Kalashnikov wishes he'd invented a lawnmower

NZ Stuff ^ | 28 JULY 2002 | Unsigned

[rockfish59]

I'll still take a BAR!!

[supercat]

I would have preferred to invent something which helps people and makes life easier for farmers.

One of the major problems in this world is the imbalance between those who are armed and those who aren't. The AK-47 has in some cases contributed to this imbalance, and in other cases reduced it. Unfortunately, groups like the U.N. often seek to disarm those who are most in need of weapons.

[Kobyashi1942]

The Mosin-Nagant, 7.62 x 54R, was okay as long as it didn't have problems. IMO, the rifle is inferior to the Mauser in most ways. If all things were equal on the Eastern Front with the only difference being Mauser-vs-Mosin, the Germans would have been having tea with the Japanese in Peking by 1943.

Yes, it is amazing how much more accurate the 98K, primarilty due to the two stage trigger, is over the MN. I have numerous versions/examples of both rifles and I would be scared sh%tless having to put my life in the hands of that inaccurate piece of crap called a MN. On the other hand, my 98K is my favorite Boar hunting rifle with a Leopold 3/9x40mm. At 100 yards it all five rounds are overlapping. Stunning.

[Travis McGee]

which can fire 400 rounds per minute

Well, not really. It can maybe fire rounds at that rate, but nobody has ever been able to get that many rounds through it in a minute.

I'd sure like to give it a try!

[ozzymandus]

I thought old Mikhail had kicked the bucket. Anyway, he didn't invent anything. Somebody handed him a German MP-43 and said, "Dumb this down so Soviet factories can produce it and Soviet soldiers can work it." In good Stalinist fashion, the russkies stole a foriegn product and then claimed to have invented it.

[wardaddy]

I'll bump that.

[wardaddy]

I was always under the impression Kalashnikov copied and tweaked a German design the Red Army appropriated after the Nazis fell. I suppose both it and to a lesser degree the SKS have the dubious distinction of being the weapon of choice most used by nations embracing ideologies "relegated to the dustbin of history". They are both cheap and durable...of course their ammo is heavier...LOL.

[sheik yerbouty]

That one looks a little heavy!

[anatolfz]

Yes, like with a lot of their stuff.

[Caipirabob]

I'm the lawn boy at my house so maybe his lawnmower would be up my alley!

Sure beats my job as "Whipping Boy" at home! LOL!

[backhoe]

I'll still take a BAR!!

I prefer them, too...

[arm958]

A lil' off subject, but: What would be your favorite gun(s) in the world?

I like WWII era French military rifles. You can get'em cheap and they are in pristine condition since the French never actually fought anyone with them.

[CWRWinger]

I think Kalashnikov was indirectly referring to the German MP44..

You are right about that. But the MP44 did not take the place of the Mauser as the main battle rifle.

The AK-47, when it finally arrived, did take the place of the Mosin-Nagant.

Across the board, the Germans had better firearms, and that was my thought on Kalashnikov's statement.

Kalashnikov wanted something superior to the Mauser and somewhat close to the MP44. And I think it's obvious, IMO, the MP44 is superior to the AK-47 in most respects.

[junta]

You obviously do not have the Finnish M-39 in your hands. I have two to my name and they are wonderful, accurate and reliable are their bywords.

[CWRWinger]

Leopold 3/9x40mm.

I, also have a collection of Mausers (and Mosins). I would like to mount a scope on a Yugo which is a great shooter with iron sights. May I inquire about a few things?
(1). What scope mount did you use?
(2).Did you have trouble finding a gunsmith to install it?
(3). Will your set-up work with a straight bolt?
(4). Do you have any trouble with this set-up coming loose or loosing zero?

[ovrtaxt]

LOL! I have a Chinese SKS. only bolt action at this point, but looking for a banana clip. Also wanting a Winchester Defender 12 ga. for close-up defense. And maybe a Lady Defender for the wife.

[Shooter 2.5]

I know what you mean but it helps to fire the firearms that you like.
I was thinking about which rifle I like the best and really can't come up with a favorite.
I have a Turkish Mauser that I replaced the barrel to a 19 inch .308 and it now has a fiberglas stock. A Leupold pistol scope is forward of the receiver. Someone gave me some practice rounds that are all plastic except the head so that there is a tremendous muzzle blast from the short barrel and no recoil.
I have a 10/22 that someone made into a fake military rifle. It has great sights and it looks like a M1 carbine knockoff. The stock is even a dark walnut stain.
I met Kalishnikov and I even had a picture of he and I sitting together shaking hands. I've been looking for that picture for a year now and can't find it.

[Shooter 2.5]

Just to let you know, I have had one jam in all of the times I have shot an M-16 or AR-15. The jam occurred when I was shooting blanks and I can blame the ammo.

[M1911A1]

I don't think you can say that the Germans had the Russkies beat across the board in small arms.

The PPSH-41 was a cheap, reliable submachinegun that was as good as anything the Germans issued. The comparison between bolt actions is really about a wash, the Russians had a semi-auto rifle (the Tokarev) very early in the game and stuck with the bolt action weapon based on cost and simplicity.

The Germans had an edge where it realy counts, the light machine gun, but the Russian squad automatics were probably better battle implements than our own BAR.

The AK-47 is original enough to give Mr. Kalishnakov protection from the copycat label, although the concept for the gun is obviously influenced by the MP-44. If he is telling the truth when he says he started dreaming up the weapon in 1941, I doubt he had seen a Sturmgewehr yet.

[M1911A1]

I have seen plenty of malfunctions in M-16A1 and M-16A2 rifles. All of them were due to sand in the action or improper assembly by the user.

I have even seen a M-9 pistol locked up tight because the shooter loaded all the rounds in the magazine backwards!

It is hard for a designer to soldier-proof a weapon.