Soviet small arms designer M. T. Kalashnikov invented his legendary 7.62 mm assault rifle in 1947. In 1949, the AK-47 was already at all military bases in the USSR. At the end of the twentieth century, the Kalashnikov assault rifle was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the most common weapon in the world. Today, there is one Kalashnikov assault rifle for every 60 adult inhabitants of the planet. By opinion polls, the first thing that foreigners remember when they are asked about Russia is the Kalashnikov assault rifle. For half a century of its history, the AK-47 has become a true legend. How are weapons made? How did the machine gun become a symbol of Russia? All these questions are answered by E. Bout's book “Kalashnikov assault rifle. Symbol of Russia.

"I never made weapons to kill, I made weapons to defend."

M. Kalashnikov.

Who invented the Kalashnikov assault rifle?

As the popularity of the Kalashnikov assault rifle grew, new versions of the creation of this weapon appeared. There were also strange stories that M.T. Kalashnikov single-handedly developed the legendary assault rifle, and there were also directly opposite versions that M.T. Kalashnikov had nothing to do with the development of the machine gun. Two hypotheses have gained the widest distribution: the so-called "version of a figurehead" and "the version of the Schmeiser automaton.

On March 1, 2002, in the Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper, under the heading “Secret of the XX century”, an article was published without specifying the author under the heading “The legendary Kalashnikov is not a gunsmith, but a figurehead”, formatted as a quote from an interview with a person presented in the article as "Developer of small arms Dmitry Shiryaev". Despite the obvious inconsistencies, the article was a bombshell success. The version of the figurehead immediately became widespread. Here is the text of this article:

“On July 15, 1943, civilian and military experts gathered at the technical council of the People's Commissariat for Armaments in Moscow. On the table lay a captured trophy - a German machine gun. An order was immediately issued: to immediately make a similar domestic “automatic-cartridge” complex.

In a record short term- in six months - Nikolai Elizarov, designer Pavel Ryazanov, technologist Boris Semin developed a cartridge of 7.62 mm caliber, which occupied a position between rifle and pistol cartridges and received the name "intermediate". According to the announced competition, 15 best designers began to make weapons for this cartridge.

Kalashnikov was not among them.

Create a weapon for an “intermediate” cartridge

“If Sergeant Mikhail Kalashnikov offered not a machine gun, but a poker, for a competitive test in 1946, it would be transformed into the best weapon modernity, - said the leading designer of the Central Research Institute of Precision Engineering (the parent organization for the development of small arms) Dmitry Ivanovich Shiryaev. - Would an unknown sergeant with a seven-grade education be able to win in a competition with experienced weapons designers if a certain group of knowledgeable, talented and powerful people did not stand behind him? I think it’s unlikely, especially considering that the first Kalashnikov assault rifle was rejected without the right to be revised ... ”

“At the Shchurovsky training ground in 1956, Colonel Biryukov showed us the first Kalashnikov assault rifle, the AK-46,” recalls Pyotr Andreevich Tkachev, a well-known designer of automatic small arms. - Was it similar in design to the AK-47 Kalashnikov assault rifle adopted for service? The answer was obvious - no. Most of all, the machine resembled the invention of Bulkin.

“Theoretically, the machine gun of Major Alexei Sudayev should have been adopted,” continues Dmitry Shiryaev. - In battles, Sudayev's submachine gun - PPS, which he made in besieged Leningrad, proved to be excellent. But the 35-year-old designer was suddenly taken to one of the Moscow hospitals, and a few months later he died. During the blockade, he developed a stomach ulcer. The place of the leader is vacated - and the quarrel begins ... The competition has been dragging on for two years. Each participant has his own model of the machine, while none of them has obvious signs of a German prototype. And then Kalashnikov pops up.”

Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov himself believes that “the banner that fell from Sudayev’s hands” could at that time be engineer-colonel Rukavishnikov, the young designer Baryshev and himself.

... Kalashnikov gets to the range of the Main Artillery Directorate in the village of Shchurovo, Ramensky District, Moscow Region, on the recommendation of General Blagonravov. During the war years, the academician supervised the department of small arms of the Moscow aviation institute. It was in the evacuation that the tanker Kalashnikov, who was recovering from a wound, showed him a sample of an assault rifle made by him in tandem with a military engineer Kazakov.

Blagonravov, “despite the negative conclusion on the model as a whole,” noted the great and laborious work done by Kalashnikov ...

“During the war years, any claimed invention must be given an exhaustive answer,” explains Petr Tkachev. - Gunsmiths years later said that during the war they once received an application for the invention of a silent sniper rifle. Her bearer offered to put on the muzzle of a rifle ... a pig's bladder. And what do you think, the designers bought pigs, slaughtered, conducted experiments ... On the application form for inventions of that time in the upper right corner was a quote from Stalin, the meaning of which was as follows: anyone who interferes with scientific and technological progress must be removed from his path . Everyone remembered the 37th year…”

Collapse tests in twelve days

“Before joining my unit, Kalashnikov worked in Alma-Ata in tandem with the gunsmith Kazakov,” Vasily Lyuty, head of the test unit, later recalled. – Samples were sent to the GAU research site in Golutvin. However, these samples were not tested by shooting, because they were too primitive. Contrary to what Kalashnikov writes and talks about himself in newspapers and magazines, I responsibly declare that while working in Kazakhstan, he did not create anything worthy of attention. Mikhail Timofeevich is very talented person. However, in terms of the level of general education, practical knowledge and experience, he did not reach the professional designers who armed the army ... ”

The next sample of the Kalashnikov assault rifle was tested by Senior Lieutenant Pchelintsev at the shooting range. After testing, the engineer compiled a detailed report, the conclusions of which for Mikhail Timofeevich were disappointing: the system is imperfect, not subject to improvement. Then Kalashnikov asks the head of the testing unit, Captain Vasily Lyuty, to look at his machine gun, Pchelintsev's report and draw up a refinement program.

“And just then, in 1946, an order was issued: the military at the training ground was forbidden to engage in design work,” says Pyotr Tkachev. I must say, a very wise order. The military became only controllers, not developers.”

The gunsmith Vasily Lyuty, who has the necessary experience and knowledge, actually took matters into his own hands. He changed the conclusion of Pchelintsev in the report, outlined 18 necessary fundamental changes and recommended the machine for revision. Later, a longtime comrade Lyuty, colonel of the Main Artillery Directorate, an experienced engineer Vladimir Deikin, with whom they worked on the creation of the LAD machine gun (Lyuty - Afanasiev - Deikin), took part in the improvement of the machine gun.

In his book, Mikhail Timofeevich writes that the trigger mechanism helped him develop Deikin.

“That's not true,” says Dmitry Shiryaev. – The AK trigger mechanism belongs to the type of mechanisms “with the interception of the trigger”, which was invented in the 20s by the Czech Emmanuil Holek. In its pure form, such a mechanism is used on the Schmeiser machine gun. Deikin, most likely, only insisted on borrowing the scheme of this mechanism, since the mechanism proposed by Kalashnikov on his 1946 assault rifles was unsuccessful.

To make a modified model of the Kalashnikov assault rifle, he went to an arms factory in the city of Kovrov. He was driving and “worried about how they would accept a stranger at the factory, whether they would put spokes in the wheels.” At the same plant, the famous designer Vasily Degtyarev worked out his model of the machine gun. After working in Kovrov for a year, Kalashnikov never met his eminent competitor. “We worked on samples, as if fenced off by some invisible fence,” Mikhail Timofeevich will recall later.

“In his memoirs, Vasily Lyuty, who took Kalashnikov under his wing, does not indicate either the titles or positions of the mentioned participants in the competition,” says our expert Dmitry Shiryaev. - But at the same training ground, in the division of Lyuty, about 15 machine guns of other designers were tested. The conclusions on the tests of each of them, including Kalashnikov, to a large extent depended on the head of the test unit, Lyuty, and the curator of the GAU at the training ground, Deikin. It turned out that persons who, by their status, were supposed to be strictly neutral, intervened in the competition.

