What are the differences in MAK 90s. AK gurus?

[BHJ]

What are the differences between a standard Norinco Mak 90 and a MAK 90 with no manufacturers mark that I can find, It has Mak 90 sporter on the side with an open top front sight hood and several ribs stamped into the receiver cover? It also says Armco ak47 made in China on one side and IAC Billarica Ma on the other. Any help identifying any differences,plant of origin etc. appreciated.

 

[Csanino]

well, this is one you DONT want to have

 

[BHJ]

That's for sure. I know about third hole no no's and don't have any of those. Just wondering about what the difference is. I have found some info indicating it may be an AKM but aren't they all? Just looking for some clarification. It has black lacquered furniture with an ambidextrous thumb hole stock and looks like the muzzle threads have been turned off.

 

[BHJ]

Anybody?

 

[offbeat404]

milled vs stamped?

<< def not an expert

 

[jloneill17]

he stamped receiver MAK-90 in 7.62 and .223 have barrels that are .608" in diameter.
The milled receiver MAK-90 has a .615" diameter barrel.
The milled receiver MAK-91 has a .684" diameter barrel and the NHM-91 has a .668 diameter barrel.
The Maddi post bans have .580" diameter barrels and Romanian's are .584".
All AK's have barrels that are 4 different diameters in different places. The chamber is the largest diameter then steps down at the rear sight block, next the gas block, and finally the smallest diameter is at the front sight.

All Poly Tech AKs have an oval 386 stamped on the receiver. All the milled receiver Chinese rifles have 386 in a oval. The post ban models MAK-90,MAK-91,AK Hunter and Poly Tech Legend pre bans have the 386 in a oval.

The barrels of milled receiver MAK-90 and 91 rifles are not threaded . The fit and finish of Poly Tech rifles pre or post ban are the best of all Chinese rifles imported. The trigger pull is the best of any AK imported into the US, yes even better than the "holy grail" of AK's, the Bulgarian SLR-95. Just spray paint a milled MAK-90 black like the Bulgarians, and you will have the best finished AK imported with the best trigger pull.

All Chinese MAK-90 rifles that were in the first bunch imported/in customs right after the 1989 ban had threaded barrels. All after this bunch had the threads turned off the barrel. My NHM-91 and MAK-91 have barrels heavier and longer than MAK-90's. They shoot tighter groups but I don't know if this is because of better/heavy barrels or longer sight radius of the 20" barrels.

All the milled receiver post ban rifles have the slant cut with round hole in the rear of the receiver. I subscribe to the theory that they were going to be underfolding stock receivers, but instead of the holes milled in the side, one was cut in the rear. My MAK-90 and MAK-91 fit my NHM-90 stock like a glove. My NHM-90 has a receiver with a solid slanted rear and cut outs for the underfolding stock on the side of the receiver.

More measurements of my AK rifles barrels with calipers between the gas block and front sight:

MAK-90 milled=615"
MAK-91 milled=.684" (heavist)
MAK-90 stamped=.608"
NHM-90 stamped=.601"
NHM-91 stamped=.668"
MAK-90 stamped .223=.608"
Maadi ARM,RPM,and RML=.580"

I found this on the internet

 

[jloneill17]

The later MAK-90s imported after 1990 had the threads on the muzzle actually turned off, and a 2 digit year of import stamped in front of or in back of the serial number (for example 91, 92, 93, 94). Some have a space or dash between the serial number and 2 digit year of import stamping. No MAK-90s were exported to the USA after 1994, however some Poly Tech rifles that were sitting in warehouses were finally released to their importers in 1996.

The court forced the importers to re-fit these rifles with Choate thumbhole stocks. (The logo "Choate Tool" can be seen in a circle on the flat end of the recoil pad.) Also, the bayonet lugs were ground off, and muzzle nuts welded to the barrels. The initials SP were stamped on the left side of the receiver.

Sometimes AK enthusiasts take a "de-fanged" MAK-90, and restore it to pre-ban condition. Hazmat posted this on the Gunsnet.net AK-47 forum: "Another type of MAK 90 that came in had the underfolder bayonet collar ground down. Here's a pic of a 'de-banned and re-fanged' version: You'll note the collar behind the front site base. This was ground smooth on the MAK 90 to make it compliant with import restrictions. The rifle itself was imported by KSI of Pomona, CA in '94 and had all the features of a standard MAK 90; thumbhole stock and neutered front site base. She was bought NIB 4 yrs ago and converted by fellow board member Surly. It has NEVER had a round through it. If you would like to use the photo on your site, no prob. Just give me credit." Here's the photo:


This is Hazmat's De-banned and Re-fanged MAK-90

There were more than a dozen American companies that imported MAK-90 rifles. The importers company name, city and state are stamped on one side or the bottom of the receiver. Some their name stamped on the barrel between the gas block and front sight. Importers included KSI (King Sports Imports) or JPE in Pomona, California; NASI of Midland, TX; KBI of Harrisburg, PA; Sile of New York, NY; Interstate Arms, Billerica, Massachusetts; ARMCO, Boylston, MA; C.J.A. (China Jing An), Springfield, Michigan; B-West, Tucson, AZ; C.S.I. (China Sports Inc., Los Angeles and Ontario, CA; ACC/INTRAC of Knoxville,Tennessee; ClayCo Sports, Clay Center, KS; Pars International Corp. of Louisville,Kentucky; KBN Inc. of Harrisburg, PA; Compasseco, Bardstown, KY; LABANU INC, Ronkonkoma, NY; Century Arms International of Saint Albins,Vermont; and Keng's Firearms Specialties (KFS), Atlanta.


