Making your AKS 74 more realistic

[mightyjebus]

The AK 74 has been in service with the Russian armed forces for over 35 years now and in it's lifetime it has been modified due to problems found during Russian armed conflicts in its lifetime. The original AK 74 was designed as a replacement for the AKM which was a direct replacement for the AK 47. The main reason for the change from the AKM to the AK 74 was the adoption of a new small arms round chambered for 5.45x39mm which replaced the larger 7.62x39mm round.

 

The AK 74 has seen a few changes and model types over it's lifetime and in western terms can be listed as follows:

 

AK 74 - full wooden stock rifle had 4 different foregrip styles

AKS 74 - folding stock rifle which replaced the AKMS. The main difference can be found in the folding stock as the AKMS had an under folding stock whereas the AKS 74 has a left side folding stock. The advantage gained from this was that an under barrel grenade launcher (GP 25 and GP 30) could be fitted and the stock was still able to be folded. This rifle also had 4 different foregrip styles over it's lifetime.

AK 74 (Plum) - This was the same rifle but the wooden furniture was replaced with plum coloured polymer furniture. The polymer furniture was fitted as a replacement as the laminated wooden furniture was prone to come apart in the harsh climates of Afghanistan. Both the AK 74 and the AKS 74 had plum coloured furniture fitted.

AK 74M - is the rifle currently issued to the bulk of the Russian forces and has black polymer furniture fitted to the rifle and and redesigned stock on the full stock model. This new stock is designed to fold in the same style as the AKS 74 stock (to the left). The M in the name stands for Modern.

AK74SU - a chopped down version of the AK 74 and issued to vehicle crews. This weapon is reportedly loathed by many Russians and has earned the nickname "*badgeress*" due to the difficulty with muzzle climb when this weapon is fired.

 

All the above rifles went through various small changes to the front sight, flash hider etc over it's life and different factories produced slight changes to the design as well.

 

One thing to note about the above is that if a sight mount was added to the side of the receiver the rifle would carry a letter N in its title. For example a

AK 74 fitted with a sight mount would take on the name AK 74N. This was true for all rifles however it is a Western term and not a Russian one.

 

For more information on the AKM and the AK 74 try these links. Link1 and link2

 

Well that's the brief history over now it is time to start looking at this guide.

 

I decided to make this guide as a few people have asked me how I did it after seeing my pictures in the AK pictures thread on this forum.

 

The main reason I decided to do it was that I wanted my AK's to look as realistic as possible. It isn't possible to get an AK AEG to look 100% realistic due to the length of the receiver being slightly longer due to the gearbox and the pistol grip being fatter than the real thing due to the motor being housed in it. However the rest of the AK can be made to look more realistic using this guide. If you follow this guide it will leave your AKS 74 looking like a 95% realistic factory new AKS 74.

 

So the first thing to do is determine which AKS 74 to use. There are at least 6 companies that produce an AKS 74 AEG and they all have their plus and negative points. To make my choice easier I carried out a bit of research and picked the AKS 74 that was closest to what I wanted to achieve. The AKS 74 that I wanted was a cross between the two on the following links. Link1 and Link2

The VFC AKS 74N is the AEG i decided to use as it comes with the right coloured rear sight and the stock latch is also right for the model I wanted to make. My next choice would have been the Kalash AKS 74 as it is a direct copy of the VFC and a lot cheaper however the rear sight and stock latch are black and not gun metal in colour like the examples in the links above. I could have replaced then with rear steel ones or painted them however it was easier to get the VFC and skip this extra work.

This is how the VFC AKS 74N looks like straight out the box.

 

 

To be honest it is a very good looking AKS 74N and really doesn't need anything doing to it however being a stickler for detail I decided that the foregrips would need replacing, the flash hider was too cleanly made for a Russian weapon and that the Magazine looked wrong. I also decided to add a sling to complete the look.

 

The first thing to do is replace the foregrips. Taking off the VFC ones is easy as the AEG strips like a real AK. Turn the gas block lever upwards and pull the upper handguard and gastube upwards. Move the lower front handguard retainer lever forwards and slide the lower foregrip and retainer forward remembering to remove the cleaning rod first.