The stages of the competition were closed. All participants of the competition presented documentation according to the model under the motto. His transcript was contained in a separate envelope. Kalashnikov called himself "Mikhtim". It was not difficult to guess that this was Mikhail Timofeevich.

“Experienced researchers at the range after the first day of shooting could tell in what order the samples would be rejected,” recalls Kalashnikov. Shpagin was the first to surrender and leave. Having deciphered the initial records of the movement speeds of his sample automation, he announced that he was leaving the test site. Increasingly, the Degtyarev sample began to choke from incredible stress, overheating from endless shooting ... Bulkin jealously followed every step of the testers, meticulously checked how the sample was cleaned, and was always personally interested in the results of target processing. Apparently, it seemed to him that competitors could trip him up.”


Kalashnikov assault rifles are known all over the world. Due to the low cost of production, AK is cheaper than live chicken in some Third World countries. It can be seen in news reports from almost any hot spot peace. AK is in service with regular armies in more than fifty countries around the world

At the final stage of testing in January 1947, there were three assault rifles: TKB-415 by Tulyak Bulkin, KBP-520 by Kovrov designer Dementiev and KBP-580 by Kalashnikov.

“A copy of the order has been preserved in the museum on Poklonnaya Gora, from which it follows that the tests that began on December 27, 1947 were ordered to be carried out within 12 days: it was necessary to put a reliable machine gun into service as soon as possible,” says Dmitry Shiryaev. - According to the order, following the results of the tests, Bulkin came forward. But the Tulyak had a malicious character, endlessly contradicted the remarks of the military. As a result of a talented designer, they “left” the race. Sergeant Kalashnikov was much more accommodating. He obeyed in everything his most experienced mentors, moreover, senior in rank. On the last round of tests, 'Mikhtim', as he likes to call himself, took into account all the wishes of the experienced Deikin and Lyuty. And he succeeded. It follows from the surviving documents that, according to the conclusion of the commission, which, by the way, consisted entirely of graduates of the Artillery Academy, dated January 10, 1948, preference was given to the Kalashnikov assault rifle - the future AK-47.

Soviet must be the best...

It is known that a weapon “learns to shoot” for a long time. Kalashnikov with his sample again went for revision to Kovrov. “The military was forbidden to engage in design development, but they turned a blind eye to the conditions of the competition, went to violations - they began to re-arrange the model of the machine that had passed the test,” says Petr Tkachev. “I suppose that the talented engineer, head of the design team Alexander Zaitsev, was given a task from above: to take all the best from all the machines offered for the competition.”

Mikhail Timofeevich recalls these events in a somewhat different way: “In Kovrov, Sasha Zaitsev and I, secretly from the management, came up with a bold plan: disguised as improvements, to make a major reconfiguration of the entire machine. We nevertheless dedicated Deikin to our plan ... ”

Needless to say, the main design burden fell on the shoulders of experienced Kovrov designers.

“Zaitsev wrote in his memoirs that Kalashnikov did not know how to work even as a draftsman,” Tkachev recalls. “The technique of design and calculations was unknown to Mikhail Timofeevich.”

The members of the commission, before the final stage of testing, “did not notice” that the barrel of the machine gun presented by Kalashnikov became 80 mm shorter, another trigger mechanism appeared, a receiver cover appeared, which began to completely cover the moving parts ... On new sample many elements of Kalashnikov's competitors migrated to the AK-47 assault rifle. It was a different machine.

“No one will get ahead of Kalashnikov,” Konstantinov, the chief designer of the Kovrov Design Bureau, will later tell Shiryaev, “since certain high officials receive awards along with him ...”

“Compared to other weapons designers, Kalashnikov has practically no weapon elements that he invented and protected by copyright certificates,” says Shiryaev. “We know of only one of them, and then in the company of four other co-authors.” This was followed by his statement, which sounded like a sensation: “Kalashnikov is not a gunsmith. This is a figurehead, stretched out by the ears.

“Mikhail Timofeevich has nothing to do with it,” says Pyotr Tkachev. - It was just such a state policy. The military did the right thing: what difference does it make - whether it will be a Kalashnikov assault rifle or a Dementiev assault rifle ... It is important that it be put into service good machine. It is also clear that not a single sample in any country in the world immediately enters service: it is returned for multiple revisions.

The fact is that the first sample of the AK had two modifications: with a wooden non-folding butt - AK-47 and with a metal folding butt - AKS-47, the design of which was borrowed from German submachine guns. Doctor of Technical Sciences Yuri Bryzgalov, for example, believes that "the German MP-43 submachine gun is only a little similar in appearance to the AK-47, the principle of its operation is completely different." The fact that Kalashnikov collected and combined in his design all the best that was in the domestic and foreign weapons business, the professor puts him only in merit, because “everyone,” emphasizes the professor, “all gunsmith designers use this when creating new types of weapons method."

The fact that the AK is still the best example of the world's small arms is a well-known fact and cannot be doubted.

The article in Moskovsky Komsomolets had the effect of an exploding bomb. A week later, M.T. Kalashnikov had to issue a refutation.

In Andrey Kuptsov's book "Belomor and the Kalashnikov" there is a hypothesis that the author of the AK-47 is actually another famous Soviet gunsmith Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov. Kuptsov claims that Simonov, at least, is the author of the bolt assembly and layout. Kuptsov builds his hypothesis based on the fact that, as a rule, samples with predetermined parameters that meet the tactical and technical requirements are submitted to competitions. Only until 1930 did something like free creativity exist among Soviet gunsmiths, and already in 1931, a wedge-locked bolt was included in the list of tactical and technical requirements. Then Simonov's system (ABC-31) won. But other designers also made samples with wedge locking.

It is widely believed that the German "assault rifle" StG-44 Hugo Schmeiser served as a prototype for full or partial copying in the development of the Kalashnikov assault rifle. Supporters of this hypothesis often cite the external similarity between the samples and the fact that the AK-47 design was born while a group of leading German gunsmiths were working in Izhevsk “One look at this excellent weapon is enough to understand its influence on the entire post-war family AK,” writes Gordon Williamson. The American scientist Gordon Rottman repeatedly wrote about the constructive similarity and "influence" of the StG-44 on the Kalashnikov assault rifle. Except resemblance, supporters of the hypothesis mention the work of the StG designer Hugo Schmeisser in the Izhevsk design bureau (despite the fact that the AK was not developed there, but at the Kovrov plant) and the study of the StG-44 by Soviet specialists took place at a plant in the city of Suhl, 50 samples were assembled and transferred to for technical evaluation STG-44.

One of the supporters of the Schmeiser theory puts it this way: “Have you noticed that the AK-47 is very similar to the assault rifle of the Third Reich - the Schmeiser? Didn't guess why? But because she had one author (more precisely, a co-author) - Hugo Schmeiser. True, it must be said that inside the Schmeiser and AK are noticeably different. Firstly, because the second one appeared later than the first one and already because of this was more perfect. In addition, in the Third Reich there was an acute shortage of alloying metals. Because of this, it was necessary to make weapons from softer steel. And the design of the Schmeiser was developed specifically for making it from softer steel. Who is Hugo Schmeiser? He was a hereditary weapons designer. His father Louis Schmeiser was also one of Europe's most famous weapons designers. Even before the First World War, he was engaged in the design and production of machine guns in the company "Bergman" (Bergmann). In this company, Hugo Schmeiser gained practical experience and took his first steps as a weapons designer. Hugo Schmeiser, who first proposed a new type of weapon: an assault automatic rifle chambered in an intermediate cartridge. Before him, all machines were made under pistol cartridge. And the ERMA machine gun, which they like to shoot in films about the Germans and which is often mistakenly called “Schmeiser”. And our PPSh, and the American Thomson submachine gun. Still in service with the armies of the world were rifles chambered for a powerful cartridge of caliber 7.62 or similar calibers. It was not possible to shoot such a cartridge in bursts without a stop or without bipods due to the high recoil. Here Hugo Schmeiser developed a weapon for an intermediate shortened cartridge of 7.62 caliber for a new type of weapon, which he called an assault rifle. The weapon turned out to be very successful and in the future it only improved. This Hugo Schmeiser after the war was captured in the USSR, where he worked in a closed research institute in Izhevsk, developing weapon. In addition to him, many other well-known Russian and German gunsmiths worked in this design bureau. The young Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov also worked there. He worked in the weapons testing department and was a secretary Komsomol organization design bureau. He got into the design bureau by inventing a compact submachine gun chambered for a pistol cartridge for arming tank crews. Which outwardly was not at all similar to AK. Hugo Schmeiser worked in this design bureau until the early 1950s. Longer than all captured German designers. And he was released to Germany only as a terminally ill person. Where he died in his homeland in the GDR in 1953 from lung cancer. Hugo Schmeiser was a modest man. Or maybe he signed a non-disclosure agreement. In any case, when asked about his role in the creation of AK, he answered: “I gave some useful advice.”

