AK-74

The AK-74 is an assault rifle designed in the Soviet Union in order to phase out and eventually replace the aging AK-47. The AK-74 is chambered for a completely different type of round: the AK-47 fires the 7.62x39mm round, whereas the AK-74 fires the 5.45x39mm round. The AK-47 was not completely phased out, but the 7.62x39mm and AK-47 both ceased to be the Soviet standard.

Many different variants of the AK-74 exist, but the models most well known to players are the AKS-74, and the AK-74u. The 'S' addition to the standard name denotes a folding stock, and is transliterated as ' skladnoy'. These AKS-74 stock is of a triangular shape, and folds to the left of the weapon. The other most readily recognised variant of the AK-74 is the 'AK-74u': the 'u' designation is Russian for 'shortened', and is transliterated as ' ukorochenniy'. These different variants appear in an array of different games, in addition.

Like with the AK-47 rifle, the letters 'AK' mean 'Automatic Kalashnikov'. This transliterates from Russian as 'Avtomat Kalashnikova', and in the Cyrillic alphabet is spelt as Автомат Калашникова.

Specifications

The specifications below are related to the standard AK-74 model - not the 'skladnoy' or 'ukorochenniy' variants.

Game Appearances

Battlefield: Bad Company Variant: AKS-74u Krinkov The AKS-74u appears in Battlefield: Bad Company's Single Player and Multiplayer. It has a 60-round magazine, and a high rate of fire. The weapon is the default SMG of the Russian 'Specialist' class, and can be found on the bodies of Russian commandos during the Single Player campaign. It is equal to the other default SMGs of the American Army and the MEC, so it is not drastically different.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Variant: AKS-74u 'Krinkov' The AKS-74u in Battlefield: Bad Company 2 appears in both Single Player and online Multiplayer. The weapon is identified in-game as the 'AKS-74u Krinkov', and is an essential weapon to use during the final mission of the game, 'Airborne'. It must be picked up during the mission to progress, and enemies in the mission will use it with both a Red Dot Sight and with no sight attached. In online Multiplayer, it is the fourth weapon unlocked in the Engineer class, and is earned with 16,000 Points. It has low recoil and high damage, making it a very deadly weapon in the Engineer's arsenal. It uses a 30-round magazine, and is suppressed, like all of the Engineer-exclusive weaponry. It was patched during the game's lifespan to make it more difficult to use accurately at longer ranges, as the low recoil allowed some players to use it with extreme accuracy.

Battlefield: Heroes Variant: AK-74 Two versions of the AK-74 appear in Battlefield: Heroes. The standard version, identified as the 'AK74', can be purchased by the Soldier class in the 'National Army'. The weapon is unlocked at Level 10, and has a magazine size of 45-rounds. It cannot be purchased by the Royal Army, but can be stolen from a member of the National Army and used against them. The equivalent of the AK-74 is the M16 for the Royal Army. The second version of the AK-74 to appear in the game is the 'SOF AK-74'. This variant of the weapon was released on December 2nd, 2010, as a special 'Christmas-themed' weapon. It features a Scope and Bayonet, as well as Winter camouflage. The Scope on the weapon is usable, but the Bayonet is not. It is again exclusive to the National Army, but can be stolen by members of the Royal Army. When firing, the two weapons are identical except for aesthetic differences, and the usable scope present on the SOF version.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Variant: AK-74u The AK-74u first appears in Call of Duty 4 during the mission 'F.N.G', in the armory. It is fitted with a GP-25 Grenade Launcher here, but it cannot be used or even accessed. It first appears as a usable weapon during the mission 'Crew Expendable', and is used by both the OpFor and the Russian Ultranationalists. It is Nikolai's weapon of choice, and he uses it during both 'Blackout' and 'Hunted'. In online Multiplayer, the AK-74u is unlocked at Rank 28, and can be outfitted with a Red Dot Sight, Suppressor, or ACOG Scope. The weapon handles extremely similarly to an assault rifle, though it is classed as a Sub-Machine Gun in-game. Many players choose to use it without attachments, as the Suppressor and Red Dot Sight both change how the weapon handles slightly, and the ACOG Scope is just extremely unpopular with the majority of weapons.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Variant: AK-74u The AK-74u appears in Call of Duty: Black Ops, during the Campaign, Zombies, and Multiplayer modes. The gun does not have a stock attached in Black Ops, and the name is no longer hyphenated. In Single Player, the weapon is commonly used by both the Viet Cong and the Russian Spetsnaz. The weapon also appears in Zombies, and can be purchased off a wall, for 1200 CoD Points. It can prove effective until Round 8, where it becomes too weak to extremely effective. Like the M14, its magazine size is altered in Zombies mode - rather than holding 30 rounds, it holds only 20, meaning that ammunition conservation is essential for the weapon to remain effective. Should the weapon be 'Pack-a-Punched', its name changes to the 'AK74fu2'. The upgraded version of the weapon includes a Red Dot Sight, with a randomized reticule and color. The AK-74u is also available in Multiplayer, unlocked at Rank 17. It can be purchased online for 2000 CoD Points, and is one of the most popular weapons online due to its all-round stats. It is similar to the MP5k, but is able to accept the most attachments of any SMG in the game. It also is able to accept a Grenade Launcher, unlike any other sub-machine-gun. The Grenade Launcher fitted to the weapon is the 'Tishina'.

Trivia

• The AK-74u is frequently classified as a sub-machine in games, though it is technically a carbine rifle due to the fact an SMG is noted for firing pistol ammunition. The 5.45x39mm round is a rifle round, meaning that the weapon cannot be an SMG.
• The 60-round magazine used in Battlefield: Bad Company does not exist. However, almost all of the weapons in Bad Company have increased magazine capacities over real magazines (for example, the M416 has a 50-round magazine, though these do not exist in real life).