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"MAK-90" Identification Help

competentonecompetentone Member Posts: 4,696 ✭✭✭
edited October 2001 in Ask the Experts
I stopped by a local gunshop this morning; he had a Chinese made AK with the receiver marked "MAK 90 Sporter". Engraved on the receiver is Interarms as the importer.My question is: The gun has a pistol grip stock; the dealer purchased the gun from a private party not a regular supplier; the dealer wasn't sure if the pistol grip was original to the gun at importation. Can any of you tell me if "MAK 90 Sporters" were imported with "thumbhold stocks" and if there is any way I can identify, by serial number or otherwise, if the pistol grip on the gun is "fully legal"?I know the dealer, he has record or who brought the gun in (so IF there were ever a problem, I wouldn't risk jail time, but I might be out a little time and money). He's holding the gun for me for the day while I try to check this out; so if any of you have the expertise to help here, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks, Joe
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Comments

  • At_The_GatesAt_The_Gates Member Posts: 56 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    my friend. I have owned a mak-90 for the last 4 years. In the little bit of research i have done the mak-90 sporters comes originally with thumbhole stock only. Im not sure about the legality of the pistol grip. to anyone who replies ..... correct me if i was wrong.Thanks
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  • competentonecompetentone Member Posts: 4,696 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    "At the Gates",Thanks for the reply; after posting my question, I did a little searching; I think the Mak 90 sporter I was looking at was converted from the thumbhole stock and I think to "keep it legal" one would have to use the magazines with "American parts".I decided to pass on it; I think I'll get another Romanian SAR-1.What confused me on the Mak 90 I looked at was the "Interarms" engraved importation label--thought the later thumbhole stock Mak 90 sporters were all imported by Norinco.If anyone does have a good source for information on the "legal" configurations for all the imported models of the AK, please let me know.Joecompetentone@hotmail.com
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  • PathfinderPathfinder Member Posts: 25 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Norinco is the manufacturer, not the importer. All MAK-90's have thumbhole stocks to comply with import restrictions. It is possible to legally convert to a pistol grip stock, but you have to replace enough foreign-made parts with American-made parts to make it legal. It requires more than just using a magazine with US follower and floorplate, but those two items will help bring the American-made parts count up. You can buy conversion kits that contain enough US parts to legally convert thumbhole to pistol grip. As for the gun in your local shop, it would be hard to tell if it is legal without completely disassembling it and inspecting all the parts. However, it could be a legal configuration.
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  • lrarmsxlrarmsx Member Posts: 791 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    MAK 90, stands for "M"odified AK of 1990. Yes they all came in with only the thumbhole stock. This was done to get around the 1989 Assault Weapons Ban. It is true that this could have had all the proper parts replaced to make it a legal pistol grip model, but doubtful. The kits to convert them to enough US parts has cost about $200 up until just recently. Most of the MAK 90's you'll find people just took off the thumbhole stock and put on the pistol grip and regular stock. A lot of people didn't know they couldn't legally do that, they just wanted their gun to look like they saw it in the movies. Of course without enough US parts in it it is very illegal. The US parts on the inside (if there are any), will have a "US" or other stamping such as "C" on them. It was normally the hammer, sear, trigger, floor plate, and follower. There were variations on this however. Probably a good call to pass on this one and get the SAR. BTW Century Arms who imported and added US parts to the SAR series of rifles said today that they are completely out of them (the SAR 1, SAR 2, and SAR3). They were the ones who supplied them to all of the other distributors. So for those of you waiting to get one, I recommend that you think about getting one soon, while you still can.
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  • competentonecompetentone Member Posts: 4,696 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Thanks for all the input!One related question to AK's--I've seen a few advertisements for the Kalishnikov USA "AK" (I think they've been calling it the AK-103). I already have the Saiga and the quality seems pretty good, the "103" is advertised with the AK-74 style brake (which I like!).The Kalishnikov USA website doesn't tell me much; has anyone seen one of these? Are they being shipped?Joe
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