Neither the StG or its predecessors, nor the AK contained any fundamentally innovative weapon design elements. The main technical solutions used in both samples - gas engines, methods of locking the shutter, the principles of operation of the USM, and so on - were basically known since the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century. thanks to a long experience in the development of automatic rifles of the previous generation (for rifle and machine gun cartridges); in particular, gas-operated automatics with locking the bolt by turning were already used in the design of the world's first self-loading rifle by the Mexican Manuel Mondragón, developed in the 1880s. and entered service in 1908.


Hugo Schmeisser is a German designer of firearms and pneumatic weapons. In October 1946, he was forcibly taken to the Soviet Union. Schmeiser with a large group of designers was sent to Izhevsk to work in the weapons design bureau of the Izhmash plant.

The novelty of these systems was in the very concept of weapons for an intermediate between a pistol and rifle-machine-gun cartridge and the successful creation of a technology for its mass production, and in the case of AK, also bringing this model to a level of reliability, which is considered a reference for automatic weapons.

Similar outlines of the barrel, front sight and gas outlet tube are due to the use of a gas outlet engine on both machines, which in principle could not be directly borrowed by Kalashnikov from Schmeisser, since it was known long before that (moreover, a top-mounted gas outlet engine was first used on the Soviet ABC rifle). A gas engine with a gas piston fixed to the bolt frame was also not a novelty and was used long before that - for example, on the 1927 Degtyarev machine gun of the year.

Otherwise, the design of the Schmeisser and Kalashnikov systems differs dramatically; there are fundamental differences in the device and such key components as the barrel locking mechanism (rotary bolt for AK, skewed bolt for StG-44); trigger mechanism (when using the general trigger principle of operation, the specific implementations of its functioning are completely different); magazine, magazine mount (StG has a rather long receiving neck, in AK the magazine is simply inserted into the receiver window); a fire interpreter and a safety device (StG has a separate double-sided push-button type fire interpreter and a fuse located on the left in the form of a flag, AK is a fuse translator located on the right).

There are also fundamental differences in the design of the receiver, and, accordingly, in the procedure for disassembling and assembling weapons: for a Kalashnikov assault rifle, it consists of the actual receiver with a section in the form of an inverted letter P with bends in the upper part along which the bolt group moves, and its fastened on top covers that must be removed for disassembly; in the StG-44, the tubular receiver has an upper part with a closed section in the form of the number 8, inside which the bolt group is mounted, and a lower part that serves as a trigger box - the latter, for disassembling the weapon after separating the butt, must be folded down on the pin along with the fire control handle .

For StG, the trajectory of movement of the bolt group is set by a massive cylindrical base of the gas piston, which moves inside a cylindrical cavity in the upper part of the receiver, resting on its walls, and for AK, by special grooves in the lower part of the bolt frame, with the help of which the bolt group moves along the guide bends in the upper part of the receiver as on "rails".

In the end, between the two samples there is only a similarity in concept and considerable overlap in external design.

So, although the fact that the appearance of such a new and rather successful model as the StG-44 among the Germans did not go unnoticed in the USSR, its samples were probably studied in detail, which could greatly affect the choice of the general concept of the new weapon and the course works on Soviet counterparts, including AK, the version of Kalashnikov's direct borrowing of the "Sturmgever" design does not stand up to criticism.

Anatoly Wasserman, in response to the emergence of a huge number of hypotheses about the authorship of the AK-47 invention, reacted as follows:

“The topic of copying a Kalashnikov assault rifle from a Schmeisser assault rifle is one of the most popular topics in specialized weapons disputes. We can say about it for a long time and quite confidently that a person who claims that the Kalashnikov assault rifle was copied from Schmeisser simply does not know anything about weapons.

That is, he heard the names of Kalashnikov and Schmeisser, but only heard, did not even try to look inside these weapons. There is practically nothing in common between these samples. Yes, they really look alike, but they have a completely different internal structure. Moreover, they belong to different engineering schools, in the sense that not only a different principle of automation is used, but a completely different concept is used. combat use weapons.

Without saying anything else, the Kalashnikov assault rifle is famous all over the world. First of all, its reliability in any conditions. Assault rifle Schmeisser is incomparably more sensitive to pollution and requires very careful personal care. This proves that it was created from a completely different concept of combat use. This is known to anyone who has ever looked inside these weapons at least once.

It is clear that the blogger Adagamov does not look into weapons, he prefers to look into completely different places, in connection with which he is now far from his homeland. I will only say once again that this statement makes it absolutely clear that people become enemies of their country and their culture simply because they do not know their country or their culture.

As for Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov specifically, I have repeatedly said and written that, contrary to the statements of many positive-minded, but no less ignorant journalists, he is not the inventor of either the concept of the machine as a whole, or this particular sample.

He has a lot of his own inventions, but specifically in the Kalashnikov assault rifle there is nothing that he would have invented himself. This entire automaton consists of components invented at different times by other inventors. The merit of Kalashnikov in this case is not in the invention, but in the design. He is precisely the designer of the machine gun, from the many different components created by others, he selected exactly those that optimally solve the problem facing him, the task of creating weapons available to any fighter after the most minimal training, weapons capable of working in any conceivable and unimaginable conditions, weapons simple enough to manufacture that it can be made in millions of copies, as they say, on the knee.

Even during the First World War, it became clear that the fire density of the rifle squad, created with the help of rifles and carbines, was insufficient.

There was a need for individual infantry soldiers to have personal rapid-fire weapons.

This problem was solved with the creation of submachine guns and machine guns. World War II gave rise to many various designs automatic weapons, among which it should be noted.

However, by the end of the war, there was a need to create a new weapon, which was solved by the introduction of the Kalashnikov assault rifle.

How did the first Kalashnikov assault rifle appear?

In 1943, the Technical Council conducted a study of the German machine gun MKb.42 (H), created under the Wehrmacht cartridge 7.92 × 33 mm. German experience and the experience of the American designers who created the M1 Carbine carbine was recognized as successful.

The question of creating a similar weapon was raised before the Soviet designers.

After several attempts to create a universal cartridge, the specialists settled on the 7.62 × 39 caliber. Its creators were the designers N.M. Elizarov and B.V. Semin. Under this cartridge, the designer Sudayev developed the AS-44 assault rifle, which went into a small series.

The assault rifle passed army tests, but the military recommended that the design be finalized by reducing the overall weight of the assault rifle. The death of Sudayev stopped work on this design.

The need to create weapons required a new round of the competition, in which in 1946 the first Kalashnikov assault rifle was shown. Following the results of two stages, this machine was declared unusable, but the designer managed to achieve the right to refine it.

After completion in 1947, the machine still did not satisfy necessary requirements, however, was better than the others presented in the competition.

Kalashnikov was sent to Izhevsk, where, after refinement, the famous machine gun of the 1947 model of the year appeared, which determined the development of automatic weapons on the planet for decades.

The question of who invented the Kalashnikov assault rifle does not have such an unambiguous answer as it seems.

It is hard to believe that a not very literate Komsomol member was able to create an effective military weapon.

Designer Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov claimed that the idea of ​​​​creating a new machine gun came to him after reading a book about small arms. But it is one thing to think, and quite another to create it.

On the other hand, as a Komsomol leader, Mikhail Timofeevich was quite suitable for the role of a wedding general.

