ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, Nov. 22 (UPI) -- A Russian exhibit of one of the world's most successful assault rifles and its designer opened Monday in St. Petersburg.
Entitled "Kalashnikov: Man, Weapon, Legend," the exhibit covers the life and work of famous Russian gunsmith Mikhail Kalashnikov, inventor of the AK-47 assault rifle, Novosti reported.
Kalashnikov, now a general in the military and a published poet, was expected to attend the opening ceremony.
Among items on display are the world's only Russian-made 7.62-mm 1944 self-loading carbine, the No. 1 AK-47 assault rifle, as well as the 5.45-mm AK-74 assault rifle, which was adopted in 1974. Visitors will be able to take apart and assemble an AK-74 mock-up under the supervision of museum attendants.
Kalashnikov was born Nov. 10, 1919, in the village of Kurya. He designed his first-ever machine gun in 1942 and the Soviet army adopted his assault rifle in 1949.
