#5.45x39mm

Close your eyes and allow me to take you back to a time when ammunition was cheap and plentiful. Crates of Comm Bloc surplus ammo could be had for the price of a night at the movies. Where ammo shelves were stocked to the brim, and retailers were handing out ‘buy one, get one’ coupons. Remember those days? No, neither do I .

Rumors of a new Magpul magazine for the AK-74 platform are confirmed: The company has just released the PMAG 30 AK74 MOE magazine, designed to hold 30 rounds of 5.45x39mm ammunition and compatible with all 5.45mm caliber AK rifles that take traditional AK-74 pattern magazines.

An image of a mysterious new Russian machine gun was leaked to the public recently, during a visit to the Kalashnikov factory by Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov. The weapon is an intriguing dual-feed magazine/belt loading gun that features distinctly un-AK-like underbarrel gas tube, as well as integral top and bottom Picatinny-type rails. Little is known about the weapon besides its name which is reportedly “RPK-400” (Ручной пулемёт Калашникова -400, or “Handheld Kalashnikov Machine Gun 400”) EDIT: That is apparently the name of the modernized RPK-74 that is on the far left in the image

Circle 10 AK has made a name for itself in being a small, but high quality AK parts producer and designer within the industry. At that, the company is able to bring to market products that are economical as well, from the Scout Optic Mount, to the Alfa forward rail mount developed in conjunction with Manticore Arms. In addition, as an AK parts dealer on their own accord, Circle 10 AK has always known to be reputable and reliable among AK owners.

This article is an English-language translation of an article written for Мир увлечений: Охота & Оружие (World of Hobbies: Hunting & Weapons) magazine, by Andrey Donets and Dmytro Adyeyev. TFB reader dnepr0mike graciously aided the blog with his translation skills to bring this to our readers. The article and its images are used with permission from Hunting & Weapons magazine.

Courtesy of The AK Guy, this image has been making its way around the internet. It is an experimental 5.45x39mm drum contraption that takes a belt of 5.45x39mm rounds and allows them to work in a standard AK74 receiver without any modification to the actual rifle or RPK74. It does this by using the motion of the charging handle going back and forth to cycle the rounds in the metallic belt, pushing the links out, and somehow feeding the rounds into the rifle to be chambered and fired. The first problem I would assume this would have is that there aren’t any 5.45x39mm belt systems that have been used reliably, but then I started looking into it, and the Soviets did experiment with two 5.45x39mm light machine guns that took belts. These were the PU 2, and PU 21 designs. The PU 2 was based on a modified RPK design, that took some elements from the PK machine gun. The PU 21 was a scaled down version of the PK machine gun and designed to fire the 5.45x39mm cartridge. Both of them could take belts in addition to AK74 magazines, similar to how the M249 SAW was originally envisioned. Needless to say, none of the concepts talked about were actually put to use in any large numbers and didn’t go past the experimental stage.

The weekend after the Big 3 Media Event at Daytona Beach, FL, I was invited to visit Definitive Arms (DA) in Saint Petersburg, Florida. DA started as a custom builder of doing magazine well conversion for Kalashnikov pattern rifles. Their patented mag-well design allows the use of Magpul PMag and USGI aluminum AR-15 style magazines on their converted 5.56mm caliber AK rifle. Since then, Definitive Arms had expanded to making other custom works and even started production of completed AKs.

It appears that Robski from AK Operators Union has let slip that Magpul will be introducing new 5.45 mags at the upcoming SHOT Show. I am really excited about the prospect of reliable, cheap 5.45 mags. If I am honest the cost of quality AK74 mags is something that has kept me from embracing the 5.45 platform over the more traditional 7.62. I think I see a bunch of 5.45 Magpul magazines in my future.

CAI is now producing a splendid AK74 clone that they have dubbed the M74 Sporter, and I asked our great editor Phil White if I could review one. Let me tell you, we deal with a lot of companies here at The Firearm Blog, but CAI is really on the ball when it comes to reviewing one of their products. A single email sent by Phil to the manufacturer results in a gun at my FFL, with accessories and all kinds of cool ancillary stuff in about 4 or 5 days! To me this speaks well of their organization as far as the administrative side goes, and to me that is an indicator of a good company overall, and there I must give them some serious credit. That being said, I was very excited to have to opportunity to test their AK74.

These photos were taken in Pakistan. The rifle appears to be a custom job that probably came from the gun markets of Durra. It looks like a AKS-74U thats been modified.