(speaking in foreign language)
- [Voiceover] Or the Russian 545 by 39 millimeter AKS-74U,
popularly known as the Krinkov in the United States,
or the Kalakov in Pakistan or Afghanistan.
The concept for a 545 submachine gun for the SPETSNAZs
was developed in the mid-1970s,
eventually being adopted in 1979.
However, Russian special forces never liked it,
and often traded it off for full-length AKS-74s
with mostly vehicle and helicopter crews adopting it.
The Mujahideen, especially, favored captured examples
for this reason and has become a status symbol
in modern-day Afghanistan.
The weapon first became known to the Western media
through a July 1984 edition of Soldier of Fortune
by writer David Isby went to Pakistan
to investigate the mysterious Krinkov.
Today, we have a semi-automatic NFA-registered SBR build
on an original Russian Tula parts kit
with American 922 compliant parts.
I've got some Russian ammunition,
and this is just an original Russian Bakelite magazines
as we put this through its paces.
The gun would come with this canvas carrying case
that allowed for it to be carried
with the sling still attached.
This case wasn't designed for rugability or ease of use.
Instead, it was to protect the gun while in transit.
The sling is designed to be used
while the stock is folded as opposed to extended.
Underneath the AKSU, there's an internal pouch
for the magazine that it was supplied with.
Disassembling the AKSU is much like
any other Kalashnikov platform.
Make sure the firearm is unloaded,
then push in on the receiver retaining button.
The receiver cover will angle off
towards the forward position
exposing the bolt carrier, bolt and mainspring.
Remove these straight out of the firearm to expose
the internal trigger and hammer components for cleaning
The gas tube, however, unlike other AKs,
is held in place by a spring-loaded pin actuated
by the receiver cover.
Push down and it's locked.
Push up and it comes out.
Similar to other AKs
in European small-arms manufacturing techniques,
the serial number is engraved
on all the major parts from the factory.
In 1985, the Soviets stopped cutting air vent holes
in the handguards of the AKSUs.
This is an '86 build.
The sights are extremely rudimentary,
adjustable 400 to 500 meters then in battle sight
zero for three and in.
The front sight is adjustable for elevation.
We'll see later on, this submachine gun
never performed well at long range,
despite it being a 545.
Here, we have a simplistic representation
of what a Soviet helicopter crew member
might have carried one of these in.
The Soviets issued out special leg holsters
and we were able to slap together
a cardboard representation of one.
The vest had the magazine pouch just above the holster
for easy access, purely a self-defense setup.
Operating the AKSU is just like
any other Kalashnikov platform,
apart from it being a blast, literally.
If you look closely, you can see the ball of flame
coming out of the muzzle from the short barrel
of the submachine gun.
The 545 is a very light-recoiling cartridge,
and followup shots are extremely easy to squeeze off.
(clicking)
For the majority of the day,
we are shooting at handgun distances
because steel is so much funner that way.
Joking aside, this is honestly the distances
that the AKSU was historically deployed in,
and is currently used today within
the Russian law enforcement.
Production stopped in 1993, and only the police have it now.
Bulgaria has a number of variants as well.
(gunfire)
Looking through old pictures,
we see a lot of Soviet soldiers with 45-round magazines
in their AKSUs.
That or 30-rounders taped together.
The reason for this was because the weapon
was only expected to be used as a personal defense weapon
outside of a vehicle or downed helicopter.
We also had on-hand a Rifle Dynamics Krinkov
in 7.62 millimeter, and shot the two together
as a sort of old versus new test.
Of course, the 545 cannot compare
to the 762 in terms of caliber, but what we have
are two opposite ends of development spectrum
from initial issue to modern conceptions.
(speaker drowned out by background noise)
We then fired the two at 100 meters,
and surprisingly enough, the minute of milk-jug sights
on the AKSU actually allowed for smaller grouping
than the aimpoint on the Rifle Dynamics.
This is also from a benchrest position,
and isn't indicative of what the submachine
would have been capable of at 300 meters or in
or a typical engagement distance
during the Soviet-Afghan War.
We wish to thank Panther Ridge Training Center
and Jeremiah Cohn from Kalashnicohn in Phoenix, Arizona
for putting together an outstanding historical rebuild
of this AKS-74U.
- Hey guys, it's Alex again with TFBTV.
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