 

Once the foregrips are removed the replacement grips need to be modded to fit the VFC. Here's a picture of the VFC grips fitted to the rifle compared next to the replacement foregrips. The replacement grips are from surplus Russian stock and are available from www.rusmilitary.com for around £46.

 

As I mentioned earlier in this start of this guide the AK 74 and AKS 74 had 4 styles of wooden furniture fitted. The first 74's had AKM foregrips then they had a 3 of there own style over it's lifetime. The different styles can be found Here, Here, Here and Here

All credit to www.rusmilitary.com for the photographs in the links.

 

I decided to use the grooved and slotted upper and lower foregrips for this project which can be seen on this example.

 

To make the foregrips fit the VFC AKS 74 you need to carry out the following work:

Thin the lip on the upper front grip so that it fits inside the VFC gas tube. I used a stanley knife with a new blade to shave a thin bit of wood off and tried to fit it into the gas tube on a regular basis. I shaved more wood off until I was happy with the fit.

Next I took my dremel with a sanding bit attached and removed wood from the inner part of the upper foregrip so that the gas tube would fit flush with the upper foregrip.

Once I was happy that everything fitted I put the parts back together and put to one side so that I could work on the lower foregrip.

[mightyjebus]

The lower foregrip requires sanding allowing it to fit over the AEG outer barrel. The VFC foregrip is thinner that the real one and a dremel was used again to take some of the wood inside the grip off allowing it to fit.

The VFC is the upper grip in this picture.

Once I was happy with the fit I reassembled the front grips which is a reversal of the removal.

 

I decided to replace the flash hider with a real steel one as the VFC one is too nice looking. The RS one's are usually a bit rougher due to their construction in Russia.

VFC on the left RS on the right.

Swapping is easy as the VFC uses a M24x1.5 thread on the front sight which is the same as the real AKS 74.

 

With the foregrips and flash hider replaced I added a RS sling(£9.95 from rusmilitary.com) and turned my attention to the magazine. I decided to ditch the VFC magazine and use a G&P plum midcap fitted inside a RS magazine shell. This involves a bit of cutting and filing to get the inner midcap to fit however the results are worth it.

You can always paint the VFC magazines to look more realistic as I have done previously and they do look better than the supplied VFC magazine.

 

And now the final result.

This is 2 VFC AKS 74's fitted with different styles of wooden furniture. The top one has had a Russian tourniquet wrapped around the stock as seen in various pictures of Russian soldiers in action.

 

The same method above can also be applied to the AK 74 with a RS stock being modded to fit the VFC Ak 74.

 

 

 

 

 

[Marlowe]

Excellent guide. Pinned.

[Punkypink]

That is sooooooooooo nice... *envy*

[ACOG]

If I EVER get an AKS 74 or the U one, i'm doing this. And then i'll weather it more. VERY nice guide, hit it right on the spot.

[mightyjebus]

thanks for the pin and comments all. if I get a chance I will sort out a guide for fitting a RS stock to an AK 74. It's a bit of a job but looks good once finished.

[MotoSam]

 

Nice thread to see.

 

I did a job on my kalash aks74 progressively since I got it, lighting isn't ideal sorry.

 

I have fitted a plum coloured pistol grip and have refinished the matt black in a gloss black, maybe a bit too shiny?, and the wood is restained, its darker now than in that image.

 

Also have the stained mags to look more bakelite like.

 

Nothing beats a realistic full steel AK for that, is this real? factor

[mightyjebus]

that looks good. i'll post up a few more I have modded.

 

And here they are

 

Kalash AKS 74 fitted with a real steel set of foregrips, a VFC plum pistol grip and a G&P plum Midcap.

Inokatsu AIMS full stock.

G&G AKMS with Star GP 30.

VFC AIMS.

Inokatsu AKMS.

[Kenworth W900]

Wow, I always knew your Ak's were good but this is a great thread indeed

My favourites are the AK74 and the AKMS - I would have a hard time choosing between them.

 

 

P.s. since this is your own pinned thread jebus maybe you should post up details about the other builds here too.

