| “ | The classic pre-war assault rifle. Despite being very common, it is held in very high regard in the Metro due to its reliability and performance. | „ |
— Last Light in-game description | ||
The Kalash, also known as the AK-74M or formally the Kalashnikov assault rifle model 1974 modernized, was the service rifle of the Russian army before the nuclear war that drove humanity underground.
Overview
As a pre-war weapon, it shows superior craftsmanship and manufacturing and is highly prized for its ability to keep working in even the worst climatic conditions - a reputation that it has carried through the Great War. Considered by many to be among the finest weapons available underground, the AK-74M's rugged reliability makes it a highly-prized weapon by many of the metro inhabitants. Since it is a primary weapon, it can use both dirty and military-grade 5.45x39mm cartridges.
The very first Kalash available to the player in Metro 2033 is provided by Bourbon. He offers his rifle as a reward for escorting him from Riga to Dry Station. It can be found behind the player at the start of the respective level.
| “ | Everybody calls me "Bourbon". Listen... I need to get to Dry Station, for some "business", but this rat-hole is on lockdown. I, however, know a back way - a so-called "cursed" passage - the locals are afraid to use. But I hear that the shit in the tunnels doesn't work on you. So, you help me get to Dry and I'll give you my AK when we get there. Deal? | „ |
— Bourbon | ||
After that, AK-74M's can be reliably found on most levels up until Tower.
The Kalash makes a return in Metro: Last Light, but appears to have undergone some modifications, including a heat shield and can now accept under-barrel attachments. For those who bought the Last Light limited edition, or Metro Redux, it can be the perfect median between the accurate RPK-74 and the high fire-rate AKS-74U, interestingly they are all essentially the same design.
The Kalash is the second weapon players are given in Metro: Exodus, being used with wooden furniture, a standard barrel and a 20-round magazine. The weapon is later found in use by the Hansa in its most simple format, with a short barrel and lightweight furniture. It serves as the sole assault rifle for the first portion of the game.
Tactics and Use
Metro 2033
The Kalash has the second lowest fire rate of the group and moderate accuracy. This weapon lacks a silenced version, which makes it useless for stealth. If your playstyle is being subtle, consider getting the VSV as your primary weapon.
A slow rate of fire and high damage make it perfect for conserving ammunition, which makes it an optimal choice for levels such as Frontline. As with all primary weapons, the Kalash loaded with MGRs is capable of killing almost anything with a single shot on higher difficulties. To conserve the ammo, firing bursts is recommended, except in close quarters. If you are good with dirty ammo, you can keep the Kalash as your main weapon until the better Kalash 2012 becomes available.
The scoped version increases player's reach, however, due to the lack of sniping opportunity of the game, getting the scope is not necessary.
This works both ways though and human opponents armed with AK-74M's grow progressively more and more dangerous as the difficulty setting goes up. Due to that most firefights should be approached with "who shoots first - wins" mentality.
Metro: Last Light
In the sequel, the AK-74M has become one of the most, if not the most, versatile weapons in the player's arsenal thanks to the new attachment system. This time around it can accept a silencer which makes it invaluable for stealth. It can also accept Reflex, IRNV and 2x optical sights, making it useful for both close and long range combat, as well as additional attachments, including an extended 45 round RPK-styled magazine, and laser designator, useful for ranger difficulties.
As with all primary weapons, the AK-74 loaded with MGRs is capable of killing almost anything with a single shot on higher difficulties. This weapon is common and used by all three major factions in the game and used by some major characters. You can also buy them at almost all shops in the game.
The AK-74M is a very balanced weapon, with the correct attachments, this weapon can handle almost any firefight in the game, its one major weakness is the AK-74M performs poorly at long range combat even with optics. And the rate of fire is lower compared to VSV and Kalash 2012.
Metro: Exodus
The Kalash is the primary assault rifle for much of Metro: Exodus. As the second weapon introduced to the character (behind the Shambler), the Kalash makes good use of the new attachment and customisation system to fill numerous roles, including the AKS-74u, standard Kalash and RPK.