Recall that this was Alexei Stakhanov earlier, to whom the entire production of the brigade was recorded.

The layout scheme and technical solutions used in the Ak-47 Kalashnikov assault rifle are in many ways similar to the German submachine gun, as well as the MP-40 created by a group of German specialists.

Automatic model 1946

The Kalashnikov AK-46 assault rifle itself was a very crude and intermediate version.

It was rather a transitional model from the Shpagin submachine gun, which was most common at that time in the Soviet (Red) Army, to the weapon that became familiar to everyone under the name AK-47.

It contained many shortcomings, but it was a necessary step towards the subsequent constructive breakthrough. Consider this weapon in more detail.

What was the scheme and device

Since the original automaton was quite different from the sample we are used to, it is interesting to know what these differences were:

  1. The cocking handle was located on the left, not on the right. The location has been changed by suggestion state commission, since when crawling, the handle would rest against the stomach;
  2. The presence of a separate fuse;
  3. The lever for transferring fire from single to firing bursts was a separate device;
  4. Hinged trigger mechanism on a hairpin.

The bolt carrier with a rigidly fixed gas piston appeared during refinement at the Kovrov plant before the second round of the competition.

Her appearance dramatically improved the tactical specifications, so to the question of how the Kalashnikov assault rifle works, the answer is simple - due to the energy of the discharged powder gases.


A similar device could have been copied from the Bulkin assault rifle that participated in the competition.

The structure of the machine gun for firing in bursts was changed - the fuse was combined with the transfer lever, which greatly simplified the design, making it clearer to the fighters.

What technical characteristics did the AK-46 have

  1. Cartridge caliber 7.62 × 41 sample 1943;
  2. Barrel 450 mm long;
  3. The total length of the machine is 950 millimeters;
  4. Magazine with a capacity of 30 rounds + 1 round in the barrel;
  5. The mass of the machine without taking into account the mass of cartridges is 4.328 kilograms;
  6. Sighting range of 0.8 kilometers.

How the AK-47 and AKS were created

After the second round, held in 1946, the commission made a decision that said that none of the automata submitted for the competition, even after improvements, does not meet the required characteristics.

In terms of performance characteristics (TTX), the automatic machine created by the designer Bulkin came closest to the necessary requirements. However, for reasons of simplicity and affordability of manufacture, and perhaps for some other reasons, it was decided to finalize the Kalashnikov assault rifle.


To bring the weapon to the desired characteristics, the Kalashnikov-Zaitsev design team was sent to Izhevsk. Then a group of well-known German designers worked at the Izhevsk arms factory.

Among them was the famous Hugo Schmeisser, who at one time designed many models of automatic and assault weapons. His weapons were successfully used by the Wehrmacht on various fronts of the Second World War.

It is not known whether the Germans collaborated with the creators of the new machine gun, but it was very different from the one provided earlier.

The machine itself was originally produced with a wooden butt. However, this was inconvenient for special troops, primarily because of the length of the weapon, so a modification was created for them that reduced the dimensions of the product.

The wooden butt was replaced with a metal one, the latter being able to fold. This modification of weapons was called the Kalashnikov folding assault rifle (AKS). It was possible to go into battle with this weapon right after a parachute jump, without laying out the butt.

What performance characteristics did the AK-47 have

Consider the performance characteristics of the Kalashnikov assault rifle of the 1947 model. It should be noted here that the table itself is given for the base model. The folding version practically does not differ from it, with the exception of the mass. It is lighter by 400 grams and shorter by 2 millimeters.

  1. The caliber of the weapon is 7.62 mm.
  2. The cartridge used for firing is 7.62x39 mm;
  3. The total length of the machine is 870 millimeters;
  4. The length of the stem part is 415 millimeters;
  5. The weight of the machine, excluding cartridges, is 4.3 kilograms;
  6. The total mass of cartridges - 576 grams;
  7. Total weight with cartridges - 4.876 kilograms;
  8. Maximum firing range - 0.8 kilometers;
  9. Rate of fire - 600 rounds per minute;
  10. Burst rate - 400 rounds per minute;
  11. Rate of fire with single shots - from 90 to 100 rounds per minute;
  12. starting speed bullets -715 m / s (2500 km / h);
  13. The number of cartridges in the store - 30 pieces.

How did the modernized Kalashnikov assault rifle (AKM) appear?

In the early fifties, designer German Korobov presented a new model of infantry weapons, the TKB-517 assault rifle, to the judgment of specialists and the army leadership.


This weapon had better accuracy, less weight compared to the AK-47. The mere fact that the production of TKB-517 was cheaper meant a lot. Considering the best technical and tactical characteristics of the newly presented model, it was clear that the time had come for a new weapon.

However, the army leadership and the government of the Soviet Union decided not to radically change the production technology (as well as debunk the designer's exaggerated glory) and gave Kalashnikov the opportunity to modernize his version of the weapon.

So the Kalashnikov assault rifle appeared modernized AKM.

In the new version, the buttstock turned out to be slightly raised compared to the original, which brought the point of emphasis of the butt against the shoulder closer to the line of the shot. Sighting range was increased to one kilometer.

In addition, on the basis of AKM, a light machine gun unified with it, called the RPK, was created.

Is it possible to install a bayonet-knife

On the first models of the AK-47, the installation of a bayonet-knife was not provided. This fact indirectly proves the participation of German weapons designers in the work on weapons.

The fact is that during the Second World War, the Nazi weapons did not provide for the possibility of attaching additional edged weapons. The German infantryman had to be able to use weapons in such a way as to hit the enemy with a bullet.

Infantry soldiers were simply practically not trained in hand-to-hand combat.


However, in the future, AK received a blade two hundred millimeters long, which was attached to the gas chamber. He possessed a double blade and fuller.

The appearance of AKM also changed the design of additional weapons.

Instead of a double blade, a single blade appeared with a file on the other side.

The length of the blade has decreased to 150 millimeters. The bayonet-knife itself received more opportunities for use in the economic field for the needs of the soldier.

How the 1974 AK-74 came about

In the early seventies of the last century, the armies of potential opponents (NATO) began to massively switch in their automatic weapons from the usual rifle caliber to a lightweight unified cartridge with a caliber of 5.56 mm.

There was an urgent need for the armies of the Warsaw Pact countries and the Soviet Union to take a step in the same direction. The 5.45 mm caliber was called to replace the rifle cartridge.


He had sufficient lethal force, but had less weight and was less expensive to manufacture. The total weight of eight wearable ammunition has decreased by 1400 grams.

New option the machine gun has a 100-meter long range of a direct shot, a magazine made of durable plastic. Thanks to the new muzzle brake, the grouping and accuracy of combat increased.

What myths and misconceptions are pursued by the Kalashnikov assault rifle

Main myth regarding this type of weapon, it is talk that this machine gun is the best on Earth. In fact, on the planet, and in Russia, there are many types of small arms that are superior in their characteristics to the Kalash, we can recall the same Abakan.

The second myth is that the machine was designed personally by Mikhail Timofeevich. In reality, the help of the designer Zaitsev was simply invaluable, in addition to this, a whole group of designers also worked on the weapon. We cannot exclude the work of German specialists led by Hugo Schmeisser.

Be that as it may, the Kalashnikov assault rifle was, is and will remain a legend glorifying the Russian designers who created one of the most trouble-free assault rifles of the 20th century and, without a doubt, it is the most common.

Kalashnikov is still in service with a huge number of states. It is depicted on the coats of arms of 4 states and the flag of Mozambique. Yes, new weapons are coming, but it is unlikely that anyone else will achieve such mass distribution as the AK.

Video

Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov was born on November 10, 1919. Soviet and Russian designer, creator of the Kalashnikov assault rifle, which is familiar to residents of all world states. Small homeland Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov is the village of Kurya, Altai Territory. The designer came from a large family in which 19 children were born, but only 8 people survived, including Mikhail Timofeevich. Kalashnikov's parents were peasants.

