I recently read about the history of the ak-47. It sounds much too convenient. A farmer cum soldier is fighting in the great war, gets wounded, then says "why does every german soldier have a rifle when only one in four russian soldiers has a rifle, so I decided to design a rifle that would make it practical to make a rifle for each russian soldier". Along with it all sounding exactly like what possibly the most unimaginative propaganda writer would probably reject as being too unimaginative, wasn't the big problem with his design that it needed a milled rather than stamped receiver, defeating his goal, delaying the introduction of the ak-47 by ~5-10 years?
I was also wondering what other rifles from that period shared different features of the ak-47. The gas system, for instance. How similar was the gas system of, for instance, the sks to that of the ak-47. Also, I guess, the reloading and firing system. What other rifles had similar reloading and firing systems? The sks? Stg-44?
Thanks
One in four? The common myth is a rifle for every other soldier, spread ever so elegantly by Hollywood.
As for the AK being a clone of the Stg-44, anyone with any firearms knowledge can tell you they were completely different rifles. You can read this for a detailed breakdown.
Contrary to popular belief, Hugo Schmeisser had nothing to do with the AK's design. This article (sorry, Russian only, Google Translate should help) covers the subject extensively, also including a scan of factory documentation regarding what Schmeisser was doing for the Russians. That list is not very impressive.
Box magazine for the PPSh
Magazine for the Mosin
Draft project of an 8 mm submachinegun
The document also complains about a lack of formal education and constant complaining from Schmeisser, specifically noting that he is not familiar with any secret development at the factory. Also, on the AK started in 1943, long before Schmeisser began working for the Russians.
As for the "farmer cum soldier" bit, that's not quite true either. Yes, he was a soldier, but he worked at NIPSMVO (Central Scientific Research Institute Small Arms Proving Grounds) of the Main Artillery Directorate, working on several unsuccessful designs before producing the AK. The idea that he was an uneducated peasant conscript that one day suddenly created a legendary rifle is incorrect.