You Need to Take a Look at Russia’s New Rifle

Warrior Maven Video Above: How Can the Army Attack & Destroy Enemy Drones?

By Charlie Gao,The National Interest

While Russia’s AK-12 rifle grabbed headlines when serial production was announced in April 2019, not all of Russia’s military and state security forces are getting the latest rifle.

During the May 9th Victory Day parade, special troopers from the Russian National Guard (Rosgvardiya) were seen with the AK-200, a divergent evolution of the AK-74M rifle that is cheaper to procure than the AK-12.

Various upgrades of the AK-74M have shown up at Victory Day parades before. In 2015, a predecessor to the AK-200 called the KM-AK (modernization kit for the AK) was seen. While reports at the time suggested that it would enter mass productions shortly, the KM-AK was not procured in great number. Variants of the AK-74M fitted with the KM-AK kit are known as AK-74MR.

While the AK-74MR may appear similar to the AK-200, the AK-200 is slightly different. On the AK-74MR, the KM-AK kit places a picatinny rail on top of the dust cover via a special dust cover that is pinned into the rear sight base of the AK, requiring removal of the rear sight. The muzzle device is larger, and the safety remains unchanged. The kit also adds rails on the front handguard, a more ergonomic pistol grip, and a stock that can fold and collapse, “AR-style.” Later KM-AK kits also included an “AK-12 style” magazine, with a beveled bottom and clear windows to allow for the easy viewing of rounds.

Comparatively, the AK-200 is built from scratch as a new production rifle, so changes to the receiver allows for a locking picatinny railed dust cover while retaining the rear sight. The muzzle device is changed again to a slotted flash hider similar to those seen on the SVD and PKM, and the safety is upgraded with an extended protrusion to allow for manipulation with the trigger finger. The pistol grip, railed front handguard, folding and collapsing stock, and AK-12 magazine are all carried over from the AK-74MR.