Sergei Simonov (firearms designer)

Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov (Russian: Серге́й Гаври́лович Си́монов; 4 October 1894 – 6 May 1986) was a Soviet firearms designer known for the SKS carbine and the PTRS-41 anti-tank rifle. Simonov is considered one of the fathers of the modern assault rifle.

Simonov was a pioneer of automatic and semi-automatic rifles in the 1920s and 1930s, mostly under the supervision of both Vladimir Fyodorov and Fedor Tokarev. Many of Simonov's designs were adopted by the Soviet Armed Forces, with his AVS-36 being one of the first selective fire rifles adopted for military service. Simonov worked as a researcher at TsNIITochMash from 1950 to 1970.

Simonov was awarded the Hero of Socialist Labour and two first-degree State Stalin Prizes, and appointed as a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of Russia.