For a long time, people have asked about the true story behind the Kalashnikov rifle. Who truly designed it, and what role did Mikhail Kalashnikov actually play? Where did its design really originate? I've tried to get to the bottom of this, using logic, comparing designs, considering expert opinions, and looking at documents.
Let's go back to the competition that featured three main contenders for a new автомат. These were Kalashnikov's AK-46, Bulkin's AB-46 (also known as TKB-415), and Dementiev's AD-46 (KB-P-520). All these designs shared a very similar overall shape, or form-factor, which was a requirement set by the Ministry of Defense, the customer for the new weapon. This common form-factor likely came from an earlier design, the Sudaev AS-44 from 1944, which itself was probably based on carbine designs of the time, possibly even the American M1 Carbine, especially when you look at versions with a wooden stock.
It's important to note that the AK-46 and the later, famous AK-47 are quite different. The AK-47 that went into service actually shares many design features with Bulkin's AB-46. This suggests a significant redesign after the initial AK-46. The story gets even more interesting when we consider the German StG 44. This assault rifle, a combination of ideas from Walther's Mkb.42(W) and Haenel's Mkb.42(H) (where Hugo Schmeisser worked), was already being trialed on the Eastern Front by 1944.
After the war, Hugo Schmeisser and a large group of about 1500 German specialists were brought to Izhevsk in the USSR. Soviet documents from 1946 show Schmeisser was consulting on infantry small arms. While he wasn't the direct designer of the AK-47, his team's expertise was crucial. The USSR at the time lacked the advanced manufacturing technology for high-precision parts, a consistent quality of steel, or knowledge of tolerances and fits common in German, Swiss, or British industries. The German specialists, including Schmeisser, helped set up the mass production technology. The Kalashnikov's legendary reliability, often attributed to its large clearances between parts (which allows it to function even when dirty), was partly a necessity born from these manufacturing realities. Even the rotating bolt locking mechanism, a key feature, wasn't new; it was used by Hungarian designer Rudolf Frommer in the early 20th century and later in the American M1 Garand. So, the AK-47 was a culmination of many ideas and technological adaptations, not the product of a single inventor.
