ARCTURUS AK74U Tactical Sub Carbine AT-AK06E AEG

If you want a tiny AK but you are sick and tired of seeing the cold war era AKS-74U, this lil' guy should interest you! The AK74U Tactical Sub Carbine from ARCTURUS is the same length as the AKS-74U, making it great for aggressive playstyles and slicing the pie at close range, but has an entirely unique look.

The receiver is an RPK-style reinforced receiver, complete with bulges just aft of the trunnion block, the front sight block is a unique design based on American real steel AKs and the stock is an ultra-slick MCX-style side folder; a significant improvement over the basic stamped steel AK side folder stocks usually found on short AK rifles. The AK74U Tactical Sub Carbine is also bristling with rails, offering plenty of space for accessorising with both 20mm Picatinny rails and M-LOK slots, making it mission ready for the 21st century!

Starting at the tip of the compact 7-inch outer barrel we have a small muzzle brake with massive ports on either side, granting the rifle a compact but intimidating look. This muzzle brake is constructed from alloy and mounts to 14mm CCW male threading on the steel outer barrel, meaning if you want a sneaky look for this mini-AK you can mount a suppressor or tracer without issues.

There is no grub screw holding this muzzle device on, it is instead retained via a spring-loaded steel detent pin positioned at the top of the device, affixed to the front of the front sight/gas block. This detent pin needs to be held down in order to unscrew the muzzle device. This is very realistic for an AK rifle, and is much nicer than fiddling around with a tiny Allen key!

The front sight/gas block is constructed from steel and is a modern design inspired by compact AK rifles devised in the US. The front sight is the usual AK adjustable front post protected on either side with wings cast into the front sight/gas block. The finish on the gas block is pretty darned perfect for an AK, with a textured finish with similar looks to real AK parts.

The handguards boast a combination of 20mm Picatinny rails and M-LOK attachment slots, with 20mm rails available at the 3, 9, and 12 o'clock positions with two M-LOK slots at 6 o'clock. This means you can equip the AK74U Tactical Sub Carbine with whatever you need to complete the mission, including PEQ laser units, tactical flashlights and vertical or angled grips. Using M-LOK on the bottom of the handguard keeps it comfortable to hold without requiring a grip or rail covers to protect your hands from the sharp edges of a 20mm rail, but you can still use 20mm rail accessories by mounting a 20mm Picatinny rail for M-LOK.

On either side of the lower handguard, we also have a QD sling socket machined into the 20mm side rails. This allows QD sling swivels to be mounted on either side and paired with the sockets at the rear, allowing for an ambidextrous sling setup that can be added and removed in seconds. The benefit of a QD sling system is that you can swap primary weapons without taking your sling off which is great for those of us who like to bring a variety of weapons to the skirmish and switch at will.

Following the handguards, we come to the trunnion block which is a modernised design complete with a 20mm Picatinny rail running across its upper surface in the area that provides a home to the rear tangent sight of a standard AK. This means the rear sight is no more, but there is an open sight built into the rail itself, though it is difficult to use it is great for emergency backup should your primary sight go down. This rail is perfect for mounting a red dot sight, being positioned far enough forward that you have a great field of view around your sight but also freeing up the upper handguard rail for other accessories.

Next up we arrive at the receiver, which like other AKs, is comprised of two parts; the receiver itself and the receiver top cover. Both parts are constructed from steel, with the receiver being of the RPK style, complete with reinforcements surrounding the trunnion, just below the bolt carrier, and the top cover being AK74 style with stamped-in reinforcement ribs.

To access the battery compartment of the AK74U Tactical Sub Carbine you will need to remove the top cover by pressing the button at the rear of the receiver, just like a regular AK. With the button pressed you can lift the cover off the weapon, revealing a Deans battery connector inside. For the AK74 Tactical Sub Carbine, we recommend a 7.4V 1200mAh LiPo Slim AK Stick battery or a 9.6V 1600mAh NiMh AK Stick, though you can also use batteries with a mini-Tamiya connector (eg:9.6V 1600mAh NiMh) as we are treated to a Deans to mini-Tamiya adaptor in the box. Unfortunately, stick batteries designed for M4/AR15 buffer tubes are a very tight fit inside the battery compartment so we don't recommend using one of these as you may damage the cells during installation.

With your battery installed you can index the front of the receiver cover into its slot at the front of the receiver (between the trunnion rail and protruding top cover support) and push the rear of the cover back down, being careful not to catch any wiring. The button at the rear should pop through the receiver top cover when it is aligned correctly, but if it doesn't and you are sure it is properly aligned you can pull the charging handle back to seat it properly.

The receiver itself follows the standard AK47/74 format with a centrally positioned ambidextrous magazine release at the front of the trigger guard, mock bolt carrier on the right side of the receiver and a 3-position fire selector on the right side. The fire selector provides 3 modes of fire; safe, full auto and semi-auto, in that order. It is an AK after all! This was actually designed in to allow for fast selection of semi-auto with a quick sweep down of the selector and isn't actually because the AK was designed for full auto as is the common myth. This selector has also been enhanced by American capitalists, and now has a welded-on extension to allow you to switch modes with your trigger finger without removing your hand from the pistol grip.

Over on the left side of the receiver, we have several authentic looking mock rivets, all in the right place for a visually accurate AK replica. Between the mock rivets, we also have the old-school Russian AK side rail, just in case you want a more rearward mounting position for magnified optical sights. This side rail is compatible with Russian optics with the appropriate mounting apparatus or 20mm Picatinny rail mounted optics using an adapter.

