[Telperion]

Does anybody know if 5.45 x 39mm AK-74 type rifles were ever imported or manufactured in the US in significant quantities? What is known about the ballistics of the cartridge?

[JShirley]

Slightly less powerful than .223/5.56x45mm.

[Detritus]

Yes at least a few 5.45x39 AK type rifles reached US dealer shelves..... one of the shops i do most of my browsing and buying in has what to me appears to be a semi-only copy of an AK-74 (full military layout, instead of a thumbhole stock or being configed like a Saiga) in fact it may BE an ishmash made gun of some sort... i don't know.

i have also seen references to there at least at one time being (possibly seen an example of) a Saiga chambered for the 5.45x39 (considering what a saiga IS, it would NOT be hard to do).

either way they were in (obviously) MUCH smaller numbrs than their 7.62 older brothers and cousins.

but i can at least say i've seen and examined one..

[Victor Romen]

Yes, many were imported from several different countries. They are also made here in the U.S. by a few different manufactures.

http://www.globaltrades.com/ssr-74-2.html
http://www.krebscustom.com/KalashnikovRifles.html (scroll down a bit)
http://www.robarm.com/RA_russian_firearms.htm (the VEPR II, VEPR K and VEPR KTR-03 are all offered in 5.45x39mm)

SAR-2's are 5.45x39mm as well.

Hope that helps some.

[Mark Tyson]

It's a small, long, fast cartridge.

Slightly less powerful than .223/5.56x45mm.

But I've heard it causes really horrific wounds and shoots very flat.

[Abominable No-Man]

In my time, which isn't all that considerable, I was in the right place at the right time and I have been able to handle and fire both AK74 and AK47 of various configurations.

My views:

AK47 family (7.62 weapons): Easy to maintain and operate, rugged, lousy sights (like a BB gun, IMO), kick like a mule and like to climb up and to the right on full-auto. Trigger is manageble. Ammo is quite a bit easier to find over here.

AK74 family (5.45): Easy to maintain and operate, rugged, lousy sights (like a BB gun IMO), actually quite easy to control on full auto, but LOUD. Trigger is manageable, and possibly a little better than the 7.62 series , but maybe that's just me. Ammo is a little harder to find, not usually found on gun-store shelves, but inexpensive, especially if you get it in bulk through the Shotgun News or something like that. Mags are cheap, too.

FWIW, when the Soviet Army invaded Afghanistan, they had the AK74. The Afghanis called the 5.45 the "poison bullet".

ANM

[Silent Bob]

AK-74s have a muzzle brake, which is why the one you shot was probably so loud.

[Skunkabilly]

Is it the norm for Russian weapons to have muzzle brakes instead of flash hiders? (don't know jack about Russian rifles)

[Nightcrawler]

Seems to be, Skunky. Early AK-47s had no muzzle device, other than a threaded barrel and a cap to protect the threads. Later models (AKM) had a slant brake, and of course the AK-74 has its brake. The one exception seems to be the super short barreled Krinkovs, which have a small conical flash hider.

[MAKOwner]

SAR2s are plentiful and cheap, just pick one of those up if you're interested in something in 5.45x39. www.aimsurplus.com was selling them for around $269 until just recently, I think they've stopped importing them. You should still see them around at gunshows and such, mine was $325 at a local show here.

I absolutely love it, it is such a sweet shooter. Recoil is nill and I don't even have the AK74-style brake on it. Flat trajectory, mine is a little more accurate than my 7,62 AKs have been (have a SAR1 and have had a couple MAK90s), follow up shots are obviously much faster. It's just mean, I like it better than my SAR1... Wolf ammo is available online for slightly cheaper than the cheapest 5.56 I've seen, ie just a little more than 7.62x39... Almost all of the online vendors that sell 7.62 carry 5.45 as well. So finding the ammo is no problem, of course you won't find it at your local Walmart though... Mags are cheap and plentiful, last gunshow I went to had a crate load of them for $6 a pop. Online you can get a 4-pack with pouch and accessories from www.northridgeinc.com for $25 I believe it was. Like new mags when I got mine from them...

The '74s are basically just AKMs rechambered in 5.45, so there are only a few parts on them that aren't interchangeable with standard 7.62 AKs, so most all the standard accessories like better trigger groups, different stocksets, etc fit on them with no trouble. All the SARs have the siderail scope mount already, so you can mount a Kobra or other Russian scope cheaply/easily. Just all around fun guns, I love mine...

I've redone the stock on mine, quick pic of my sars: