The Chinese AK's

robvious said:
had Norinco NHM-90... a type 56 thumbhole modified AK that unfortunately was waiting on the dock when the "ban" occurred... a rare and valuable version historically... pie tin accurate at 100 yards... but not as accurate as my sks..
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A bunch of guns were caught up in customs when the 89 ban occurred- Mitchell M70 Yugo AKs (remarked M90 to indicate post-ban), Portuguese G3s ATF required be stamped “X”G3S and Galils that had to have “S” suffix added to their model numbers.
 
I have a Norinco pre-ban AK. That thing is a shooter! I bought it in the mid 90s for $750. NIB w11 flatback Chicom 30rd, 4 40rd mags and 2 75 round drums. That was time of the ban and hi-caps were expensive. Expensive for the time, but looking back, worth every dollar!

From what I understand, the Chicom import AKs are military production, minus the full auto parts.
 
I bought a new Mak-90 early in the ban. I had a dozen 30 round mags and shot quite a few oval tins of ammo and never had a problem. When the ban ended I scrapped the thumbhole stock and put a set of Vietnam surplus wood on it. Much much nicer but got to where I didn’t have time to shoot it and sold it to a client. I now wish I had it back.
 
I have an NHM-90 that had been made on an original underfolder receiver. No bayonet lug and the slant break was replaced with a tack welded on muzzle nut. That has been fixed and it has a nice quality heavy stamped steel Chinese folding stock installed. It's a good shooting little carbine.
 
AJ said:
Got rid of an SKS by Poly Tech during the 1st Obama scare. Only had a couple of hundred in the AK, had picked up a Poly Tech Drum mag and about 10 30 round mags. The drum cost me $50 (dealer thought it was junk) and the mags were $10 apiece. Sold it all for $1200. Was happy at the time with the deal......guess it worth more than that nowadays.

Do have a NIB Norinco SKS that I paid $100 for many years ago. Don't see much love for these now.
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I think they are going for $7-800 these days. I had one with a case of the “armor piercing” ammo that I bought for about $200 back in the 80’s IIRC. When I sold it, I made more on the ammo than the SKS.
Larry
 
Back in the day I used to get Yugo AK parts kits which was the --complete-- gun but with a torch cut receiver. Then I'd get Nodak Spud receivers, drop the whole package on a fellow who loved building AK's and had untreated OCD. This guy would build furniture-quality AK's. The wood looked like fine polished furniture, the metal was perfection and the things shot great. This guy made the best AK's and his OCD guaranteed that they'd be perfect.

the best part of those Romanian parts kits was that when you opened the box, all the parts were there just lying loose -except- for a small plastic bag that contained the 'overdrive' parts; as i said, they came -complete-.

Best,
RM Vivas
 
I've had several Chinese AKs and one Maadi. All were reliable and capable of good accuracy. I have let all but one go over the years. I kept one of the thumb-hole stock Chinese. It was my only AK with a milled receiver. It's really solid and reliable. I kept it mainly because I had the most confidence in it.
 
This was original long barrel Norinco 56S with wood stocks from middle of 1990's

Original:
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A little changed over the years:
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Today handguard is IMI Defense ARP-1, folding stock, foregrip and pistol grip is Magpul, R-DOT is Pilad, light is Chinese Surefire X300 copy
 
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Among the things my Dad left, a Norinco he bought in the mid-80's still NIB with all the accessories and packaging. I'd have to look, but I think he paid $250-$300 for it, of course it was also around the same time I started driving and gas was about 70 cents a gallon.
 

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Tu_S said:
Among the things my Dad left, a Norinco he bought in the mid-80's still NIB with all the accessories and packaging. I'd have to look, but I think he paid $250-$300 for it, of course it was also around the same time I started driving and gas was about 70 cents a gallon.
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Tu_S, that appears to be the exact type gun I bought at that same time. I can’t tell with the way yours is packaged, but I believe if memory serves me correctly that it had a curved 30 round magazine.My price was $250. I wish I still had it today!!:(
Larry
 
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I have the fixed stock version pictured in post #30. It's a Norinco with Sile Imports stamped on left side receiver. I'm not much of an AK person and it seems well made, but no idea why they seem to go for so much.

Got it in CA quite a few years back and moved it up to OR. Should probably get to shooting it one of these days.
 
RM Vivas said:
Back in the day I used to get Yugo AK parts kits which was the --complete-- gun but with a torch cut receiver. Then I'd get Nodak Spud receivers, drop the whole package on a fellow who loved building AK's and had untreated OCD. This guy would build furniture-quality AK's. The wood looked like fine polished furniture, the metal was perfection and the things shot great. This guy made the best AK's and his OCD guaranteed that they'd be perfect.

the best part of those Romanian parts kits was that when you opened the box, all the parts were there just lying loose -except- for a small plastic bag that contained the 'overdrive' parts; as i said, they came -complete-.

Best,
RM Vivas
Click to expand...

I keep remembering the pristine Romy 'G' parts kits for $89. I took one of those kits and had a local Houston company, Armory USA, build a rifle for me on one of their 1.5mm AK receivers. Still have that one.



iau950Zf_o.jpg
 
RM Vivas said:
Back in the day I used to get Yugo AK parts kits which was the --complete-- gun but with a torch cut receiver. Then I'd get Nodak Spud receivers, drop the whole package on a fellow who loved building AK's and had untreated OCD. This guy would build furniture-quality AK's. The wood looked like fine polished furniture, the metal was perfection and the things shot great. This guy made the best AK's and his OCD guaranteed that they'd be perfect.

the best part of those Romanian parts kits was that when you opened the box, all the parts were there just lying loose -except- for a small plastic bag that contained the 'overdrive' parts; as i said, they came -complete-.

Best,
RM Vivas
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I’d love to see pictures of one of these!
Larry
 
boykinlp said:
Tu_S, that appears to be the exact type gun I bought at that same time. I can’t tell with the way yours is packaged, but I believe if memory serves me correctly that it had a curved 30 round magazine.My price was $250. I wish I still had it today!!:(
Larry
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The 3 magazines are still wrapped in the wax paper in the bottom- left corner in the picture :)
 
Way back in the 90s I bought one of the best AKs ever sold in the US at the Indy 1500 gun show in Indianapolis. The Poly Tech Legend series milled receiver AK. Very high quality version of the true AK 47. Price was $450,high compared to the stamped receiver Norincos that ran around $300 at the time. Don't know what the current value is. Haven't checked GB for a while but the last time I looked they were around $2500. Also have a milled receiver version of the Mak 90 that came with a clubby thumb hole wood stock that now is in a box somewhere. The milled receiver Chinese AKs were probably the best AKs ever sold in the US.
 
alwslate said:
Way back in the 90s I bought one of the best AKs ever sold in the US at the Indy 1500 gun show in Indianapolis. The Poly Tech Legend series milled receiver AK. Very high quality version of the true AK 47. Price was $450,high compared to the stamped receiver Norincos that ran around $300 at the time. Don't know what the current value is. Haven't checked GB for a while but the last time I looked they were around $2500. Also have a milled receiver version of the Mak 90 that came with a clubby thumb hole wood stock that now is in a box somewhere. The milled receiver Chinese AKs were probably the best AKs ever sold in the US.
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The pre-ban market is soft at the moment- Polytech Legends that were selling for $3500-4k two years ago are sitting around $3-3.2k pretty consistently. At least the fixed and folder versions are- the longer bbl “Nat match” versions were never popular and bring a fraction of what the other Legends do. The Legend used to bring a good bit more than its stamped cousin the AKS but even those have climbed into $3k territory.
 
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