The AK-74u is an MP variant of the famous AK-47 and was a hit in the alpha version of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. After the nerf of the MP5, it might receive more attention again. MeinMMO shows you a strong setup and the comparison to the MP5.
Why should I try the AK-74u now? If you were looking for the best weapon for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War in the first days after release, you often found only one answer: the West German MP5. Many gave a recommendation, and a good part of them even demanded its quick nerf.
And so it happened. 6 days after release, an update nerfed the MP5. It lost 33% of its damage range, and according to developer Treyarch, they also adjusted the recoil of the first shots.
This brings another MP into focus, which was also considered one of the best weapons after the release of Cold War: the Soviet AK-74u.
If you are looking for a solid alternative for the MP5 after the nerf, which even surpasses the German model in some aspects, then MeinMMO provides you with a strong setup for the AK-74u and the comparison to the MP5 in the most important values.
Cold War: AK-74u setup that easily competes with the MP5
What does a strong setup look like? SMGs are close combat fighters and are supposed to quickly take down enemies at short distances. Therefore, you need a high aim-down-sight speed to get on target quickly, a few extra shots to respond to multiple enemies, and good hip fire:
- Muzzle: Suppressor
- Barrel: 9.3 VDV Reinforced
- Underbarrel: Foregrip
- Magazine: 40-round Drum
- Grip: GRU Elastic Wrap
What does this setup bring? The suppressor supports your advances behind enemy lines and keeps you hidden from detection when you take fire at enemies. However, this comes at the cost of your damage range, which you balance out with the reinforced barrel.
On top of that, you get 80% more projectile acceleration so that the bullet travel time at short distances is hardly noticeable. This value is much more important in Cold War than it was in Modern Warfare and becomes particularly noticeable with SMGs at a certain distance. On average, their bullet speed is only half that of other weapons in Cold War. Not so with the AK-74u, which reaches 900 meters/second.
The foregrip helps you with horizontal recoil control and provides a secure feeling while firing. The drum magazine also gives you more security when fights last longer or multiple enemies appear in your line of sight asking for bullets in their faces.
With the grip, you then reduce your aim-down-sight time to 210 milliseconds but lose a bit of movement speed and take longer to go from sprinting to firing.
AK-74u setup with Gunfighter compensates for drawbacks
What else can I attach with Gunfighter? With the powerful wildcard “Gunfighter,” you can even equip 8 attachments to a weapon. You can choose the following:
- Optic: Microflex LED – If you find the Iron Sight (Rear & Front) difficult
- Body: Steady Aim Laser – Improves your hip fire
- Stock: Wire Stock – Partially compensates for the sprint-to-fire delay from the grip
This gives the weapon a little more boost to its hip fire and movement, but you have to forgo the other strong wildcards.
AK-74u beats MP5 in 2 important values
What makes the Soviet SMG special? Two things you should definitely know about the AK-74u:
- Its bullet speed is at least twice as high as that of other SMGs
- It has the potentially lowest time-to-kill of all SMGs
These facts already made it one of the strongest weapons in the alpha, and even in the full version, it can benefit from its stats. With similar setups, the comparison to the MP5 in these important values looks like this:
- Time-to-Kill: AK-74u – 258 ms / MP5 – 280 ms
- Damage per bullet: AK-74u – 38 / MP5 – 32
- Shots for kill: AK-74u – 4 / MP5 – 5
- Projectile acceleration: AK-74u – 900 m/s / MP5 – 450 m/s
In direct damage comparison, it outperforms the MP5 at the shortest ranges. Additionally, the risk of missing a moving target due to bullet speed is lower. Compared to the MP5, you also save bullets since the damage per projectile is about 16% higher.
What can the MP5 do better than the AK-74u? However, the MP5 is also no slouch after the nerf. The reduction in range has hurt it, but it hasn’t broken it. Here are important values in which the MP5 has the edge with a similar setup:
- Aim-down-sight time: AK-74u – 210 ms / MP5 – 192.5 ms
- Damage range: AK-74u – 7.85 m / MP5 – 9.45 m
Due to the reduced range, the MP5 remains in the race against its fiercest MP competitor, but the difference between the two is now virtually just a matter of taste. This also applies to the damage range over 8 or 10 meters. Because even here, the AK is a bit faster in TTK (both around 350 ms).
Choice between the two is now a matter of taste
Which one should I take? If you want to minimize your aim-down-sight time, go for the MP5. If you find TTK more important, the AK-74u is your choice. Also, opt for the AK if you notice that the low bullet speed of the SMGs bothers you.
Your preference for fire rate may also play a role. If you prefer a high fire rate so that a missed bullet costs less time, the MP5 wins. With the AK-74u, you save bullets and need to sink fewer bullets into your target to take them down.
If you want to stick with SMGs, compare the two in your matches and find out for yourself which one hits the hardest.
Not for me! What can I use instead? If you are struggling with the low range of the MP5 and the AK-74u is no longer an option for you, consider another Soviet product: the AK-47.
This assault rifle has a time-to-kill of only 300 milliseconds, but with the right attachments, it can reach this value at nearly 100 meters. MeinMMO shows you the AK-47 setup of a professional who is absolutely convinced of the rifle.