Timofey Alexandrovich was recognized as a fist in 1930, so the family was sent to the village of Nizhnyaya Mokhovaya, Tomsk Region. As a child, the young designer showed interest in technical means, studied the principles of operation of mechanisms. During his school years, Kalashnikov demonstrated knowledge of geometry and physics, but literature was also easy for him.

Only after finishing the 7th grade, Mikhail Timofeevich decides to return to Altai, but he could not find a job in the region, so he returned to his family. Due to belonging to the kulak family for a long time Kalashnikov could not get a passport, but then he forged the seal of the local commandant's office in the certificate and the document ended up in his hands.

Mikhail returns to Altai again. At this time, the first acquaintance with the device of the weapon takes place. The young man was able to disassemble the Browning pistol. When Kalashnikov turned 18, the designer moved to Kazakhstan. The guy was hired at the depot of the Matai station of the Turkestan-Siberian railway. Mikhail not only communicated with locksmiths and machinists, but also gained knowledge about technology, which he had admired since childhood.

In 1938, Mikhail Timofeevich went to serve in the Red Army. The service took place in the Kiev Special Military District. After some time, Kalashnikov became a tank driver, after which the designer was transferred to the 12th Panzer Division. While serving in the Red Army, Mikhail created an inertial shot counter from a tank gun. Also among the developments of the young man there was equipment to increase the efficiency of firing from a TT pistol, a tank motor resource counter.


In 1942, this device was sent to mass production. Unfortunately, hostilities prevented the implementation of the project. Kalashnikov personally reported on this equipment to the commander of the Kyiv Special Military District, General of the Army.

After the conversation, Mikhail Timofeevich is sent to the Kiev Tank School, where he creates prototypes and conducts research. Later, Kalashnikov moved to Moscow, where he continued to work on equipment. Already at the Leningrad plant. Mikhail and the craftsmen finalized the counter.

Great constructor

During the Great Patriotic War Kalashnikov was seriously wounded, so he was treated in the hospital for several weeks, and after that the man was sent on vacation. Mikhail Timofeevich devoted this time to the creation of a submachine gun.

After his own sample was brought to the desired condition, Kalashnikov sent it to the competition. The commission did not experience admiration, since, according to experts, the weapon is expensive and complex. For comparison, PPSh and PPS were taken. Despite this, the talent of the designer was noticed.


In 1942, Mikhail Timofeevich was taken to serve in the Main Artillery Directorate of the Red Army. A man delivers weapons to the ranks of the military. The leadership soon gave Kalashnikov a new task: the designer needed to develop a weapon based on an “intermediate” cartridge with a caliber of 7.62x39 mm. A pistol or machine gun must have a range of 200-800 meters.

In addition to Mikhail Timofeevich, designers who already have experience participated in the competition. Thanks to this, the Simonov self-loading carbine and the Degtyarev light machine gun appeared in the army. The Kalashnikov assault rifle was a complex design. None of the samples of the gunsmith did not fit the requirements of the competition. The first stage ended with improvements, and the second - with the victory of the young participants. On the Internet, you can see a photo of Kalashnikov, who is passionate about work.


Mikhail Timofeevich was in no hurry to innovate, and the designer's ideas cannot be called ingenious. In the meantime, the machine is designed from high-quality components and mechanisms that have been tested in practice. The weapon is capable of firing in any situation, including after hitting water, dirt. There is no difficulty in cleaning and disassembling.

Thanks to well-known designs, the Kalashnikov assault rifle can be manufactured on existing equipment in large quantities. The cost of weapons is recognized as low. Mikhail Timofeevich created the machine gun not as a constructor, but as an ordinary soldier, for whom it is important that the device be simple, convenient and understandable.


At the age of 30, Mikhail Kalashnikov became a laureate of the Stalin Prize. The designer received the Order of the Red Star for a unique development. Immediately after that, the machine was transferred to the production of the Izhevsk Arms Plant. The designer moved to Udmurtia to actively participate in the creation of weapons. Mikhail Timofeevich constantly improved the invention.

For a long time, Kalashnikov tried to establish production, since during the process a lot of marriage was obtained, including in the receiver. The specialist changed the technology, opted for milling, which significantly increased the cost of equipment production. As soon as the problem was solved, he returned to the original idea.

Soon the gunsmith created a new modification of the AKM. Since that time, Kalashnikov assault rifles and machine guns have become the main small arms of the infantry, since the creations of Simonov and Degtyarev were discontinued. In the 70s, they decided to adopt low-pulse 5.45x39 mm cartridges. Among the designers announced a competition. Mikhail Timofeevich won again.

Back in the 50s, Kalashnikov weapons began to be supplied to the allies in the Warsaw Pact Organization, other countries with which the USSR was on friendly terms. But the black market for weapons flourished already in those days, so many underground workers began to copy the creation of Mikhail Timofeevich.


Foreign companies took the Kalashnikov assault rifle as a basis, but supplemented it with their own developments, which were mainly expressed in a new design. Despite the fact that the weapon received a new name in each country, the AK remained itself. The Kalashnikov assault rifle remains to this day one of the most popular and reliable in the world. AK occupies 15% of the weapons world.

In 1963, Mikhail Timofeevich began to develop the RPKS, equipped with a folding butt and a night vision sight. At the same time, Kalashnikov was trying to develop an automatic pistol for 9x18 cartridges. But the gunsmith could not compete with Stechkin. Mikhail Timofeevich could not pay enough attention to this development, as he was fascinated by the sphere of machine guns and machine guns.


Already in the 1970s, Kalashnikov tried new sphere activities - hunting carbines. The gunsmith took his own machine gun as a basis. Immediately after testing, the carbines were sent into production. In 1992, the master creates a self-loading hunting carbine"Saiga", equipped with an optical sight.

Personal life

In the biography of Mikhail Kalashnikov there are 2 marriages. The first wife of the man was Ekaterina Danilovna Astakhova, who was born in the Altai Territory, after which she worked in the railway depot of the Matai station. In 1942, a son, Victor, appeared in the family. Later, Mikhail Timofeevich and Ekaterina Danilovna broke up. The ex-wife with the child remained in Kazakhstan. In 1956, the woman died suddenly, so Kalashnikov moved his son to Izhevsk.


The second wife of Mikhail Timofeevich was Ekaterina Viktorovna Moiseeva. The woman worked as a design engineer. From her first marriage, the woman had a daughter, Nelly. But Kalashnikov adopted the girl.

Later, more children appeared in the family - Natalya and Elena, the latter holds the post of president of the Interregional Public Fund. M.T. Kalashnikov. Unfortunately, Natalia passed away at the age of 30. Mikhail Timofeevich was known as a happy father and grandfather. Children gave five grandchildren: Mikhail, Alexander, Evgeny and Alexander, Igor.

Death

Health problems with Kalashnikov appeared in 2012. The designer's referent stated that this was the reason for leaving work. In December of the same year, the man was hospitalized at the Republican Clinical and Diagnostic Center of Udmurtia for a scheduled examination. Another deterioration in well-being was recorded in the summer of 2013. By means of an aircraft of the Ministry of Emergency Situations with special equipment, Mikhail Timofeevich was taken to Moscow.

“In connection with the need for a medical examination, the doctors decided to send Mikhail Timofeevich to one of the Moscow clinics,” the press service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations said.

Moscow doctors diagnosed a gunsmith with pulmonary embolism. For several weeks, the capital's doctors pored over Kalashnikov. As a result, the man's health improved, after which the designer returned home to Izhevsk.


In November, Mikhail Timofeevich felt bad again, so on the 17th the designer was hospitalized in the intensive care unit of the Republican Clinical Diagnostic Center of Udmurtia. Relatives of Kalashnikov believe that the preparations for the celebrations on the occasion of the 94th anniversary of Mikhail Timofeevich influenced the state of health of the gunsmith.

In early December, Kalashnikov underwent an emergency operation, but the surgical intervention worsened the condition of the designer. A month later, doctors did not notice any visible improvements. A few days before his death, the gunsmith was transferred to intensive care due to gastric bleeding. The death of Mikhail Timofeevich became known on December 23.


