[caldrail]

btw, (being off topic here :p ) AK-47 is not an original design it's a copy of an MP-43 those sneaky Russians :mrgreen:

No. The Russians adopted the concept of a lower power cartridge having encountered the German Kurz round that the Stg44 used, the standard cartridges of combatant nations dating to designs c.1900 for use in different combat conditions.

The close in firefights of world war two did not require the range of full power ammunition, and since most firefights were taking place at three hundred metres or less, smaller ammunition meant more ammunition.

Kalashnikov began working on his design in 1944 and whilst he homed in on a similar concept, the designs are not actually related.

Incidentially the MP43/Stg44 is still in use in Africa, albeit in small numbers. The AK is used everywhere.