Preorders now open for my book, “Chassepot to FAMAS: French Military Rifles 1866-2016”! Get your copy here:
https://www.headstamppublishing.com/french-rifle-book
I am very happy to be joined today via Skype by Russian small arms researcher Max Popenker. You may know Max from his nearly 20 years publishing world.guns.ru, one of the original small arms reference web sites. He has also written numerous magazine articles and several books in both Russian and English.
Today, Max is going to discuss the development of the AK and address several questions that are not well understood in the US:
How did a neophyte designer like Kalashnikov produce such an excellent gun? Was he just a fake figurehead created for Soviet propaganda?
How much influence did German engineers have in the design and production of the AK?
When the whole story of the AK is understood – as Max does a great job conveying – lots of things make much more sense. The AK was just one element of a much larger program to create a wholly new small arms system in an intermediate caliber. The SKS, RPD, and AK were adopted as part of this program, filling the roles of infantry carbine, squad automatic weapon, and submachine gun. So settle in and join me for a history lesson from an expert int he subject!
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Contact:
Forgotten Weapons
PO Box 87647
Tucson, AZ 85754
At Forgotten Weapons I think the most interesting guns out there are the most obscure ones. I try to search out experimental and prototype weapons and show you how they work, in addition to more conventional guns that you may not have heard of before. You’re much more likely to find a video on the Cei Rigotti or Webley-Fosbery here than an AR or Glock. So, do you want to learn about something new today? Then stick around!