The New AKs

[LRRPF52]

Did the victors lie… again???


Who Really Designed The AK-47?
Alex C. – The Firearm Blog
http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2014/...ned-ak-47/

“… I do not believe that Mikhail Kalashnikov was as involved in the development of the AK-47 as the Soviets led the world to believe. So who was? Well, there can only be one answer: Hugo Schmeisser. Schmeisser is perhaps most famous for the MP18 (the world’s first submachine gun) and the MP43/44 “Sturmgewehr” (the world’s first assault rifle). Obviously the latter firearm is more pertinent to this article. Here are a few facts to back up my hypothesis …”

Throughout the Cold War, the Russians denied that the Germans had anything to do with the AK. After the collapse,there is a bunch of controversy that Schmeisser was involved the design. Look at the underfolder on the first AKS and AKMS. It's an MP38/MP40 SMG folder all day long. Also, the original Kalashnikov prototypes were folded sheet steel, but the Russians had problems getting the heat treating right, and were forced to go back to the inefficient, costly process of machining billet receivers for the Rifle, 7.62, Avtomat Kalashnikov, introduced in 1947. As to the method of operation, the AK and Mp44 have very few similarities.

The big picture is that they adopted a true intermediate cartridge, after learning some very hard lessons during The Great Patriotic War, whereas the US took those lessons and basically ignored them at Army Ordnance Corps with the abortion known as the M14 and 7.62 NATO cartridge. Soviet doctrine for employment of the AK was really more like an SMG, after echelons of fire had progressed to a point where motorized infantry are able to dismount near the objective, and charge through blasting away on full auto, without much aimed fire. You still see this being used today on footage as recent as this weekend in Grozny.

My close friend was a personal acquaintance of Kalashnikov, and even had his son present him an award at some ceremony honoring Mikhail a number of years ago, so a lot of the information I have learned has been through a very close source. He also had a lot of information on why the really bad stock angle and length of pull was chosen for the AK, due to the cramped space inside of a motorized vehicle for a soldier firing out the individual firing ports, seated with full equipment inside. They departed from that when they went to the AKM, which had a more in-line stock angle.

Ever seen this: