Come with me to a Michigan gun show in the '80s: When you walked in, what you noticed most were wooden crates-crates full of new AKs and SKS rifles soaked in cosmoline-crate after crate after crate, all through the show. New SKS rifles were $69, but I don't remember how much the AKs were. In addition to the crates of firearms were pallet loads of ammo-wooden crates of yellow box Norinco ammo, dirt cheap. If Combloc firearms weren't your thing, you could take your pick of M1 Garands, $200 each, or M1 Carbines, $150 each. Plenty of vendors had bins full of spare parts for them,too, so if you had patience and a reference book, you could mix-and-match your way to a "correct" rifle or carbine. If you were a 98k guy, you could take your pick of Russian capture 98ks for $60 (with peened waffen marks), or ones with unmolested markings for a bit more. Piles of WW1 mausers and Turkish Mausers for pocket change,too. We'll never see times like that again, sadly.
For some perspective to today's prices, assuming 1985 as the year in question, an SKS would cost $199, a Garand $577, an M1 Carbine would be $432, and a Mauser would be $173. That's an inflation rate of 188%. Frankly, that's what the price should be for all of these.
Don’t forget fashion and ladies garments on the 6th floor, school supplies on the 12th floor groceries, (long shelf life products) on floor 22 and of course life insurance on the same floor as their real estate on the 38th floor.
I have a milled version. They are really, really nice. A tad on the heavy side for me but I am a thin woman. I packed it away when I got my first AR. Kinda glad I did now. It's now the gun version of a classic Corvette that got driven one summer and then parked.
@@evancrosley2857 I am finding I am building up huge numbers. I only have a few that are turning into investments but when I was younger I had to sell or trade one on occasion. After college I got a reasonable job and didn't need to sell much. Buying 2,3, or 4 a year really starts to add up at my age. Ugg, reminds me how old I am. On the up side, I have a great collection.
I have the exact same rifle as in this video. Bought it in 1988, and have only put 150 rounds through it in 32 years. My favorite rifle I own because of its complete political incorrectness.
@@Lockbar Nice. I got mine around that time. My boyfriend at the time bought 1,000 rounds. That 1,000 rounds was split among that AK and two SKs. Probably more than half went through the AK so it's got 7 or 800 through it but it looks brand new. I paid $650 for it back then so I took really good care of it. That was pretty expensive back then. lol Especially considering the $69 SK specials. Everyone our age recalls pulling an SK out of a straw filled crate direct from China. Oh, and the paper wrapped rounds. lol Good Times!!
I have a Polytech 762S side folder. It is an outstanding rifle, well made, well fitted and it is blued not painted. I bought it in 88 before the ban and glad I did. Great video.
@@Mikhail-Tkachenko You're welcome. You youngins think you know so much more than us old farts, so we will let you get our gun rights back. Sad thing is, all I see is a bunch of gender confused idiots protesting their freedoms by pushing communism and burning our cities down..If it wasn't for us pro gun old farts, you wouldn't have any gun rights today. This has been an up hill battle since before I was born..
he's a big enough nerd to probably enjoy researching guns all day and I mean that in a positive way, if your hobby is also your job you aren't really working
I had a Norinco ak (mak-90) and a Polytech M14. Wish I hadn't gotten rid of either. The M14 was a great shooter, if I did my part it had no problem keeping 20 rnds in the bottom of a red solo cup at 100 yards. Sure not match grade accuracy,but 20 rounds in a 2 inch group at 100yrds aint shabby for a bone stock battle rifle.
Maadi AK's came in the early 80's, then the Chinese variants. I remember the gun magazines calling them beer can guns. They worked great and ammo was cheaper than 22 LR. I used a Poly side folder as my pack gun in Montana, "back in the 80's" which upset most fuds and most people alike. I found it to be a modern Winchester 3030 and shot many deer with it. Polytech AK's were well made and had higher quality than the Norico variant.They also had a firing pin spring which the Norico didn't have, which was safer to use with domestic made ammunition that didn't have harder primers. I modified my Norinco to take a Galil firing pin and spring for this reason.The crimped flutes on the sheet metal gas piston tube," is where the gas vent occurs" and the holes drilled in it was completely unnecessary. Thank you Peter Kokalis for this info. My how times have changed with modern sporting rifles.
I'll take my Maddi I bought brand new in 1990 for 600.00 any day...A friend that owned a pawn shop called me, and told me someone just sold him 2....new in the box...I got one and he got the other...love it.....Same weapon as used in Red Dawn..only they were converted to full auto, back in 1986...Shoots like a dream...
My father got similar reactions to his Norinco SKS, at about the same time. It's quite nice to shoot, much better than the shortened "Fudd Special" 8mm Mauser he had been using. And both guns cost about the same!
I bought my first AK at a gunshow around 1994 or 5. I wanted to get a Akm "before they got banned" there were nice ones there made by i want to say Hungary, but I couldn't afford one. So I bought a Maadi for $210 with 3 Chinese Magazines. Great rifle though.
@@henryrodgers7386 Funny how it takes time for people to see the advantages with certain firearms, when the heard mentality disapproves. I always looked at what worked the best for my needs, not what others thought I need. Thinking for your self is the American way.
A friend of mine bought one of the 5.56mm underfolders when they first hit the market. As I recall, he spent about $250-$300 for it. At that time an AR-15 was $500+ and an HK-91 was close to $1,000. It's no wonder they sold like hotcakes.
I don't think HK-91 prices got over $650-$750 till after the ban. I spent a lot of weekends of my freshman year of college (1986) in Ft. Bragg area gun stores pricing my dream guns. Cheapest price on a NIB AK I saw was $209 for a fixed stock 56S Norinco.
I bought a polytechnic underfolder for $300 back in the day. I had a choice of the poly tech or norinco and bought the poly tech. It seemed like a better gun. Shame to say I sold the poly tech in the late 90s .
lived only a few hours from Keng's Firearms and used to drive there and got to know several people there. It was a neat place for sure! I remember seeing the Drum Fed Type 81 semi autos there once and did not know what it was so I didn't buy one! As i recall they were expensive for the time, $800 as opposed to the Poly Tech AK you see there that sold for $350! The neatest thing about Keng's were all the things that came in that they COULDN'T sell. I was once shown thier lockup room for items to be either sent back or to be picked up by the ATF. In it were numerous full auto Broomhandles, Chinese PPSH submachineguns, and other such nonsense. NEAT TIMES!
I bought a Legend double under folder in 1989 with 3 30rd mags and a 90rd drum for $325. A 1200rd case of steel "copper washed" 7.62 was $25... the glory days.
@@BriGuyIT just remember that a V8 Mustang LX (a bit faster than the GT because it didn't have all the luxury parts adding weight) was $13k. So that $1000 then is more like $3500-4000 now.
According to KFS, a milled Legend w/ folding spike bayonet was never imported and sold on the market. That said, I've seen a few Legends that people did install the spiker assembly on as a custom job, quite neat.
@@misha5670 I did just that on a blonde wood Legend underfolder a few years back. Sometimes I regret it as it's no longer "original", but it turned out so perfectly that my hope is that if I have to sell it, it will still bring some money.
The double folder was my first true love in the AK world. The lines on a polytech legend spoke to me as well. Then the Romy G kits long before dongs became Instagram popular.
Maybe already mentioned, but Steyr Maadis were used for the documentary Red Dawn as they were the only AKs available in large numbers in the US. Some were left semi-auto some were converted to full-auto in the US.
@@therideneverends1697 I've given up defending three things from naysayers; the moon landing, Elvis' death, and the 1984 Soviet invasion of North America. For the conspiracy theorists, no amount of evidence is sufficient.
For service to education in the field of firearm history, I hereby call for the knighting of Ian McCollum. Even if it is from Sealand, Sir Ian has a nice ring to it.
I mean you can always get them if you know the right people. Money talks, and somebody will always be willing to sell if you can find them. Just can't tell the government about it.
Back in the day I had 3 Polytech AK's and they were a cut above the Norinco's....despite both being made in the same factory. It seemed that it was like Ford and Lincoln where the same basic unit was built but one had a higher quality finish and this was the Polytech. Sold both AKM's but still have the Legend milled AK-47S and I believe it's the finest AK ever offered in the US. Smooth and tight...very nice little rifle. Sadly they've gotten very pricey so it was only tested for two mags then put away but is still taken out of the safe and fondled now and then.
I held my uncle's underfolder when I was a teen and I loved it. I couldn't understand why I heard from so many people saying that they were Chinese junk. Guess I was right....
Your hands always tell a story. There is a wound, scratch or some other healing mark on your hands when you handle the guns. Somehow, that gives a sense of involvement and trust.
I bought a type 56-s Norinco in the '90's, brand new, for three hundred dollars. Now they're three thousand. Great rifle. Never a single failure of any kind.
Excellent video as always. Ak is simply such a timeless design. I hope the Chinese army adopts the QBZ-03 over the 95. The Chinese are actually very good at manufacturing, they are also very good in cutting corners, it's just you get what you want to pay. Iphones are also made there. I've shot the type 81 and type 56 and they are every bit as well made as Izmash productions and East German Aks
I managed to get one of the second importer versions of the Maadi ARM, imported by A.C.C. INT/INTRAC, and supposedly they're made on old Tula machinery. Interestingly enough, most of the Maadi's I have seen are just painted black instead of blued. Apparently the early Steyr versions came shipped with Full Auto bolt carriers as well as 3rd pin holes.
Thank you very much for a most informative production. I worked at a LGS back in the 80’s and I recall selling some of these. Should have bought one :(
Working with a company buying a lot of parts from the Chinese, the quality of their products isn't bad, they just have next to no quality control, and kind of expect the companies buying from them to do all of the QC. They're just making stuff, it's your job to test it before putting it up for sale. And they build for cheap enough to make that a very good deal for western markets.
Very nice video describing the history of AK's that I really did not know ten minutes ago! Thank you so much for your time and dedication to guns, I think I've watched about a dozen or more of your videos already and will see about using patreon (never did that before so you will be first). One quick question, do you have a video on a Russian or Turkish gun that is a copy of the M16/AR 15 called an "Emkay?" There is a Russian pop song where this gun is mentioned and it is supposedly the slang word for this gun over there.
I used to have a full-stock Poly that had probably 30-40K rounds through it. The spike bayonet looks cool but gets very hot under your hand when shooting fast.
In Australia Norinco (North China Industries) imported an AK Type 56 Semi-auto for civilian marketbut a few AK Type 56-1 select fire slipped through. Of course the registered dealers grabbed them up. Not to be confused with the military Type 56 series.
Greetings from Finland! Every time I see AK, I think of Valmet so thanks for mentioning it and making me smile :) this one looks beautiful. What's the argument against bayonettes? What makes a short "knife" make a rifle more dangerous? Is it a sign of combat purpose that is a problematic?