Kalash's can be found throughout the main story of Exodus and its DLC's, however they aren't of the same gameplay value as in the base game. In The Two Colonels, Colonel Khlebnikov briefly acquires a Kalash and an Ashot while defending Sibirskaya during the Novosibirsk Riots, however after this he switches back to a Flamethrower for the rest of the DLC. In Sam's Story, the Kalash can be frequently found throughout Vladivostok, however is of questionable use as the Sammy, an assault rifle also capable of using the new Incendiary 5.45x39mm rounds, fills the slot of the pneumatic weapons from the main game, and no other weapons that use this slot can be found.
Note: Attachments in Exodus can be found in multiple locations and even on enemy weapons. As such, any location listed may not be the only place to find these attachments. If you find any other attachment locations, please list them to help other players.
- A Kalash with the standard stock, standard barrel and extended magazine (45 rounds) can be found in the Volga. It is on the southern island underneath the transmission tower. You can also zipline to this tower from the other tower that is inhabited with bandits and has the guitar you can retrieve for the Aurora crew.
- The suppressor can be found somewhat close to the Aurora on the small islet to the south-west side of the Volga map. You can find a rowboat on the main southwest island and row there or you can cross over using the wreckage of a larger boat. The suppressor is inside the larger structure on the islet.
- The 30 round magazine can be found in the bunker Anna falls into in the Volga.
- A Kalash with the semi-grip stock, long barrel, 4x scope and 30 round magazine can be found in the Volga. It is in the cabin of the crane standing in water near the south-east corner of the map. You'll need to traverse up the broken pipes leading to the crane to access it. Also of note; The metal detector suit upgrade is in a small shack next to the pipes you need to climb to access the crane.
- In the rafters of the centre ruin of the three large ruins on the south-east island of the Volga (next to a rail turntable, which is indicated on the map by a blue circular area) is a Kalash with a heavy stock, long barrel, reflex sight and 30 round magazine.
- The 75 round drum magazine can be found in the Caspian level. Look around the middle of the map with your binoculars and try to find some tents and shipping containers in the sand. The drum magazine is in one of these containers, but be mindful of some human enemies in this area.
Variants and Customization
Metro Last Light
The Kalash has three attachment slots and six available attachments in total. Attachments in the Misc slot can be equipped both at once, so the Kalash can have four different attachments at the same time.
| Available attachments | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slot | Icon | Name | Effect | Description |
 Optics |
|
Reflex sight | Range +25% Accuracy +25% |
This pre-war sight makes aiming the gun at close and medium range easier, without sacrificing much of the field of view. |
|
2x sight | Range +50% Accuracy +25% |
This pre-war optical sight facilitates weapon aiming at medium range but limits the field of view, making it hard to use in the confines of tunnels. | |
|
IR sight | Range +50% Accuracy +25% |
A piece of pre-war military tech, this Night Vision sight allows for precisely hitting targets in the dark. | |
 Barrel |
|
Suppressor | Range -25% Accuracy +25% Stealth +50% |
Hides the muzzle flash and muffles the shots, decreasing spread at the same time. Projectile speed is also decreased, leading to more damage falloff. |
 Misc |
|
Extended magazine | Mag capacity +50% | This light machine gun magazine is capable of holding a ranger's weekly earningsand allows for longer sustained fire with less reloads. |
|
Laser sight | Accuracy +25% | A pre-war laser sight facilitates aiming the weapon at close range, making precise snapshots easy to achieve. | |
Metro Exodus
Kalash shares all Barrel upgrades and most Magazine upgrades with Bulldog and Stock upgrades with Bulldog and Shambler. Unlike Bulldog, it only comes with a 4x scope, but it can equip larger magazine, a 75-round drum mag, unique to this weapon, that can be found in the Caspian level. Combining this magazine with Long barrel essentially turns the Kalash into an RPK.
