RIP Mikhail Kalashnikov

[socom688 217]

 

The weapon was not intended for the Nazis. He had input on other weapon systems during WW2, and designed some prior to the end of WW2, but the AK was part of a 1946 competition for a new weapon. He used components from other weapons to design the AK platform after WW2. It was for the Soviet Union's post WW2 enemies.

I just do not understand where this affinity for him as a person is coming from. I respect his works and could toast to that, but when it boils down to it, simply put: he was a communist who designed weapons during the Cold War to be used against the Soviet's enemies, which were us.

 

Well said, someone knows his history.  I'd also point out that contrary to what cold war soviet propaganda wants you to think, the AK-47 was developed by other individuals as well. 

 

I actually did know that, but figured it wasn't worth mentioning to make the point I was aiming for. There are even claims about him copying other rifles in the 46' competition, such as the TKB-415, when he and his team redesigned their AK-1 prototype after the TKB was introduced.

[usfan 18]

I see him in the same vein as John Browning.. a practical inventor.  Their inventions are much more useful to the people, to resist govt overreach, than atomic bombs or nuclear submarines, which are more difficult for individuals to manage.

 

The people made the ussr collapse.  They were tired of bread lines, oppression, & propaganda.  I guess that americans will have to endure those things before we wake up to the dangers of a dominant state.  Had the russian people been able to own ak-47's, the outcome might have been very different.  It's not mikhail's fault that his invention was not accessible to the common man.  Contrast that to john browning's invention.  But if we let the statists do what they did in russia:  restrict private ownership of weapons.. then we will suffer the same fate as they did.  State worshippers want power.. they can only get power from a weak & helpless people.  A defiant, armed populace is not an easy mark for statist manipulators.  They have to use propaganda to convince us to lay down our arms & trust them.. and you can ask the american indians how that worked out for them..

[pjj342 632]

C'mon guys, let's not lose some damn perspective over this guy. He deserves respect for his accomplishments, but he was no hero. He was a communist, who designed a weapon to be to used on the Soviet Union's enemies: us, and the freedoms we stand for.

 

The testing grounds for his design were covered in the blood of the free, even the blood of some of our own family. Last time I checked communism is a shit wrapped in more shit. Despite the weapon being adapted to the the role of being the tool that helped some in oppression become free, don't lose perspective...

People are not communist, governments are communist.  You cant blame the russian citizenry for the gulags, the german people for the holocost, or the american people for the iraq war.  Every soldier does what he can for his country, and thats honorable.

[MT Predator 2,294]

RIP Sir.

[Venia 249]

 

C'mon guys, let's not lose some damn perspective over this guy. He deserves respect for his accomplishments, but he was no hero. He was a communist, who designed a weapon to be to used on the Soviet Union's enemies: us, and the freedoms we stand for.

 

The testing grounds for his design were covered in the blood of the free, even the blood of some of our own family. Last time I checked communism is a shit wrapped in more shit. Despite the weapon being adapted to the the role of being the tool that helped some in oppression become free, don't lose perspective...

People are not communist, governments are communist.  You cant blame the russian citizenry for the gulags, the german people for the holocost, or the american people for the iraq war.  Every soldier does what he can for his country, and thats honorable.

 

 

...and there it is, he developed the AK to protect his homeland and his people which is honorable. How it was used, who it was used by is not what is being discussed....simply the man and his design. Don't read any further into it than that. Atleast, that's where I'm coming from anyway.

[Billybobf 50]

I say RIP,

And hopefully he does!

He had a lot on his plate and I truly hope that he is at peace, the world is a much different place because of how well his design worked. End of story. Everyone is right, he didn't pull the trigger. Leave it at that, RIP.

Ps thanks for some of the cool sporting tools, thinking bout the third one this week!

[socom688 217]

 

 

C'mon guys, let's not lose some damn perspective over this guy. He deserves respect for his accomplishments, but he was no hero. He was a communist, who designed a weapon to be to used on the Soviet Union's enemies: us, and the freedoms we stand for.

 

The testing grounds for his design were covered in the blood of the free, even the blood of some of our own family. Last time I checked communism is a shit wrapped in more shit. Despite the weapon being adapted to the the role of being the tool that helped some in oppression become free, don't lose perspective...

