Tag: AK-74

It’s just another fine Soviet firearm. 5,000,000 copies have been built up to now.

It’s a selective fire assault rifle, it’s a bit lighter than AK-47, 3.07 kg. It has variants like AKS-74, AKS-74UB, AKS-74 AND AK-74M. The length varies from 490-943 mm; 943 mm is for AK-74. The caliber is 5.45×39 mm. it uses rotating bolt with its gas operated action. Its maximum shooting range is stupendous, 3,150 m.

AK-74 is also designed by the same Soviet general, Mikhail Kalashnikov. He did it in 1914, and it’s being used or abused in wars and in assassins since then to present. Izhmash is manufacturing it since 1974 to present. Soviet first used it in against Afghanistan in 1979. At present it’s used by many other countries Lebanon, Jordan, Mongolia, Afghanistan and others.

Not that it fires through its back just because its name is 74 (opposite to 47). It can fire 100 rds/min automatically and 650 rds/min cyclically. The muzzle velocity will be 880-900 m/s within the range of 500 m, but 800 m for AK-47m. So it’s highly used in wars. Wars like Soviet- Afghan War, Georgian Civil War, Nagormo-Karabakh War, First and Second Chechen War in the past and many other wars at present have made a great application of AK-74. The countries of USSR greatly use it. It is produced by East Germany (former), Romania, Bulgaria and other licensed countries.