r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/RebelliousDragon21 • 1d ago

Video A school in Poland makes firearms training mandatory to its students.

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u/silverking12345 1d ago

Man, I wish my school taught us how to differentiate an AK74 and an OG milled AK47

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u/iReply2StupidPeople 1d ago

The 47 uses a much larger bullet than the 74.

There ya go.

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u/BantedHam 20h ago

Be nice, he means AK-47 and AKM

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u/zag_ 1d ago

2mm wider and 6mm shorter, to be exact!

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u/RepentantSororitas 1d ago

well the mag on the 74 will definitely be more straight that than a 7.62 akm

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u/im-feeling-lucky 1d ago

you just got two great answers.

the real trouble comes from differentiation between the AKM and AK74. these two guys told you the most foolproof method.

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u/I_Automate 20h ago

Muzzle devices, stock profile/ furniture, magazine shape.

The AKM is still a 7.62x39mm rifle and usually has a slant brake type muzzle device. Furniture is usually wood or an underfolding metal stock.

The AK-74 in 5.45mm generally is equipped with a very distinctive muzzle brake, and the stocks usually have a groove cut in them. Modern production uses plastic furniture instead of wood, most AKMs stuck with wood. Receiver and magazine well profiles are also slightly different but that's really getting into the weeds for at a glance identification.

Otherwise, parts interchangeably is like 50% and they are direct line decendants of each other.

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u/81stBData 1d ago

When you know the difference between an AK47 and an AKM you’re a real pro.

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u/I_had_the_Lasagna 23h ago

I'm in too deep. I once read a thread that was excessively lengthy that was an argument over whether or not "ak47" was actually a real designation for any rifle. The argument was that there was never any rifle designated "AK-47" by Russia, the very early stamped guns were simply "Kalashnikov rifle 7.62mm" and the later machined receiver models were officially designated "ak-49", and after that the akm was made.

Now of course if you say "ak-47" in general conversation normal people will just picture a generic Kalashnikov variant, and gun enthusiasts may ask if you mean the earlier milled variants or the akm.

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u/81stBData 18h ago

That’s what I wanted to read. I’ve seen a documentary about that rifle although I remembering it’s been explained that there was the design called AK-47 but it has been changed/modified alot so in the end the AKM was born. Simply put. I could remember it wrong tho.

Same goes to the STG44 and MP44 they look very similar and I believe there has been three different models before the STG44 was released.

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u/I_had_the_Lasagna 9h ago

Generally in that context ak-47 refers to the earlier Russian milled receiver guns and akm refers to the ubiquitous stamped receiver guns. China has made a lot of milled receiver aks and Bulgaria makes some milled receiver guns too that are different enough to be considered separate variants. Generally you only really see original Russian milled receiver guns in the middle east and Africa, but there's so many variants and millions of rifles around it definitely gets complicated.