View Full Version : Mikhail Kalashnikov dies today at age 94.
Magic_Salad0892
12-23-13, 10:49
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25497013#TWEET993283
RIP Mikhail.
I'm not a commie, but he changed the world in a very significant way.
oh man just posted a thread about this too Not a commie either but the AK will always be a weapon that will live forever
The man may have died, but his name will live on until someone can come up with a more reliable, cheaper, easier to make alternative (so probably forever).
The man may have died, but his name will live on until someone can come up with a more reliable, cheaper, easier to make alternative (so probably forever).
Eugene Stoner died a long time ago.....
I kind of have mixed feelings about this. On one hand he was a great weapons creator who deserves praise. On the other hand he is/was the enemy.
A state hero for the ComBloc. RIP.
Prepare to half mast flags.
I have mixed feelings about this as well.
He was a hero in the MotherLand.
Though he prolly had very little to do with the actual design of the weapon, the legend that was created for him/about his will live forever. Along with the weapons carrying his name.
The Ruskie in me will weap. I will lower my hammer and sickly in his honor :-D
Makes me want to buy an AK. I hate NJ
... his funeral was ended with a rousing 21-gun salute from rusty but well working, AK's ...
:sad:
The inventor of the iconic AK-47 assault rifle, Mikhail Kalashnikov, has died at the age of 94. His ingenuity earned him widespread admiration, but his legacy became more controversial when his weapons were used in some of the world’s bloodiest conflicts.
“It is difficult and sad to realize that Mikhail Kalashnikov is no longer with us. We have lost one of the most talented, memorable and committed patriots of Russia, who served his country throughout his life,” said the statement from the press secretary of the Udmurtia administration Viktor Chulkov.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed "deep condolences" over the death of the engineer.
http://el-wasat.com/portal/upload/images/1384080466.jpg
ForTehNguyen
12-23-13, 12:24
"Blame the Nazi Germans for making me become a gun designer ... I always wanted to construct agriculture machinery."
https://scontent-b-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/q71/993825_10151790660725919_1806685577_n.jpg
:sad:
http://el-wasat.com/portal/upload/images/1384080466.jpg
Wow, for better or worse, a legend. 94. Good on him.
Don't have mixed feelings. He isn't, wasn't, and wasn't ever "the enemy."
The enemy is the guy telling you your brothers are your enemy.
JBecker 72
12-23-13, 13:28
He often joked he would have been more successful had he invented a better lawn mower.
RIP
Magic_Salad0892
12-23-13, 13:32
oh man just posted a thread about this too Not a commie either but the AK will always be a weapon that will live forever
Actually your topic beat mine by one minute.
But mine spelled his name right, and had a link. :p
brickboy240
12-23-13, 13:42
So important...he gets two threads!
RIP...I love my AK!
-brickboy240
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=144580
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So important...he gets two threads!
RIP...I love my AK!
-brickboy240
There was 3 actually. :)
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Moose-Knuckle
12-23-13, 13:55
The more time that passes, the more we find out that Kalashnikov was propped up by Soviet propaganda. CJ Chivers has done an exhaustive work on telling the true history of the AK. It's pretty obvious that the Soviets reversed engineered captured StG-44s.
http://cjchivers.com/aboutthegun
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=144580
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Ah, Sorry.
I can't post in GD (less than 200 posts) so I don't bother reading GD much.
Doc Safari
12-23-13, 14:39
It was said that Gene Stoner made enough money to buy an airplane; M.T. Kalashnikov couldn't even afford a plane ticket.
True or not, it illustrates the gulf between the two worlds both men came from.
R.I.P.
Eugene Stoner died a long time ago.....
ya well I guess Stoner should've dubbed it the AS-15 then....(automatic stoner...of course in todays society that might infer a different connotation). Or not worked for Armalite...
I kind of have mixed feelings about this. On one hand he was a great weapons creator who deserves praise. On the other hand he is/was the enemy.
And before that an ally in the fight against Germany.
Way I see it he was a nobody, he didn't send people to the Gulags and to the best of my knowledge never tortured or starved a population to death. During the war he probably suffered under communism to some degree or another like everyone else. And he certainly never profited like Stoner did.
