PieterCoetzee
Professional
Back in the 80s NATO started looking for a small(er) weapon that non combat troops could have available (as in not leaning against a tree over there) when needed. The project evolved or perhaps devolved into a requirement to defeat Soviet body armor (4.7 and 5.6). As in so much of Combloc thinking they took a simpler route. They simply shortened their AK74 into the AK74U (much like the west turned the M16 into the M4). A few of the fringe Combloc states were too vested in the original AK47 design in 762x39 so they followed the same principal in the older cartridge. We can debate the smaller, lighter, faster 545 vs the bigger, heavier, slower 762; but the fact is they both work as fighting cartridges.
Now what may seem a backward step for the (now) Russians, they have produced the AK15K which was born out of the AK12 modernization project (not the shotgun). It has a shorter barrel with an adjustable stock and a forearm with attachment points for accessories. Its purportedly intended for operating in smaller spaces and urban environments. AND its 762x39
Now what may seem a backward step for the (now) Russians, they have produced the AK15K which was born out of the AK12 modernization project (not the shotgun). It has a shorter barrel with an adjustable stock and a forearm with attachment points for accessories. Its purportedly intended for operating in smaller spaces and urban environments. AND its 762x39