My first centerfire rifle was a Norinco SKS, but I always "drooled over" and wanted a Polytech AK, and MAK-90. There was just something about a foreign (or opposition) combat rifle that made me want one.
Little correction here, the current safety notch is indeed the full auto position. One more notch down is semi auto. The safety selector is cut so it will not engage the beaver tail on disconnector, and the disconnector is a semi auto one.
Ian talking about the polytech aks: they also made a milled version called the legend series but we won't get into that this video. Me: HOLD UP WHATS THIS ABOUT A LEGEND SERIES!!!
Ammo in 7.62x39 in Australia used to be largely Chinese. Norinco stuff. Back in the day when we had loads of Chinese semi autos here. A bunch of Chinese type 63 / type 68 rifles imported here that it turned out were refurbished ex PLA rifles. Norinco has just welded a piece to prevent the selector being moved to full auto and left the auto sear and all other parts necessary for full auto in the rifles. A grinder would make them full auto in a minute or two. By the time that had been figured out they’d all been sold. They were a cool rifle. They had a short stroke piston with a rotating bolt and looked like an SKS with a detachable magazine. Now and then they turn up in seizures from criminals, even though they government here paid half a billion dollars in 1996 to buy back almost all semi autos.
I have a few pre and post ban Chinese AK's. One of my pre bans is a fixed stock Polytech just a few serial numbers off from the one in the video and the the other is an AKS47-1, which is an underfolder that takes a regular Chinese style detachable AKM bayonet. There is no manufacturer code on it or date it was made. It isn't marked as being sold through Norinco or Polytech. All it has is the importer info crudely stamped forward of the magwell. I assume it was sold through Norinco, but no one has ever verified that.
Mine was marked AKS 223 not 556 Had feeding problems and the trigger had a kick back that that would leave your finger numb after two mags. But that bayonet was fun.
It's Poly Technologies, combining it like "Polytech" gives off all the wrong ideas. Fun fact: the Poly Theater was for a long time the most prestigious theater in Beijing
bought a full stock ak in 1983 as my first gun. they were expensive at $225 for a poor college student. ammo was cheaper than garbage though. shot it and did not know about corrosive ammo. took it out one day to get ready to go to the range and it was rusted. since the bolt carrier was in the white, it rusted also. sold it a few years later good times back then
Hey Ian, I just watched your dad as an expert in a short documentary "the Japanese guns of ww2". You two look exactly alike but for his red hair. I always wanted to make him a flintlock rifle and pistol set, just couldn't afford it.
Well I still have 3 MAK-90s with their distinctly Chinese thumbhole stocks and a Chinese SKS . All of them are pretty great guns. Should have bought the Polytechs when I had the chance.
i recently watched the hickok45 video on the side folder version of this gun which hickok45 jjr did a video on. poor guy didnt know shit about this rifle and i dont know how many times the guy said "i dont know" or " im not sure" but during the video all as i could think was this definitely isnt the forgotten weapons channel! thank you forgotten weapons for what you do
I don't know if you read comments But will you ever review the SR-1? It has a really interesting recoil system Not forgotten by any means, but you've reviewed some modern ones like the MDR so
Kalashikov Concern guys are realy excited to lure Ian as a guest star to review all sorts of russian-made stuff which never left the country. You can see that on KC youtube chanel they never filmed large and detailed historical reviews, possibly waiting Mr. McCollum to come.
we just need to be patient and wait for the day when he’ll travel to russia. it will happen eventually. there is soooo many truly unknown and unique firearms laying in museums. I personally seen some of those things and know their history but still would like to see their insides.
Thank you for the video. I've got '416' 85-762-0714. I bought mine in high school (circa. 1987) for $399, came with 2 magazines and 500 rds 7.62x39. Has never failed me. Fun to shoot. WOLVERINES!!! BTW, will you be doing WWI or WWII tours soon?
There were a handfull of Chinese AK rifles (don’t know if it was Norinco or Polytech) that had the third hole plugged by a tube. I think the ATF tracked most of them down and required them to be destroyed because of the “once a machine gun, always a machine gun” ATF ruling.
Clayco were the first chinese ak importers. They did not do well because of the black bakelite furniture. Then GSAD seems to be next in line importing chinese ak's out in Cali. GSAD's were made in the same factory the Chinese secret police firearms were made. Very nice units. After that you had Poly and Norinco marked guns coming in....
True, I don't use 5.56 but when I went to the store, it was completely sold out. There were a few different types of hunting rifle ammo but plenty of 7.62 x 39.
I pretty much avoid my local. They were overpriced before this and haven't had anything worthwhile in stock since the coof started, but I've never not been able to find 7.62x39 or 5.45 online for less than 35¢/round, even with price gouging.
@@Ghoulishblade hell, I just bought 400rds of M193 for $380. And those gouging bastards at CTD sent me an email today advertising 200rd range packs of M193 for $300🤯!!! Right now the cheap ammo seems to be x54R. I'm seeing hollow points for $9.95 a box of 20.
We need a wasr-10 and a Sar-1 AKM! Sar-1 has an interesting history because it was actually used to train troops in Romania, and a huge part of import semi auto civilian ak rifles.
Early prototype Soviet AKM's in the early 1950's had a similar rivet pattern, but that changed in the mid-1950's to the later pattern that was used in production AKM's.
One of my gun regrets involves not buying one of these back in the 80's. I was in retail spt gds in Atlanta AND WE RECEIVED SOME OF THE FIRST ak's brought in by Keng's. The buyer asked me if I wanted one.....149.95...came with three mags, bandolier, oiler, sling, cleanining kit. I said..."what the ehck would I ever use it for......crap...should have bought at least a couple cases of them.
