AK-104
AK-104 | |
---|---|
![]() The AK-104 carbine, seen with red dot sight on the picatinny rail and attached to the barrel. | |
Type | Carbine Assault Rifle |
Place of origin | Russia |
Service history | |
In service | 2001–Present[1] |
Used by | See Users |
Wars | Syrian Civil War |
Production history | |
Designer | Mikhail Kalashnikov |
Designed | 1994 |
Manufacturer | Kalashnikov Concern |
Produced | 1994 |
Variants | AK-102, AK-105 |
Specifications | |
Mass | 3.0 kg (6.6 lb) empty 3.2 kg (7.1 lb) with empty magazine 3.7 kg (8.2 lb) with loaded magazine |
Length | 824 mm (32.4 in) with stock extended / 586 mm (23.1 in) with stock folded |
Barrel length | 314 mm (12.4 in) |
Cartridge | 7.62×39mm |
Caliber | 7.62mm |
Action | Gas-actuated, rotating bolt |
Rate of fire | 600 rounds/min |
Muzzle velocity | 670 m/s (2,200 ft/s) |
Effective firing range | 300 m (330 yd) at point-blank range 500 m (550 yd) |
Feed system | 30 round detachable magazine |
Sights | Iron sights, there is a dove-tail side rail for optical and night sights |
The AK-104 is a carbine variant of the AK-103. The AK-102, AK-105 and AK-104 are very similar in design, the differences being the caliber, functions and corresponding magazine types. The AK-104 is chambered to fire 7.62×39mm ammunition and thusly feeds from any standard 7.62x39 AK pattern magazine.
Design[]
The AK-104 is a 314mm (12.4in) barreled carbine in the AK-100 series of rifles, the dimensions of the gun is the same to other carbines of the AK-100 series. Compared to the AK-74M, AK-101, and AK-103, which are full-size rifles of similar design, the AK-102, 104, and 105 feature shortened barrels that make them a middle ground between a full rifle and the more compact AKS-74U. However, the AK-104 also features a solid, side-folding polymer stock, unlike the shorter, skeleton-stocked AKS-74U.[2] The AK-104 uses an adjustable notched rear tangent iron sight calibrated in 100 m (109 yd) increments from 100 to 500 m (109 to 547 yd). The front sight is a post adjustable for elevation in the field. Horizontal adjustment is done by the armory before issue. The AK-104 has a muzzle booster derived from the AKS-74U.[citation needed]
Protective coatings ensure excellent corrosion resistance of metal parts. Forearm, magazine, butt stock and pistol grip are made of high strength plastic.[3]
The 100-series AKs are produced by the Izhmash factories in Izhevsk, Russia.[citation needed]
Variants[]
![]() | This section does not cite any sources. (September 2021) |
SLR-107CR
A civilian semi-automatic rifle utilizing a gas block almost identical to the one seen on the Russian original. However the CR is distinctive in having a 16” extended barrel to comply with U.S. regulations, typically shrouded by a false extend booster or simply exposed with a simple nut threaded on at the gas block. Produced in Bulgaria and imported by Arsenal Inc.
PSAK-104
A civilian semi-automatic series of firearms meant to duplicate the aesthetic of the AK-104. Examples in the series utilize a clone more similar to that of the Russian AK-104 gas block/front sight pattern as opposed to the Bulgarian SLR-107CR variant. Based on PSAK-103, however, it is distinct from other examples by utilizing the earlier AKM pattern bolt as wells as other AKM pattern parts. Produced by Palmetto State Armory of South Carolina.
Small Production Examples
Due to the scarcity of AK-104 examples in the U.S. consumer market, a variety of small gunsmithing businesses and private individuals have obtained demilled AK-104 parts kits from overseas as well as a variety of U.S. made 922R compliant parts in order to build semi-automatic clones. In addition, a very small number of Saiga rifles built on the AK-104 assembly line in Izhevsk, Russia appear to have been imported and converted to the more customary AK-104 configuration.
Users[]
Egypt: Used By Special Operations Police and Black Cobra Unit alongside AK 103 and AK101[citation needed]
Iran: Manufactured by Iranian Defense Industries Organization and used by Iranian Armed Forces and its proxy forces.[citation needed]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/83/Iranian_sheikh_using_AK-104.jpg/220px-Iranian_sheikh_using_AK-104.jpg)
Russia: Used by the Russian Federal Protective Service.[4]
Venezuela: Produced under license by CAVIM alongside the AK-103.[5]
Syria: A batch of AK-104's have reportedly been delivered to Syria's Interior Ministry "Anti-Terrorism" Police in the Eastern Ghouta front in Rif Dimashq.[6]
Yemen: In service with some units of the Yemeni Army.[7]
Thailand: Directorate of Logistics procured from Russian Federation.[8]
Gallery[]
AK 104 below the AK 103.
See also[]
- List of Russian weaponry
- List of assault rifles
References[]
- ^ "фициальный сайт группы предприятий "ИЖМАШ"". Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
- ^ Modern Firearms - AK-102/104/105 Archived 19 August 2010 at the Wayback Machine. World.guns.ru (2011-01-24). Retrieved on 2011-10-12.
- ^ "фициальный сайт группы предприятий "ИЖМАШ"". Archived from the original on 14 April 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
- ^ Håland, Walter Christian (30 June 2017). "Russian Forces Assault Rifles Today". Small Arms Defense Journal. Vol. 9 no. 2. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
- ^ "Cavim inicia entrega de fusiles de asalto Kalashnikov AK-103 a la Fuerza Armada de Venezuela". Infodefensa.com. 3 June 2013. Archived from the original on 29 December 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
- ^ "Спецназ МВД Сирии опробовал на передовой новые АК-104" [Special Forces Ministry of Internal Affairs of Syria tested on the front lines the new AK-104] (in Russian). 25 February 2016. Archived from the original on 28 February 2016.
- ^ Jenzen-Jones, N.R. (September 2012). "The 100-Series Kalashnikovs: A Primer". Small Arms Review. Vol. 16 no. 3. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
- ^ สิริกิติ์ - กองทัพบก
- 7.62×39mm assault rifles
- Carbines
- Kalashnikov derivatives
- Assault rifles of Russia
- Kalashnikov Concern products
- Military equipment introduced in the 2000s