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efense manufacturer Kalashnikov, a subsidiary of industrial giant Rostec, told reporters at Russia’s ARMY 2021 defense exhibition that the AK-12 assault rifle will become the new basic weapon for Russian troops. “The AK-12 has served as a replacement for the AK-74 since 2018 and will become the basic gun of the Russian Armed Forces in the next few years,” Kalashnikov’s press office announced. The company noted that the AK-12’s current and final design is based on feedback from field tests conducted in the lead-up to ARMY 2020. “The AK-12’s final design, shaped following its operational evaluation by troops, was featured...

Authorities in California’s agricultural heartland weren’t looking for a military assault rifle when they went to investigate the domestic assault case, but they found one. It was in the garage of a Spanish-tiled home in Fresno that police stumbled upon the AK-74. Its distinctively banana-shaped magazine -- loaded with 20 rounds -- was in a nearby storage container. AK-74s are similar to their more famous cousin, the AK-47. As a fully automatic weapon, the gun recovered by chance in 2019 is federally regulated, and difficult to obtain legally as a civilian in the United States. This one was stolen eight...

Check out this crazy Century Arms AK-74 explosion! It’s a good thing this guy was wearing good eye protection or that could have been a nasty accident. Malfunctions sometimes happen when shooting. Most of the time, they are relatively minor. Sometimes, they cause spectacular explosions. That slow motion replay is pretty cool: you can see the dust cover fly off and the magazine come apart. This is why it’s a good idea to wear eye protection and gloves when shooting. Though the shooter appears shocked and surprised, he does not seem to be seriously injured. See the full AK-74 explosion...

PORTLAND, Ore.,- A vlogger (Video Blogger) specializing in Apple products shared a video to answer the question, "How many iPhones does it take to stop an AK-74 bullet?" Daniel, the owner of YouTube channel EverythingApplePro, lined up a group of iPhones -- and one Samsung Galaxy -- to test whether the phones could deflect a bullet from his assault rifle. "The answer to that question is five iPhones," Daniel said in the YouTube video, after shooting through the line of phones and verifying the sixth phone in the lineup was untouched. The bullet was lodged in the fifth phone, a...

The AK-74M has slowly earned its place as the most popular assault rifle currently in use with the various factions fighting for control over Syria. While originally acquired only in small numbers by Syria, recent deliveries ensured a now solid presence of this rifle in the war-torn country. The AK-74M is not only popular with forces of the Syrian Arab Army and the Republican Guard, but also with various other groups fighting for control of the country. Syia acquired its first batch of AK-74Ms in the late 90s, albeit in very small numbers. This very first batch was believed...

Well, I just bought 6,480 rounds of armor-piercing 5.45X39 Russian Ammo for AK-74. I bought it because, well, it's cheap and my AR-15 is like a buck a shot and my FNAR is worse. So, now, having done this backwards, and knowing ZERO about AK platform, other than apparently the Taliban want to upgrade to AK-74s from AK-47s because the smaller, nastier, round is more effective and pops through kevlar, I come asking knowledgeable Freepers what kind of AK-74 I should buy. This would be a plinker, bought to shot varmits and generally have fun at lesser expense than my...

AK-74M Azerbaijan has started serial production of AK-74M assault rifles under licence from Russia. The Khazri assault rifle has some different features from the Russian original. They include the possibility of installing night vision devices, laser targeting, optical sights and lighting. The design of the rifle has also been changed slightly, but the weight remains the same. The rifle is being produced under licence from Kalashnikov's producers, Izhmash, the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant. Under the State Defence Order Program, the Ministry of the Defence Industry will produce 5,000 AK-74M Khazri assault rifles this year for delivery to the Defence Ministry.APA...

Romanian 5.45x39 jams a lot.

Police Arrest Witness Accused Of Lying To Sniper Investigators Falls Church Man Faces 6-Month Jail TermFairfax County Police have arrested and charged Matthew Dowdy, 37, of Falls Church, Va., for allegedly making false statements to police.Dowdy was arrested Friday afternoon, one day after police said his account of Monday night's sniper shooting outside the Home Depot store had been discredited.He is charged with "knowingly and willfully make(ing) a materially false statement or representation to a law enforcement officer who is in the course of conducting an investigation of a crime by another". He faces up to six months in jail.Dowdy's...

Ballistic Fingerprinting will be a joke soon, or why the Moose can't admit the shooter has a AK-74 Chief Moose and others involved with the investigation into the sniper shootings can't lend any credence to the witness who claims he saw a AK-74, because it would point out the ineptness of all of the ballistic testing to date. After Moose, the ATF and others trotted out all of the Mini-14's and AR-15 variants that used .223 ammo, they know they are in trouble if it turns out to be a AK-74. While the tests that show all of the rounds...

I was flipping channels past MS-NBC news tonight, and I heard Brian Williams report that the Maryland sniper is believed to be using an AK-74. He mentioned that they even asked the police if it was OK to report this, and that the police gave them the go-ahead. I have no idea how they would determine this - does a '74 leave distinctive marks on the brass? I recall that some AK-style rifles are available in .223, but aren't most of the '74s chambered for that 22 caliber Russian round? Seems like an odd choice for a sniper weapon, and...