Farewell to Mikhail Kalashnikov took place on December 25 and 26, and the memorial service took place in St. Michael's Cathedral in Izhevsk. In connection with the death of the designer in Udmurtia, mourning was declared by order of the head of the region. Kalashnikov's funeral was held at the Pantheon of Heroes of the Federal War Memorial Cemetery.

The burial ceremony was attended by officials and top officials of the state, including Andrei Vorobyov and,. Condolences were expressed by the Director General of the state company "Rostec". A monument to Mikhail Kalashnikov appeared on the Garden Ring in Moscow. The designer for the created weapon was awarded the Gold Star and Hammer and Sickle medals.

inventions

  • Inertial counter of shots from a tank gun
  • AK-47
  • Kalashnikov light machine gun
  • Kalashnikov machine gun
  • Kalashnikov assault rifle 100 series
  • Self-loading hunting carbine "Saiga"
  • Kalashnikov automatic pistol

Awards

  • 1946 - medal "For the victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945."
  • 1947 - Order of the October Revolution
  • 1949 - Order of the Red Star
  • 1958, 1969, 1976 - Order of Lenin
  • 1958, 1976 - Hero of Socialist Labor
  • 1958, 1976 - Hammer and Sickle medal
  • 1975 - Order of the Red Banner of Labor
  • 1982 - Order of Friendship of Peoples
  • 1985 - Order of the Patriotic War, 1st class
  • 1993 - Zhukov medal
  • 1994 - Order of Merit for the Fatherland, II degree
  • 1998 - Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called
  • 2004 - Order of Military Merit
  • 2009 - Hero of the Russian Federation
  • 2009 - Gold Star medal

Who did create the AK-47 assault rifle? People are so brainwashed by Soviet and Russian propaganda that they don’t even want to hear about the real truth
So, people, who believes that an illiterate collective farmer, who at the age of 18 saw a steam locomotive for the first time, could create an AK-47 after reading a book about the history of small arms (as it is written in Kalashnikov's autobiography)?

Here are some facts:
In October 1946, Hugo Schmeisser, as a weapon specialist, was "offered" to go to the Urals in the Soviet Union for several years. This order applies to many well-known weapon designers from the city of Suhl. You are allowed to bring families with you. German specialists arrived on 10/24/1946 on a special train to Izhevsk. From publications in newspapers around 1990, it is known that Hugo lived in Izhevsk at 133 on the street. Red. After the arrival of Hugo Schmeisser at the design bureau of the Izhevsk plant Izhmash, the development of the AK-47 was completed there. Already in 1946, the first three samples of the machine were presented in Izhevsk.


So, maybe the AK-47 was created by Hugo Schmeisser? Which has already twice revolutionized automatic weapons: created the MP-18 in the First World War and the Stg-44 in the Second World War.
People are so brainwashed by Soviet and Russian propaganda that they don't even want to hear about an alternative point of view. The same people took over the Wikipedia page about the T-34 and immediately removed any doubt that it was the best tank of the 20th century. It turns out completely ridiculous that on the pages about other tanks they write that the T-34 was a coffin on tracks, and on the T-34 page that it was the best tank!

Let's talk a little about the AK-47, which is the sacred cow of Soviet and Russian propaganda along with the T-34, the Varyag cruiser, 28 Panfilov's men, an incandescent light bulb, a radio, a chemical table. elements, Lomonosov and others. If anyone is interested, then write, I can tell you about other cows.
About Tsiolkovsky, Gagarin, Lomonosov and much, much more
Kalashnikov is the seventeenth child in a large peasant family from a remote Altai village, he first saw a steam locomotive at the age of 18. Then he read a book in the hospital about the history of small arms and created the best machine gun in the world - this is what Kalashnikov himself writes in his autobiography. By an amazing coincidence, several hundred of the best German gunsmiths headed by the famous Hugo Schmeisser were working in Izhevsk at that time. And after their departure to Germany, Kalashnikov for 66 years from 1947 to 2013 no longer created absolutely anything: neither a pistol, nor a knife, nor a rifle, nor a cannon.
If we take any well-known gunsmith, then at first he accumulates experience for a long time and only towards the middle or end of his life creates something ingenious, like Schmeisser, for example. Kalashnikov has the opposite - at the beginning of his career, a very good machine gun, and then, when he has already accumulated experience, nothing more. Was there his swan song in 1947?
Schmeisser with all his design bureau were moved to Izhevsk and worked there in the best GULAG traditions. And they did absolutely nothing. But then there was the secretary of the Komsomol organization Misha Kalashnikov, a former uneducated peasant who, completely alone, created a miracle military equipment AK-47!

According to available archival data, at least 474 German specialists in the field of small arms worked in the USSR! Among them were Dr. Werner Gruner and Kurt Horn (the creators of the legendary MG42 machine gun, which is still in service with the Bundeswehr and is widely exported to various countries, and is also produced under license in Greece, Pakistan, Spain and Turkey), chief designer of Gustlof Werke Karl August Barnitske, Oskar Schink, Oskar Heinrich Betzold and others. Hugo Schmeisser and other German engineers and scientists were at the peak of their professional activity after two world wars. Hugo Schmeisser himself is certainly a classic and a world-class specialist - like Newton in physics. But the rural nugget, under the leadership of the party and the government, put hundreds of the most educated and experienced designers into the belt, who already had significant achievements, a name and academic degrees. Recall that at that time Kalashnikov also had a whole one! "invention" - he installed a rev counter on the engine, the so-called. tank engine life meter (it’s funny to me - I don’t know about you).
And do you believe it? After all, creating a machine gun and a cartridge for it (by the way, this was the first non-folding cartridge in the history of the USSR and Russia, licked from a German model), setting up their production is no easier than creating a space rocket. Could an illiterate peasant, for example, carry out complex mathematical calculations of the kinematics and dynamics of weapon assemblies, like Dr. Werner Gruner? In my opinion, Kalashnikov's mathematical knowledge did not go beyond the scope of arithmetic. And with Schmeisser, I don’t even dare to compare this rogue Komsomol member.
Yes, if Kalashnikov was as brilliant as Soviet-Russian propaganda describes him, then it was necessary to give him books on the history of aircraft construction, engine building and other structures, and he would create for us the most ingenious rockets, tanks, planes and so on. Can you imagine how much he would have created in 66 years from 1947 to the present day? Even if you give him 6 years between reading another book and creating a masterpiece, then we would have 11 masterpieces! For example, he could create hydrogen bomb, space rocket, superglue, graphene, hypersonic aircraft, computer, internet, lasers, stealth aircraft, BMW X6, lunar rover, iPhone and so on up to 11. What height would it raise our electronics, auto and aircraft construction, nuclear energy and so on And so on! In 1947, they would have given him a reading about the history of telephone communications, and he would have made the IPhone already in 1953!
The whole trouble is that no one has given him another book to read in 66 years! The only book he read was the history of small arms.

Go Kalashnikov for the first time lathe I saw only in Izhevsk. Do you really think that an illiterate peasant in Izhevsk could lead the most experienced German gunsmiths, many of whom are gunsmiths not in the first generation? Schmeisser's father was also famous - his father passed on his experience from childhood. And what did they teach Kalashnikov as a child? Milking cows?
And what was Schmeisser doing in Izhevsk then? He walked around Kalashnikov and asked: “Oh, master Kalashnikov, teach us German gunsmiths how to sow oats to make weapons, oh, miracle master Kalashnikov!”?
They simply could not adopt the Schmeisser assault rifle into service with the Soviet Army, so they assigned the authorship of the AK-47 to Komsomol member Kalashnikov, secretary of the Komsomol, since all Soviet gunsmiths refused such a shame of plagiarism.
For some reason, everyone compares the AK-47 and Stg-44 Schmeisser. And they do correct conclusion that the automata are not completely similar, because locking the barrel in the STG is carried out by tilting the shutter and some other little things. And from here they make the wrong conclusion that the AK-47 is an original design. But for some reason, everyone forgets about the MKb-42 (W), created in 1942 by another famous gunsmith Walter, whose barrel locking method is similar to the AK-47.
I think the closest approximation to the truth is:
Stg-43 fell into our hands in 1943 during the Battle of Stalingrad. Immediately (within 6 months) a similar one was developed, the so-called. "intermediate" cartridge. Then, in the fire order itself, they tried to create something similar, but nothing worked until Schmeisser came to work in Izhevsk with his design bureau.
Nothing worked - this means that it was possible to create only prototypes, lapped with MKb-42 (W) and Stg-44, but they did not even try to introduce them into mass production.
And to make a prototype based on German machine guns is only 1% of the case. The remaining 99% is the establishment of mass production. After that, the prototype is like final product like an ugly duckling to a swan, because in the course of testing and setting up production, entire units have to be changed. In particular, I had to change the method of locking the barrel, because. at Soviet culture production and maintenance of equipment failed to achieve acceptable reliability of the Soviet copy of the Stg-44.
Putting Kalashnikov in charge of a German design bureau (even if he is three times a member of the Komsomol and four times secretary of a Komsomol organization), instructing Kalashnikov to create and introduce weapons into production is the same as putting me in charge of the development and production of a Boeing 787 or Airbus A380 as a general designer. Even if I am three times a member of United Russia and ten times General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU, nothing sensible will come of this.

