Posted on 12/23/2013 8:41:52 AM PST by kronos77
he inventor of the Kalashnikov assault rifle, Mikhail Kalashnikov, has died aged 94, Russian TV reports.
The automatic rifle he designed became one of the world's most familiar and widely used weapons.
Its comparative simplicity made it cheap to manufacture, as well as reliable and easy to maintain.
Although honoured by the state, Kalashnikov made little money from his gun. He once said he would have been better off designing a lawn mower.
Mikhail Kalashnikov was admitted to hospital with internal bleeding in November.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
I recall the M-60 had a M-219 coax machinegun, a variant of the Browning M-1919. Eventually they swapped it out for a variation of the Belgian M-240. The only Brownings we had left were the M2 and the M1911.
Then they went to the Beretta M-92 and the M-1911 was considered obsolete.
I liked the M-60A2, except they put the wrong gun on it. A M-60A2 with a 120mm Rheinmetal gun would have been interesting!
Very fond of my Arsenal SGL 21. Got it at a great price too.
Only if you believe the pampered princes in the Beltway. The guys that have to actually go into harms way end up picking up enemy weapons after the fight picks up.
The M16/M4 can't handle battlefield conditions the same as an AK47, and they don't have the knockdown power of an AK47.
Account after account after account after account of troops engaged in heavy combat relate to picking up enemy weapons for the larger caliber.
Yet the Baghdad Bob in DC all say the accounts are unfounded.
Kind of like the idiot (CG of MARFORSYSCOM, or Deputy Commandant?) that claimed the cheap aluminum mags were better than MAGPUL mags and banned Marines from using other than issued magazines......and then the comments section of the "Marine Corps Times" went crazy asking this paper pusher when the last time he had to use any of the issued equipment with HIS life on the line.
Yugos never had chrome-lined barrels, to the best of my knowledge.
One of the better versions is the Bulgarian model with a milled receiver. I’ll keep mine for ever.
I’m guessing that deal doesn’t apply to girlfriends.
Kalashnikovs still have stamped receivers. Also, Schmeisser was noted at the time to not contribute much by Dragunov, as he was ill most of the time.
No, it’s an upside down M1918 BAR action per the guy who designed it. Which makes sense as it was FN/Browning that designed it.
Also, the SAW is not Swiss, and the Swiss don’t make an AK variant. :P
From what I heard, none of Schmesser’s works bear any resemblance with the AK action. And what about Kalshnikov’s 1944 carbine prototype a la M1 Carbine or Garand, on which AK action is based and fact that among lots of late 3rd Reich small arms ideas (roller bolt, gas retarded blowback etc) there is nothing like reworked and improved rotating bolt (like M1 Carbine or Garand) action.
“after Hugo Schmeisser, a ‘member of his design team’ changed it extensively from what Kalashnikov designed.”
Actually, from what I heard, the AK-47 borrowed a good deal from a rival design by Bulkin. Still, nothing indicates that Hugo Schmeisser had anything to do with AK. It’s development history is easily traceable. It starts with Kalashnikov’s own semi auto carbine prototype of 1944, then there are two AK-46s, being derived from the prototype. Then there is AK-47, which was combination of Kalashnikov’s bolt - bolt carrier cooperation (clearly inspired by American weapons, like the Garand and M1 Carbine) and main features taken from Bulkin’s AB-46 assault rifle, including some virtually identical parts, like mainspring guide and receiver cover (Kalashnikov had support of influential group in military-industrial complex and had access to competitiors work...). On of three AK-48 subvariants was what was adopted as AK and AK-49 was prototype of later AK with milled receiver.
So perhaps Schmeisser designed Bulkin’s gun...?
I beg to differ. The idea was German, true, but mechanically the AK owes much more to AMERICAN weapons than German. It uses a rotating bolt derived from the M1 Carbine and similar to the Garand, for example. Also, take a look at the Remington Model 8 rifle, namely it’ safety switch.
not necessarily so... fastest mag change for an AK you will ever see 8^)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kqfsukN6CE&feature=endscreen&NR=1
you may have to hit replay since it’s just over two seconds long and might finish before it’s fully downloaded
On my wish list too!
if you look real close, that's what John Wayne smashes against a tree in The Green Berets when Sgt. Kowalski gets killed...
The guy posting at #127, what a douchebag!
Wasn’t Remington model 8 a Carbine Williams design ?
John Moses Browning, if memory serves.
The Swiss 540 is reputed to be the finest kalashnikov made.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.