I’m reminded now that I still have a MAK90 that I have yet to de-ban. I have the under folding bayonet, but I have yet to get a stock set to replace the thumb hole one.
Normally I would never doubt the Ian's knowledge, but in this case I have a slight nitpick. As far as I know "S" in AKS, does not stand for "semi", but for "special'nij" = "special". And this special part refers to the folding stock. At least this is the case for the Russian nomenclature, it is entirely possible that Chinese had it different. please correct me if I am wrong
Come with me to a Michigan gun show in the '80s: When you walked in, what you noticed most were wooden crates-crates full of new AKs and SKS rifles soaked in cosmoline-crate after crate after crate, all through the show. New SKS rifles were $69, but I don't remember how much the AKs were. In addition to the crates of firearms were pallet loads of ammo-wooden crates of yellow box Norinco ammo, dirt cheap. If Combloc firearms weren't your thing, you could take your pick of M1 Garands, $200 each, or M1 Carbines, $150 each. Plenty of vendors had bins full of spare parts for them,too, so if you had patience and a reference book, you could mix-and-match your way to a "correct" rifle or carbine. If you were a 98k guy, you could take your pick of Russian capture 98ks for $60 (with peened waffen marks), or ones with unmolested markings for a bit more. Piles of WW1 mausers and Turkish Mausers for pocket change,too. We'll never see times like that again, sadly.
For some perspective to today's prices, assuming 1985 as the year in question, an SKS would cost $199, a Garand $577, an M1 Carbine would be $432, and a Mauser would be $173. That's an inflation rate of 188%. Frankly, that's what the price should be for all of these.
I grew up in the wrong time
China Poly Group is unique in that you can auction fine art on the 3rd floor then buy missiles on the 27th at their company headquarters in Beijing.
Don’t forget fashion and ladies garments on the 6th floor, school supplies on the 12th floor groceries, (long shelf life products) on floor 22 and of course life insurance on the same floor as their real estate on the 38th floor.
So i can get a bottle of milk and a life insurance to go with my RPG-7? Sounds like a good business scheme to me
Don‘t forget they also have a cinema on the top floor
Is floor 69 nothing but sex toys and BDSM gear?
@Samuel Prince if walmart were run by the government.
I have a milled version. They are really, really nice. A tad on the heavy side for me but I am a thin woman. I packed it away when I got my first AR. Kinda glad I did now. It's now the gun version of a classic Corvette that got driven one summer and then parked.
I have the same situation. A few guns that are just getting too expensive to have fun with on the range, and are turning into investments lol.
@@evancrosley2857 I am finding I am building up huge numbers. I only have a few that are turning into investments but when I was younger I had to sell or trade one on occasion. After college I got a reasonable job and didn't need to sell much. Buying 2,3, or 4 a year really starts to add up at my age. Ugg, reminds me how old I am. On the up side, I have a great collection.
I have the exact same rifle as in this video. Bought it in 1988, and have only put 150 rounds through it in 32 years. My favorite rifle I own because of its complete political incorrectness.
@@Lockbar Nice. I got mine around that time. My boyfriend at the time bought 1,000 rounds. That 1,000 rounds was split among that AK and two SKs. Probably more than half went through the AK so it's got 7 or 800 through it but it looks brand new. I paid $650 for it back then so I took really good care of it. That was pretty expensive back then. lol Especially considering the $69 SK specials. Everyone our age recalls pulling an SK out of a straw filled crate direct from China. Oh, and the paper wrapped rounds. lol Good Times!!
@@shananagans5 hell yeah, I remember getting 1000rds for $80 shipped to the door lol
I have a Polytech 762S side folder. It is an outstanding rifle, well made, well fitted and it is blued not painted. I bought it in 88 before the ban and glad I did. Great video.
Me too, it is a great rifle.
Thanks for letting that ban happen.
@@Mikhail-Tkachenko You're welcome. You youngins think you know so much more than us old farts, so we will let you get our gun rights back. Sad thing is, all I see is a bunch of gender confused idiots protesting their freedoms by pushing communism and burning our cities down..If it wasn't for us pro gun old farts, you wouldn't have any gun rights today. This has been an up hill battle since before I was born..
@@hairydogstail “most” are libtards but people like John Doyle makes me believe that there’s still hope for this generation 🙏
You guys haven't been looking so good lately. Now you know how we feel ALL THE TIME hahaha
Non-stop entertainment everyday from Ian, how does the man do it.
I don't know, is he even human?!
Miracles from prophets tend to defy logic
Who wouldn't want his job, he gets to poke around guns all day.
I'd love to have that job, but I bet it's hard to research about guns everyday, it's history, how it works and all that
he's a big enough nerd to probably enjoy researching guns all day and I mean that in a positive way, if your hobby is also your job you aren't really working
It's funny how little people have heard of Polytech. They also made a copy of the M-14 rifle, which are actually nice rifles.
Mike Gerringer I love your pfp
@@nickirmen6671 I miss Bad Company 2 lol Vietnam DLC was dope!
I had a Norinco ak (mak-90) and a Polytech M14. Wish I hadn't gotten rid of either. The M14 was a great shooter, if I did my part it had no problem keeping 20 rnds in the bottom of a red solo cup at 100 yards. Sure not match grade accuracy,but 20 rounds in a 2 inch group at 100yrds aint shabby for a bone stock battle rifle.
