Notes: Though
the K-3 (also known as the AK-3, M-3, and Model 3) was first revealed in 1996,
by 2000 only about 40 had been built, and the Armenian government had not yet
authorized series production. (In
fact, little had been heard about the K-3 since it was shown at an arms show in
1996 until late 2016, when upcoming series production was announced; it has
apparently been demonstrated to a few “unnamed parties,” but mass production for
the Armenian military didn’t begin until mid-2017.)
Though similar
in appearance to the British L-85, the K-3 is based on the tried-and-true
Kalashnikov action. As a rather
simple bullpup conversion of the AK-74, it is considerably more compact than the
standard AK-74, but the rather simple conversion also presents a number of
problems. The biggest is perhaps
that the K-3 may be fired only by right-handed shooters, as the ejection port
would be buried in the shoulder pocket of a left-handed shooter and the K-3
might easily jam. The second is
that the selector lever is still the standard AK-74-type selector; this is
awkward for a shooter to manipulate from the shoulder.
The third is that the charging handle is still connected to the bolt and
reciprocates with it during firing, and it can hit the face of the shooter when
he fires the K-3. The fourth is
that the sights had to be put on top of risers, since the bullpup layout raised
the sight line, but the AK-74’s sights were still used for the K-3. The fifth
is, because of the complicated trigger linkages, trigger pull weight is a bit
heavy. The Armenians are apparently
willing to put up with these many shortcomings; however, they are using Western
technology to lighten the trigger pull weight, and a K-3A1 may be coming soon as
a result.
The K-3 may is
normally used with iron sights, but may be fitted with the PSO-1 4x sight of the
SVD sniper rifle. Like the AK-74,
metalwork is largely of stamped steel; the pistol grip, trigger guard and short
ribbed fore-end are of dark green plastic.
The muzzle brake is different than that of the AK-74; it allows the use
of rifle grenades without having to have a special version for rifle grenade
launching. The Armenians have also
modified the standard AK-74 magazines so that the shell is entirely polymer,
instead of the steel magazines within a polymer shell of the AK-74.
(The K-3 can also use standard AK-74 magazines, however.)
Twilight 2000
Notes: Seeing the writing on the wall, the Armenian government authorized
production of the K-3 in early 1996, though many more resources were placed into
domestic AK-74 and AKM production.
The K-3 was primarily used by Armenia’s fledgling special operations units.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
K-3 |
5.45mm Kalashnikov |
3.99 kg |
30, 40, 45, 60 |
$541 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
Mag |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
K-3 |
5 |
3 |
1-Nil |
4 |
30, 40, 45, 60 |
2 |
4 |
41 |