| List of upgrades | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slot | Icon | Name | Effect | Description |
 Stock |
|
Light grip | None (default) | Made from a steel band with fitted plywood lining, this grip is the most practical choice for short range combat. |
|
Standard stock and grip | Stability +2 | Wooden stock and grip. Traditional for Kalash. | |
|
Semi-grip stock | Stability +3 | Wooden stock with a steep-angle cutout provides a more comfortable hand position. | |
|
Heavy stock and grip | Stability +10 | Heavy shoulder stock with a metal grip. Army type attachment designed to significantly decrease recoil. | |
 Barrel |
|
Short barrel and flash suppressor | None (default) | Lightest barrel and muzzle attachment combo readily available for assault rifles. |
|
Short barrel and suppressor | Damage -1 Stability +1 |
Tries to suppress sound with mixed results, while staying a bit more compact than a full-scale barrel. | |
|
Standard barrel and compensator | Damage +1 Accuracy +2 Stability -1 |
Provides decent accuracy while not being too cumbersome. | |
|
Long barrel and compensator | Damage +2 Accuracy +4 Stability -3 |
Designed to increase accuracy and damage, this barrel and muzzle attachment combo is not the best choice for the more dynamic firefights. | |
 Sights |
|
Iron sights | Aim with iron sights | Standard sight used to assist in aiming. |
|
Reflex sight | Iron sight replaced with reflex sight | This pre-war sight makes aiming the gun at close and medium range easier, without sacrificing much of the field of view. | |
|
NV scope | Iron sight replaced with night vision scope | This night-vision scope allows for accurate placement of shots even in complete darkness. | |
|
Scope 4x | Iron sight replaced with 4x scope | 4x variable zoom scope. | |
 Magazine |
|
Small magazine | 20-round magazine | Small magazine holding 20 rounds of ammunition, light and compact. |
|
Magazine | 30-round magazine Stability -1 |
Standard magazine holding 30 rounds of ammunition. | |
|
Extended magazine | 45-round magazine Stability -3 |
Large magazine holding up to 45 rounds of ammunition. Quite heavy. | |
|
High capacity magazine | 75-round magazine Stability -6 |
An oversized magazine holding 75 rounds of ammunition. The heaviest possible option. | |
 Gadgets |
|
No gadget | None (default) | Less gadgets, less problems. |
|
Red laser | Crosshair replaced with red laser dot | Made from a cheap laser pointer that was heavily modified to increase power output at the cost of reliability. | |
|
Green laser | Crosshair replaced with green laser dot | High visibility laser sight reassembled in a custom-made body along with a bunch of modifications. | |
|
Infrared laser | Crosshair replaced with IR laser dot with NV active | The IR laser sight's invisible beam produces a very small dot on the target, which is only detectable with a night vision device. | |
Obtainment
Metro 2033
|
Kalash: A standard AK-74M with iron sights.
|
|
Kalash with Scope and Laser Sight: An AK-74M with a PK-AV scope. The laser sight is useful on higher difficulty levels and the ranger difficulty, when firing from the hip since the crosshair is permanently turned off. The zoom of the scope is somewhat excessive for close range combat. The laser sight is also projected on the center of the crosshair of the scope and can be seen when zoomed with the scope. |
Related Achievements/Trophies
Metro 2033
|
Weaponsmith (Metro 2033) | 40 
|
| Kill at least one enemy with each weapon available in the game. | ||
Metro: Last Light
|
Gunslinger |  / 15
|
| Kill at least one Enemy with each Weapon available in the game. | ||
Metro Exodus
|
Professional | / 15
|
| Make at least one kill with every ranged weapon. | ||
Trivia
Novel
- In the novel, the firearms are never referred to by their exact name. Artyom and the VDNKh convoy guards carry "bulky military 7.62 calibre "machine guns" with wooden butts", (AK-47s or, more likely, AKMs) and weapons carried by Bourbon and Hansa guards are heavily implied to be AKS-74Us. ("It was also a Kalashnikov but it was cut-off like the ones held by the Hansa border guards, with a hinged butt and a short socket instead.") In Metro 2035, however, the weapons used by the order are recognized by Artyom, saying they are silenced AK-74's.
- Artyom had an old AK-47 before being captured by the Nazis, while Anton equipped his own AK-47 before they set out for Park Pobedy.
Video Games
General
- If left idle, Artyom will run his finger along the exposed cartridges in the magazine.
- Even though the Kalash's magazines have huge slots cut into them, which would realistically invite debris and dirt into and obstruct the feeding system, this is never a concern in any of the games. If a Kalash misfeeds, it's typically treated as something wrong with the gun rather than the magazine.
- This modification was used extensively by the Soviet troops during the USSR/Afghanistan war in the 80s, and mostly used by Russians today.[1] The durability of the AK line, combined with the generally cold and dry atmosphere of the metro, means this may not be as big of an issue.
- Upon close inspection, the selector lever on all Kalashes is always set to semi-automatic, regardless of their actual operation.
