Posted on 01/21/2015 10:57:00 AM PST by grundle
An American gun company has found a way around the anti-Russia sanctions that have banned imports of the Kalashnikov assault rifle: Make them here, in the U.S.A.
The U.S.-made gun will have same name as the original: AK-47, arguably the most ubiquitous assault rifle in the world.
The gun will be made by American company RWC, which is the official importer and distributor of Kalashnikov AK-47s. The company had to stop importing the guns after the U.S. imposed sanctions in July against Russia for its role in the Ukraine crisis.
RWC said it is not permitted to have any contact with the Russian company, Kalashnikov Concern, which makes the AK-47s.
"We are not permitted to pick up the phone and to talk to them," said Thomas McCrossin, CEO of RWC, which owns the Kalashnikov USA brand. "We were forced to stop doing business with them because of the sanctions."
RWC, based in Tullytown, Pa., has the rights to the AK-47 Kalashnikov brand of guns, which has been produced in the Soviet Union after World War II.
(Excerpt) Read more at money.cnn.com ...
“I am sure the patents that apply have long since expired.”
Wikipedia says that the AK-47 design is public domain. Izhmash claims to hold the patent for Ak-100 and newer.
Chortle! Take that, cultural Marxist gun banners! Hoist on the Kalashnikov-designed petard of your hero, Che!
Unless they can find a way to produce a reliable stamped rifle with mil-spec CHF barrels, they wont really bring anything new to the US market.
If they’re going to make an American model AK-47, I think their best bet would be to go for high quality precision engineering.
Depending on the alloys used, they could make a “gold” edition much better than the best quality out there; and then using advanced materials to make a “platinum” version. It would be extremely expensive, but those in that market range are pretty indifferent to cost.
It would also likely need very high grade ammunition as well.
I’d like to follow the money on this one.
No. But I have heard of Adcor. You might want to check this out. Truly innovative...uses gas piston AND floating barrel, thus the “more reliable/accurate” achievement. Apparently was walking away with the contract at military trials when they pulled the plug.
Seems the money trail is the importer has nothing to import now, still has customer demand, and either makes their own or goes under. Some stamping machines and drill presses solves the problem.
Got 3 AK47’s just before the Maryland Gun ban kicked in October 2013. If they had passed no law, I probably would have only gotten one.
2 Words:
PARTS KITS
DIY those suckers and save yourselves about $600.
Ummm, we already do that doofus.
As a collector I want original.
I built one on a receiver made in Cleveland Ohio.
AK-47s: Soon to be made in USA
The world truly has turned upside down.
Saiga is banned.
AK’s are made in Zastava Serbia with 1.5 receivers.
Everything else you can keep, that goes for Izhmash too.
Random thoughts:
They Rooskies have been making “reliably stamped” AKMs since about 1947.
My Romanian cheapo (but very reliable Century Inc.) AK 47 knock-off has a chrome barrel.
Gun writer Patrick Sweeney wrote, in his two seminal books on groking the AR-15, that some users believe the non-chrome lined barrel is more accurate; the communist bass-terds chromed them because they knew their peasant operators probably wouldn’t be cleaning them as often as they should.
Sweeney also points out that “Military spec” for the M-16 is state-of-the-art technology circa the early `60s, when Eugene Stoner finished up his Armalite prototype for testing and then the first were issued to the Air Force—way back before `Gilligans Island, when “Dobie Gillis” was playing on our black-and-white TV.
Btw, the unusually shaped AR magazine came about because American servicemen enjoying govt. paid vacations in steamy locales discovered that they would appreciate a larger 30 round magazine over the standard 20 round. But there were govt. specs to be adhered to, so the good folks at Armalite used the original mag dimensions, and tacked on the extra to accomodate the extra ten rounds, resulting in the somewhat oddly shaped magazine.
No charge noob.
td, laundry & morale officer
and resident know-it-all
$99 Romanian parts kit, $60 US receiver, Voila!
The Zastavas are nice.
Molot/Vepr is the BEST, but they are banned now.
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