But he still tried to offer some meaningful contribution and either designed, or at least contributed to the design of one of the most successful small arms in the world. A lot of US servicemen were killed with AKs made in Russia, but just as many were killed with AKs made in China.
So I'm gonna judge the man by the man and not by his country or government.
RIP.
RIP dude, you made your mark on the world for sure. As for enemy or not, I really doubt anybody on this site would have declined a chance to have a beer and chat with this guy. :)
It was said that Gene Stoner made enough money to buy an airplane; M.T. Kalashnikov couldn't even afford a plane ticket.
True or not, it illustrates the gulf between the two worlds both men came from.
R.I.P.
He tried to start a number of businesses. Last I'm aware of was his own vodka. No idea how it did.
He served his country honorably. If only that were more common here as well.
SeriousStudent
12-23-13, 18:53
Merged the two threads.
MountainRaven
12-23-13, 18:59
The more time that passes, the more we find out that Kalashnikov was propped up by Soviet propaganda. CJ Chivers has done an exhaustive work on telling the true history of the AK. It's pretty obvious that the Soviets reversed engineered captured StG-44s.
http://cjchivers.com/aboutthegun
My memory may be rusty, as it has been some years since I read the book, but… IIRC, CJ Chivers never made that connection.
While I do tend to believe that Schmeisser was heavily involved in the design of the AK-47 (something Chivers was ambivalent about) and Chivers made it pretty clear that Kalashnikov didn't design the rifle in a vacuum or by himself, I think you'd be hard pressed to point out anything that the AK-47 and the StG-44 have in common, aside from their general mission/purpose and the use of similar intermediate cartridges.
Quiet-Matt
12-23-13, 19:33
Interesting show on the AK...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPF5IyN3BJs
He tried to start a number of businesses. Last I'm aware of was his own vodka. No idea how it did.
I actually have a bottle on the shelf in front of me.
I actually have a bottle on the shelf in front of me.
I'd like to see it. Can you post a pic?
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Averageman
12-23-13, 21:46
I had a shot of Stoli when I read the thread.
We are all Men of our circumstances to some degree, you have to admit, he seemed to make the best of his.
From one old Tanker to another Salute!
My memory may be rusty, as it has been some years since I read the book, but… IIRC, CJ Chivers never made that connection.
While I do tend to believe that Schmeisser was heavily involved in the design of the AK-47 (something Chivers was ambivalent about) and Chivers made it pretty clear that Kalashnikov didn't design the rifle in a vacuum or by himself, I think you'd be hard pressed to point out anything that the AK-47 and the StG-44 have in common, aside from their general mission/purpose and the use of similar intermediate cartridges.
There seems to be similarities between the AKM and StG44 stamped receiver construction (ie. the AKM has a barrel trunnion riveted to the stamped receiver and "the StG 44 trunnion is held in place by the stamped receiver being pressed into grooves" according to this article:http://www.forgottenweapons.com/ak-and-stg-kissing-cousins/ ). Also, any idea if the StG44 was designed for planned obsolescence like most Russian weapons? A long time ago, I read that the trigger group on the StG44 was riveted and could not be replaced (please correct me if I'm wrong as I never handled a StG44).
An article from my university library stated that the Russians claimed that Izhmash engineer Mikhail Miller simplified the machining process with the Type 3 AK-47 b/c the Soviets couldn't mass produce the Type 1 AK-47 at the time (as the Soviets were good at producing simple stamped guns like the PPsh-41 but not ones that required more complex stampings like the StG44) and the Type 2 AK-47 was expensive to manufacture and wasted materials since "in over 120 operations a 2.65 kg block of steel was reduced to only 650 gm." The article also stated that the Russians said Miller refined the stamping technology for the production of the AKM.
I assume that German designers who worked on the AK, such as Schmeisser, may have helped the Soviets (ie. Miller and the other people involved in developing advanced stampings) perfect the more advanced stamping technologies required for producing guns like the StG44 and AKM.
I haven't had a chance to read the book 'Sturmgewehr' yet but Mr. Vickers said "that the Collector Grade book 'Sturmgewehr' highlighted Hugo Schmeisser and team working in Russia after the war" so you should definitely read that book if you want to know more about Schmeisser's role and influence on the AK. https://www.m4carbine.net/archive/index.php/t-130348.html
RIP Mr. K
http://i.imgur.com/7mZ0Ncz.jpg
I'd like to see it. Can you post a pic?
