Table of content
» Introduction » 2: Kalashnikov's family » 6: AK-74 / AK-100 / Saiga » 10: A study of Kalashnikov Vodka
» 1a: About The Kalashnikov Museum » 3: Kalashnikov: years 1933 - 1942 » 7: The Hall of Fame: Part I » 11: What's coming in the next version
» 1b: Izhevsk, Kalashnikov's homecity » 4: Kalashnikov's design career begins » 8: The Hall of Fame: Part II » Copyright
» 1c: Entering the Kalashnikov Museum » 5: The AK-47 is born » 9: The 2nd hall of the exhibition    Back to main page of ak47-guide.com

The Kalashnikov Museum Virtual Tour: Part 9 - the second hall of military Museum of Mikhail Kalashnikov, the designer of AK-47


Pic.9-1 Entrance to second hall of the exhibition


Museum of Kalashnikov. Pic.9-1 Entrance to second hall of the exhibition

Straight on: stairway to press conference hall and Mikhail Kalashnikov apartments. General public not allowed. To the right: Izhevsky Mekhanichesky Zavod (Baikal) subhall to the left: Izhmash subhall


Museum of Kalashnikov. Pic.9-10 Inside the apartments: Kalashnikov meets Anatoly Chubais
Pic.9-10 Inside the apartments: Kalashnikov meets Anatoly Chubais

Downstairs you'd find the conference hall, Kalashnikov Fund HQ (Fund is run by the designer's daughter and his grandson) and Kalashnikov's own apartments. Apartments are luxuriously furnished and equipped with absolutely everything necessary to feel himself at home. He would often meet with his old friends there.


Museum of Kalashnikov. Pride. Faithfulness. Duty. installation
Pic.9-2 "Pride. Faithfulness. Duty." installation


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Pic.9-3 close-up of a "Pride. Faithfulness. Duty." installation: Duty


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Pic.9-4 close-up of a "Pride. Faithfulness. Duty." installation: Faithfulness


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Pic.9-5 close-up of a "Pride. Faithfulness. Duty." installation: Pride

Straight on and downstairs:


Museum of Kalashnikov. Pic.9-6 Kalashnikov's own apartments and conference hall below
Pic.9-6 Kalashnikov's own apartments and conference hall below


kalashnikov Weapons Military Museum. Pic.9-7 Conference hall - empty by now.
Pic.9-7 Conference hall - empty by now.


museum of Kalashnikov. Pic.9-8 Kalashnikov's own apartments
Pic.9-8 Kalashnikov's own apartments


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Pic.9-9 Stairway from conference room to second floor

 


Pic.9-10 Izhevsky Mekhanichesky Zavod (Baikal) subhall


Museum of Kalashnikov. Pic.9-10 Izhevsky Mekhanichesky Zavod (Baikal) subhall 


Izhevsky Mekhanichesky Zavod (Baikal) subhall

Once a military armory, Russia's Baikal has made a name for itself with a line of unique hunting guns. In 1942 the State Defense Board of the USSR ordered the construction of a large-scale gunmaking facility in the deep recesses of Eurasia west of the Ural Mountains.

Izhevsky Mekhanichesky Zavod (Izhevsky Manufacturing Plant, better known today as Baikal, an actual company trademark) was founded in July of that year in the city of Izhevsk. During World War II it produced countless Tokarev 1933 pistols, Nagant 1895 revolvers, Degtyaryov and Simonov anti-tank rifles and other military armament, including rocket launchers.

Izhevsky Mekhanichesky Zavod is believed to be the second-to-none as for gun types variety. The versatile enterprise is the largest manufacturer of sporting and hunting guns in the world.

The total volume of sporting and hunting guns produced in 2004 amounts to more than 680 thousand pieces. IMZ is cooperating with the U.S. company Remington to produce guns for the U.S. sporting market.

Pic.9-11 View at the hall from left to right: roof windows


Museum of Kalashnikov. Pic.9-11 View at the hall from left to right: roof windows
Pic.9-12 View at the hall from right to left


Museum of Kalashnikov. Pic.9-12 View at the hall from right to left

 

On display are rifles with artistic treatment (threading, engraving, incrustation) and improved finishing.
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Museum of Kalashnikov. On display are Izhervsk rifles with artistic treatment (threading, engraving, incrustation) and improved finishing.

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Pic.9-23 Izhmash subhall


Museum of Kalashnikov. Pic.9-23 Izhmash subhall

Pic.9-24 Layers of snow on the hall upper window


Museum of Kalashnikov. Pic.9-24 Layers of snow on the hall upper window
Izhmash is the producer of high quality firearms with almost 200 history of armament manufacturing.

Range of products:
Assault rifles

AK 101, AK 103,
AK 102, AK 104,
AK 105 AK 74M,
AKM, AKMS, AN-94
Sniper rifles

SVD
SVDS

Sub-machine guns
Bizon-2


Pic.9-25 Close-up of AK-100 showcase
Pic.9-25 Close-up of AK-100 showcase
Self-loading rifles

Korshun
Saiga
Saiga-M3 EXP-01
Tigr
Medved-3
Medved-4
Bolt-action rifles

Bars-4-1
Los-7-1
Los-9-1
Sobol
Record
SM-2KO
BI-7-2KO
Self-loading
smooth bored shotgun

Saiga-12
Saiga-20
Saiga-410

Pic.9-26 Close-up of Saiga showcase
Pic.9-26 Close-up of Saiga showcase


Pic.9-27 Tiniest fully functional
model of AK-47 in the world.

 Pic.9-27 Tiniest fully functional 
model of AK-47 in the world.

Izhmash has its own nice museum dedicated to weapons and gunsmiths. Among many wonders on display is tiniest fully functional model of AK-47 in the world. There are unique collections of cold steel and firearms since 1805.

Museum is open to public (unlike Baikal's museum located behind the enterprise walls), and we are planning on making a short virtual tour about it as well. It will be included in this E-book's "Places of interest" section - watch out for future versions of our guide.

 


Pic.9-28 Exit from Baikal/Izhmash hall


Museum of Kalashnikov. Pic.9-28 Exit from Baikal/Izhmash hall

Mikhail Kalashnikov will go down in history as the creator of the world's most famous rifle, the AK-47. Now he'd like his name to be known for something else besides. He has said, quite poignantly, that he wished he had invented a lawnmower instead - and you can see it as a swords-into-ploughshares thing. In fact, The Kalashnikov lawnmower is the reality - you've seen the picture.

What else ? Upon request from a friend, Kalashnikov once authored few gadgets for surgeons - namely, a blade clamp for scalpel, cranes for gum treatment and steel buckle used to heal fractures. As he was recently told, these gadgets and their clones are still in use. Of course these are not a match for AK-47s but anyway...


Pic.9-29 Exit from the central hall 

Museum of Kalashnikov. Pic.9-29 Exit from the central hall



There is yet another Kalashnikov gun coming - a special kind of gun. Izhmash engineers led by Kalashnikov came up with portable impulse fire extinguisher based on AK-47. People who saw the action reported what the result was fascinating - it took it very few shots to extinguish a wild fire. The device was featured on "Rescue means. Nature, man-caused and fire security of Russia" exhibition in Moscow and Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations revealed much interest in it.



At his 85 Mikhail Kalashnikov is brimming with new ideas. What's next?