By the time the war comes to an end, Kalashnikov has a new automatic rifle ready and is sent to the Kowrow arms factory to improve on it. Impatient to see if it works, and denied a test at the firing range, he conducts his own successful test, upon which he is arrested for firing his gun in the open and brought to General Degtyarev, a notable arms designer whom Kalashnikov considers his fiercest competitor. However, Degtyarev, expressing his sincere respect for Kalashnikov's talent and the superiority of his design, removes himself from the competition, and tested under extreme conditions (after being immersed in water and sand), the new rifle passes.