Soviet AEK-971 5.45mm Assault Rifle

By Crusader1307

A late Cold War firearm, The Soviet Union AEK-971 was a 5.45mm, fully automatic, assault weapon used by various Soviet Military Forces in the 1990s. The AEK would become the primary issue to Soviet Naval Infantry Forces. Weighing 7-pounds (very light for a full Infantry Assault weapon), The AEK was designed to chamber the odd 5.45mm round. Other variants manufactured would use the more available 7.62mm and 5.56mm round (causing some consternation from NATO). The AEK had a 900-rpm cyclic rate and was a ''rollback'' bolt, gas operated weapon. With an attached folding stock, The AEK went from 28 to 38-inches in overall length. The maximum effective range of this weapon was rated at over 1,000-yards. The AEK remained in Soviet (later Russian) deployment until replaced in 2014, however issues can still be found among Russian state Security Forces, yet today.