Specna Arms SA-PJ12 PRIME™ KPYK AKS-74 Ext AEG

Whether you're working on a Ukrainian Armed Forces loadout or you appreciate modern, kitted-out AK builds, the Specna Arms SA-PJ12 PRIME™ KPYK AKS-74 Ext AEG is one to watch. A full metal build with plenty of steel parts in the mix, the SA-PJ12 is fitted with a real steel KPYK M-LOK handguard, made in Ukraine from CNC-machined aluminium with a substantial feel and sleek design, reinventing the AKS-74 for 21st-century warfare.

Inside, we're kitted out with the best internals Specna has to offer, including CNC 16:1 ratio steel gears running on 8mm J-CAGE bushings, a reinforced piston with a full rack of steel teeth, a reinforced tappet plate for reliable feeding, and a CNC aluminium piston head, cylinder head and nozzle for maximum long-term durability. The cylinder is also CNC machined from steel, as is the spring guide.

The main boasts for the SA-PJ12 are its Dark Matter™ Brushless Motor and Gate ASTER™ SE MOSFET, impressive parts rarely seen in mass-produced AEGs. The Dark Matter™ motor provides incredible speed and torque, boasting minimal heat build-up due to its brushless design. The ASTER™ SE MOSFET offers programmable fire controls, adjustable pre-cocking and active braking, a near infinite number of trigger sensitivity adjustments and the ability to connect to your phone or mobile device using the Gate Blu-link, or USB Link (not included). If you appreciate a modernised classic but don't like to upgrade things yourself, the Specna Arms SA-PJ12 PRIME™ KPYK AKS-74 Ext AEG is a great shout!

Starting at the tip of the 16.3-inch alloy outer barrel, we can find an alloy AK-74 muzzle brake, the perfect muzzle device for an authentic Cold War-era AK-74. The muzzle brake mounts to realistic 24mm CW male threading, making it compatible with 24mm CW threaded Russian-style suppressors. To remove the muzzle device, you will need to hold the detent pin in the front sight down to allow the muzzle brake to be unscrewed. The easiest way we found to do this is to hold the pin down with a small flathead screwdriver. One of the stand-out external features of this AK is its steel outer barrel, giving it weight distribution far closer to a real rifle than alloy equivalents, not to mention far greater robustness.

The front sight of the SA-PJ12 AKS-74 mounts directly to its outer barrel and provides an adjustable front post with protective wings to ensure an accidental bump or scrape does not render your sights useless. As part of the classic AK aesthetic, we can find a dummy cleaning rod running parallel to the outer barrel, through the front sight block and gas block. This isn't intended for cleaning an Airsoft barrel and is just for the look.

Moving further down the outer barrel, we come to the dummy gas block, made from alloy with an authentic finish. This connects to the stamped steel gas tube, which meets the real wood upper handguard via a steel handguard cap. The lower handguard surrounds the outer barrel and is retained by its own handguard cap, which includes a sling point on the left side, ideally for hook-type slings.

The highlight of this AK build is its real steel KPYK M-LOK handguard, flawlessly made from aluminium with a rock-solid, hard-wearing finish applied. This extended handguard surrounds the outer barrel, leading back to the receiver to allow more space for accessories and extra length to suit modern "C-clamp" shooting grips. M-LOK slots adorn the sides and bottom, ready for M-LOK accessories. On the right side, we are treated to discrete KPYK markings, along with an M-LOK certification stamp.

The extended upper handguard/gas tube cover also features M-LOK slots on the sides and a weight-reduced 20mm Picatinny rail on the top, ready for your choice of accessories. The upper rail makes a great spot to mount a forward-mounted red dot sight, but also suits a laser unit or tactical flashlight.

The trunnion block follows just behind, providing the mounting point for the classic AK tangent rear iron sight, which provides multiple graduations for adjustment and a fine rear sight notch to align with the front sight post. The sight can be adjusted by pressing the buttons on either side of the sight notch and moving the notch back and forth on its base. This sight type benefits over aperture sights in its field of view, allowing you to more effectively track moving targets and avoid tunnel vision.

The lever on the right side of the trunnion block is the handguard disassembly lever. This lever allows you to quickly remove the upper handguard and gas tube, just like a real AK, though this isn't really any use in Airsoft terms. This is one of the many perks of using the VFC-style external construction over the TM style: you can strip it like a real AK for extra nerd points!

Next up, we find the receiver, which is constructed from realistic stamped steel with a matt "nanocoat" finish, which shows through all of the authentic details while being hard-wearing and robust. The receiver has standard AK-style controls on the right side, with a fire selector lever which doubles as a dust cover when in safe mode, and a charging handle attached to an authentic black dummy bolt carrier. In typical AK style, the first position on the fire selector is fully automatic, and the lowermost position is semi-automatic. Each fire mode is denoted by a crisply engraved authentic Russian Cyrillic marking, adding some realism to this already very realistic AK.

Over on the left side, we can find an AK quick-detach mounting rail, allowing for authentic Russian scopes to be mounted, or 20mm Picatinny rail mounts if you prefer a more modern Western optic. The receiver also provides several authentic dummy rivets, all found in the correct place for this AK variant.

To access the Magnus™ adjustable HOP-up unit of the SA-PJ12 AKS-74, simply hold the charging handle to the rear to reveal this new rotary adjustable HOP-up unit design. The HOP-up allows you to tune the SA-PJ12 for different ammo weights, seeking the flattest possible trajectory. The Magnus™ design shows a lot of promise, being a TDC design which applies pressure directly to the top of the bucking to minimise side-to-side shot deviation. The Helium™ HOP-up bucking also has the capability to lift heavy BBs, should the mission require it.