[mightyjebus]

My next project is a LCT AK 47. I will turn that into a project build and post here if the mod's don't mind.

[LastSpartan]

Sorry for the bump (It's stickied anyway)

 

 

 

 

Currently working a build for an AKS-74.

 

 

 

 

I'm trying to find a kit of wooden Handguards for my TM-style AK. How different is the modifications required from the TM-design to the VFC-design?

 

 

 

 

AKM wood handguards seems to be relatively easier to find here, as well as being cheaper. However, I'm trying to stay accurate as much as I can. Any other websites to recommend other than Rusmilitary?

 

 

 

 

Thanks!

 

 

[MotoSam]

Considering how they are made, I'd mod the AK to suit the handguards even. Basically, where the plastic trunnion runs to the front of the receiver is where the handguard wedges in, cutting back the plastic trunnion would probably allow a real handguard to fit, and a lot more securely than the rubbishy little tab TM use. Have a look at real handguards to see how they wedge in at the back, even shaving them shorter and cutting the TM trunnion back a little would be far stronger than cutting down to a little tab to suit the TM design.

[mightyjebus]

ebay have them now and again for a lot cheaper so it is worth looking there.

 

Modding RS wooden grips to a TM style receiver is possible (I know I have done it) but requires a bit more work. The latch that sits inside the lower receiver is quite large on the RS grip however the TM latch is very small. Use the TM grip as a guide when you cut and shave it and you shouldn't go wrong.

 

here is some more pictures of work I have carried out.

 

Sorry for the bump (It's stickied anyway)

 

 

 

 

Currently working a build for an AKS-74.

 

 

 

 

I'm trying to find a kit of wooden Handguards for my TM-style AK. How different is the modifications required from the TM-design to the VFC-design?

 

 

 

 

AKM wood handguards seems to be relatively easier to find here, as well as being cheaper. However, I'm trying to stay accurate as much as I can. Any other websites to recommend other than Rusmilitary?

 

 

 

 

Thanks!

[Coma Black]

What is this, MJ's Kalasniporn thread?

 

Not that I'm complaining.

[STUNTMAN]

Mine:

 

[Bane]

Is that all "Natural" wear, or not?

[Alakdan101]

obviously not...

[adadqgg]

It is not realistic when it rusts.

 

Russian Military has AK with finish worn down to bare steel; but they keep them RUST-FREE.

 

But this is all necropost even though the thread is stickied.

[mightyjebus]

it is a necropost and i forgot all about this. I'll post up a guide to a AK74SU in a few weeks time.

[mightyjebus]

One of the things that have bugged me about the airsoft AK's is the lack of a decent laminated pistol grip. So over the next few months I'm planning to make a couple. Here's the work so far:

left to right airsoft plastic grip, RS grip, paper template, 1st attempt at the general shape and lastly a AK gearbox for reference.

After cutting the first wooden part I decided that the walls would be too thin to be of any use so the paper template shows what will be required to make a functioning grip, It works out about the same size as the plastic grip.

I will use 3 pieces of laminated wood to form the grip for easy of construction with all 3 parts being pinned together and then epoxy resin will be used to strengthen the grip inside. for reference the 3 pieces will be made from 9mm + 12mm + 9mm which will make the grip 30mm thick

[Avenger96]

I'll just leave this here...

 

[WhiteHawksan]

argh! that mag. Dammit man, get some fakelite on there!

[Avenger96]

I'm going metal soon. I hate the orange. Actual bakelite looks good, but airot compni can't seen to pull it off. The plan is the convert RS mags to airsoft mids next time I see some for cheap.

 

This gun is actually not in this condition anymore. I slapped my custom super-shorty stock and front set on it, because that stock was not sturdy nough. I also repainted, because I botched up the wear job on the other side. After I get my other customs wrapped up and a permanent reciever for the super-shorty it's goingback together, with a secure stock better mags and authentic field wearing.

[SteevoLS]

I'll just leave this here.

 

[Avenger96]

WHY DO YOU GUYS HATE ME SO MUCH!

 

I go away from the AOSC, and you chase me down here???

 

@Innocent Arnies bystanders: that guy owns the forum for my home state. He also has nicer AKs than me