>>64386695
>The AK was the replacement for the SVT and Mosin.
No it wasn't. The AK47 was designed and originally designed to be used in the same role as the ppsh41 and pps43. The AK47 was envisioned to be used by sappers and shock troops and the SKS would have replaced any of the front line rifles like the hundreds of Mosins variants and the few SVT40 rifles. The SKS only entered use as a rear guard rifle when the AK47 was in full production because it took some time to fully arm and equip soviet troops with the AK47. The moment the AK47 entered its final stages of completion, the Russians right away realized that the AK47/AKM was a better rifle and it did just as good as of a job as a main issue rifle as the SKS and it did a good job as a SMG. The SKS was literally designed to replace the SVT40. The man who worked on the SVT40 literally made the SKS and he made it using his knowledge and experience from developing the SVT40 and the PTRS41 to make the SKS.
There is a reason why China copied the early Soviet adoption of the AK47 and SKS. China followed the early Soviet idea of the SKS being the main issue rifle and the AK47/Type56 being issued to squad leads, sappers and shock troops. The Russians just ditched that idea early because they didn't care about making a "peasant's rifle" like the Chinese because they knew the AK47 with its multi-purpose role and mag fed ability out weighed any benefit that the SKS would have.