Norinco AK ?
I got one back in the late 80's or early 90's . How can I tell if its pre-ban or post ?
Only the strong shall survive !!!
Only the strong shall survive !!!
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My pre-ban Norinco has a screw on flash diverter that does not appear on the post ban guns. The postban guns did not have threaded muzzles. 0 -
Post ban Noricos have Mak-90, NHM-90, or NHM-91 labled on the side. If it has a bayonet lug it is most likely pre ban.
You can run, but you'll just die tired.0 -
Found out it's a model 56 that was caught in customs . [V]
Only the strong shall survive !!!0 -
There were model 56S guns that were pre-ban and were stuck in customs after the March 1989 assault weapons ban. They were finally modified to basically MAK90 specifications by having their bayonet lugs removed, flashhiders cut and welded, and having a thumbhole stock added in place of the original stock and pistol grip. Then usually they also electrically engraved the name "Sporter" into the side somewhere around the importer's name and/or model designation.
If there is any pictures available of the gun, I may be able to provide further information. LRARMSX@MCHSI.COM0 -
Well, actually the flash hider was not cut and welded, the flash hider was an accessory that could be screwed on, or you could screw the muzzle brake on, or blank firing adapter, etc. What they did was tack weld the thread protector to the muzzle so you couldn't remove it. I have heard that people have removed that tack weld with some precision cutting/filing, which is illegal, of course, but could be done if it ever comes to it. What I have wondered, if the ban sunsets without renewal next year, it should be legal to add the necessary number of US made parts and restore the threaded barrel for attachment of those goodies, and even add the bayonet lug if you wanted! But you'll have to wait and see if the ban sunsets. If I were you, I'd hold onto it and see if the ban expires without renewal. Add the necessary number of US parts, and have the rifle you really want.
To err is human, to moo is bovine.0 -
Nope no Sporter engraved anywhere . The only different markings is the 7 stamped on each side of 56S (756S7) . Found out the 7's designate a fixed stock (thumbhole) , and if it had 1's stamped (156S1) it was a folding stock that had a tang weled on . Then athumbhole stock put on . No MAK-90 , ect., stamped on gun either . The importer was Sile N.Y. N.Y. . As for flash hider it was cut off . You can still see bare metal where it was cut , and rethreaded back on . The bayonet lug was removed . Was never interested in getting one for it . Never liked the look . If need to , and in time if it isn't illegal I may replace it ( know a site that sells them for pre-ban ) . Thumbhole stock has to go though . Talk about ugly . Seen better wood on a matchstick .( that's one sunset I'm looking forward to ) .
Only the strong shall survive !!!0 -
I sold some of those Sile imported, modified 56S rifles back in that time period of 1989-1991. I thought that might have been what you had. They originally had the slant comp and they just cut the front part off and did the tack weld. It wasn't the best job, but it was effective to meet the demands of the time. There weren't the accessories available for them back then like there is today, thread protectors and the like.
The "Sporter" markings came later. At that time Sile just needed to make them legal to sell after they had been sitting on them for so long. Back when they arrived, just days after the ban, they couldn't sell them as they had planned. They couldn't send them back. They had already paided for them. No other country wanted them for their public. No other country wanted them for their military since they were only semi-auto. So they were stuck. That is why they just sat on them until the loopholes were figured out about the removal of features and the addition of the thumbhole stock to get around the ban specifications.
It is a bit of a gray area as to whether you could add any of the pre-1994 US ban features to a 1989 banned gun, even if the 1994 Crime Bill sunsets. The modifications may have had to have been done prior to the 1994 ban and the US parts for the AK weren't available at that time. Modifying one to the same specs as a current SAR1 with the regular pistol grip shouldn't be a problem, but adding the flash hider and bayonet lug or folding stock back on could be another story.
Admittedly B-West had some of the "held at customs" pre-ban Chinese AK's back in the 1989-1991 time period as well, just like Sile. They too had their money tied up in these guns that they couldn't sell. They been told that they had to destroy the guns or at least their receivers, they complied. They then asked if they could at least sell or in some way "use the parts" so that they could recover some of their money that they had had invested for over a year or two that had just been sitting there. The gov't told them that they could. So they took their cut receiver AK's and sent them with all of their parts, in their original boxes to their Arizona location. They had already gotten specs from the Chinese on making an AK receiver. They then proceeded to make new receivers here in the US and then re-assemble the rifles on that receiver and ship them out in the original Chinese box with all of the original Chinese accessories and feature (bayonet lug, flash hiders, pistol grip, etc). This went on for a few months and the gov't came in and put a halt to it, saying "That's not what we meant by being able to use the parts".
So I wouldn't be too sure about what you can or can't do with one of these pre-post 1989 banned rifles. The addition of the US parts to add the pistol grip and regular stock should be okay, but above and beyond that, I'd want to make sure that everything was acceptable to those that write, interpret, and enforce the laws. Assuming that it was legal, could be unwise without making sure in advance. There are so many interpretations of what a person will or will not be able to do "IF" the 1994 ban sunsets, that I wouldn't count on too much until we see where things fall. I guess I'm just thinking that its not over until its over.0 -
Thanks irarmsx , and everyone else . From what you all have told me , and what I've researched . This was quite informative . [:D]
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