Courtesy of Breach Bang Clear
JTT: A Treatise on AK-74 Mods
Tom Marshall
The life cycle of the AK-74 in American gun culture might be called a comedy of errors. It has never shared the widespread commercial success of its older brother, despite some very legitimate advantages in its caliber. The 5.45x39mm cartridge, vice its 7.62mm sibling, is lighter recoiling and flatter shooting with arguably better performance in soft tissue, depending on what literature you read.
Also, up until a few years ago you could buy a thousand rounds for less money than a showgirl can fit in her G-string (but she’s saving that money to get through med school, we’re sure of it). Despite the coffin lid that got nailed over top of the 5.45mm ammo market, which is a song for another time, said bullets are still available and still competitive with 5.56 or 7.62×39. But for those of us who have ‘74s or those of you considering one, the aftermarket is decidedly thin. So we’re going to talk a bit about what’s available and how it can help your underdog AK be all that it can be.
If you have a poster on the ceiling over your bed that says “Nyet! Rifle is fine!”, go take a blood pressure pill and a few deep breaths before you go any further. For everyone else, there are handful of really good companies out there making AK-74 upgrades. The build you’ll see here is one way to go. There are other options and you may like those better, we just wanted to give you an idea of what’s available.
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Photos courtesy of Breach Bang Clear