Here are two quotes, the style is right one to one, because All totalitarian regimes are the same:
Racially correct Aryan Guderian:
... the Soviet T-34 tank is a typical example of backward Bolshevik technology. This tank cannot be compared with the best examples of our tanks, made by the faithful sons of the Reich and repeatedly proving their superiority...
Class correct peasant Kalashnikov:
In a country ruled by the communists, I, the seventeenth child in a peasant family, was able to become a designer of small arms, climb to the heights professional excellence. Under the leadership of the Communist Party, my generation won the terrible war, built a powerful state, paved the way for humanity into space, and created the best models of technology in the world.
I do not believe Kalashnikov and I believe that an illiterate peasant could not create an AK-47 even "under the leadership of the Communist Party." The experience of the USSR showed that cooks and peasants cannot run the state, even if they are Bolshevik communists.
The Russian Army abandoned Kalashnikov assault rifles, even the latest "developments" due to their backwardness and outdated design (it was long overdue). Because of this, Kalashnikov probably died - he was worried. For 66 years, the army has been buying “his” machine gun and not blathering, and then all of a sudden this!
P.S.
Here I have outlined some facts and my thoughts about them, and everyone is free to form his own opinion. If you believe in the authorship of Kalashnikov, then continue to believe further.
I just came across the fact that many facts about the history of the USSR, Russia and pre-Russian states up to Kievan Rus turned out to be lies. Here I include myths and heroic ballads about the T-34, the Varyag cruiser, 28 Panfilov soldiers, an incandescent light bulb, a radio, a chemical table. elements, Lomonosov, Stakhanovites, Zhukov and others and others. Almost all Soviet historiography turned out to be based on lies.
Especially when you consider that almost all engineers and scientists from the Soviet zone of occupation were taken out of Germany. That they made a huge contribution to the USSR in the development and formation nuclear energy and weapons, jets, rockets, etc. That these were German scientists and engineers of world renown, up to the Nobel and Stalin Prize winner Gustav Hertz, and that the Germans were everywhere and even established the production of motorcycles in Izhevsk.
Let us also recall the sudden death of Schmeisser upon arrival in the GDR in 1953. So far nothing has been found in the Stasi archives. The KGB archives are still classified. But some attribute his death to the fact that upon arrival he blurted out somewhere that he “gave the Russians some advice” about the AK-47 in the USSR.
Considering all this and the extreme reluctance of Soviet propaganda to talk about the achievements of captured Germans, I am very critical of the achievements of Kalashnikov.
P.P.S.
If someone writes in favor of Kalashnikov, then first of all answer my questions, pliiz.
1. What did almost 500 German gunsmiths in the USSR do during the development and implementation of the AK-47 assault rifle and its cartridge, namely, from 1946 to 1952?
2. What orders for the USSR were carried out by German gunsmiths in the period from 45 to 46 while still in Germany?
3. Why didn't Kalashnikov do anything after 1947?
Well, at least put forward some version. I just don’t have enough imagination otherwise, as soon as I explain these miracles by the authorship of Schmeisser. Soviet-Russian propaganda about these facts is silent like a fish on ice and does not explain in any way. Although the archives, I'm sure there are detailed information about the activities of the Germans in Izhevsk. But after all, these edinorosovs with the Medveputians at the head are silent and the archives are not declassified. And I attribute this silence in favor of the version of Schmeisser's authorship. And this secrecy on documents 60 years ago, too.
Also, please do not compare AK with STG44. Because they are different, it does not follow the conclusion that the AK was made by Kalashnikov. Otherwise, the MP-43 was also made by Kalashnikov - after all, it also differs from the STG44. And in general, everything that differs from the STG44 was made by Kalashnikov: M16, HK G36, FN FNC and others.
The same misfortune is suffered by the medveputs, who have captured an article about AK on Wikipedia. They also argue that since the machine guns are different, then AK was created by Kalashnikov - even female logic can understand that there is no logical connection between these two statements.
About the Germans in Izhevsk, they only write: "There was no significant trace of the stay of German gunsmiths in Izhevsk." Those. 500 German gunsmiths were in the USSR just on vacation for 6 years? And at the same time they received salaries of up to 10 thousand rubles, which was much more than the average salary of a Soviet engineer of that time?
Anatoly Tkachenko

Who knows the history of the Kalashnikov assault rifle? But this is a legendary machine used by most of the world's countries. It is not only one of the most popular small arms, but also one of the most significant inventions of the twentieth century. During the existence of the AK-47, more than fifty million modifications have already been released. this machine. A legendary weapon that has received recognition from most countries of the world. The history of the creation of the Kalashnikov assault rifle will be told to the reader in the article.

Creator of the AK-47 small arms

Who invented the Kalashnikov assault rifle? This was done by a well-known weapons designer-developer - M. T. Kalashnikov. As a lieutenant general, he was also a doctor of technical sciences, in Soviet times - a member of the CPSU, a participant in hostilities, the owner of many medals, awards and orders, public figure, a deputy who received the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov - a native of the Altai Territory, was born in a large, large family November 10, 1919. From an early age, he was fond of studying the action of various mechanisms. Once, after graduating from school, the young man independently dismantled a Browning pistol in order to familiarize himself and detailed study weapon device.

At the age of 19 he was called to army service, where he received the specialty of a tank driver.

Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov began to show his inventive talent during his service. One of his first developments was an inertial recorder, counting the number of shots fired from a tank gun. Then, for several months, he was fascinated by the development of a tank engine life meter. The result exceeded all expectations - the invention worked clearly, accurately recording the operation of the engine.

During the Great Patriotic War he was a tank commander, but in the fall of 1941 he was seriously wounded. It was during the treatment that he began to make the first sketches of automatic weapons. He developed his idea, taking into account his own impressions received during the battles, studied special literature, and listened to the opinion of his colleagues. This occupation captivated the talented young man so much that in a few months he developed his first model of firearms. Although the sample submachine gun was not recommended for mass production for a number of technical reasons, however, the great Soviet scientist in the field of mechanics A. A. Blagonravov noted the originality of the idea, as well as the design of the sample itself.

The development of the Kalashnikov assault rifle began in 1945. After several years of design, refinement, and combat testing, Kalashnikov automatic systems were adequately evaluated and recommended for army weapons. For the greatest development of national importance, the one who invented the Kalashnikov assault rifle received the first degree, and was also awarded the honorary Order of the Red Star.

Development history

In what year was the Kalashnikov assault rifle created? In 1943, under the rifle cartridge received for armament, the caliber of which was 7.62 mm, small arms were needed. On a competitive basis, the development of weapons specifically for a cartridge of this caliber started. The main task was to surpass analogues, to create a worthy replacement

Among the competition entries were other successful projects of well-known developers, however, the automatic system of Mikhail Kalashnikov (also known as the AK-47) surpassed competitors in terms of design and production cost according to the results of the competition.