This MAK-90 was imported by C.J.A. of Springfield, Michigan.

If you are buying a MAK-90, beware of getting one with the "third hole." There are still a few MAK-90s out there that are considered "machine guns" by BATFE. (Sometimes imported by LABANU INC, Ronkonkoma, NY) These Norinco receivers have the "third hole" for the auto sear drilled through the receiver just above the mag release. This will look like a second flattened rivet/screw right above the mag release. The rivet will go right through the receiver, and be riveted on both sides. If there are two rivets right next to each other above the mag release, don't buy it. Do not confuse the third hole with the hammer stop, which is a convex rivet. The auto-sear rivet is flat. If you come across such a MAK-90, do NOT buy it!


Photos of what not to buy, and what is OK to buy

There is a close connection between MAK-90s and the Maadi MISR-90s from Egypt. When a ruling by the Teasury Dept. banned the import of Chinese guns and ammo in April,1994 there were thousands of MAK-90 rifles in warehouses waiting release from customs. The importers petitioned the Treasury Department to release these rifles for sale, since they were already in the USA when the import ban went into effect. They were allowed to sell the rifles as parts kits if the receivers were cut up. Not many kits were purchased by individuals, so Century Arms bought most of the MAK-90 parts kits and produced the model MISR-90 rifle. This rifle had an Egyptian Maadi receiver, but all the other parts came from Chinese MAK-90 parts kits.


An Egyptian Maadi Model

All MAK-90 rifles have stamped sheet metal receivers except for one lot of rifles imported (by China Jing An - C.J.A.) in 1993 that had receivers milled from a solid block of steel. These receivers were manufactured by Chinese State Factory 386. They were all designed for the typical AK 7.62x39 ammo. The stamped and milled receivers can be easily distinguished from one another because the stamped receiver has rivets holding it together and the milled receiver has only one rivet at the front of the receiver, and is obviously milled instead of dimpled. MAK-90 barrels are not threaded into the receiver, merely pressed in, and pinned.


A milled MAK-90 receiver, showing the cut-out, instead of the "dimple."

The front sight of the MAK-90 has a fully enclosed hood/sight protector with a hole in the top; and a smooth receiver cover. An AKM has a sight protector that is open on the top, and a ribbed receiver cover.



The bore is chrome-lined, and the rifling is good. If you keep your barrel clean, it will shine.




Note the smooth receiver cover; it has no "ribs" stamped in it.

The MAK-90 rifles were imported in cardboard boxes nestled in styrofoam inserts that had cut-outs for the rifle and accessories. Each rifle came with three 5-round magazines, a buttstock cleaning kit, a gas port cleaning tool, a cleaning rod, a sling and a manual. Click here to see the manual in PDF format. Some of the earlier MAK-90s came with three 30-round magazines and a bayonet. Most of these rifles had the 30-round magazines and bayonets removed from the boxes by the importer or dealers.


Some of the MAK-90s were sold with Chinese "drum" magazines. These are easier to load than the cheaper Romanian drums.

The fit and finish on the MAK-90 is comparatively good and the trigger pull is smoother than other models of AK rifles from other countries. The highest quality MAK-90 is thought by most to be that of PolyTechnologies, and imported by Keng's of Atlanta, Georgia. Here's an early Guns and Ammo magazine ad for the PolyTech "MAK-90." Some MAK-90 owners find the stock unsightly or uncomfortable, and file the thumbhole to make it fit the hand better, or replace the thumbhole stock with an ordinary AK-47 stock. If you do that, you must then make your MAK-90 922r compliant by replacing a number of other parts with US made parts. Note: Please remember that the MAK-90 receiver is 1.6mm thick, and the barrel is also thicker than on Eastern European AKs. So, if you decide to "remodel" your MAK-90, keep this in mind. Some parts that fit other AKs, may not fit your MAK-90. The Ironwood Designs stock is considered to be the best choice for replacing a thumbhole stock on a MAK-90 with a slant-cut reciever.


MAK-90s feature smooth "double-hook" fire-control-groups, rather than the more common modern "single-hook" mechanism.

Just a word about replacing the thumb-hole stock: don't assume that you have a "slant-cut" receiver, just because it looks that way with the thumb-hole stock in place. Remove the stock and look at the rear of the receiver. It may actually be straight cut. It would be good to be sure about this before you spend money on a specialized stock set.


Typical MAK-90 Thumb-hole Stock


A Chinese Replacement Stock Set

- - - Updated - - -

http://www.mouseguns.com/mak90web/mak90.htm

or you can go here and see pics

 

[Speed6]

well, this is one you DONT want to have

Why don't you want that one? What is this evil third hole you guys speak of?

 

[BHJ]

Yeah I found that article. This specimen appears to have The original manufacturers markings ground off prior to importation. the stamping on one side appears kinda light and the finish though bright appears to be thin in a few places. I'll have to get out the calipers after dinner and see what the barrel mics at.

 

[bambam]

Does the front sight have a spring loaded pin for a brake? This and the reciever cover is interesting. How about a pic of each.

Does it look like this one. Go to bottom of page. Pre ban.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...+mak+90&um=1&hl=en&gbv=2&tbm=isch&um=1&itbs=1