Perhaps no firearm is more recognizable or more infamous than the AK-47. But not everyone knows that the term is short for the Avtomat Kalashnikova model 1947 automatic rifle, named after its designer Mikhail Kalashnikov.

But late in his life, this famous military engineer expressed regret over his design falling into the wrong hands and spilling innocent blood across the globe. So let’s take a closer look at the man behind the gun.

24/7 Wall St. Key Insights

• Born from the fires of World War II, the AK-47 was created by Sergeant Mikhail Kalashnikov.
• The AK-47 remains standard issue for armies in more than 100 countries.
• War and conflict can set the markets ablaze. But you can defend your portfolio with dividend-paying stocks. We analyze key dividend-paying companies in our free report: 2 Dividend Giants to Hold Forever.

Who is Mikhail Kalashnikov?

Mikhail Kalashnikova is a Russian military engineer, lieutenant general, and small-arms designer.

He’s most known for designing the AK-47 rifle.

Mikhail Kalashnikov: Early years

Mikhail Kalashnikov was born on November 10, 1919 in the eastern village of Kurya (present-day Altai Krai, Russia) to a farming family during the Russian Revolution. But after the Soviet Union took over, Joseph Stalin deported the Kalashnikovs to Siberia in 1930. Mikhail only spent seven years in school before working on tractors. He would later change the tractor seat for the one inside of a tank after the Red Army conscripted him in 1938.

Kalashnikov’s military career

As World War II raged on, Kalashnikov rose to the rank of sergeant. But during the Battle of Brody in 1941, enemy combatants set his tank ablaze and he suffered a shot to the shoulder.

He was hospitalized for six months. But it also gave him time to give birth to the idea of the AK-47.

Origins of the AK-47

As Kalashnikov recovered from his wounds in the Battle of Brody, he began thinking about how the Soviet’s bolt-action rifles made them sitting ducks for the Germans’ machine guns. He also overheard his fellow patients complain about their rifles jamming.

So with the little engineering experience he had, Kalashnikov set out to design the world’s most dangerous weapon.

The AK-47 fires its first shot

Kalashnikov penned the final design for the weapon in 1947 – hence, the name AK-47. And by 1949, the first AKs rolled out into the hands of the newly formed Soviet Army. They were also standard issues across the Warsaw Pact.

Efficiency of the AK-47

Soldiers were immediately impressed by the AK-47s reliability, susceptibility to jamming, and firepower. It has also been successfully used across all terrains from the arctic cold to the scorching desert heat.

And it was also very easy to mass produce, which is why it made its way across continents.

Is the AK-47 the deadliest weapon in the world?

Many military experts consider the AK-47 to be the deadliest weapon on Earth as it has killed more people than weapons of mass destruction like the atomic bombs dropped in WWII, which killed around 200,000 people. The body count for the AK-47 is believed to be around the millions and counting.

AK-47 facts

Here are some interesting facts about the AK-47 that you may not know.

• There is one AK-47 for every 77 people on Earth.
• The AK-47 is the standard issue infantry weapon for 106 countries.
• AK-47s buried in Mozambique still worked 18 years later.
• Saddam Hussein owned a gold-plated AK-47

AK-47 controversy

Over the years, the AK-47 has become synonymous with evil and violence for some. Due to its widespread exposure and efficiency in the hands of pretty much anyone, it’s well known to be a weapon of choice for terrorists, militias and criminal organizations.

The late Kalashnikov’s regret over the AK-47

The AK-47’s reputation as such a deadly weapon unloaded a mental burden on Kalashnikov, who died in 2013. In 2012, he wrote a remorse filled letter to the Russian Orthodox Church.

Here are some excerpts.

“My spiritual pain is unbearable.

“I keep having the same unsolved question: if my rifle claimed people’s lives, then can it be that I… a Christian and an Orthodox believer, was to blame for their deaths?

Why we covered this

Designed by the famous engineer Mikhail Kalashnikov in WWII, the AK-47 remains one of the deadliest and most widely used firearms on Earth. But its exposure and efficiency made it easy to fall into the hands of criminals – to the dismay of its designer who expressed remorse before passing. Still, the story of this weapon and its creator is one worth telling.

 

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