Romanian PA Md. 86/AIMS74

In 1986, the Romanian military adopted the Soviet 5.45x39 cartridge. The Romanians designed their own version of the AK 74 and gave it the designation, PA md. 86. To avoid expensive retooling costs, the Romanians used several features of the older md. 63 AK 47. The md. 86 shares the same rivet pattern, rear trunnion, and 45 degree gas block. Early models of the md. 86 retained the Romanian signature laminate handguards with the vertical grip. Later models employed a high impact plastic instead of laminate furniture. The md. 86 also two different styles of right side folding stocks. Early models utilized a lever release while the later models had a push button. Since the wire stock folds to the right side of the receiver, the Romanians manufactured the cocking lever of the bolt carrier in an upward position. The allowed the stock to close without interfering with the function of the bolt and bolt carrier. There are several other features that differ from the Soviet AK 74 design, but will not be discussed here. The selector markings are designated with an infinity symbol, 1, and 3. The md. 86 possesses a three round burst feature similar to the Polish Tantal. The export version of the md. 86 is referred to as the AIMS 74.