People are not communist, governments are communist.  You cant blame the russian citizenry for the gulags, the german people for the holocost, or the american people for the iraq war.  Every soldier does what he can for his country, and thats honorable.

 

 

...and there it is, he developed the AK to protect his homeland and his people which is honorable. How it was used, who it was used by is not what is being discussed....simply the man and his design. Don't read any further into it than that. Atleast, that's where I'm coming from anyway.

 

That's practical enough and is a good point. I have seen however an odd affinity for the man on the forums; almost as a saint.

 

 

 

C'mon guys, let's not lose some damn perspective over this guy. He deserves respect for his accomplishments, but he was no hero. He was a communist, who designed a weapon to be to used on the Soviet Union's enemies: us, and the freedoms we stand for.

 

The testing grounds for his design were covered in the blood of the free, even the blood of some of our own family. Last time I checked communism is a shit wrapped in more shit. Despite the weapon being adapted to the the role of being the tool that helped some in oppression become free, don't lose perspective...

People are not communist, governments are communist.  You cant blame the russian citizenry for the gulags, the german people for the holocost, or the american people for the iraq war.  Every soldier does what he can for his country, and thats honorable.

 

People can absolutely be communist. It is an idea invented by people, so people must be able to live in that idea, thus are communist. People who support their communist government all the while truly believing what they are doing is correct i.e. being in complete control, taking the money earned and distributing it how the see fit yada yada yada, are communist and would be proud to call themselves communist. Not all communists support gulags, and you don't have to support the physical mistreatment of humans to be a communist. That's a huge jump you made.

 

To me, someone who calls themself a communist and supports the idea that the government has the right to take hard earned property by force, then redistribute it amongst others and make totalitarian decisions is a douche.

 

Post Cold War Mikhail had all the time to change his political affiliations or ideas, but he didn't which suggests he really believed in communism.

 

 

[Rhodes1968 1,638]

Good point.

 

I respect the man's ingenuity and vision.

 

As a firearms designer he was not in a class with Browning, but then no one else is in that position either.

Frankly had MK designed tractors instead of a rifle he might have changed his mind about a lot of things.

 

Seems when people die they overlook a lot of faults, case point Mandela.  

[thebuns1 4,323]

The same can be said for religion. That doesn't make someone a bad person. People have a right to have different views the world over. It doesn't make them bad, or my enemy. I place him right next to John Browning for his designs, and what he gave the shooting world.

 

Call him what you want. No sweat off my nuts. I give credit where it's due.

[Rhodes1968 1,638]

Design... singular.

Compare this to Browning's list of firearms. 

[thebuns1 4,323]

Wrong. Look up the list of his weapons. Around 130 total I believe. Maybe more.

[dashowdy 141]

going to shoot 94 rounds through my saiga tommorow in memorium, R.I.P Major General kalashnikov

v

[SgtRaven 531]

Folks, 

This thread is NOT about LTG Kalashnikov's affiliation, but rather about his humble life.

 

For those throwing the "communist" tag around: affiliation with Communist Party was the ONLY way up.

(Calling all Native Russians/ x-Soviet forum members to confirm).

 

Department managers and up were expected to be members of the Communist Party, as CP members were perceived to be more "mature" and trusted.

 

Out of 293 Millions citizens of the USSR (in 1991; see Wikipedia), more that 19 millions were members of Communist Party.

Some out of believes and dedication; many out of convenience of career development and benefits.

 

M.T. Kalashnikov likely gave no crap about the Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin and Stalin/Khrushchev/Brezhnev/Andropov/Chernenko/Gorbachev/Yeltsin/Putin carousel.

However, he had no other choice than joining the commieland in order to do what he did best: create the wide range of simple and dependable weapons (see some here).

Did it make him a GULAG executioner or KGB informant? Not necessarily (likely not at all).

Would he ever achieve what he did without joining (or being "advised" to join) the Communist party? Very unlikely.

 

Through the most of its history USSR was living under the (self-imposed) paranoia of being attacked by the "un-friendlies".

Like Sam Colt, who made "all men equal", Kalashnikov made USSR feared and fearless (well, let's also give credits to Kurchatov, Korolev and other designers of big booms and space explorers).

 

Let's put the legacy and humility ahead of the titles and ranks.