The receiver top cover of the AKS-74 is also constructed from stamped steel and is the appropriate design for an AK-74, with ribs stamped into the upper surface to provide additional strength whilst keeping the material thin and lightweight. The battery compartment is beneath the top cover and accessible by pressing the button at the rear of the top cover, after which it should come straight off, revealing the mini-Tamiya connector. For the SA-PJ12, we recommend a 7.4V 1300mAh LiPo in slim stick configuration. With the battery connected and installed, you can place the top cover back into the AKS-74, align the button with the hole in the rear of the top cover, and pull the charging handle to lock the cover down if necessary.

The pistol grip of the SA-PJ12 is a standard AKM/AK-74-type pistol grip, with diamond checkering on either side to ensure the rifle stays firmly in your grasp in any weather condition. Just ahead of the pistol grip, we can find the trigger guard and magazine release assembly, constructed from steel to provide solid magazine locking and ample rigidity.

The magazine release is placed in the centre of the receiver and is accessible from either side of the AEG, offering both left and right-handed users an easy reload process. The magazine retention system of the AK platform is a "rock and lock" motion, requiring you to first index the front "hook" on the magazine inside the receiver, then rock the magazine to engage the catch.

The side-folding skeleton stock is constructed from steel and mimics the classic AKS-74 stock present on AKS-74 rifles issued to paratroopers and mechanised infantry. Being constructed from steel adds strength and keeps the weight low due to its skeleton design. To fold the stock to the side, simply press the button on the left side of the rear of the receiver, fold the stock to the left side and lock it on its hook.

To unfold the stock, lift the locking latch on the receiver to disengage the hook, and the stock can be folded into the deployed position and locked. The right side of the stock also features a steel sling loop, which pairs well with the front sling point on the lower handguard cap, providing appropriate mounting apparatus for a two-point sling, but ideally suited to an AK-47/74 sling.

Inside, the SA-PJ12 is ready to rock, equipped with pre-upgraded parts to rival the best. Inside the AETHER™ version 3 gearbox, we're equipped with 16:1 CNC steel high-speed gears running on 8mm J-cage ball bearing bushings, a polymer piston with a full steel tooth rack, a CNC aluminium nozzle, piston head and cylinder head and a reinforced tappet plate to ensure feeding is reliable.

The incredible Dark Matter 27K brushless motor provides impressive torque and speed; an impressive piece of kit usually sold on the aftermarket for a substantial price. Also inside is the Gate ASTER™ SE MOSFET, an advanced electronic trigger system offering programmable fire controls through the Gate Control Station app using the Gate USB Link or Blu-Link (available separately). Adjustable pre-cocking is also available for a ferocious trigger response in semi-auto, along with cycle timing control, adaptive active braking, adjustable trigger sensitivity and voltage control, all of which combine to give this AK a wealth of functionality that is hard to beat.

If modernised AKs are your poison, here is your chance to bag a real steel handguard-equipped beast with internals to rival the best. Whether you're working on a Ukraine War-inspired loadout or you're after an AK with a unique aesthetic and ready for Western accessories, you're in good hands with the Specna Arms SA-PJ12 PRIME™ KPYK AKS-74 Ext AEG!

Features

• Full metal construction - Mostly steel for a hefty feel!
• Steel outer barrel, stock, receiver & top cover - Realistic weight distribution
• 6.02mm Tightbore inner barrel - Great accuracy potential
• Gate ASTER™ SE MOSFET Pre-installed - Highly advanced ETU, program via Gate Blu-Link (not included)
• 24mm CW Russian threaded barrel - Choose tracers & suppressors for 24mm
• Real steel KPYK M-LOK extended handguard - Rock solid build, ready for M-LOK accessories
• Real steel KPYK Extended Railed gas tube cover - M-LOK slots on the sides, 20mm Picatinny on top
• Quick change spring system - Easy power tuning, no need to open the gearbox
• Ambidextrous magazine release - Centrally positioned, great for lefties
• Adjustable open tangent iron sights - Great field of view
• Magnus™ Rotary HOP-up unit - A new design, finer adjustment increments & better setting retention
• Textured pistol grip - Appropriate for modern AK variants, textured panels for optimal traction
• Russian AK dovetail side mount - Compatible with Russian AK optics or 20mm rail adapters
• Realistic disassembly - VFC style, all pins and rivets, no screws!
• Front and rear sling points - Ideal for AK47/74 replica slings, suitable for most two-point slings
• Steel skeleton side folding stock - Ideal for storage & transport, strong & lightweight
• Version 3 AETHER™ Gearbox:
  • Reinforced Piston with a steel full tooth rack
  • Reinforced Tappet plate
  • CNC Aluminium piston head
  • CNC Aluminium cylinder head
  • CNC Aluminium nozzle
  • CNC Steel cylinder
  • CNC Steel quick-change spring guide
  • CNC Steel 16:1 gearset
  • 8mm J-CAGE Bearings
  • Specna Arms Dark Matter 27K Brushless Motor
  • Gate ASTER™ SE MOSFET
• Compatible with AK side rail scope mounts: M-ETAL 20mm Scope Mount For AK | NUPROL AK Side Scope Mount
• Compatible with AK-47/74 AEG magazines - 5.45 Style to please the stitch counters, but most will work

Package Includes

• Specna Arms SA-PJ12 PRIME™ KPYK AKS-74 Ext AEG
  • 130rnd S-MAG Mid-cap magazine x 2
  • Speed Loader