2033 and Last Light
- The weapon in the game seems to be a mix between a standard AK-74 and an AK-74M, having an AK-74M pistol grip (plastic) and a standard AK-74 front grip (wooden). Alpha versions of the Kalash looked more like the real-life AK-74M with minor visual changes.
- The Kalash has an incorrect reload animation; the magazines are inserted straight in, rather than at an angle and locked in as is standard for all AK-pattern rifles. The same can be seen on the AKS-74u and the RPK. This has been rectified in Metro Exodus.
- In Metro 2033, the Kalash has a woodland camouflage pattern and wrapping around the stock, which is absent on the later versions.
- In Metro: Last Light, the Kalash was planned to accept a jury-rigged underbarrel launcher that uses pipe bomb-type Grenades as ammunition. This was cut in the final releases, though its files remain in the release builds and can be hacked into the game with a memory editor, and many NPCs can be seen with launcher-equipped Kalashes in the Redux edition of 2033.
- The Medved seems to have been inspired by this idea.
- There are many AKs that appear to be from earlier builds of the game scattered on certain levels. They have a brown finish and the majority have their stocks broken or sawed off. They are unusable by the player and merely serve as decoration.
- In Metro 2033, the scope it uses appears to be a PK-AV Scope, the same type used by most other scoped weapon in the game.
- In Last Light and 2033 Redux, however, there are more options for aiming optics, and more customization if the player has MGRs.
- While the laser sight is barely visible in third person view, it is in fact attached to the gun barrel. This is changed in Redux, where it is visible on the left side of the barrel.
- In Metro 2033 and Redux, Miller and Khan carry unique unobtainable AKs that have bayonets and laser sights attached.
- Bourbon is the only person in the metro to call it an AK whereas everyone else refers to it as "Kalash".
- In Last Light's level Red Square, the player can pick up a unique Kalash with a suppressor and a green laser sight, after killing a Red Line soldier on second-floor building of the ambush area, positioned between the two searchlights.
- In the Redux version of 2033, an unusable Kalash can be seen in the performance hall, just before the player exits outside in the prologue, that features a full polymer handguard like an RPK and has a strangely swollen gas tube.
- In Last Light, if the player uses MGRs for the Kalash it will have a much louder muzzle report, similar to the RPK.
Exodus
- The gun's model in Exodus has the inscription of AK-103 on it, which is a newer derivative of the AK-74M chambered for the 7.62×39mm round, in service with various special operations groups in Russia since 2001. This is somewhat strange, as in-game the firearm continues to use the 5.45x39mm round that the AK-74M does.
- The Heavy Stock option features a stock that appears to be from a PKM, but cut in half and reconnected with springs to reduce the recoil in a similar manner to that of the Duplet.
- The Kalash in Exodus has two different dry reload animations depending on which magazines are attached. When using 20 or 30 round magazines, Artyom will perform an underhanded charge. If the 45 or 75 round magazines are attached, then he will pull the charging handle with his right hand. This is because the 45/75 round magazines are too large and awkward to reach around under the gun with the left hand.
- Kalashes seem to have been retconned in Exodus to be unable to handle Incendiary 5.45x39mm ammunition, thus giving rise to the Sammy which can. This is despite the fact that Military Grade Rounds were incendiary in all games released between Exodus and the original 2033. Also notable is the unchanged fact that both the Kalash and Sammy still use the same generic ammo, which defeats the purpose of the Sammy altogether since anyone can just load the powerful rounds into an AK mag without problem.
Gallery
.jpg "Kałach z LL (FPP).jpg (231 KB)")
Video Gallery
Metro Last Light - Kalashnikov
Reference
| Weapons of Metro 2033 | |
|---|---|
| Melee | |
| Handguns | |
| Primary Weapons | |
| Secondary Weapons | |
| Explosives | |
| Emplacement Weapons | |
| Attachments | |
| Weapons of Metro Last Light and Metro Redux | |
|---|---|
| Melee | |
| Handguns | |
| Assault Rifles | |
| Sniper Rifles | |
| Shotguns | |
| Pneumatic Weapons | |
| Heavy Weapons | |
| Explosives | |
| Emplacement Weapons | |
| Attachments | |
| Weapons of Metro Exodus | |
|---|---|
| Melee | |
| Handguns | |
| Assault Rifles | |
| Sniper Rifles | |
| Shotguns | |
| Pneumatic Weapons | |
| Heavy Weapons | |
| Throwables | |
| Attachments | |