AK-74

AK-74
AK-74
	Early AK-74 with magazine made of AG-4S polymer and laminated wood furniture
Type	Assault rifle
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Service history
In service	1974–present; 1991–present (AK-74M)
Used by	See Users
Wars	Soviet–Afghan War; Kurdish-Turkish conflict (1978-present); Lord's Resistance Army insurgency; Sri Lankan Civil War; Afghan Civil War (1989–1992); Gulf War; Georgian Civil War; Transnistria War; Afghan Civil War (1992–1996); Tajikistani Civil War; East Prigorodny Conflict; The Troubles; Burundian Civil War; First Chechen War; Batken Conflict; Second Chechen War; 2001 Afghanistan War; Iraq War; Russo-Georgian War; 2011 Libyan Civil War; War in Donbas; Syrian Civil War; Iraqi Civil War (2014–2017); Yemeni Civil War (2015–present); Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen; Saudi–Yemeni border conflict (2015–present); 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict; Second Nagorno-Karabakh War; 2021 Kyrgyzstan–Tajikistan clashes; 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine;
Production history
Designer	Mikhail Kalashnikov
Designed	AK-74: 1974; AK-74M: 1991;
Manufacturer	Kalashnikov Concern; (formerly Izhmash)
Produced	AK-74: 1974–1991; AK-74M: 1991–present;
No. built	5,000,000+
Variants	See Variants
Specifications
Mass	AK-74: 3.07 kg (6.8 lb); AKS-74: 2.97 kg (6.5 lb); AK-74M: 3.4 kg (7.5 lb); without magazine; 30-round magazine: 0.23 kg (0.51 lb); 6H5 bayonet: 0.32 kg (0.71 lb);
Length	AK-74: 943 mm (37.1 in); AKS-74 (stock extended): 943 mm (37.1 in); AKS-74 (stock folded): 690 mm (27.2 in); AK-74M (stock extended): 943 mm (37.1 in); AK-74M (stock folded): 700 mm (27.6 in);
Barrel length	415 mm (16.3 in)
Width	AK-74M: 70 mm (2.8 in)
Height	AK-74M: 195 mm (7.7 in)
Cartridge	5.45×39mm
Action	Gas-operated, rotating bolt
Rate of fire	Cyclic: 650 rounds/min; Practical: 100 rounds/min;
Muzzle velocity	880–900 m/s (2,887–2,953 ft/s)
Effective firing range	500 m (550 yd) (AK-74, AKS-74, AK-74M point target); 800 m (870 yd) (AK-74, AKS-74, AK-74M area target);
Maximum firing range	3,150 m (3,440 yd)
Feed system	30-round AK-74 and 45-round RPK-74 detachable box magazine, 60-round casket magazine and 96-round RPK-16 drum magazines
Sights	Adjustable iron sights, front post and rear notch on a scaled tangent

The AK-74 (Russian: Автомат Калашникова образца 1974 года, tr. Avtomat Kalashnikova obraztsa 1974 goda, lit. 'Kalashnikov assault rifle model 1974') is an assault rifle designed by small arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1974. While primarily associated with the Soviet Union, it has been used by many countries since the 1970s. It is chambered for the 5.45×39mm cartridge, which replaced the 7.62×39mm cartridge of Kalashnikov's earlier automatic weapons for the Soviet Armed Forces.

The rifle first saw service with Soviet forces in the Afghanistan conflict from 1979. The head of the Afghan bureau of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the intelligence agency of Pakistan, claimed that America's Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) paid $5,000 for the first AK-74 captured by the Afghan mujahideen during the Afghan-Soviet War.

As of 2021, most countries of the former Soviet Union use the rifle. Licensed copies were produced in Bulgaria (AK-74, AKS-74 and AKS-74U), and in the former East Germany (MPi-AK-74N, MPi-AKS-74N, MPi-AKS-74NK).

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