Where did you see that? Are you sure?
The Krinkov AK-74 (the weapon Osama Bin Laden played with during his interview) is illegal to import into the US (except, inevitably, for USG examples) and isn't chambered for .223, but for an even smaller Russian subcaliber. It's a full-auto, short-barreled assault rifle/entry gun about the size of an MP-5. It wouldn't be a sniper's second or third choice, except "maybe" as a backup weapon.
Where did you get that info? I haven't seen anyone say the weapon is an AK-74 until now.