@@misplacedhillbilly7594 that's fricken cool; I've only ever seen one that was transferred into the Gunshop I work at lol
Maadi AK's came in the early 80's, then the Chinese variants. I remember the gun magazines calling them beer can guns. They worked great and ammo was cheaper than 22 LR. I used a Poly side folder as my pack gun in Montana, "back in the 80's" which upset most fuds and most people alike. I found it to be a modern Winchester 3030 and shot many deer with it. Polytech AK's were well made and had higher quality than the Norico variant.They also had a firing pin spring which the Norico didn't have, which was safer to use with domestic made ammunition that didn't have harder primers. I modified my Norinco to take a Galil firing pin and spring for this reason.The crimped flutes on the sheet metal gas piston tube," is where the gas vent occurs" and the holes drilled in it was completely unnecessary. Thank you Peter Kokalis for this info. My how times have changed with modern sporting rifles.
I'll take my Maddi I bought brand new in 1990 for 600.00 any day...A friend that owned a pawn shop called me, and told me someone just sold him 2....new in the box...I got one and he got the other...love it.....Same weapon as used in Red Dawn..only they were converted to full auto, back in 1986...Shoots like a dream...
My father got similar reactions to his Norinco SKS, at about the same time. It's quite nice to shoot, much better than the shortened "Fudd Special" 8mm Mauser he had been using. And both guns cost about the same!
I bought my first AK at a gunshow around 1994 or 5. I wanted to get a Akm "before they got banned" there were nice ones there made by i want to say Hungary, but I couldn't afford one. So I bought a Maadi for $210 with 3 Chinese Magazines. Great rifle though.
@@Jreb1865 Nothing wrong with the Maadi, a relative of mine owns one and is a great AK.
@@henryrodgers7386 Funny how it takes time for people to see the advantages with certain firearms, when the heard mentality disapproves. I always looked at what worked the best for my needs, not what others thought I need. Thinking for your self is the American way.
A friend of mine bought one of the 5.56mm underfolders when they first hit the market. As I recall, he spent about $250-$300 for it. At that time an AR-15 was $500+ and an HK-91 was close to $1,000.
It's no wonder they sold like hotcakes.
They had problems with the 5.56 model, as the gas port was too small and caused malfunctions.
I don't think HK-91 prices got over $650-$750 till after the ban. I spent a lot of weekends of my freshman year of college (1986) in Ft. Bragg area gun stores pricing my dream guns. Cheapest price on a NIB AK I saw was $209 for a fixed stock 56S Norinco.
@@quadrono5714 I purchased mine for $550 in 1981. I wish I still had that rifle today.
I bought a polytechnic underfolder for $300 back in the day. I had a choice of the poly tech or norinco and bought the poly tech. It seemed like a better gun. Shame to say I sold the poly tech in the late 90s .
@@pjkentucky Too bad we didn't have a crystal ball back then, to see how much certain firearms value would rise.
lived only a few hours from Keng's Firearms and used to drive there and got to know several people there. It was a neat place for sure! I remember seeing the Drum Fed Type 81 semi autos there once and did not know what it was so I didn't buy one! As i recall they were expensive for the time, $800 as opposed to the Poly Tech AK you see there that sold for $350!
The neatest thing about Keng's were all the things that came in that they COULDN'T sell. I was once shown thier lockup room for items to be either sent back or to be picked up by the ATF. In it were numerous full auto Broomhandles, Chinese PPSH submachineguns, and other such nonsense. NEAT TIMES!
Polytech sounds like a fictional company. Something akin to OCP from robocop
They are now doing real estate asides from guns and APCs, quite a company
It's the name of one of France's best engineering schools, "Polytech(nique)"
@@zidan1hao917 "This beautiful estate comes with slightly used Shilka, and three AKS-74U´s. So? Do we sign a deal?"
Make it Polytech Corp. and you've got something right out of Blade Runner.
@Lassi Kinnunen in Guatemala we have a school (military I think) called Politécnica, polytechnic in spanish
how many Aks are there for christ's sake ? they just dont stop, THEY DONT STTOOPPP !!
Each time a second passes, the chinese make a new ak copy
@@hyperthalamus9278 Together we can stop this. Thank You.
Lets keep buying, so they dont stop.
@danio FED’s change the rules, so we take them all Semi.
Around 100 million AKs have been made. Every 9th gun is an AK.
Honestly, "Polytech" got me expecting a polymer AK.
Same
@@ACE-xi7xn me too
poly means "many". poly-technical is usually referred to when speaking of institutions of technology. i can see the connection
@@TheWorldEnd2 ...so...having both an AK and an AR makes you polyamorous?
@@TheWolfsnack yes
I bought a Legend double under folder in 1989 with 3 30rd mags and a 90rd drum for $325. A 1200rd case of steel "copper washed" 7.62 was $25... the glory days.
Oh wow, I thought getting 1000rd for $80 was a deal 20 years ago lol
I'd give anything to have been old enough to purchase firearms in the 80s. Back when you could legally build a full-auto M16 for around $1,000.
@@BriGuyIT just remember that a V8 Mustang LX (a bit faster than the GT because it didn't have all the luxury parts adding weight) was $13k.
So that $1000 then is more like $3500-4000 now.
According to KFS, a milled Legend w/ folding spike bayonet was never imported and sold on the market. That said, I've seen a few Legends that people did install the spiker assembly on as a custom job, quite neat.
