Friday, April 1, 2016

Deaths in 2013: Mikhail Kalashnikov, Rifle Designer, AK-47

Age 94.  Wanted to make farm equipment, but ended up harvesting a lot of blood with his AK-47 assault rifle, the world's most popular firearm.

Mr. Kalashnikov felt personally untroubled by his contribution to history and blamed wars on politicians.

The AK-47, Avtomat Kalashikov went into production, though not especially accurate, it was extremely rugged and simple.  It was favored by guerrillas, terrorists and soldiers.  There are an estimated 100 million in the world.

During the Vietnam War, American soldiers would throw away their M-16s and grab AK-47s and bullets from dead Vietnamese soldiers.

These guns were suitable for jungle or desert warfare.

Born in Siberia and joined the Red Army in 1930 and showed mechanical skills in inventing modifications to Soviet tanks.  In 1941, at the Battle of Bryansk, a shell hit his tank.  While recovering from his wounds in a hospital he began brooding about the superior German automatic weapons and began tinkering.

Thus, the world had his namesake rifle.

No comments: