I’m no expert but they were sending Brits Lend Lease M-1 Garands starting in 1941. About 38,000 were delievered in 41-42. I don’t think it is a far stretch to assume that the Brits sent a few over for the gunsmiths of the Soviet Union to look at via the Murmansk run.
archy, you know Garand lore. Didn't one or two see action in Finland prior to the lend-lease deliveries?
Didn’t know that! Another poster referenced a few M1’s making it to Finland. If that’s the case, that’s probably how Kalashnikov got his models. Though they may have eventually gotten some via Lend-Lease — they attempted to buy a B29 that way. What’s Russian for chutzpah?