@@misha5670 I did just that on a blonde wood Legend underfolder a few years back. Sometimes I regret it as it's no longer "original", but it turned out so perfectly that my hope is that if I have to sell it, it will still bring some money.
I worked for a distributor in the early '90s, and these were around $180. But nooo, I wasn't gonna buy a cheap Commie gun. Somebody kick me...
There’s a few available in Massachusetts... for $3,000, because our attorney general banned AR/AK sporting rifles, except pre-1994. 😔
As you wish. Please assume the position...
*Swift kick to the rear*
@@tranwc I finally broke down and picked up a WASR; my late-blooming AK itch is scratched. :)
@@tdugong Thanks! I needed that...
unforgivable Pete...
Karl: wow Ian look, Saigas and SLR rifles are going for more then pre-ban Polytechs these days..
Ian: Hold my Lebel
The double folder was my first true love in the AK world. The lines on a polytech legend spoke to me as well. Then the Romy G kits long before dongs became Instagram popular.
Maybe already mentioned, but Steyr Maadis were used for the documentary Red Dawn as they were the only AKs available in large numbers in the US. Some were left semi-auto some were converted to full-auto in the US.
Documentary!?
@@MrJeepmarine correct
@@rfswitch4530 is there a witty follow up or
@@therideneverends1697 I've given up defending three things from naysayers; the moon landing, Elvis' death, and the 1984 Soviet invasion of North America. For the conspiracy theorists, no amount of evidence is sufficient.
For service to education in the field of firearm history, I hereby call for the knighting of Ian McCollum. Even if it is from Sealand, Sir Ian has a nice ring to it.
Oh cool, I finally know what Dugan ment about double underfolder.
Just in case, a reminder that the "S" in any AKS/AKMS/AKSU stands for "Skladnoy" which means "folding".
Thanks for the info!
I have full stock Polytech Type 56, also says AKS. S here is for semi-auto
@@Alexwww21 Yes, stamped were 'AKS' and milled were 'AK47S' from China. Civilian and military naming conventions can and often are different, cheers.
I have a fixed stock ak47/s made by polytech
Да ладно?
I had a dream. The import ban was lifted
We got chinese makarovs and Russian aks and Sks s oh but it's just a dream
I mean you can always get them if you know the right people. Money talks, and somebody will always be willing to sell if you can find them. Just can't tell the government about it.
@@Seeker-wq8jc Shouldn't you be in school at this hour?
I wouldn't buy any CCP-made firearm, from Tiananmen square to the genocide in Xinjiang of Uighurs, you don't want to fund that.
Thanks for telling the story of an iconic weapon. Now I have to check out the Valmet you referenced!
Back in the day I had 3 Polytech AK's and they were a cut above the Norinco's....despite both being made in the same factory. It seemed that it was like Ford and Lincoln where the same basic unit was built but one had a higher quality finish and this was the Polytech. Sold both AKM's but still have the Legend milled AK-47S and I believe it's the finest AK ever offered in the US. Smooth and tight...very nice little rifle. Sadly they've gotten very pricey so it was only tested for two mags then put away but is still taken out of the safe and fondled now and then.
Is finger banging an AK illegal in some states?
Goddamnit Ian, you’re a national fucking treasure. How many people around the world start every day with a FW video? That’s gotta be satisfying!
I love my norinco rifle. Truly an underrated era.
I held my uncle's underfolder when I was a teen and I loved it. I couldn't understand why I heard from so many people saying that they were Chinese junk. Guess I was right....
Shad Rogers the 70-90 era of Chinese rifles were good!
Have to wonder if that manufacturer's marking was meant to mimic the Ishevsk triangle. After all, if it looks vaguely Russian it *must* be a good AK.
Wouldn't surprise me, honestly.
Leave it to the Chinese to reverse-engineer a stamp!
Everything about this gun: "distinctly chinese"
"If you look carefully you'll see Chinese writing... that ISN'T distinctly Chinese as the language is spoken in countries other than the PRC."
Your hands always tell a story. There is a wound, scratch or some other healing mark on your hands when you handle the guns. Somehow, that gives a sense of involvement and trust.
@Jerrol Hale I believe he has a cat(s?) also, and with cats also come injured hands
Fantastic attention to detail by Ian..
I bought a type 56-s Norinco in the '90's, brand new, for three hundred dollars. Now they're three thousand. Great rifle. Never a single failure of any kind.
Excellent video as always. Ak is simply such a timeless design. I hope the Chinese army adopts the QBZ-03 over the 95.
The Chinese are actually very good at manufacturing, they are also very good in cutting corners, it's just you get what you want to pay. Iphones are also made there. I've shot the type 81 and type 56 and they are every bit as well made as Izmash productions and East German Aks
QBZ-03 is dead. The new PLA standard rifle (sometimes called QBZ-19) came out last year. Look it up.
I managed to get one of the second importer versions of the Maadi ARM, imported by A.C.C. INT/INTRAC, and supposedly they're made on old Tula machinery. Interestingly enough, most of the Maadi's I have seen are just painted black instead of blued. Apparently the early Steyr versions came shipped with Full Auto bolt carriers as well as 3rd pin holes.
The russian spec for the AKM was to paint the gun black over parkerizeing
infact thats still how they do their current guns
Thank you very much for a most informative production. I worked at a LGS back in the 80’s and I recall selling some of these. Should have bought one :(
Working with a company buying a lot of parts from the Chinese, the quality of their products isn't bad, they just have next to no quality control, and kind of expect the companies buying from them to do all of the QC.
