Few firearms carry as much mystique as the AKS-74U. Fielded by Soviet forces in Afghanistan starting in the early 1980s, the stubby little Krinkov bridged the gap between a submachine gun and a full-length rifle, and it became one of the most iconic compact firearms of the Cold War era. Palmetto State Armory has been building American-made versions of that concept under their Soviet Arms banner, and the lineup has grown to cover four calibers on the same stamped-steel platform. All PSA Krink models share the same core architecture: an 8.4-inch, gas nitride-finished 4150 steel barrel, a hammer-forged 4340AQ front trunnion, a hinged dust cover with integrated rear sight, and a combination gas block/front sight in keeping with the AKS-74U's original profile. The muzzle device is a period-correct Krink booster threaded M24x1.5 RH. Buyers can now choose between 7.62x39, 5.56x45, 5.45x39, and .300 Blackout, each version sharing that same compact envelope while serving meaningfully different roles. The .300 Blackout variant is particularly well-suited to suppressed use, given its subsonic capability, while the 7.62x39 option delivers hard-hitting performance that holds up surprisingly well from a short barrel. Most configurations ship with a triangle side-folding brace, with SBR-ready models available for those who want to run a traditional 4.5mm folding stock. All of it is made in the USA.Photo: Palmetto State Armory.