The pistol grip of the AK74U Tactical Sub Carbine is a comfortable ergonomic design derived from real steel Magpul MOE grip which is well known for being one of the best grips for the M4/AR15 platform, providing comfort for a wide variety of hand sizes. Each side of the grip features a crackle texture, with linear serrations on the front and rear for optimal grip. The edges of the grip are bevelled to allow a smooth transition to the trigger guard, reducing hand fatigue when shooting for long durations, and the grip also has a finger ledge at the bottom to keep the AK74U firmly in your grasp during energetic advances.

The stock and its mounting apparatus are a radical departure from traditional AK design, with the standard triangular side folding skeleton stock being replaced with a much more modern solution; an MCX-style stock. This stock is a recent aftermarket offering for the AK platform and we are very pleased to see it make the cut for a pre-built AK so soon after it was devised.

The stock itself is constructed from aluminium and mounts to a steel hinge mechanism, perfectly balancing strength and low weight. There is a QD sling socket centrally positioned beneath the stock, and a further two sockets on the stock itself, one on either side. At the toe of the stock, there is an additional port which can easily be used to rig up a paracord sling mount for those who want to minimise rattle for a stealthier approach.

The process of folding the stock is a bit different to the old-school AK side folder and is the same process as folding the stock of an MCX. Simply grab the stock from the top, brace the thumb on the top of the hinge and pull the stock upwards, after which it can be folded to the side and will lock in place automatically. To deploy the stock from the folded position simply push the stock base upwards with the thumb while holding the grip. This requires some force to do due to the tight fit of the hinge, but the result of this is a rock solid stock when deployed, far firmer and absolutely rattle-free when compared to other folding stocks.

Internally the AK74U Tactical Sub Carbine is outfitted similarly to other ARCTURUS releases, with a version 3 gearbox with a plethora of pre-upgraded parts emphasising efficiency and smooth operation. The piston head and spring guide are mounted on ball bearings to reduce rotational stress, as is the motor pinion gear, effectively minimising motor "whine" which is usually a standard thing in AEGs. The addition of a spring decompression lever on the left side of the trigger allows you to store your AK74U with the spring and piston in an unstressed position which will prolong the life of the spring and other internals considerably.

The polymer piston has a full rack of steel teeth for a great combination of strength and low weight for maximum energy delivery, and the steel gearset is mounted on slide bearings for reduced friction. As with most of ARCTURUS's other AEGs, the conventional trigger contacts have been omitted and replaced with a microswitch trigger, offering a longer lifespan than contacts and a more snappy trigger response. To deliver your BBs accurately onto your unfortunate target the AK74U Tactical Sub Carbine has a 6.01mm tightbore inner barrel constructed from steel for perfect rigidity, and its newly designed rotary HOP-up unit for AKs should give you ample range, even for a pocket-sized platform like this!

Whether you play a lot of CQB or you like closing ground rapidly to give the enemy a hard time the AK74U Tactical Sub Carbine is a great tool for getting the job done. Being constructed mostly from steel gives the rifle a rock solid and realistic feel, and its slick low friction internals make it very well equipped for delivering snappy semi-auto shots up close, or letting rip with a nice long burst in the woods!

Features

• Full metal construction
• Majority steel - Very hefty and realistic
• 6.01mm Steel tightbore inner barrel
• New design rotary HOP-up unit for AKs
• 14mm CCW male threaded outer barrel - Ready for tracers and suppressors
• 20mm Picatinny handguard with M-LOK slots at 6 o'clock - Comfortable even without a grip
• 20mm Picatinny railed trunnion block - Perfect for red dot sights
• QD Sling sockets on the handguard, receiver rear and stock - Ready for QD swivels
• Compact open iron sights built in - Adjustable front post, fixed rear notch
• Russian AK side rail - Compatible with AK style side rail adapters
• Ergonomic pistol grip - Very comfortable AR-derived design
• Reinforced RPK-74 style receiver - Bulged near trunnion, great attention to detail
• Extended fire selector lever - Change fire modes easily with the trigger finger
• Authentic Cyrillic fire selector markings - Stamped in, just like the real thing!
• Ambidextrous magazine release - Centrally positioned, easy access for left or right-handed shooters
• Ultra-modern MCX style side folding skeleton stock - Lightweight and a big improvement over AK side folders
• Microswitch trigger - Avoids issues with trigger contacts, snappy trigger response
• Spring decompression function - Keeps the gearbox unstressed and prolongs the life of the spring
• Quick change spring system - Easy power tuning, far easier to work on the gearbox
• Teflon sealed air nozzle - Exceptional air seal qualities, low friction
• Polymer piston with full steel tooth rack - Strong and lightweight
• Bearing equipped piston head and spring guide - Reduced rotational force
• Pinion gear mounted on ball bearings - Reduced motor "whine"
• Compatible with AK47/74 AEG magazines - Mid/High and Drums!

Package Includes

• ARCTURUS AK74U Tactical Sub Carbine AT-AK06E AEG
• 30/130rnd Adjustable capacity magazine
• Deans to mini-Tamiya adapter
• User manual
• Cleaning/unjamming rod

Special Instructions

Please note, due to the design of the AK74U scratches will develop in certain areas from normal use. This is unavoidable, and many of our AK74U AEGs already have these scratches from the factory due to the testing and QC process.

An example of such scratches is the AK "selector lever scratch", a scratch which develops beneath the AK style fire selector from use.

These scratches are part of a realistic AK look and will develop over time regardless of whether they are present initially or not. Please consider this carefully before making your purchase.