AK-74

The AK-74 is a Soviet-designed selective-fire assault rifle chambered for the 5.45x39mm cartridge. Developed by Mikhail Kalashnikov's design bureau and adopted in 1974, it replaced the AKM as the standard service rifle of the Soviet Army. The rifle retains the proven long-stroke gas piston, rotating bolt, and rugged stamped-steel construction of its predecessors, but introduces a smaller-caliber, high-velocity cartridge, a distinctive muzzle brake, and a redesigned magazine. The AK-74 is known for its exceptional reliability, ease of maintenance, and moderate recoil, making it highly controllable in automatic fire. Its 5.45x39mm round offers flatter trajectory and greater effective range than the 7.62x39mm, while remaining lightweight. The weapon is widely respected for its battlefield durability and simplicity, though it is often criticized for its crude iron sights and less refined ergonomics compared to Western contemporaries. Variants include the AKS-74 with a folding stock, the AK-74N with a night-sight rail, and the AK-74M with a solid folding polymer stock and modernized furniture. The AK-74 remains in service with Russia and many former Soviet states, and its design influenced later Kalashnikov rifles.