They're just making stuff, it's your job to test it before putting it up for sale.
And they build for cheap enough to make that a very good deal for western markets.
For some reason I love the look of SKS and AK with under folding bayonets
Very nice video describing the history of AK's that I really did not know ten minutes ago! Thank you so much for your time and dedication to guns, I think I've watched about a dozen or more of your videos already and will see about using patreon (never did that before so you will be first). One quick question, do you have a video on a Russian or Turkish gun that is a copy of the M16/AR 15 called an "Emkay?" There is a Russian pop song where this gun is mentioned and it is supposedly the slang word for this gun over there.
I still haven figured out whether that the RIA logo is edited on there or if it’s on the curtain
She's a beauty would love to have one, but they are hard to find now and very pricey.
I've got a fixed stock milled variant (ak47/s) and it's gorgeous
My uncle bought one of the Egyptian Aks in 1980
You could say this is a real unicorn of AKs...
...I'll see myself out.
I used to have a full-stock Poly that had probably 30-40K rounds through it. The spike bayonet looks cool but gets very hot under your hand when shooting fast.
These are some of the best AKs ever produced and imported. Shame they are not made this way anymore
He’s like the Bob Ross of guns
he is known as Gun Jesus
he's the Gun Jesus and Paul Harrel is the Bob Ross of Guns lol
@@surfingtothestars Paul is the William Shatner.
Thats larry potterfield
I own a Norinco type 56 s-2 sidefolder. Bought it in the 80's, wish I had bought a crate of them
In Australia Norinco (North China Industries) imported an AK Type 56 Semi-auto for civilian marketbut a few AK Type 56-1 select fire slipped through. Of course the registered dealers grabbed them up. Not to be confused with the military Type 56 series.
Greetings from Finland! Every time I see AK, I think of Valmet so thanks for mentioning it and making me smile :) this one looks beautiful.
What's the argument against bayonettes? What makes a short "knife" make a rifle more dangerous? Is it a sign of combat purpose that is a problematic?
It's just one of the cosmetic features used to define "assault weapons".
My first centerfire rifle was a Norinco SKS, but I always "drooled over" and wanted a Polytech AK, and MAK-90. There was just something about a foreign (or opposition) combat rifle that made me want one.
Just noticed Ian’s Malon Streak, I’ve got one too!
These are by far some of the best AKM You can find
They aren't AKM's. Completely different type of AK like Serbian Zastavas. Just because an AK is stamped does not make it an AKM.
Little correction here, the current safety notch is indeed the full auto position. One more notch down is semi auto. The safety selector is cut so it will not engage the beaver tail on disconnector, and the disconnector is a semi auto one.
Ian talking about the polytech aks: they also made a milled version called the legend series but we won't get into that this video.
Me: HOLD UP WHATS THIS ABOUT A LEGEND SERIES!!!
Me: okay you got my full interest now good sir tell me more!
Double folder. Holy Grail of AK's
Ammo in 7.62x39 in Australia used to be largely Chinese. Norinco stuff. Back in the day when we had loads of Chinese semi autos here. A bunch of Chinese type 63 / type 68 rifles imported here that it turned out were refurbished ex PLA rifles. Norinco has just welded a piece to prevent the selector being moved to full auto and left the auto sear and all other parts necessary for full auto in the rifles. A grinder would make them full auto in a minute or two. By the time that had been figured out they’d all been sold. They were a cool rifle. They had a short stroke piston with a rotating bolt and looked like an SKS with a detachable magazine. Now and then they turn up in seizures from criminals, even though they government here paid half a billion dollars in 1996 to buy back almost all semi autos.
A minor correction: there was a third distributor in the 90s, K.D.I. Imported then just prior to the ‘94 ban I think, I have one of their rifles
I have a few pre and post ban Chinese AK's. One of my pre bans is a fixed stock Polytech just a few serial numbers off from the one in the video and the the other is an AKS47-1, which is an underfolder that takes a regular Chinese style detachable AKM bayonet. There is no manufacturer code on it or date it was made. It isn't marked as being sold through Norinco or Polytech. All it has is the importer info crudely stamped forward of the magwell. I assume it was sold through Norinco, but no one has ever verified that.
I continue to enjoy your videos for their informative side and just because firearms are amazing and fun devices.
Mine was marked AKS 223 not 556 Had feeding problems and the trigger had a kick back that that would leave your finger numb after two mags. But that bayonet was fun.
Is there gonna be a Maadi AK video? Like the differences between a Maadi and a proper AKM, It’d be cool
A nice, full bodied AK. One could say...
When I hold it in my hands
I get feels I just don't understand.
It's Poly Technologies, combining it like "Polytech" gives off all the wrong ideas. Fun fact: the Poly Theater was for a long time the most prestigious theater in Beijing
Ya apparently they're into real estate and even run one of world's largest art auctions. Most certainly a firm high up within the CCP hierarchy.
Polytech is literally stamped on the gun, what are u on
bought a full stock ak in 1983 as my first gun. they were expensive at $225 for a poor college student. ammo was cheaper than garbage though. shot it and did not know about corrosive ammo. took it out one day to get ready to go to the range and it was rusted. since the bolt carrier was in the white, it rusted also. sold it a few years later good times back then
A few years back I had an opportunity to buy a mint Polytech Legend, but passed on it due to price. It was an excellent specimen on the variant.
Hey Ian, I just watched your dad as an expert in a short documentary "the Japanese guns of ww2". You two look exactly alike but for his red hair. I always wanted to make him a flintlock rifle and pistol set, just couldn't afford it.