In 1948, Mikhail Kalashnikov went to the motorcycle plant in the city of Izhevsk to produce a trial batch of automatic systems in order to test them with the help of military tests. A year later, mass production of the AK-47 started at the machine-building plant in the city of Izhevsk. By the following year, the AK entered service with the army of the Soviet Union.

Design

The main parts of the AK, their purpose:

  1. The rifled barrel of the machine, including the bullet entry, as well as the chamber. Directs the flight of the bullet.
  2. The receiver is designed to connect the mechanisms into a single structure.
  3. The butt contains a specially created nest, where a canister with tools for cleaning the gun is placed.
  4. Sights, consisting of a sector sight and a front sight, are necessary for direct control of the location of the barrel channel relative to the aiming point. They are used to aim a firearm at a target during a shot. The position of the front sight is easy to change to adjust the location of the midpoint.
  5. The cover (removable) of the receiver prevents damage to the internal mechanisms.
  6. The bolt carrier, connected to the gas piston, is one of the main elements of a firearm, which actuates the bolt element and also triggers the trigger.
  7. The shutter closes the barrel channel before firing. Advances a cartridge from the magazine directly into the chamber. Also on the shutter is a special mechanism by which a spent cartridge case is removed from the chamber or a cartridge (in the event of a misfire).
  8. The return mechanism, thanks to a special spring, returns the bolt carrier to its extreme forward position.
  9. A gas tube with a handguard regulates the direction of movement of the gas piston with the help of directional ribs.
  10. The trigger mechanism includes a trigger, a spring trigger retarder, a trigger, a spring automatic trigger, a sear, and a translator. Provides trigger release from cocking, switching from single to continuous fire. Using this mechanism, you can stop shooting, as well as fix the fuse.
  11. The handguard is necessary for comfortable holding of the weapon during combat shooting, it performs the function of protecting hands from contact with hot metal, thereby preventing burns.
  12. The magazine has a box type, holds three dozen rounds. Thanks to the spring, the cartridges move directly into the receiver.
  13. The bayonet-knife is attached for use at the time of close combat.
  14. The muzzle brake is a special compensator designed to increase the stability of the weapon during the shot. Partially removes powder gases during firing, due to this, it significantly reduces the recoil of the barrel. Contributes to an increase in accuracy during burst firing (appeared in the AKM version).

Most young men can easily list the main parts of the AK-47, since assembling an assault rifle in a certain time is a mandatory part of the basic military training course in school.

The total number of AK elements is about a hundred parts.

Specifications

The first version of the release of the AK-47 was distinguished by the following main characteristics:

  • The weight of the Kalashnikov assault rifle is 4.8 kg (excluding the bayonet-knife).
  • The length of the automatic system was 870 mm (including the knife - 1070 mm).
  • (initial) - 715 meters per second.
  • Barrel caliber - 7.62 mm.
  • Cartridge - 7.62 x 39 mm.
  • The Kalashnikov assault rifle magazine contains thirty rounds.

Rate of fire:

  • when firing bursts - 100 shots in one minute;
  • when firing single cartridges - 40 shots per minute;
  • the technical rate of fire is approximately 600 rounds per minute.

Shooting stats:

  • maximum bullet flight - 3 km;
  • lethal shot range - 1500 meters;
  • direct shot range - 350 meters.

Modifications

The history of the Kalashnikov assault rifle contains information that the very first version designed by Mikhail Timofeevich during the competition was the AK-46. This version of the weapon was invented in 1946, but after a detailed study and a number of combat tests, this model was recognized as unsuitable.

However, the creation of the Kalashnikov assault rifle, the next year, 1947, was the year of the development of the famous AK-47.

Together with the AK, by 1949 they adopted the folding version of the AK - AKS, created for the special forces, into service with the Soviet army.

Then, since 1959, the history of the Kalashnikov assault rifle moves to a new stage. The AK-47 is being replaced by the modernized Kalashnikov assault rifle (AKM). From the same year, it was the AKM that became the most common version of the Kalashnikov. Compared to previous models, the AKM has improved firing range indicators, the shape of the buttstock has been changed, a muzzle brake-compensator has been added, and the weight has also been reduced, a bayonet-knife has been added. Together with this model, a modification of the AKMN was released, which has a night, optical sight.

Together with AKM, the armament was replenished with a similar model, but the butt of which is folding - AKMS. In addition to this version, there was also an AKMSN, that is, a night version with a special optical sight.

Over the next few years, the development of an automatic system for use with a 5.45 x 39 mm caliber cartridge was actively underway. By 1974, a new modification came into service - the AK-74 and AK-74N (a model that includes a night and optical sight). A special development for the special forces was a new version of the AKS-74, that is, a model with a folding butt, another model was called the AKS-74N - a night modification with an optical sight.

By 1979, a shortened version of the AKS-74 - AKS-74U and AKS-74UN - appeared specifically for arming the landing troops, containing fasteners for night and optical sights.

In 1991, a modernized AK-74 called AK-74M was received for arming the army. The unique automatic machine put into mass production managed to replace several models at the same time.

It was the AK-74M version that became the basic version for the development of the entire hundredth series.

The 100th AK series is various versions AK-74M, designed for export. For delivery to other countries, only automatic systems of the hundredth series are currently used, since this series surpasses the previous ones in terms of material quality, modernity technological process, improved shooting performance.

The most recent modern model the fifth generation is the AK-12 model. This sample appeared in 2012.

Record holder of the Guinness Book of Records

The Kalashnikov assault rifle, the dimensions of which you already know, occupies one of the leading roles in the weapons environment. For its reliability, he won the well-deserved unconditional recognition of most countries of the world. Together with all its modifications, it occupies more than 15% of small arms in the world, which is why it is included in the Guinness Book of Records as the most common weapon.

AK outside Russia

A few years after the adoption of the AK-47 into service, a production license was given to about two dozen countries. The license was transferred mainly to states that were allies under the famous Warsaw Pact. Also by that time, more than a dozen countries began to produce AK without a license.

Around the world, there are about 100 million different variations of the Kalashnikov assault rifle.

Application in battles

The first combat use of the AK occurred during the suppression of protests in the fall of 1956 in Hungary. Then it was a symbol of the Vietnam War and was actively used by the soldiers of the Vietnam People's Army.

However, the rapid spread of the Kalashnikov assault rifle around the world occurred during the war in Afghanistan, when the CIA actively supplied them to the armed formations.

And then, thanks to the reliability and ease of operation, the soldiers of Iraq during the hostilities on the territory of their country preferred the AK-47 instead of the M16.

AK as a civilian weapon

Various variants of the Kalashnikov automatic system are very popular among civilian weapons, especially among those countries where gun laws are quite liberal.

At the time of the appearance of the very first AK models in the United States of America, it was allowed to own automatic weapons. Later, a law was passed banning the sale of such weapons. civilians, but this did not apply to guns officially registered before 1986. Therefore, some still own combat samples of AK.

As for most of the world's countries, the storage of such automatic systems is prohibited by law. Those who own AKs illegally buy them for how much does a Kalashnikov assault rifle cost? The price of AK varies depending on the modification. So how much does a Kalashnikov assault rifle cost approximately? According to unofficial data, the price of AK on the black market is in the range of $1,000 (about 55,000 rubles).

AK at present

Over time, the Kalashnikov assault rifle (weight, dimensions and other technical characteristics were presented to your attention in the article) was subjected to many critical reviews of leading experts, its shortcomings are increasingly discussed, many call the model frankly outdated. During its existence (and this is already more than 60 years), the requirements for weapons systems in general have changed, modern world, of course, dictates new rules, requiring improvement, modernization.

However, despite the shortcomings discovered over time, the history of the Kalashnikov assault rifle continues. He is rightfully considered legendary weapons. Having gained a reputation for being simply a reliable machine, it will undoubtedly be in deserved demand for a long time to come. It does not cease to copy, improve, refine characteristics. Monuments are erected to the Kalashnikov assault rifle, depicted on coats of arms, considered a symbol of good luck and even depicted on coins. Its recognition took place all over the world, and, undoubtedly, AK left an indelible mark on the history of weapons not only in Russia, but also in most foreign countries.