THE AK74 Assault Rifle
In 1974 a new rifle appeared in the hands of Russian soldiers. It was recognisably an AK gun – the general configuration was basically the same as the AK47 – apart from a long eye-catching muzzle-brake fitting. Most importantly, however, was that this weapon was no longer using the now venerable 7. 62 x 39mm M43. Instead, it fired a much smaller 5. 45mm round at much higher velocities. This weapon was the AK74, and it signalled the AK rifle’s coming of age in the modern world of small-arms development.
Like the AK47, the AK74 was born because of the production of a new type of ammunition. In the mid-1960s Soviet military analysts were being awoken to the performance advantages of small-calibre rounds, particularly once combat data began to feed back from the burgeoning conflict in Vietnam. Here the US forces had shifted from the heavy 7. 62mm M14 rifle to the lighter 5. 56mm M16A1 as its standard. Some of these weapons fell into Soviet hands and the testing began. The results of analysis were revealing and compelling. Perhaps most practically important was that the small-calibre round naturally produced less recoil, and this correlated with a potential reduction in training times for soldiers. This was valuable in the context of tight military budgets where long periods of marksmanship training were not feasible. Additionally, the added controllability of the 70 small-calibre rifle provided an increased accuracy, this equating with a greater first-hit probability. Soldiers could also carry almost twice the amount of rounds for the same weight as the previous cartridge.
However, the advantages of the small-calibre round were not just related to user friendliness. They also had ballistic advantages. Small-calibre rounds had a high velocity for low weight (up to 1000mps/3280fps), and in flight the high velocity gave a better flat-trajectory distance. Penetration might not have been as good as some of the larger rounds, but lethality was just as good, if not better. Very high-velocity bullets impart a huge degree of hydrostatic shock – an effect in which the water content of body tissue effectively ripples from the supersonic air pressure, causing horrible damage.
All these factors combined to make the case for adopting the small-calibre round very persuasive. Development of a Soviet version began at the Russian arms manufacturer TsNIITochmash. Ammunition designers and technicians such as Viktor Sabelnikov and Lydia Boulavskaya originally arrived at a round designated the 13MZh. The calibre of the 13MZh was 5. 6 x 39mm, but further design improvements led them to the 13MZhV – 5. 45 x 39mm. The 13MZhV (which became known as the M74) had a 3. 4gm (0. 12oz) bullet, a 1. 45gm (0. 05oz) propellant charge (both of these measurements are out of a total weight of 10. 2gm/0. 36oz) and an overall length of 57mm (2. 24in). Its muzzle velocity was an impressive 900mps (2953fps). What was needed was a weapon to fire it.
The answer was the AK74, today the standard infantry assault rifle of the CIS forces. Unlike the AK47 which was a competitive winner for the M43 round, the AK74 was developed in tandem with the M74 by two engineers surnamed Alexandrov and Nesterov. They initially accommodated the round in modified versions of the AK47 and AKM, the latter modification eventually becoming the AK74. Yet the AK74 should not be thought of as simply a recalibrated AKM. Many improvements were built into the AK74 by design or by consequence. Weight in the AK74 is 3. lkg (6. 81b) as opposed to the 3. 85kg (8. 41b) of the AKM. The weight of the bolt was also reduced because of the smaller cartridge. The result of this was that the bolt carrier to bolt weight ratio increased: the AKM had a 5: 1 ratio whereas the AK74 has a 6: 1 ratio. These dry technical details hide the practical result that the proportionately heavier bolt carrier on the AK74 gave even better feed reliability, the bolt carrier being able to provide more secure bullet seating. The extractor mechanism was also improved to give better ejection. Ejection of the M74 case from the AK74 can be up to a distance of 6m (20ft). Whether such brisk ejection is necessary or even desirable is open to question, but the general feel is of a gun that is solid in both its operating system and its ejection.
The feature which separates the AK74 from its predecessors is its long, cylindrical muzzle brake. It will be remembered the AKM had a compensator, not a brake. By being cut at an angle the AKM’s muzzle deflected some of the gas blast upwards to counteract muzzle climb, but not recoil. The AK74 is different. Its muzzle brake takes a sophisticated approach to controlling gas flow, directing jets in various directions to stop muzzle climb, reduce recoil and alleviate some of the sideways blast that many muzzle brakes produce which can impact on those stood next to the firer. The net result is a gun which only imparts 2. 11 ft/lbs of recoil force on the stock compared to the Ml6’s 4. 42ft/lbs and the AKM’s 6. 4lft/lbs. Full-auto 30-round bursts are thus quite possible with the AK74 while retaining accuracy, and this adds up to an increased killing potential for any trained soldier.
Apart from the muzzle brake, there are several other features which separate the AK74 from the AK47 and AKM and which act as key identifiers. The furniture on the first batches of AK74s was the same wood-laminated plastic as the AKM or resin-impregnated wood fibre. It soon changed to new all-polymer furniture which is lighter and very tough (AK74s can also be seen with red polymer magazines). Today’s AK74s have the same style of furniture though the colour tends to be black or grey. In all cases, however, long grooves are cut into the stocks which identify them as 5. 45mm calibre – a necessary precaution to a new or nighttime user to stop them attempting to fire 7. 62mm rounds from the gun by mistake. In all modern cases grooves are cut into the top of the receiver to take optical sights.
The AK74 has continued the excellence of the AK47, and it has been popularly received by almost all. The Appendix gives some details of the weapon which may replace the AK74 – the AN-94 – but many are questioning whether the new, more sophisticated weapon will still have all the reliability and combat realism of the AK weapon. An updated version of the AK74, known as the AK74M (for ‘modernised’), was produced in 1987 as a competitive challenge to the AN- 94 in competitions held in Abakan. The most prominent improvement over the standard AK74 is a hinged stock which folds if required along the left of the receiver – a feature intended to replace the need for the fixed stock AK74 and its folding-stock version, the AKS74. It also featured strengthening at key points of the weapon, such as using wear resistant plastic for the furniture and making the muzzle- brake/compensator attachment more solid. Yet indications are that the gun has been overshadowed by the AN-94 and the AK74M fell out of production in 1992.
