skypirate7
Member
You are right that there are few if any countries purchasing AK-74s, but like I have said before, that is not necessarily due to any functional failing of the 74.
Please don't take it the wrong way, I am in no way knocking the AK-74. It's a great weapon. It is the Soviet's answer to the 5.56x45. But the Soviet Union collapsed before the AK-74 could overtake the prolific AK-47, and now all of the countries which used Soviet weapons are either sticking with the AK-47 or switching to 5.56x45. I think the AK-74 is going to die out within a couple decades. Outside of Russia it's pretty much already dead (or sucking in its last dying breaths).
If you have stockpiles of 7.62x39 ammunition already in country and you have a limited budget, then the cost of transition will have to be calculated into the reasoning for a change. It is true that even developing countries continually purchase weapons and have done so since the Cold War, but you have to factor into that what economists call "path dependence." Russia and China flooding the market during the Cold War has skewed the market forces towards the AK-47 for good or for bad.
Very true, but let's not think that the ONLY reason that much of the world uses the AK-47 and 7.62x39 is because they are widely available.
I think many countries take a serious look at the 7.62x39 and prefer its greater penetration and "knock-down power" over the 5.45 and 5.56.
And of course, they love the AK design for its reliability, simplicity, and affordability.
Btw, I hope I'm not scaring people away from buying AK-74's. Right now, AK-74 WASR-2's are the least expensive AK's on the market (for example, Aim Surplus is offering them for $289). Furthermore, 5.45x39 is the cheapest assault rifle ammo on the market (cheaper than 7.62x39 and way cheaper than 5.56x45). Of course, some people might be afraid that ammo and parts might dry up for their AK-74's in the not so distant future. That is something to consider.