#Krinkov

New for 2023 from Palmetto State Armory are AKS-74U (a.k.a. Krinkov) style pistols. PSA brought to SHOT Show 2023 the versions of their new Krinkovs chambered in 5.45x39mm and 5.56x45mm, which will be the first to hit the shelves, however, they will also be offering these pistols chambered in .300 Blackout and 7.62x39mm. The PSA Krinkovs are completely made in-house and will be available in Q1-Q2 2023.

In 2019 this author had a chance to review an AK handguard made by the Ukrainian company KPYK and was really impressed by the quality and design of that product. The company has recently announced an expansion of that AK handguard line with the addition of two new aluminum M-LOK handguards designed for the AKS-74U. Let’s take a closer look at the new KPYK Krinkov handguards.

In this episode of TFBTV Show Time’s coverage of Red Oktober 2021, James Reeves visits M13 Industries’ tent and range at Red Oktober and gets to try out their fully automatic “Mini Monster” folding Krink, as well as their suppressed OC13 AK-type rifle.

AKS-74U, colloquially known as Krinkov, is the variation of Soviet AKs that pioneered a hinged captive top cover. This is a really handy feature as it makes the assembly of the top cover just a matter of closing it which is much simpler compared to the little bit tricky process of attaching a standard AK top cover, and locks/unlocks the gas tube making the disassembly/reassembly of the gun an even easier process by eliminating the step of rotating the gas tube locking lever which is oftentimes excessively tight. The original AKS-74U top cover also houses the rear iron sight assembly. Now, if you want to upgrade your Krinkov and have rails on the top cover,  Texas Weapon Systems, a company known for making hinged top covers for various AK rifles, has a solution for you. TWS has introduced an aluminum railed hinged top cover for AKS-74U pattern firearms called Krinkov Dog Leg Rail.

Rifle Dynamics has new limited edition Poppies of War Print AK Stock pouch on offer, with OTTE Gear artwork made by Andrew Bawidamann. This small piece of textile seems very unnecessary, yet if I had a Krink or similar AK, I would buy it ten times out of ten.

In this episode of TFBTV, James Reeves gets hands on with Zastava’s new M85/Z85 Tactical, which was unveiled at SHOT Show 2020. The new M85 Tactical is a Zastava-made, Zastava-imported, and Zastava-converted 10″ .223/5.56mm “Krinkov” style AK in “pistol” format including a brace, AR-15 buffer tube adapter, a CNC Warrior brake, and a quad-rail handguard with angled foregrip. All these extras set you back a few bucks though – $1,000 to be exact. Is this new Krink worth your money? See what James has to say.

Who doesn’t like Krinkovs? Especially ones made by a reputable company like the Polish Fabryka Broni “Łucznik” – Radom. At SHOT Show 2020,  Arms of America announced that they will start importing FB Radom Mini Beryl pistols chambered in .223 Remington / 5.56x45mm NATO and .22LR. Let’s take a closer look.

The AKS74U is perhaps one of the more interesting Kalashnikov variants that has spawned a following all over the world due to its compact size and effects as a status symbol in the United States, Middle East, and Central Asia. The name itself is one such example of that following that continues today. Coming from Pashtu origins in the midst of the Soviet-Afghan War, Krinkov has been turned into Krink in the US context and is still just as popular as ever.

Essentially the Soviet response to the H&K MP5 covert briefcase, the KGB invented this briefcase in response to a need to covertly carry an AKS74U while guarding high-level dignitaries. Unlike the MP5 briefcase, the AKSU case is designed so that it simply camouflages the rifle in plain sight, allowing a user to easily deploy the rifle by depressing a “trigger” which allows the briefcase to fall apart, leaving the rifle attached to a carrying handle that becomes part of the suitcase.

This is the first guest post by Grigory, author of “Kalashism” blog:  https://www.instagram.com/kalashism/
Grigory is a passionate gun enthusiast and spent his entire career working in Russian military-industrial complex in various capacities. He travels a lot, mostly to the Middle East and South Asia, and has a unique perspective on a lot of modern small arms and tactical gear.

Starting when the notorious terrorist leader found refuge in the company of Mullah Omar’s Islamic Emirate in the mid-1990s, Osama bin Laden became a vociferous proponent of constantly appearing in propaganda footage armed with a Soviet AKS74U “Krinkov”. Many have pointed to this being a very deliberate choice and not a haphazard appearance of a particular weapon system for maximum impact. If the leader wanted to simply demonstrate that he was armed in every recorded or photographed event, then of course any nearby rifle of sufficient weight and size could do. Indeed, the “Sheikh” could have pulled one off his Arab staffed security team at any time. But he didn’t, and instead he specifically chooses to be depicted in visual media as carrying the AKS74U. From what appears to be the time he began his work in Afghanistan and ending in some of his last televised propaganda messages, UBL constantly and consistently has an AKS74U by his side.

Iron Claw Tactical out of Wisconsin was showing off a 5.45x39mm Krink option that the company has recently put together. Built off a Bulgarian SLR-104UR SBR ( stock form sold by Arsenal), the Iron Claw Tactical has a number of aftermarket parts, and parts of the companies own line that come together under a single gray Cerakote job.

If you’ve ever shot or stood next to someone shooting a pistol or SBR AR or AK you know how loud they can be. This is especially true if they’re using a traditional style muzzle brake with side ports. For this reason “ Krinkov style” muzzle brakes are very popular on pistols and SBRs. They redirect the concussion and sound forward and away from the shooter while still offering a bit of recoil reduction. I stumbled on an interesting new lightweight muzzle brake from V Seven Weapons called the Helios that does just that.

Essentially Yugoslavian 7.62x39mm M70B1 rifles, the Tabuk series of small arms were produced in Iraq, with the help of Yugoslavian engineers in the late 1970s, just in time for the Iran-Iraq conflict that endured for an agonizing decade afterward. There were different iterations of the Tabuk, the standard rifle with wood stock, an underfolder, an RPK variant, a “Krink” version with a 12-inch barrel, and finally the Tabuk Sniper, but we’ll leave that topic for next week when we can devote an entire episode to it.

In our final installment of looking at the handmade wonders of the gunmaking village of Darra Adam Khel, we finish it off with an in-depth examination of the Krinkov patterned Kalashnikovs produced in the village. Some of them display an excellent resemblance to the original AKS74Us, however others leave much to be desired. As is shown with the final Krinkov that was very ornately designed in regards to the plastic furniture and the finish on the outside metal, the primary importance of these very short Kalashnikovs is that they serve as a status symbol among Afghans, Pakistanis and numerous other countries in Central Asia and the MENA region. We’ll be covering this, in addition to the actual history behind the name “Krinkov” in a future TFB TV episode, in much detail.