Ak 47 Platform - Where did it actually come from?

[Tweety]

Hi All,

I have just finished reading C.J. Chivers' Book, titled "The Gun", for the third time. The Book, is a definitive history of the development and deployment of the AK series of rifles, and is a 'must read' for any gun nut.

C.J Chivers is an Pulitzer award winning Author and works for the New York Times.

What makes the book truly dynamic and excellent, is the way it refers all the stages of development of the automatic weapons starting with the Gatling and going through the various stages of the Maxim and so on.

It goes into great depth about the finances and the personalities of the inventors.

Then we get to the AK 47 and The Great Avtomat Kalashnikova. ( Automatic by Kalashnikov).

It would seem, that the AK 47 was a new and innovative design, however, as a gun nut, I have to ask, surely the AK 47 was inspired by the Sturmgewehr 44.

Whilst admittedly, the STG 44 is a far more complex design, the principles remain the same.

These include being piston operated, having a rotating bolt, having an intermediate cartridge, selective fire and a very similar cartridge performance.

Not withstanding the fact that the STG44 was first deployed to the Eastern front, where the Russian's where mightily impressed by it.

Everyone celebrates Mr Kalashnikov as the greatest firearm ( assault) designer of all time, but surely he was just a cribber and a copier.

Has the world been duped by communist propaganda to believe that the AK was wholly a Russian weapon, rather than actually being a very close offspring of the German design? Indeed, has the propaganda been of such a high standard, that even the Authors research led him to believe so.

As for me, I believe the AK is a close descendant of a German Design, and Mr K was lucky that it existed otherwise he may not have been as celebrated as he was.

[DS]

Hugo Schmeisser. He probably/actually was directly involved in the development of the AK47 and the actual designer.

http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2...esigned-ak-47/

[urabus]

typical communist propaganda
so, I actually have a Schmeisser

[BigT]

I have been told that MK admitted in private conversations that the STG44 was the inspiration for the concept of the AK. Second hand info that was related to be. I have no reason to doubt the source.

[JS4]

This thread is confusing, because Chivers himself posits the theory of a design by committee, based on the STG44 in the very book mentioned in the OP.

[Bosman]

It would seem, that the AK 47 was a new and innovative design, however, as a gun nut, I have to ask, surely the AK 47 was inspired by the Sturmgewehr 44.

I'm no expert, but this is also how I have it. I once watched a show on History channel that confirmed it. But Like I say, I'm no expert, its just something I accept to be true.

[M43]

The AK is related to the Stumgewher only as far as the concept is concerned. Kalashnikov and his design team combined various good designs into one system that became the AK. The safety is based on the Remington model 8, the trigger is similar to the Garand if my memory is correct. The gas piston is based on the Garand except that it is above the barrel and not below it, the sights are Mauser etc.

There is not a lot new on the AK, its just a combination of good existing (at the time) designs into a new system.

Patrick Sweeney explains a lot of the design philosophy and history in Book of the AK and SKS, If anyone wants to know the why's and how's of the AK, this is where to start.

[M43]

I can also ad that the AK uses a rotating bolt, while the Stg 44 does not. The only similarities are that both are gas operated, use an intermediate power cartridge and a large capacity removable magazine. AK's and Stg 44's have about as much in common as AK's and VZ's. The AK was certainly inspired by the Stg 44, just like the AR / M16 was inspired by a need for a light rifle firing an intermediate power cartridge. But they are all different and unique designs in their own right.

[spiggs]

Tweety I have extensively researched the subject and did a presentation on this very question recently at our collectors meet. PM me your email address and I shall send you an abridged version of the slide show I put together. It will answer a lot of your questions however to raise a few new ones :-)

[Andy37]

Pse Spiggs, also send it to me. PM with contact details inbound.