And if you do find one, it requires you to take it to a very expensive, skilled AK builder to get it head-spaced to your gun. So, if you accidently lose the bolt of your gun, there is a good chance you will have to scour the earth to find one. Good old Bill “Saxophone” Clinton signed some parchment that made it so that we cannot get imported Chinese AKs or AK-47 parts anymore. The only negative about the Chinese AK is that it can be difficult to find replacement parts for it.
Serial numbers that started with 989 or 999 were the bad ones.Serial numbers that started with BWA, BWB, BWC or BWD are the ones you want.You want to find a B-West imported as opposed to a B-West manufactured.U.S.-manufactured ones had non-heat-treated guide rails and axis pin holes, which caused malfunctions after moderate use.Open front sight (as opposed to the covered on all other Chinese AKs).Came with synthetic black stocks, not wood.These had warning instructions stamped into the top cover.Some have pasts that are unknown or somewhat shady. The following are importers that are “notable mentions,” but were not heavy hitters like Norinco or Poly Tech. Many firearms that were imported could have multiple importers’ names engraved onto the receiver. Norinco also had the responsibility of importing for many smaller importers listed below.Some had issues with firing pins often piercing primers.Standard AK parts, like the bolt and bolt carrier, can interchange with this platform.Some had bi-pods attached and longer barrels similar to the RPK-style Russian guns.They had thumb-hole stocks, non-threaded barrels, and bayonet lugs removed.The straight cut is the more desired of the two, because it can be retrofitted to more standard AK accessories. “Angle Cut” and “Straight Cut” describes how the rear of the stamped receivers were cut.A milled receiver and two different style stamped receivers were available. The Mak 90 is the most common Norinco AK.They brought in more guns and more models than any other company.They also had a national match that featured longer hand-selected and air-gauged barrels. Each day that passes the prices just increase. The most collectable of all the Chinese AKs.These had the finest quality parts that were meticulously built into guns and brought into the States - the Holy Grail of Chinese AKs:.
Here are some of the companies who have exported or imported Chinese AKs into the United States, along with some info about their models: All Chinese AKs are collectable, but not all are as valuable as others. Some might call the Polytech Legend the finest AK-platform gun that was ever imported to the States, while the B-West is a “hit or miss” purchase. They ended up having a stigma for Vietnam War veterans that continues to this day.Īlthough a lot of the imported Chinese guns might look similar, their quality is a completely different story. These guns, unfortunately, were the ones primarily used by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War. Countless numbers were exported to countries all over the world, including many African, Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian nations. A rough estimate of 10-15 million of these were produced. It was created in 1956 and is still in service today. The first Chinese AK was called the Type 56 assault rifle. Chinese AKs make a lot of other Kalashnikov-style guns look like and feel like pieces of shit. Their actions are smooth and their triggers are fantastic. Having that super-tight fit and a thicker barrel, without a doubt, is one of the reasons the guns are so accurate. The barrels were pressed a lot tighter into the trunnions or milled receivers than any other AK out there. Right off the bat, this gives you a sturdier base - it makes the heart of your rifle tougher and more accurate.Ĭhinese AKs also came with much thicker barrels than most imported AKs. Chinese AKs used a 1.5 mm-thick sheet metal receiver as opposed to the 1.0 mm that is used in Europe. They did not follow the eastern-European standards for Kalashnikovs.