Russian Ak 74 - During the Cold War, both the United States and the Soviet Union began using selective rifles designed for high-velocity, small-bore, smooth-bore projectiles. During the Johnson administration, the US Army adopted the M16A1 in 5.56 NATO. During Leonid Brezhnev's tenure as General Secretary of the Communist Party, the Soviet Army began using the 5.45×39mm Kalashnikov rifle, designated the AK-74.

Although the M16A1 uses a direct gas-impingement operating system and the AK-74 uses a long-stroke gas piston, both rifles produce similar external ballistics, and both rifles fire with fully automatic control. From the rice fields of Vietnam to the foothills of the Hindu Kush, these are the rifles that fought in the last chapters of the Cold War. But the fact that 68 years of Soviet rule officially ended in 1991 did not mean that the AK-74's useful life had also ended.

Russian Ak 74

Russian Ak 74

As a descendant of the M16, which continues to arm the militaries of most Western countries today, the AK-74 continues to arm the armies of several Warsaw Pact nations, and its continued service is well documented. As recent news headlines suggest, a great model. In recent weeks, AK-74s have gained attention in photographs depicting Ukraine's war with Russia.

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AK-74s are always present in pictures of Ukrainian military and police forces. Members of the Ukrainian parliament have been photographed carrying AK-74s issued to them to protect the Capitol. AK-74s are sure to appear in photos of civil defense volunteers manning a checkpoint, and an armed Ukrainian mother walking down a busy street in central Kyiv, holding her daughter's hand. It is the most effective firearm used in current conflicts.

The history of the AK-74 dates back to the early 1970s, when Russian engineers began developing a new small-caliber, high-velocity cartridge that could complement or even replace the 7.62×39mm caliber. Since the AKM was a proven and reliable model, one of the goals of the project was to develop something new to shoot from scratch. At first they tried a commercial hunting round in 6.5×39mm, but soon found that it caused a wide shot dispersion on the full autos that the AKM was famous for. They then tried the 4.5x39mm load, which provided the desired control but failed to produce the desired lethality.

Three Soviet Marine infantrymen armed with AK-74 rifles in 1985. Like its predecessors, the AK-47 and AKM, the AK-74 was a symbol of Russian military might during the Cold War. (US Department of Defense photo DN-SN-86-00829)

Finally, the Russians had a 39mm cartridge capable of 53-round, boat-tailed 5.45mm FMJ rounds at 2790 fps. The new Kalashnikov's chamber for firing this new cartridge was essentially a slightly modified version of the AKM, capable of semi-automatic or full-automatic fire at a rate of 650 rounds per minute.

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The most obvious difference between the AK-74 and its predecessor, the AKM, was primarily the AK-74's low-curve AG-4S 30-round magazine. Sometimes these magazines are said to be made of Bakelite, but they are actually made of a thermoplastic phenol formaldehyde resin reinforced with fiberglass. Second, a large and unique recoil-compensating brake replaces the AKM's old beveled brake and dramatically changes the AK-74's front sight. Not only does this device reduce recoil, but it does so without any noticeable shock to the shooter.

A Russian mother and father pose with their son armed with a pre-1977 AK-74. (Photo courtesy of Thomas Laemlein)

Aside from these two seemingly unique features, the first production AK-74 was similar to the later AKM, but things soon began to change. Like every other mass-produced service rifle in the history of small arms, the AK-74 has evolved throughout its production history, and changes associated with that evolution were initiated shortly after its approval. In mid-1977, engineers realized that the AKM's 45-degree gas block sometimes caused bullet shear. It didn't have a problem with the 7.62mm bullet before, but it was faster with the 5.45mm.

Russian Ak 74

Izhevsky engineers solved the problem by inserting a 90-degree gas block and completely eliminated the phenomenon. The 90-degree design has remained unchanged since then. Minor changes were made to the muzzle brake, dust cover, and front sight base during this period, but then in late 1984 and early 1985, several major changes were made that changed the appearance of the AK-74.

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Three Mujahideen guerrillas in Afghanistan in 1989. They have dual AK-74 fighters and RPG-7 shoulder-fired, rocket-assisted grenade launchers. (Photo courtesy of Thomas Laemlein)

Since the start of production, AK-74s have had laminated wood materials, forends, and Bakelite AKM-type pistol grips, but when Konstantin Chernenko was the General Secretary of the Communist Party, furniture made of reinforced polyamide plastic appeared. colored glass. At the same time, Izhevsk began to use a simplified method of attaching the front sight base, rear sight base and gas block to the production barrel of the AK-74. Dating back to the days of the Kalashnikov assault rifle, these parts were drilled into the barrel of each rifle and attached using a bolt-on method.

In mid-1985, the assembly procedure that replaced the starting assembly was to press the sides of those parts with sufficient force into the corresponding relief cuts in the barrel. This method is still used to assemble the AK-74. With the fall of the Berlin Wall in late 1989, the AK-74's plum-colored furniture turned black, leaving the color intact. Then in 1991, a new version of the rifle appeared with the approval of the AK-74M.

A Soviet sailor armed with an AK-74 stands on the gun port during a port visit by the Aegis guided-missile carrier USS THOMAS S. GATES (CG 51) and the guided-missile frigate USS KAUFFMAN (FFG 59) in Sebastopol in April. 8, 1989 (National Archives and Records Administration #6454445/US Department of Defense #330-CFD-DN-ST-90-00321 - Photo by JO1 Kip Burke)

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This model features a slightly modified muzzle brake, an additional optic mounting rail on the left side of the receiver, and a side-folding post. Folding stocks were nothing new for the AK-74; In fact, since its first production in the 1970s, a nominal version of the AKS-74 has been used using a metal triangular side-folding stock. It's just that the folding parts of the AK-74M are not skeletonized, not made of sheet metal. This version of the weapon would be used as the standard Soviet service rifle, but in December 1991 the Soviet Union ceased to exist. However, the AK-74M is in service with the Russian Federation.

A Kazakh soldier armed with an AKS-74 rifle during the CENTRASBAT military exercise in Kazakhstan in September 2000

The AK-74 has been involved in many of the great tragedies of modern Russia and, in a way, has become a metaphor for the country's decadence. He registered the last chapter of Soviet military history during the war in Afghanistan, and then continued to survive the geopolitical upheaval after the collapse of the USSR, first in Chechnya and then in Georgia, which brought blood and suffering. It was used in the Moscow theater hostage crisis in October 2002 and the Beslan school siege in September 2004, and has since been associated with the always tragic history of the global war on terror.

Russian Ak 74

Soviet Marines kneel with AKS-74 rifles during a parade to visit US Navy personnel on September 10, 1990 (Photo by PHCS Mitchell - photo #DN-SC-91 -02252)

Variants Of The Kalashnikov Ak 74\

Ten years later, the AK-74 became part of the war in Donbass, which annexed Crimea to Russia. Today, the Russian armed forces use it to attack Ukraine, Russia's greatest tragedy, but the Ukrainian people have used the rifle for other purposes. In Kharkiv, Kherson, and Mariupol, they used the AK-74, a symbol of Russian military dominance, as a symbol of resistance. If you look carefully at the photos that come out of Ukraine every day, you will notice that most of the AK-74s used by the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces have wooden furniture. Looking at it, you are looking at rifles made during the Soviet era.

Ustka, Poland (June 12, 2003) - A Russian Marine infantryman provides cover with an AKS-74N assault rifle to Danish, Lithuanian, Polish and U.S. soldiers during an exercise in Ustka, Poland, as part of Operation Baltic. BALTOPS) 2003 (Photo by US Navy Photographer's Associate 1

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