Farewell to Mikhail Kalashnikov

by
posted on December 23, 2013
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
kalashnikov.jpg

It was regret that I opened an email today announcing the death of Mikhail Timonfeyevich Kalashnikov on Monday, Dec. 23, 2013, in Izhevsk, Russia. He was 94. At one time, a wounded Russian tank sergeant sketching ideas out while recovering from wounds received during “The Great Patriotic War,” he rose to become the designer of the world’s most produced firearm design-the Avtomat Kalashnikova. Developed to defend his “Mother Russia,” it became the Soviet Union’s most lasting export. Estimates vary, but it is thought that more than 100 million guns based on Kalashnikov’s design have been produced worldwide. I met and shook hands with Kalashnikov at trade show years ago, and through an interpreter found him to be gregarious and engaging. The regime for which he designed the gun was indeed, in President Ronald Reagan’s words, an “Evil Empire,” but the world’s alignment changed greatly during Mikhail Kalashnikov’s long life. There is no doubt that the peasant boy that rose to be a lieutenant general was one of the greatest arms designers of the 20th century.

The gun designed by Kalashnikov (and those in the design bureau working with him) emerged onto the world stage in 1956 during the Hungarian Uprising, as Soviet troops crushed the rebellion there. The gun went on to become a symbol of Soviet power and communist ideology, a rugged, reliable design that was well suited to its intended role as an infantry arm in the hands of peasant conscripts. It was selective fire, chambered for the intermediate 7.62x39 mm cartridge, and easy to understand and operate. How revolutionary was it? You can find it on Mozambique’s flag.

The end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union left Kalashnikov as likely one of the most well-known brands to come out of Russia in the last 60 years, but it had limited commercial success. There was a magazine called Kalashnikov, and there have been knives, vodka and other non-gun products. My friend and former American Rifleman Technical Editor Mike Bussard brought me a bottle of the first Kalashnikov vodka, which he claimed fit in a Russian army canteen cover. Sure enough when I brought it home, I tried it in a World War II Soviet canteen cover, and it fit just as advertised. I even picked up an air soft “KALSHNIKOV” made in China and rendered in brittle plastic for a birthday present a few years back. And of course, many semi-automatic-only versions of the AK have been offered by various importers. Oddly enough, there are at least two firms producing semi-automatic versions of the AK here in the United States today.

And he was an NRA Life member who, in a 1999 speech on his 80th birthday, forcefully reiterated his firm support for the right to keep and bear arms by private citizens all over the world.

If you want to have a look at both the social and historical implications of Kalashnikov and his rifle, I highly recommend The Gun by C.J. Chivers, who is a Pulitzer prize winner. It is a well-researched and brilliantly written book.

Latest

springfield armory kuna
springfield armory kuna

Springfield Kuna: A PDW For The Masses

Small, yet fierce, the namesake of Springfield Armory’s latest large-format pistol is a revered forest dweller in the land of its Croatian manufacturing partner, HS Produkt. The new Kuna is poised to be just as welcome in America.

The Armed Citizen® June 30, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Book Review: Clockwork Basilisk: The Early Revolvers Of Elisha Collier & Artemas Wheeler

The result of a decade of research, Clockwork Basilisk is a comprehensive, two-volume history of the rare revolvers that preceded the development of the well-known Colt guns of the 1830s.

Preview: 1791 Gunleather Cobra Gun Belt 01

Employing the same rugged and rigid 0.25"-thick American steerhide as 1791 Gunleather’s original Gun Belt 01, the new Cobra Gun Belt 01 offers enhanced ease of use by taking advantage of a high-strength Cobra quick-latch/release buckle.

NRA CEO Hamlin and President Bachenberg Hold First Virtual Townhall

In the interests of transparency, NRA CEO and EVP Doug Hamlin and NRA President Bill Bachenberg held a live Townhall event, where both answered direct questions from NRA members.

Benelli Adds New 28-Gauge Models to Super Black Eagle 3 Line

Benelli initially introduced the 28-ga. chambering to its Super Black Eagle 3 line in 2022, but this year, the company added three new models tailored specifically to hunters.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.