designed the AK?
How the AK-47 Rewrote the Rules of Modern Warfare | Wired Magazine | Wired.com
How the AK-47 Rewrote the Rules of Modern Warfare

 

[Kompromat]

@ANTIBODY

There was a German POW, who is thought to be the main designer of the AK. They say that he had worked on the Sturmgewehr.

 

[vostok]

Kalashnikov - the man who realy did it.
There were dozens of genius armorers in USSR borned in 20-30's years, may be houndreds. If the weapon was designed by a team - it was not named by one of the members of that group. That is a tradition and it is sacredly observed.

 

[Saleem]

it was a copy of the StG44....

 

[vostok]

it was a copy of the StG44....

... Any more Western tails? Why America could not copy it till 60's if it is so simple?

 

[Anubis]

I don't think so....If it was a team they would make it clear.....Su series fighters were made by a design bureau headed by Pavel Sukhoi......The aircrafts are named after him but everyone knows he didn't do it all by himself(Same goes for many other design bureaus) !If Mikhail Kalashnikov had a team(Design Bureau??) the Soviets would make it clear as it would a clear indication of Soviet ingenuity and discipline rather than a story about a guy 'magically' coming up with the idea of the greatest assault rifle ever made!The Soviets would keep the credit for their military infrastructure and not give it to one man!Kalashnikov is the designer of the rifle!

 

[vostok]

Machine gun "Kord" (Kovrovskiye gunsmith Degtyarevtsy) - machine gun belt-fed chambered 12,7 × 108 mm. - designed by team - named by team.
5.45-mm machine gun Nikonov arr. 1994 (AN-94 "Abakan" Index Grau - 6P33) - Machine designed by Gennady Nikonov. - designed by Nikonov, named by Nikonov.
DP (Degtyarev Infantry index GAU - 56-P-321) - a light machine gun, developed by VA Degtyarev - designed by Degtyarev, named by Degtyarev.
And so on.
It is a tradition in USSR\Russia to name weapon by it's designer.
USSR did not need to invent heroes like America - Batman, Superman and others. There were a huge amount of true heroes in the Soviet \ Russian history.

 

[Mootaz-khelifi]

the AK was a stolen design the Russian stole the German rifle design and make the cheap mass destruction weapons called AK47
Sturmgewehr 44

 

[MilSpec]

It might be similar, but there are some stark differences, for example, the tillting bolt on the stg compared to the closed rotating bold in the AK. The rifle was chambered for different cartridge, although case pressure is not that different, but it plays a major role in the auto fire mode. Then there is the stark layout and ergo similarity with SKS, and the safety sear is similar to Browinings Model 8.

Then the russians weren't oblivious to automatic firearms, they had thier own line of PPSH sub machine guns, And yes it is true that klashnikov was no John Browining, but what he created has left a mark on this planet no other individual can ever replicate.

Kudos to klashnikov


- Proud owner of a AKM

 

[RangerPK]

Didn't AK 47 become popular because they can be used under water?

[video]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AZGDYN81-3c[/video]

Also, Pakistanis seem to have deep fondness for AK 47s

[video]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rT_d9-52D04[/video]


PS: I just hope Indian trolls don't come here and start claiming they invented AK 47 till the Russians stole it...

 

[A1Kaid]

... Any more Western tails? Why America could not copy it till 60's if it is so simple?

I don't think America wanted to copy it because they didn't like it and it didn't meet the requirements for their needs. In stead, Eugene Stoner at Armalite designed a revolutionary rifle that met the needs of the US military.

 

[vostok]

I don't think America wanted to copy it because they didn't like it and it didn't meet the requirements for their needs. In stead, Eugene Stoner at Armalite designed a revolutionary rifle that met the needs of the US military.

Incidentally, a few days ago the concern "Kalashnikov" has signed a contract to supply 200,000 units of weapons in the U.S. per year. Contract for 5 years.

 

[Desertfalcon]

I agree with vostok on a couple of points. Mikhail Kalashnikov may have been the head of a design team, but he was a brilliant "tinkerer" and designer in his own right and the AK-47 is most definitely his baby. While there may be a somewhat similar appearance to the German StG44 Sturmgewehr, the AK-47 is a completely different design and one that was much simpler and more durable. That was Kalashnikov's real strength. He understood design and manufacturing but never forgot what a real soldier in the field needed in a weapon. The AK-47 is IMHO, the best assault rifle, ever.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

... Any more Western tails? Why America could not copy it till 60's if it is so simple?

The guy who designed the Stg44 worked for the Russians from 1945 - 1952.
Hugo Schmeisser - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[IND151]

It might be similar, but there are some stark differences, for example, the tillting bolt on the stg compared to the closed rotating bold in the AK. The rifle was chambered for different cartridge, although case pressure is not that different, but it plays a major role in the auto fire mode. Then there is the stark layout and ergo similarity with SKS, and the safety sear is similar to Browinings Model 8.

Then the russians weren't oblivious to automatic firearms, they had thier own line of PPSH sub machine guns, And yes it is true that klashnikov was no John Browining, but what he created has left a mark on this planet no other individual can ever replicate.

Kudos to klashnikov


- Proud owner of a AKM

Right.

May be Mikhail Kalashnikov came across captured Sturmgewehr 44, studied it and while designing AK, used the knowledge he got while observing Sturmgewehr 44.

It might be similar, but there are some stark differences, for example, the tillting bolt on the stg compared to the closed rotating bold in the AK. The rifle was chambered for different cartridge, although case pressure is not that different, but it plays a major role in the auto fire mode. Then there is the stark layout and ergo similarity with SKS, and the safety sear is similar to Browinings Model 8.

Then the russians weren't oblivious to automatic firearms, they had thier own line of PPSH sub machine guns, And yes it is true that klashnikov was no John Browining, but what he created has left a mark on this planet no other individual can ever replicate.

Kudos to klashnikov


- Proud owner of a AKM

When did you buy it?