[Rhodes1968 1,638]

Wrong. Look up the list of his weapons. Around 130 total I believe. Maybe more.

 

All fairly well based on the one design if memory serves.

 

I respect MK's accomplishments under what could only be described as a difficult political situation.

 

He is rightfully famous for the AK, it is a hell of a weapon.

 

But no one compares to John Moses Browning's life's work and accomplishments. 

 

Minds like that do not roll around very often.

 

[usfan 18]

 

Wrong. Look up the list of his weapons. Around 130 total I believe. Maybe more.

 

All fairly well based on the one design if memory serves.

 

I respect MK's accomplishments under what could only be described as a difficult political situation.

 

He is rightfully famous for the AK, it is a hell of a weapon.

 

But no one compares to John Moses Browning's life's work and accomplishments. 

 

Minds like that do not roll around very often.

 

 

 

I have to agree.. but we're recognizing mikhail, here.  He's the one that just died, so we're talking about his influence & life work.  On the anniversary of john browning's death, or birth, or the date he invented some famous weapon, we can lift our glasses & toast him.  I'm sure he doesn't mind mikhail getting some props.. this isn't a discussion on who is the best firearm inventor..

[Bvamp 604]

I am very sad to hear this news.

 

 

This man directly affected my life, way over here in east shitfuck, USA.

 

I am so sorry to hear this news.

 

I am so glad to know of what this man has left behind for all of us.

 

Good run. well done Sir.

[G O B 3,516]

The World has lost one good man.

[Rhodes1968 1,638]

It is the nature of the subject to place matters into perspective in particular when an accomplished person such as MK passes.

 

I did not know him personally so I cannot say if he was a good man or not only that he achieved a great work in difficult times.

[NM0 586]

Better half suggested we buy an AK in honor of his passing. 

[Atomic Punk 25]

Great "news" article.

 

http://www.duffelblog.com/2013/12/mikhail-kalashnikov-dead/

 

I know everyone on here will get it. 

[nlacy 692]

Great "news" article.

 

http://www.duffelblog.com/2013/12/mikhail-kalashnikov-dead/

 

I know everyone on here will get it. 

"Dead AK-47 Inventor To Be Buried In Mud For A Week, Cleaned Off, Then Put Back To Work"

 

Now that's funny.

[thebuns1 4,323]

 only that he achieved a great work in difficult times.

 

Agreed. Id say he seen his fair share of difficult times.

[LuPiN8oR 333]

Better half suggested we buy an AK in honor of his passing.

 

Now thats one helluva woman! Good job snaggin that one!

[NM0 586]

 

Better half suggested we buy an AK in honor of his passing.

Now thats one helluva woman! Good job snaggin that one!

 

No snaggin.  Took a lot of work.  Tolerating me for 25 years does take one helluva strong woman though.

 

Thanks.

[Padrooga 55]

RIP Mikhail Kalashnikov.  A drink and a moment of silence were definitely in order. 

 

As far as romanticism towards the man, I see it as rooted in the romanticism of the rifle itself.  Yes, they are tools.  Damn good tools.  But I believe the manner in which this tool has been used, for both liberation and oppression, speaks to an emotion that can't really be called 'good' or 'bad.'  It has simply had a resounding impact on humanity as a whole, and reminds us of the weight and pain that those who have had to use these tools (and others like it) experienced. 

 

So in reflection on his life, we pay homage to the struggle of human kind and a genius design that has stood the test of time. 

Edited January 1, 2014 by Padrooga

[Dad2142Dad 6,559]

The tool is of great simplicity in design. Easy shooting, easy maintenance and don't care if it gets a scratch.

 

Do not blame it for those who choose to use it  in an unsavory manner.

 

He created a master piece, he could not choose who who would use the tool.

 

RIP good sir

[SgtRaven 531]

TORSHIN: Kalashnikov, the man and the weapon

 

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jan/2/torshin-kalashnikov-the-man-and-the-weapon/print/

 

.By Alexandr Torshin

Thursday, January 2, 2014

 

Last week, my friend and colleague, Mikhail Kalashnikov, was laid to rest in Moscow after a long and distinguished career that made his name instantly recognizable the world over. He will be long remembered here in Russia and by his many friends around the world.

