The Museum and Exhibition Complex collection “Kalashnikov Weapons” houses a dirk created in 2007 in Zlatoust. It is dedicated to the very first Kalashnikov assault rifle, which was put into service in 1949. The dirk was donated to the Museum in 2009 during a thematic exhibition about the Zlatoust master craftsmen of bladed weapons and their works.
The dirk has a steel double-edged blade with one short fuller — a groove that lightens the weapon. The crosspiece consists of a crossguard and a handle with two octagonal caps and a head. The barrel-shaped handle is made of wood, covered with leather, and intertwined along the grooves with gilded wire.
The “Kalashnikov Weapons” collection of the CJSC “Praktika” includes five series dedicated to well-known weapons from the Kalashnikov family: the AK-47, AK-74, AKS-74U assault rifles, the Kalashnikov light machine gun (RPK), and the PK, which is a large Kalashnikov machine gun using caliber 7.62 mm with bipod stands.
Each series has five categories: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond. The number of dirks in each category is limited. Only 9 samples were released in diamond, 17 in platinum, 25 in gold, 37 in silver, and 49 in the bronze category. Each series contains only 137 dirks. To own a complete set of dirks “Kalashnikov Weapons”, a collector needs to have a dirk of each category from each series — 25 dirks in total.
The blades of all the dirks are decorated with the signature of Mikhail Kalashnikov, and the scabbard depicts his portrait. Also, the design uses the state symbols of the USSR and the Russian Federation. The collection is characterized by a general artistic concept, but the series differ in design elements — the decorations, artistic methods, and materials. Each of the 685 daggers has a passport signed by the designer, the CJSC “Praktika” director, and the craftsman who produced the weapon.
CJSC “Praktika” was founded in 1991 in the town of Zlatoust, Chelyabinsk Oblast. The equipment and technologies were taken from the enterprises of the former USSR Ministry of General Machine Building. The craftsmen came from the Bulat Plant (now known as the Zlatoust Arms Plant), which had for many years been the only enterprise producing melee weapons for the country’s army and navy. Nowadays, CJSC “Praktika” manufactures all types of melee weapons, including premium and gift ones.
The dirk has a steel double-edged blade with one short fuller — a groove that lightens the weapon. The crosspiece consists of a crossguard and a handle with two octagonal caps and a head. The barrel-shaped handle is made of wood, covered with leather, and intertwined along the grooves with gilded wire.
The “Kalashnikov Weapons” collection of the CJSC “Praktika” includes five series dedicated to well-known weapons from the Kalashnikov family: the AK-47, AK-74, AKS-74U assault rifles, the Kalashnikov light machine gun (RPK), and the PK, which is a large Kalashnikov machine gun using caliber 7.62 mm with bipod stands.
Each series has five categories: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond. The number of dirks in each category is limited. Only 9 samples were released in diamond, 17 in platinum, 25 in gold, 37 in silver, and 49 in the bronze category. Each series contains only 137 dirks. To own a complete set of dirks “Kalashnikov Weapons”, a collector needs to have a dirk of each category from each series — 25 dirks in total.
The blades of all the dirks are decorated with the signature of Mikhail Kalashnikov, and the scabbard depicts his portrait. Also, the design uses the state symbols of the USSR and the Russian Federation. The collection is characterized by a general artistic concept, but the series differ in design elements — the decorations, artistic methods, and materials. Each of the 685 daggers has a passport signed by the designer, the CJSC “Praktika” director, and the craftsman who produced the weapon.
CJSC “Praktika” was founded in 1991 in the town of Zlatoust, Chelyabinsk Oblast. The equipment and technologies were taken from the enterprises of the former USSR Ministry of General Machine Building. The craftsmen came from the Bulat Plant (now known as the Zlatoust Arms Plant), which had for many years been the only enterprise producing melee weapons for the country’s army and navy. Nowadays, CJSC “Praktika” manufactures all types of melee weapons, including premium and gift ones.
