Kalashnikov Dead

[Brenus]

The success of the Kalashnikov is due to its resilience and it simplicity. I learn to dismantle one just in looking at the mechanism. It s simple. If you try to do this with a FAMAS, you will go for big trouble (especially with the extractor system). The M.14 was inferior and the M.16 (and later) too sophisticated. At the time of the AK47 (47 being the year or production) look at what the others had to offer. About the Stgwhr 44, if it was so good, why no country used it?
Kalashnikov is the equivalent of Henry, inventor of the Winchester. He created a weapon that will be the symbol of the fight for freedom and independence for some and horrible dictatorships for others.

[Husar]

About the Stgwhr 44, if it was so good, why no country used it?

Err, silly question. Some are still in use today in third world countries, but not many were produced in the first place.
Not one piece of German WW2 equipment was produced after the war but quite a bit was used, Panzer IV and V were used in some countries and their 75mm guns continued to be useful for a while. The "problem" was that Germany was neither supposed nor allowed to build weapons anymore. That doesn't mean the AK-47 was bad, but there were definitely political reasons why the StG-44 wasn't used by any army after the war, there were probably not nearly enough to equip an entire army and have replacement parts left anyway.

[lars573]

Err, silly question. Some are still in use today in third world countries, but not many were produced in the first place.
Not one piece of German WW2 equipment was produced after the war but quite a bit was used, Panzer IV and V were used in some countries and their 75mm guns continued to be useful for a while. The "problem" was that Germany was neither supposed nor allowed to build weapons anymore. That doesn't mean the AK-47 was bad, but there were definitely political reasons why the StG-44 wasn't used by any army after the war, there were probably not nearly enough to equip an entire army and have replacement parts left anyway.

Then explain how the MG-42 and the Walther P-38 were both put back into production as the MG-3 and Walther P-1 in the late 50's?

[Husar]

Then explain how the MG-42 and the Walther P-38 were both put back into production as the MG-3 and Walther P-1 in the late 50's?

In the late 50ies? Are you kidding me? Of course the StG-44 was completely superfluous by the late 50ies. The G3 was produced in the late 50ies...

Unlike the other weapons it was also the first of its kind. Let me repeat myself, it was not the best assault rifle ever made, but to say the AK 47 was vastly superior simply because it had a lot more users ignores quite a few things and is funny given that the StG-44 was not produced in 1947. Not a single western ally bought the AK 47 after all, why is that? Obviously they all must've thought it was a really bad rifle.

Oh yeah, I got something else totally wrong because the Ho-229 wasn't as good as the B-2.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

While the MG-42 is no longer in service, the M3 and M74 -- both direct descendants -- still are. The design was a "peak" design for its category and is still in use.

The STG-44, being a wartime model, was a bit too heavy for it's role. Lighter materials would have been too costly and difficult to obtain. When the Bundeswehr reformed they chose the G3 as their assault rifle...a rifle designed by some of the STG team (taken to France in 45, later emigrating to Spain) and developed directly from the STG-44. In effect, the Germans DID go back to using it...they just preferred the modern improved version to the heavy antiquated one. Pretty smart choice really.

[Husar]

While the MG-42 is no longer in service, the M3 and M74 -- both direct descendants -- still are. The design was a "peak" design for its category and is still in use.

The STG-44, being a wartime model, was a bit too heavy for it's role. Lighter materials would have been too costly and difficult to obtain. When the Bundeswehr reformed they chose the G3 as their assault rifle...a rifle designed by some of the STG team (taken to France in 45, later emigrating to Spain) and developed directly from the STG-44. In effect, the Germans DID go back to using it...they just preferred the modern improved version to the heavy antiquated one. Pretty smart choice really.

According to Wikipedia the G3 was based on the StG-45, which was a very late war prototype by Mauser, while the StG-44 was produced by the "C. G. Haenel Waffen und Fahrradfabrik", that's right, weapons and bicycle manufactory...

The difference was apparently in the firing mechanism as well given that the StG-45 looks relatively similar to the StG-44 otherwise.

What I find interesting about the AK rifles are the more recent 100-series, AK-107 and so on, they also look very similar to their older models, come in black and seem to have mostly interior/minor improvements. What makes them interesting is that they are based on the old rifles but are almost completely ignored in popular media.

Further there is the AN-94, which has some features (fast two-round burst using a rotating bolt, delayed recoil) that sound similar to the ones of the H&K G11, although I'm not in a position to say whether the mechanisms have much more similarity other than something close to the bullet rotates. It still looks a whole lot like an AK in design though.

So if Mister Kalashnikov nailed one thing, it was probably the Russian taste concerning gun design.

[Pannonian]

While the MG-42 is no longer in service, the M3 and M74 -- both direct descendants -- still are. The design was a "peak" design for its category and is still in use.

The STG-44, being a wartime model, was a bit too heavy for it's role. Lighter materials would have been too costly and difficult to obtain. When the Bundeswehr reformed they chose the G3 as their assault rifle...a rifle designed by some of the STG team (taken to France in 45, later emigrating to Spain) and developed directly from the STG-44. In effect, the Germans DID go back to using it...they just preferred the modern improved version to the heavy antiquated one. Pretty smart choice really.

Are there any descendants of the Sten gun?

[Husar]

Are there any descendants of the Sten gun?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Gustav_M/45
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sterling_submachine_gun
http://world.guns.ru/smg/eg/port-said-akaba-e.html