Kalashnikov was, of course, the soldier who during World War II invented the AK-47, which since then has been the most widely manufactured and copied "assault rifle" in world history. Guinness World Records estimates that as of a few years ago, more than 100 million AKs had been produced not just in Russia, but in China and virtually everywhere else that one can picture firearms being manufactured and deployed. The AK, which was first issued to the old Soviet military back in 1949, is standard issue to the police agencies of more than a hundred countries 65 years later, and its image even graces the national flags of several countries.

 

In some ways, the invention of the Kalashnikov was an accident of history. Young Mikhail Kalashnikov joined his nation's armed forces in 1941 as Hitler's armies swarmed over her borders. He was assigned in August of that year as a tank commander, but was soon critically wounded in the fierce fighting that characterized the Nazi attempt to drive our armies from the field. He was, however, a patriot of the first order, and as he lay in the hospital, began thinking of other ways in which he might help.

 

He began thinking about and tinkering with the way weapons worked and how they might be improved. By 1945, he was ready. He entered an automatic firearms development contest and within two years, his design was dubbed the AK-47 and being recommended for adoption by the Soviet military. It was adopted two years later as the "7.62 mm Automatica Kalashnikov, Model 1947" and the rest, as so many Americans like to say, is history.

Kalashnikov was quickly awarded the Order of the Red Star and Stalin Prize First Class for the development of the rifle that has since been listed as one of the 20th century's "most outstanding inventions." At the time of his death, he was the only person who, among many other state honors, had been recognized as a "Hero of Russia" and twice as a "hero of Socialist Labor."

The Russian version of the AK was manufactured from 1949 on at Izhevsk, which quickly became known as the Russian weapons capital. As a general, Kalashnikov headed weapons development at the plant for many years and was involved not just in later versions of the AK, but in the design, development and manufacture of more than a hundred other weapons, may of which are in wide use today.

 

Despite the honors, the recognition and all that came with it, however, Kalashnikov remained the smiling young soldier who went off to war in 1941 to defend his country. His warmth, sense of humor and willingness to work with and share credit with others were legendary, as was the circle of friends he developed around the world.

A product of rural Russia, young Kalashnikov had dreamed not of designing weapons, but of writing poetry and did, in fact, continue producing poetry right up to the day of his death. Like many young people growing up on farms or in the countryside in those days, he discovered that he had both a talent and interest in tinkering with, repairing and improving machinery. He worked as a tractor mechanic, and it was as a mechanic that he joined the army in 1938.

He became a weapons designer because he had a burning desire to defend his country. He once said that he would have been just as happy designing farm equipment, but it was modern weaponry that was needed as he lay in that hospital bed listening to fellow soldiers complaining about the failures and weaknesses of the weapons they were carrying into battle.

The success of the AK was based on simplicity. It was easy and inexpensive to produce, to use and to maintain. It worked in wet environments and in the desert, and rarely misfired. That was exactly what Kalashnikov had in mind when he developed it. He once said that he had "read somewhere that God the Almighty said all that is too complex is unnecessary, and it is the simple that is needed . So this is my motto — I have been creating weapons to defend the borders of my fatherland, to be simple and reliable."

Critics of the military and of firearms were constantly targeting him as somehow "responsible" for the uses and misuses of his invention, but he never gave an inch. "I am not responsible for the many people killed by my weapon," he once said. "Blame the politicians. They're the ones who start wars."

Last year, I had the pleasure of attending the National Rifle Association's annual meeting in Houston. Kalashnikov couldn't join me, though we have both been "life members" of the NRA for years. At 93, his health was even then beginning to fail, but I thought of him as I toured the exhibit area where I saw dozens of AK-47 clones. Most of them were manufactured in places like China, the Czech Republic or even the former Yugoslavia. They were fine copies, but like everyone visiting the exhibit, I realized with pride that when one thinks of the AK, one thinks of it as one of Mikhail Kalashnikov's and our country's greatest accomplishments.

Sen. Alexandr Torshin is first deputy chairman of the Federal Assembly, the parliament of Russia.

Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jan/2/torshin-kalashnikov-the-man-and-the-weapon/#ixzz2pOnP9tQ4 
Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter

Edited January 4, 2014 by Sgt. Raven

[XD45 7,124]