Pic.7-32 Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov
with Bill Ruger
Few facts of interest:
- In 1949 (about the time AK-47 was adopted by Soviet Army), a young inventor named William B. Ruger approached a young financier named Alex Sturm with a prototype of a new .22 rimfire semi-auto pistol.
The pistol was a soundly designed piece that was inexpensive to produce and reliable (doesn't this sound similar to AK appraisals ?).
Ruger had the original design and the manufacturing knowledge to make it a reality, but he needed the venture capital required to start his company. Sturm, a young aristocrat with a love of sport shooting, invested $50,000, and Sturm, Ruger & Co. began a journey that would lead to the company becoming the largest and most respected manufacturer of sporting firearms in the U.S.
- Ruger's .22 auto pistols have been in continuous production throughout the life of the company, and millions have been produced to date (here goes another nod to AK-47).
- New examples of .22 auto pistols could be bought for as little as $250.00, which is about as cheap as one can get AK-47 in the U.S.
(information credit: http://www.Gunblast.com - The Online Gun Magazine)
- Bill Ruger has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Alliance of Sporting Gun Dealers. Ruger was only the second person to receive this prestigious award.
Doesn't this fascinating story have much in common with AK-47 success ?
Upon reading Kalashnikov's bio, our editor has mentioned: "I always like those stories where raw genius is
able to succeed by dint of hard work and persistence. They give me hope that those of us from lowly backgrounds can actually amount to something!" - these words may apply to Bill Ruger's story, too.