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http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/SteyrAUG/0000000514_zps5f78f161.jpg
To me, the most telling indicator of his firearms genius is his lifetime body of work. He is credited with the AK47, a mechanical counter to show how many rounds your tank has fired, and the PKM. Of course, the team of captured German gun designers may have had something to do with that PKM.
For those of you not familiar with the Remington Model 8, have a look and tell me what you see. Model 8's were in Russia in decent quantities before the development of the AK. The action of an AK screams 'Model 8'. The general configuration is borrowed from the Stg.
Had he been an inspired genius, the likes of Maxim or Browning, he would have many more things credited to his legacy. He was a communist propaganda poster boy, nothing more. The Soviet Union used hero's to inspire people, because they didn't have capitalism to do it for them. His legacy is more of a statement about the Soviet era and experience than anything else.
RIP Mikhail Kalashnikov 1919-2013
TriggerFish
12-24-13, 08:39
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c314/Z06M16A1/NON%20Title%202%20Toys/MTKRIP_zpsf4c54651.jpg (http://s30.photobucket.com/user/Z06M16A1/media/NON%20Title%202%20Toys/MTKRIP_zpsf4c54651.jpg.html)
Phillygunguy
12-24-13, 09:53
He's no enemy of mine, the only enemy I have are the people who want to take away my right to own what this man is credited for.
RIP
Glad I joined an Army who swore allegiance to defend the constitution, not a 'country'. But, what a rifle. Even in virtual slavery, human beings break through with extreme ingenuity. Formal education/diplomas mean nothing.
RIP. IMO the man is not our enemy. Even under tyrannical government many of these men feel like our soldiers now, that they are in it for their brothers & fellow countrymen, not the dictators that run it. That's my feelings anyway. He certainly had a huge impact on the world
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/12/28/y6e8aqaj.jpg....too soon still?
Wonder who was waiting for him at the gates of hell.:confused:
Wonder who was waiting for him at the gates of hell.:confused:
I was going to reply that I hope you're not a Christian, passing that kind of judgement; Seems to be only Christians who do. But really, the outcome will likely be about the same either way.
James 4:12 (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James%204:12&version=NASB)
Romans 2:1-3 (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%202:1-3&version=NASB)
Matthew 7:1 (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%207:1&version=NASB)
Luke 6:37 (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%206:37&version=NASB)
I question the validity of this supposed letter, but it has no bearing on anything other than a man with his own internal questions and struggles if legit. The inventors of many a tool that's been used to oppress, or defend, or free, or quell liberty, etc, have struggled with the obvious questions it raises.
The inventor of the Kalashnikov assault rifle apparently wrote to the head of the Russian Orthodox Church before he died expressing fears he was morally responsible for the people it killed.
Mikhail Kalashnikov, who died last month aged 94, wrote a long emotional letter to Patriarch Kirill in May 2012, church officials say.
He said he was suffering "spiritual pain" over the many deaths it caused.
Kalashnikov had previously refused to accept responsibility for those killed.
'Devilish desires'
But in a letter, published in Russia's pro-Kremlin newspaper Izvestia, he wrote: "My spiritual pain is unbearable.
"I keep having the same unsolved question: if my rifle claimed people's lives, then can it be that I... a Christian and an Orthodox believer, was to blame for their deaths?" he asked.
"The longer I live," he continued, "the more this question drills itself into my brain and the more I wonder why the Lord allowed man to have the devilish desires of envy, greed and aggression".
The letter is typed on Kalashnikov's personal writing paper, and is signed with a wavering hand by the man who describes himself as "a slave of God, the designer Mikhail Kalashnikov".
The Kalashnikov, or AK-47, is 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.
Cont:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-25709371
There was a documentary done in the late 90s where he was interviewed and expressed regret over the global misuse of his creation and the many lives it has taken. He stated that it was his intention to create something to defend his homeland from Nazi invaders and nothing more.
Not sure if the letter is anything more but one last helping of Soviet style propaganda or not.
Interestingly he was a NRA life member.
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