Posted on 10/13/2010 10:47:17 AM PDT by C19fan
In his new book, The Gun: The AK-47 and the Evolution of War, out Oct. 12, New York Times reporter C.J. Chivers traces the origins of modern assault rifles—particularly Avtomat Kalashnikov 47, or the AK-47—and analyzes how they've changed warfare. Popular Mechanics spoke to the author about how and why the AK-47 was developed and why it has had even more of an impact than nuclear weapons.
(Excerpt) Read more at popularmechanics.com ...
The AK-47 is nothing more than a Soviet later version of the Nazi German Sturmgewehr 44. The Soviets were NEVER good at original ideas BUT they were fabulous copiers(Tu-4 Bull = B-29).
I lost an AK a long time ago and loved it. Great weapon.
Buy another one!
Did you know that first ever selective fire rifle came out of Mexico?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mondrag%C3%B3n_(rifle)
Boating accident? There have been a lot of those.
Neat article.
Keyword ‘banglist’ added.
I know it's amazingly reliable, blah blah blah, but I hate how it looks, feels, and shoots. Everything.
Give me an FN-FAL, M1A, or even my little pea-shooting AR15 M4 any day.
If this book doesn’t admit that Kalashnikov ripped off Hugo Schmeisser’s StG44, then it’s not worth reading. BTW, Schmeisser was held captive in the USSR and forced to work in the same arms factory where Kalashnikov supposedly “invented” the AK.
Notice how the ignorant reporter talked of comparing the M-16 to the AK during Vietnam? The NVA and VC didn’t have AK’s most of the time. They had a lot of SKSs and Mosin Nogants. At least the Chinese versions of them...
I got rid of an AK for an M4 and an M4 version in 7.62. I love my black rifles... I hated the AK... and it was a Russian version. I liked the money it brought when I sold it.
LLS
The most important weapon EVER??!! Uh huh. Well the LONG BOW was definitive in winning battles for England for SEVERAL HUNDRED YEARS. Perhaps someone should tell the slightly UNDER-EDUCATED author.
For all the StG44 theory fans just check SVT-38 semi-auto sniper rifle. AK has more in common with that than it is with StG44 and SVT came out years before StG or any comparable German rifle.
Now *that's* a fun duo!
Absolutely love both!
LLS
Sometime try a Finnish Rk95.
“The most important weapon EVER??!! Uh huh. Well the LONG BOW was definitive in winning battles for England for SEVERAL HUNDRED YEARS. Perhaps someone should tell the slightly UNDER-EDUCATED author.”
Not to mention the flintlock musket, the Mauser rifle, etc. I think they made nearly as many Mausers or Mauser-type rifles and copies as there are AK variants.
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