I tried a dozen different modifications that were rejected. But they all served as a path to the final design.
Mikhail KalashnikovYou see, with [designing]weapons, it is like a woman who bears children. For months she carries her baby and thinks about it. A designer does much the same thing with a prototype. I felt like a mother - always proud. It is a special feeling, as if you were awarded with a special award. I shot with it a lot. I still do now. That is why I am hard of hearing.
Mikhail Kalashnikov