He and Eugene Stoner (M-16 & Stoner 63 weapon system) became acquainted at European weapon shows. They became friends and Kalashnikov kidded Stoner about all the money he made with his weapon system and how little he was paid for his invention. As time went on Eugene would finance Kalashnikov travel expenses to weapon shows so they could continue to stay in touch on a personal basis.
That’s mighty kind of Stoner.