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AKS-74

Last Updated on Tuesday, 21 July 2009 15:34 Written by Administrator Thursday, 02 July 2009 16:31

The AKS-74 is an assault rifle designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov in the early 1970s. The design of the AKS-74 is based on the earlier AKM and is chambered for the 5.45x39mm round.

The AKS-74 was designed for use by air assault infantry and thus features a side-folding metal stock to reduce size. The stock is made from stamped steel assembled using welding and thus is very robust.

On the minus side, the AKS-74 has a large muzzle flash which is a drawback. In addition, the fully-automatic fire is also somewhat random. However at close quarters, the rifle is very effective.

Several variants have been developed on the basis of the AKS-74. One such variant is the AKS-74U. This rifle is a shorted versions designed primarily for use by Special Forces. The rifle’s small dimensions were achieved by making modifications to both the barrel and also the gas-receiver system.

The AKS-74U is set to be replaced by newer members of the Kalashnikov family namely the AK-105. Other variants in the series i.e. AK-101, AK-102, AK-103 and AK-104 are also based on the AK-74.

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