"Kalashnikov embodies the best traits of the Russian man ... The AK is, one can say it, a true Russian cultural symbol, " declared on the day of inauguration the Minister of the Culture, Vladimir Medinsky
General / Off-Topic Moscow erects a statue of Mikhaïl Kalashnikov, and his AK-K7
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And totally copied from the German MP43/STG 44. Though I suppose it's rather apt that the greatest and most symbolic icon of socialism is this weapon, beloved of terrorists, despots and madmen the world over.
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D
Straight up.
Special Ops guys used to rave about them, so I decided to buy one. I knew exactly the kind I wanted though - matte finish, composite grips, folding paratrooper stock. Went to one of the local gun shows on a whim one Saturday and found that very one. Picked it up with like 600 rounds of ammo.
Took it home, and promptly put it under my bed, where it sat packed in cosmoline for like three years until one day my friends suggested we take it out and shoot it.
It promptly became my favorite rifle, man. Good buy.
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This, it's the international symbol of resistant fighters, terrorism and nearly every conflict you can think of since WW2.
It's also the most used weapon for child soldiers in third world countrys.....i don't know how someone cam be proud of something like that
This, it's the international symbol of resistant fighters, terrorism and nearly every conflict you can think of since WW2.
It's also the most used weapon for child soldiers in third world countrys.....i don't know how someone cam be proud of something like that
Lets keep a cool head, first it's not the rifle that kills, it's people who kills, second resistance fighters are fighting oppression (mostly) so that is not in the same basket as madmen and dictators, thirdly who put the rifle in the hand of children? adults and it can be everything from axes to cheap machetes.
In the end it's just a piece of engineering well done, of course it would have been better if it was something else, but there you go, humans and all that....
iirc the poor guy died a pauper or some such, and never got to see the rewards from his design, or am i confusing his story with the 'tetris' guy? both Russian off course.
Having used a range of small arms, i found the AK (not sure which versions they were to be honest, it was a one time practice) a little inaccurate over it's medium to longer range, with the recoil quite prone to pulling off the shots at those distances; but it was pretty much fool proof and indestructible, and very reliable because of that. In a balls to the floor gunfight i'd be tempted to pick it.
Anyway i hope if this honour (the statue and parade) was deemed worthy of him, they went the extra mile to look after his surviving family if indeed he did die a pauper. I wonder why they chose now to do this?
Having used a range of small arms, i found the AK (not sure which versions they were to be honest, it was a one time practice) a little inaccurate over it's medium to longer range, with the recoil quite prone to pulling off the shots at those distances; but it was pretty much fool proof and indestructible, and very reliable because of that. In a balls to the floor gunfight i'd be tempted to pick it.
Anyway i hope if this honour (the statue and parade) was deemed worthy of him, they went the extra mile to look after his surviving family if indeed he did die a pauper. I wonder why they chose now to do this?
To be honest, the system never do anything without some agenda behind it, that being removing old confederation statues in the US or erecting new ones. It's all part of the plan in what direction they want to pull the society.
Putin is trying to shore up nationalism in the country to solidify his power. Patriotic symbols are an excellent way to do that.
100% agree, I guess that is a valid reason.
dayrth
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I have to disagree. I find the AK47 to be all brute force and not much else. I will give it points on reliability though. Dam things never break.A man who know his guns, just my kind of fellow
Never praised it for accuracy, it's a close combat, never break down weapon.
I think apart from the price and availability; the pure simplicity and effectiveness of the weapon, has made it the most produced and used across the planet. Still produced and sold in massive numbers, in-spite being a 70 year old design. How much has the Russian government made from it; today China produce more, under licence, per year than have ever been made before.
I heard someone say many years ago; that unlike many U.S. and even British made weapons. If you want something that consistently works in a combat situation; it cannot be bested. You can pull it out of the mud; wash it in a puddle and off you go, unlike many other similar weapons, which only excel on the firing range.
As to the statue: Well over due, but as stated above; it was probably a political move. That said: The regime in question, did not often promote 'the individual', because the individual was not as important, as the many. It would have offered praise to 'the workers' that produced the weapons; over the single man, that designed it.
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It was designed by a WW2 veteran tank operator (presumably a T-34/85), and he had in mind a weapon which would be devastating to unarmoured and lightly armoured enemies at close range when you were in a pinch. It wasn't really designed to be pretty or have long range utilization but be reliable and deadly when you needed it, and it fulfilled that role marvelously.
Mass production reduced the price, so it became the principle weapon of armies and militias all over the world.
This, it's the international symbol of resistant fighters, terrorism and nearly every conflict you can think of since WW2.
It's also the most used weapon for child soldiers in third world countrys.....i don't know how someone cam be proud of something like that
One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.... It all depends on your perspective and which way the barrel is pointed!
