AK-47 inventor dead at 94

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http://news.yahoo.com/rifle-designer-mi ... 48393.html

Sure, his invention may have killed alot of people, but it did its job, which is to protect people, whether it's a soldier in Africa or a neighbor who got broken into.

If you read his Wikipedia article, it stated that he is one of 19 children, with only 8 becoming adults. He also almost died at age 6. He finally passed, hopefully in a peaceful manner at age 94.

Now he may bump into Eugene Stoner, the inventor of the M16!

Holy s**t, I thought the guy who made the AK-47 was long gone, I mean Jesus they used that in the Second World War.

No, it wasn't invented until 1947 -- thus the name, "AK-47".

WWII ended in 1945.

too bad he stole the design off the Germans

Nah.

Different operating system.

There's not many ways you can make a small (similar size to the bolt guns) automatic firearm of similar power to a breech loader and with a higher magazine capacity.

Put a pistol grip and a 30 round detachable magazine in an SKS and you have something that looks similar to a MP 44 too. The same with a M1 carbine (which was done).

Though he wouldn't have been the sole person responsible for it (and he wasn't).

Now he belongs to ages along with Colt, Browning, Gatling and Maxim.

For better or worse the AK-47 is The People's Firearm. It is a legendary weapon right up their with the Colt Equalizer, the Brown Bess Musket which American patriots bore against the British (who also used the same muskets).

ruveyn

Here's a quote from him:
"I'm proud of my invention, but I'm sad that it is used by terrorists ... I would prefer to have invented a machine that people could use and that would help farmers with their work — for example a lawn mower."

It's been used by all types of people -- good people, bad people; good governments and bad governments. Nothing to feel bad about, other than feeling bad that bad people exist. You can feel good that good people exist to counter the bad.

Plenty of farmers have plugged a marauding animal with an AK too (protecting one's flock).

Покойся с миром

Unfortunately, I only had some very cheap vodka to toast him with.

For good or ill, the man has secured his place in history.

Yeah. You do get contradictory stories.

The Germans did invent the first modern assault rifle (the stermwehr which WAS used during the war). It was used mainly on the Eastern Front against the Russians. So the Russians probably did capture quite a few. So the tale is told that he modeled his gun from the German stermwehr- but made it more rugged and low mantainence for peasant fighters. But though the German gun and the AK47 have a kinda similiar outward shape "they are mechanically quite different" according to Wiki. And he is quoted as listing this carbine here, and that machine gun from there, and this that and the other gun...etc as his several design influences, and not even mentioning the German assault rifle. So..who knows?

Not so. The German Sturmgewehr was much more finely engineered and prone to jamming.

It is virtually impossible to get an AK to jam short of bending its barrel into a L shape.

ruveyn

I think we can guess what they might do at his funeral:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWAc9enWF2Q[/youtube]

The more complicated a thing, the more likely it is to break down. That's why I love my fifty year old car.

The Germans found that out the hard way. Their tanks were nowhere near as robust as the T-34, the best tank of WW2.

By the way, the Russians used the Christey suspension, invented in America and rejected by the U.S. Army.

ruveyn