AK-74

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The AK-74 assault rifle is a modernized version of the AK-47 developed in 1974, chambered in a smaller cartridge (5.45 x 39 mm vs. 7.62 x 39 mm). The weapon went into mass-production in 1976. The newest variant, the AK-74M, is the main service rifle for the Russian Federation armed forces and has been since the early 1990's.

Contents

1 Design
2 Ballistics
3 Operation
4 Service
5 In fiction
6 See also
7 References
8 External links

Design

When it first appeared, the AK-74 was assumed to be a limited-production version to equip special forces. In reality, the Soviet Union was to mass-produce this rifle to replace their inventory of AKM weapons en masse.

Like its parent AK-47 and AKM weapons, the AK-74 is a magazine-fed, selective-fire, intermediate caliber assault rifle with a rigid piston gas system and rotating bolt locking mechanism. The stamped sheet metal receiver is borrowed from the earlier AKM. The AK-74 has other differences from the AKM, notably the distinctive muzzle brake. This muzzle brake drastically cuts the already mild recoil and muzzle climb of the AK-74 but has the negative effect of increasing noise and muzzle blast. Current production versions also employ a mounting rail on the left side of the receiver for fixing a telescopic or night vision sight.

Originally, the AK-74 had laminated-wood furniture, but the later production models and the current AK-74M, use black, glass-filled polyamide furniture, giving the rifle an all-black finish.

Ballistics

The weapon fires a 5.45 × 39 mm round with a muzzle velocity of 900 m/s. Muzzle energy is 1.39 kilojoules, giving an effective range of around 500 m. Cartridge mass is 10.75 g. Projectile mass is 3.42 g. The new cartridge was designed to give greater effective range, less recoil, and a flatter trajectory than the 7.62 x 39 mm.

The 5.45 mm bullet yaws when striking a soft target such as a human causing it to tumble. This tumbling creates a larger wound in the target than the bullet's diameter. The Afghans who fought the Soviet Union often referred to the 5.45 mm as "the poison bullet" because of the severity of the wound in proportion to its relative anemic size and energy. Reports from Afghanistan suggested that the new bullet might violate international conventions on rifle ammunition. It was suggested that its radical design would create inhumane wounds.

Design of an entirely new cartridge was possibly a reaction to the effectiveness of the 5.56 × 45 mm round in Vietnam. All military rifle bullets will turn or yaw in soft tissue. Small-caliber high-velocity projectiles like the 5.56 mm produce significant wounds because they yaw much sooner in soft tissue, greatly increasing their frontal area.¹ The Soviets designed a round that would be similar to the 5.56 mm, but with an increased tendency to yaw. The 5.45 mm projectile consists of a mild steel core in the rear with a lead plug in front. The copper-plated steel jacket of the bullet incorporates an air space in the nose. This empty space has several functions. It moves the center of gravity rearward, encouraging yaw in soft targets. It also streamlines and lightens the projectile resulting in greater velocity, flatter trajectory, and more reliable feeding from the magazine. Finally, this space often collapses and deforms irregularly in soft targets. Despite its complicated design, the bullet fired by the AK-74 fails to reliably fragment in soft tissue making it less effective in this area than similar Western designs. It has also been shown to yaw no sooner than the 5.56 mm projectiles.

The development of the AK-74 bullet is often compared to that of the American M16 rifle and its M193 ammunition. This ignores the fact that NATO was in the process of developing the SS109 ammunition at the time and the two were likely developed in parallel with similar criteria. When the SS109 5.56 mm bullet is compared side-by-side with the 5.45 x 39 mm they are similar in many ways. They are both composed of a separate jacket, steel core, and lead component. As with the SS109, the 5.45 mm was likely designed as a compromise between penetration and soft-tissue damage. The major threat at the time of development was the American soldier who was increasingly utilizing body armor. Not surprisingly, the 5.45 mm bullet is more effective against Kevlar than the earlier 7.62 mm bullet. The 5.45 mm and 5.56 mm cartridges are considered equal in most aspects with the exception of the Western round having a significantly greater tendency to fragment when fired at close range.

Operation

In order to fire, a loaded magazine is inserted, the selector lever is moved to either of the lower two positions, then the charging handle is pulled back and released, finally the trigger is pulled. With the selector in the middle position, the gun continues to fire, automatically cycling fresh rounds into the chamber, until the trigger is released or the magazine is exhausted. With the selector in the lower position, the gun fires once requiring the trigger be released and depressed again for the next shot until the magazine is exhausted. When the selector is in the top position, the gun is on safe and one cannot fire the gun. In the safe position, the selector blocks foreign matter from entry to the gun, but still allows the bolt to be withdrawn far enough to check if the gun is loaded.

To field strip, first depress the magazine catch and remove the magazine. Use the charging handle to pull the bolt carrier to the rear and inspect the chamber to verify the gun is unloaded. Press forward on the button at the rear of the receiver cover while simultaneously lifting up on the rear of the cover to remove it. Push the spring assembly forward and lift it from its raceway, withdrawing to the rear. Pull the bolt carrier assembly all the way to the rear, lift it and then pull it backwards. Remove the bolt by pushing it to the rear of the bolt carrier and rotating the bolt so the camming lug clears to raceway on the underside of the bolt carrier. Clean as needed, with special attention to the barrel, bolt face, and gas piston. Oil lightly and reassemble.

Service

Russian Naval Infantryman with an AKS-74.

Besides the Soviet Union and its successor states, the AK-74 was widely adopted by many Soviet client states and other nations, in particular users of the AK-47 and the AKM, although not nearly as extensively as those rifles. Like the AK-47 and the AKM, the AK-74 was copied both illicitly and under license by many of its operators. Yugoslavia license built the weapon as the M80, and it was featured prominently among many of the armed forces operating in the country during the 1990s. It remains the service weapon for many of the former Yugoslav republics. Semi-automatic variants of the AK-74 have gained in popularity with gun owners in the United States due to laws there restricting ownership of machineguns. Civilian rifles (and pistols) based on the Kalashnikov include a hodgepodge of features from various countries even in caliber 5.56 x 45 mm. Captured AK-74s and several variants thereof have also been used by the Mujahadeen, Taliban, Al-Qaeda, and Northern Alliance in Afghanistan, and by Osama Bin Laden and his subordinates in videos and interviews.

In fiction

The AK-74 has become a fixture in modern video games and books. In movies, it is often seen and used interchangeably with the AK-47 rifle.

References

Fackler et al. (1984). "Wounding potential of the Russian AK-74 assault rifle", Journal of Trauma-Injury Infection & Critical Care. 24, 263-6.

External links

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