The Russian military recently accepted the AK-12, a variant of its AK-74. Likewise, their neighbors, the Finns, have announced that, with cosmetic upgrades, they plan to have their 1960s-era AK ...

The AK-12’s final production version headlines all the features standard to modern rifles in its class, including an ergonomically shaped pistol grip, picatinny rail to accommodate a wide range ...

Whereas the original AK and its AKM variant use the 7.62x39mm cartridge, the AK-74 was the first of several subsequent Kalashnikov models to be chambered in a smaller, lighter 5.45x39mm cartridge.

Both the AK-12 and the AK-15 keep some traditional Kalashnikov features and are compatible with magazines used by earlier versions of the AK-74 and the AKM rifles, according to Modern Firearms.

Russian soldiers on the ground in Ukraine have developed a unique workaround: custom buckshot rounds that fit in a standard AK-74 magazine. There are several different ways to make this happen.