MAADI?

gravedigger

I know the Egyptian MAADI AK-47 is considered bottom of the barrel when it comes to AK variants. Are they total junk or just not as good as others? I saw a pre-ban one at a gun show not too long ago with what seemed like a nice price for a pre-ban AK.

-Marcus

Happiness is a new gun.

leeblackman

I was holding one of those new SAR's with a thumbhole stock on it. Very poorly cut stock. I couldn't even get my thumb around the grip to get into the thumbhole.

If I'm wrong please correct me, I won't be offended.

The sound of a 12 gauge pump clears a house fatser than Rosie O eats a Big Mac !

leeblackman

Blue Book has them at $265 in 98% and $225 in 95% for an Egyptian AK. But thats a current import, I can't find anything as to the price of a pre-ban, I guess its strictly market.

If I'm wrong please correct me, I won't be offended.

The sound of a 12 gauge pump clears a house fatser than Rosie O eats a Big Mac !

bprevolver

The early Maadi AK's semi-auto were commissioned by Steyr for import into the U.S. The original price was way over $1000. They did not sell to say the least. The first Chinese AK's were coming in through Clayco (exceptionally good quality). The early Maadi were manufactured in Egypt on Russian equipment by Russians. These were the closest semi-auto copy of a Russian AK available. Only 3000 guns were to be made. Since they did not sell Steyr cancelled the contract after the first 2000. Maadi already had guns made up for export marked with Steyr's name on the receiver. The Steyr name was scratched off in a not too dignified manner and sold to the Canadian market. There were less than 1000 of what came to be known among collectors as the "Canadian Model". A lot of these were blued instead of painted. All in all, the early Maadi's were probably one of the finest AK's available. I sold mine back in the early '90's for over $2,000.

leeblackman

Wow, I didn't know that. Thats two more to add to the list. Thanks alot bprevolver...

If I'm wrong please correct me, I won't be offended.

The sound of a 12 gauge pump clears a house fatser than Rosie O eats a Big Mac !

lrarmsx

BPREVOLVER's info is correct except for the overall all quality. I had access to selling the Maadi's back in the 1980's. I did sell the Hungarians, Chinese, and Yugoslavs new from 1986-1989 (Before the 1989 ban). The wholesale cost of the Maadi was $800+ to over $900. They came with just one mag, the Chinese and Hungarian FEG's came with three. Yes, they were the closest to an actual Russian since they were made on Russian equipment, but at a price of 3 times what you could buy a Norinco or FEG, they didn't sell well. To be totally honest, the ones I saw looked like they had been painted in a garage by a 5 year old. They looked like crap compared to the Chinese and even more so when compared to the FEG. When you could buy a folding stock FEG for under $300, why would anyone even look a one of those for over $800 with less accessories. I'm not saying they didn't work. In that department, they were fine, but the cosmetics sucked.

All that being said, that is why I raise an eye brow when I here some one say they bought a "pre-ban" Maadi for $300-450. First of all, there were very few of them ever brought into the country. They were never cheap (as a "pre-ban"). The few people that did buy them wouldn't sell them for half or less of what they paid for them 15 years ago when a Norinco or FEG from the same time period sells for 2-4 times above what was paid in the 1980's. The Maadi's were often faked as a "pre-ban". The very early ones still had the bayonet lug, but the ears were ground. Sometimes they weren't ground down enough and you could get a bayonet to almost lock on. They also left the muzzle threads intact and just spot welded the slant comp which had been ground or cut off flat. People would break the weld and replace the slant comp and replace the stock and pistol grip, and behold what looked like a pre-ban. Unlike the Norinco's, there was no distinct model designation from pre-ban to post-ban. As an example anyone trying to pass a "MAK90" off as a pre-ban has a pretty tough time of it, but with the Egyptian ones it is tougher to tell pre from post. Some of the later Egyptian ones had their year of production on the side below the rear sight, but that didn't start until 93-94.

Anyway, not to dis BPREVOLVER, but the true Pre-ban Maadi's are hard to find and yes they are expensive, but I wouldn't rate them as anything to write home about. They worked, but they usually looked like hell, even when they were brand new. If you find a cheap one, chances are that it is a post-ban. On all the Maadi's in the US, the percentage of real pre-ban's is less than 5% of the overall total, possibly less than 1%.

Of all the AK's I've ever handled, the Maadi is the only one that I have had to send back to the distributor brand new, because they were made so poorly that they wouldn't even function. I could tell just by taking it out of the box and looking it over or trying the action. With sights attached at a 20 degree off angle and barrels attached to the receiver at a 7-10 degree angle, it was pretty easy to tell that they weren't anything I wanted to have. I think they just got lazy on the more recent ones. They never had that problem years ago. Even the post 1989 ones had a better finish than the ones I saw before 1989. They still weren't great, but they at least didn't have runs 4-5 inches long in the paint.

gravedigger

So overall you're saying, the gun I saw was probably an illegally manufactured post-ban version with all the 'evil' goodies thrown on after the ban?

-Marcus

Happiness is a new gun.

lrarmsx

Gravedigger, I would need to know more about the gun you are looking at to determine if is illegal or not. There have been some Maadi's available over the last several years that have enough US parts in them that they can have the pistol grip and regular stock. However, all of those that I have had access to must also have the US made parts in the magazine for legality. The follower and floor plate are 2 of the parts that add up to the required number to be in the configuration with a pistol grip. Some of the other parts include the hammer, trigger, disconnector, etc. The parts are marked with US markings to determine the country of origin.

Who is the importer? Do you have any other information to help me determine its vintage? If you feel uncomfortable about giving such detail on the board, you mail contact me at LRARMSX@MCHSI.COM.

The ones imported over the last 2-3 years are legal IF, as they were brought in, they had some of the original parts removed at the importer and had them replaced with US made parts. I have had many of those myself. Unfortunately, it was those that I had to send some back due to there lack of quality control. By replacing enough of the foreign parts with US parts the gun legally becomes a US/Egyptian hybrid. It therefore can have one of the "evil" features, in this case the pistol grip. Starting back in March 1989 the imports could no longer have such a feature. In 1994, many of the same regulations affected the domestically manufactured guns. In the case of the US made guns, they could have one of the evil features, but not two or more. Hence the AR15 can have a pistol grip, the M-1 carbine a bayonet lug, and the M-1A (semi M14) can have a flash hider. In each case they can have one of the features, just not any more than one. The imports couldn't have even one, but they figured out if they put in enough US parts it technically made it a US weapon and then they could have at least the one, a pistol grip. So the one you saw very well could be one of those with the US parts in it. However, for many years prior to the import of the ones with US parts, people would commonly just take off the thumbhole stock and slap on a regular pistol grip and stock, either not knowing or not caring that it was illegal to do so. They just wanted it to look like what they saw in the movies or on TV. They didn't like the look of the thumbhole stock.

Regardless the chances of it being a true "pre-ban" are remote, but not impossible. Let me know if I can be of further assistance.