Kalashnikov (also known as AK-47 in the West) is a 2020 Russian biographical drama directed by Konstantin Buslov about the inventor of the AK-47, Mikhail Kalashnikov. The film takes place from 1943 to 1949, and chronicles the story of how Kalashnikov went from a tanker on the Eastern Front to the inventor of the service rifle of the Soviet Union.
The following weapons were used in the film Kalashnikov:
Alexey Sudaev (Dmitry Bogdan) presents his PPS-43 at the 1943 weapons competition. In 1945, some Red Army soldiers are seen armed with PPS-43s and celebrating the defeat of Nazi Germany.
Mikhail Kalashnikov (Yuri Borisov) creates a prototype at the Matay Railway Plant and goes with it to Alma-Ata to present it to Lieutenant Colonel Basarov (Seydulla Moldakhanov). Kalashnikov gets detained for showing the PPK prototype, which is mistaken for a threat on his part, and thus the weapon is seized by soldiers. Major Lebedev (Dmitriy Kulichkov) has the weapon delivered to Andrey Ivanovich Kazakov (Maksim Bityukov) to ask for his expertise on the gun. At the Gorokhovaya firing range, the PPK is tested and praised, which translates into getting Kalashnikov released and giving him a recommendation to continue his weapons development.
Mikhail Kalashnikov (Yuri Borisov) modifies his prototype to the PPK-42 in order to present it at state trials, competing against Sudaev's PPS-43. His weapon, however, loses the contest to the PPS-43.
Red Army soldiers are seen at the beginning of the film armed with shoulder-slung Mosin Nagant rifles, although they are somewhat difficult to make out.
In the process of developing an assault rifle for a weapons competition, Mikhail Kalashnikov (Yuri Borisov) creates the AK-46.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingAK-46 - 7.62x39mmError creating thumbnail: File missingWith the war over, Mikhail Kalashnikov stands before his AK-46 with worry, contemplating the ambiguous future of the weapon. An easy way to notice this is the AK-46 and not the Type I AK-47 prototype is to look at the vent holes in the handguard; the AK-47 has two, whereas the AK-46 had three.Error creating thumbnail: File missingMikhail Kalashnikov showcasing his AK-46 as a means to request further research and development on the weapon.
AKS-47
Together with the AK-47, Mikhail Kalashnikov (Yuri Borisov) creates and presents the AKS-47 at state trials. It competes against the AD-46 (Dementiev KB-2) and the AB-46 (Bulkin TKB-415), managing to surpass them both. In the film, Kalashnikov produces and submits for trials an early development of the AK design, the AKS (S—Skladnoy or "folding"), equipped with an underfolding metal shoulder stock. The AK-47 was officially accepted by the Soviet Armed Forces in 1949 and used by the majority of the member states of the Warsaw Pact thereafter. The weapon and its derivatives quickly became legendary, the most ubiquitous assault rifle in the world since then, known for its ease of use, reliability and simplicity.
Kalashnikov's work culminates in the creation of the legendary AK-47 rifle series, which is adopted as the official service rifle of the Soviet Union in 1949 as the "7.62 mm Kalashnikov rifle (AK)." This detail is important, as the final scene shows a blatant mistake: the rifle is referred to as the "AK-47" by Marshal Nikolay Voronov (Valeriy Afanasev), who asserts "his (Kalashnikov's) AK-47 represents the future of global armaments." It should be noted that this is a common mistake (even in Russia and the former USSR), which is to refer to the designation of the AK as "AK-47" after the name of its designer (Mikhail Kalashnikov) and its year of invention, claiming the designation was by the Soviet Army itself. In reality, the AK-47 designation has always been purely Western in nature, as in the Soviet Union it was officially designated simply "AK," after Avtomat Kalashnikova (Russian: Автомат Калашникова, "Kalashnikov's Automatic Device"). In Russia and other ex-Soviet States, the AK is simply referred to by the "AK" designation, and oftentimes together with its caliber (7.62x39mm) to avoid confusion with other variants. In recent years, however, due to the popularity of the "AK-47" designation abroad, this designation is now commonplace even in Russia and across the former USSR, probably since it is the term foreigners are acquainted with. Its official Russian designation remains "7,62mm Avtomat Kalashnikova (AK)."
Type I
Mikhail Kalashnikov (Yuri Borisov) creates the first AK at the Degtyaryov plant, but it is not seen in the film; only the AKS is shown and submitted to state trials.
Along with the AKS-47, AD-46 and other assault rifles, the AB-46 (Bulkin TKB-415) is presented at the assault rifle state trials. It competes against the AD-46 (Dementiev KB-2) and the AKS-47.
Along with the AKS-47, AB-46 (Bulkin TKB-415) and other assault rifles, the AD-46 (Dementiev KB-2) is presented at the assault rifle state trials. It competes against the AB-46 and the AKS-47.
Red Army soldiers are seen armed with DP-27s. The DP-27 also competes against the Kalashnikov LMG at State trials. Although both machine guns fail to meet State technical requirements, they are allowed to continue research and development because of the War.
Mikhail Kalashnikov (Yuri Borisov) creates his very first LMG at the Degtyaryov plant, and later presents it during state trials. Although both machine guns fail to meet State technical requirements, they are allowed to continue research and development because of the War.
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