The
AK-101, different from the first
AK-47 project uses standard 5.56 x 45 mm
NATO cartridges, which is the standard of all
NATO armies. Customers worldwide still
don't use AK101, because an AK47 is much easier for maintenance, price of rounds (barrels with 30 rounds are about ~ $8,00 -mid price-). The AK 101 got modern materialsincluding plastics, where it should be used. This reduces weight and may improve accuracy. Many of the improvements found in the
AK-101 are also present in the
AK-103 and the rest of the
AK-10X series of rifles.
The
AK-101 can be fired in semiautomatic and fully automatic. The disassembly procedure for the
AK-101 is identical to that of the
AK-74. The AK-101 has an optical plate installed on the side of the receiver for attaching scopes and other optical equipment, which will accept most types of
Russian and European AK optics. The rifle accepts most synthetic and metal ammo magazines with 30 round capacity. The AK-101 has a 16 inch barrel with a AK-74 style muzzle brake attached to the barrel to control muzzle climb.
The AK-102, AK-104 and AK-105 are the designations given to the more compact carbine variants of the AK-10X rifle series, firing the 5.56 x 45 mm, 7.62 x 39 mm and 5.45 x 39 mm rifle rounds respectively. These carbines differentiate themselves from the normal rifles of the series in that they have much shorter barrels, only 314 mm in length. These AK-10X carbines, much like their rifle counterparts, were made primarily for export.
A common misconception is that the AK-101 has entered service as the main assault rifle of the Russian Federation, but this is not true; the AK-74M is still the main assault rifle, the AK-103, a variant of the AK-101 firing 7.62 mm Soviet rounds, is in limited service with selected units in the Russian
army, and the AN-94 is entering limited service in the elite forces of the
Russian military, some
Russian police forces, and the Internal Ministry of Affairs.
