The small calibre Kalashnikov has served the Russian military since the Soviet Afghan War
When heavily armed soldiers in unmarked camouflaged uniforms appeared in the Crimea at the start of the Ukraine crisis, most of them were carrying rifles that most people (including reporters) would mistakenly call ‘AK-47s’. In fact, the soldiers – along with the majority of Ukrainian government troops and separatist rebels – were carrying AK-74s, a small calibre successor to the more familiar AKs and AKMs so favoured by insurgents and terrorists around the world.
Visually, the AK-74 can be distinguished from the earlier AK and AKM by its slighter build and the prominent muzzle brake which significantly dampens recoil. While the AK and AKM were chambered for the 122 grain 7.62x39mm round which travels at 715m/s (2345 fps for those who can’t let go of imperial measurements), the AK-74 accommodates the much smaller 53 grain 5.45x39mm round which moves at 900m/s (2953 fps). AK-74 magazines are curved less acutely than AK/AKM magazines and are almost always made of orange or dark gray plastic, unlike the more prevalent metal ribbed ‘banana’ magazines for the 7.62x39mm round.