Well I still have 3 MAK-90s with their distinctly Chinese thumbhole stocks and a Chinese SKS . All of them are pretty great guns. Should have bought the Polytechs when I had the chance.
i recently watched the hickok45 video on the side folder version of this gun which hickok45 jjr did a video on. poor guy didnt know shit about this rifle and i dont know how many times the guy said "i dont know" or " im not sure" but during the video all as i could think was this definitely isnt the forgotten weapons channel! thank you forgotten weapons for what you do
hickok is an old boomer fudd what do you expect?
@Scott. Maybe but can you shoot like him?
@@vitis65 he can definitely shoot!
In all fairness, it was his son John that did the video. Only thing I can say is that he's NOT his dad.
If you were my history teacher I would have enjoyed it much more.
the stamped Polytheh also have thicker receivers than the others,.... .090 thousands vs .060 on the Maddi and others
You sure about that metal thickness?
That's even thicker than an RPK receiver. Bog standard AK is 1mm/0.040", RPK is 1.5mm/0.060".
Thank you , Ian .
Thank you for another great video. "... and I thought I knew a lot about AK's ..." You sir proved me more needing and educated.
I don't know if you read comments
But will you ever review the SR-1?
It has a really interesting recoil system
Not forgotten by any means, but you've reviewed some modern ones like the MDR so
Kalashikov Concern guys are realy excited to lure Ian as a guest star to review all sorts of russian-made stuff which never left the country. You can see that on KC youtube chanel they never filmed large and detailed historical reviews, possibly waiting Mr. McCollum to come.
we just need to be patient and wait for the day when he’ll travel to russia. it will happen eventually. there is soooo many truly unknown and unique firearms laying in museums. I personally seen some of those things and know their history but still would like to see their insides.
@@nikitajukov4915 hopefully in a couple years, once we have a vaccine for this damn virus and countries open back up for visitors.
Almost everyday a video from Ian. You’re spoiling us !
Thank you for the video. I've got '416' 85-762-0714. I bought mine in high school (circa. 1987) for $399, came with 2 magazines and 500 rds 7.62x39. Has never failed me. Fun to shoot. WOLVERINES!!!
BTW, will you be doing WWI or WWII tours soon?
There were a handfull of Chinese AK rifles (don’t know if it was Norinco or Polytech) that had the third hole plugged by a tube. I think the ATF tracked most of them down and required them to be destroyed because of the “once a machine gun, always a machine gun” ATF ruling.
I have a unfired neutered Norinco spiker Bwest import. It would be awesome to see a video made about that rifle.
Clayco were the first chinese ak importers. They did not do well because of the black bakelite furniture. Then GSAD seems to be next in line importing chinese ak's out in Cali. GSAD's were made in the same factory the Chinese secret police firearms were made. Very nice units. After that you had Poly and Norinco marked guns coming in....
"5.56 was the caliber you could actually get" my how the tables have turned
Where I am, the only reasonably priced and available ammo is .303 British (and I’m not in Britain)
True, I don't use 5.56 but when I went to the store, it was completely sold out. There were a few different types of hunting rifle ammo but plenty of 7.62 x 39.
I pretty much avoid my local. They were overpriced before this and haven't had anything worthwhile in stock since the coof started, but I've never not been able to find 7.62x39 or 5.45 online for less than 35¢/round, even with price gouging.
@@Ghoulishblade hell, I just bought 400rds of M193 for $380.
And those gouging bastards at CTD sent me an email today advertising 200rd range packs of M193 for $300🤯!!!
Right now the cheap ammo seems to be x54R. I'm seeing hollow points for $9.95 a box of 20.
I love my early MAK90 import that I refanged with spike.
I really like that stylized 416
We need a wasr-10 and a Sar-1 AKM! Sar-1 has an interesting history because it was actually used to train troops in Romania, and a huge part of import semi auto civilian ak rifles.
So glad I never sold my Chinese AK's. I love my Poly-Tech AKS and Legends. The Norinco Aks, SKS, SKS-D are great too.
Early prototype Soviet AKM's in the early 1950's had a similar rivet pattern, but that changed in the mid-1950's to the later pattern that was used in production AKM's.
Looks really good to me; but one thing that i never liked of the AKs it's the rear sight placement, i like the rear sight to be further back.
those chinese SKS-style bayonets for AKs are so cool. i wish i knew where to even find one. they're non-existent online it seems
I have a Poly AKS and I love that gun!
One of my gun regrets involves not buying one of these back in the 80's. I was in retail spt gds in Atlanta AND WE RECEIVED SOME OF THE FIRST ak's brought in by Keng's. The buyer asked me if I wanted one.....149.95...came with three mags, bandolier, oiler, sling, cleanining kit. I said..."what the ehck would I ever use it for......crap...should have bought at least a couple cases of them.
We all have those.
I passed on a *Russian* SKS for $50 when I was a poor college student.
Wow. Literally just bought one Monday and here is this!
Oooh, lucky!
I’m reminded now that I still have a MAK90 that I have yet to de-ban. I have the under folding bayonet, but I have yet to get a stock set to replace the thumb hole one.
Chinese have to be , my favorite AKs. Thanks for sharing!!
0:55 and 1:21 WOW! "[Sh]teyr" and "[S]teyr" just 27 seconds apart! Either Ian is trolling us, or it smells dual personality... =)
Ian should do more with ak’s with brandon herarra doesnt know the full auto position
Normally I would never doubt the Ian's knowledge, but in this case I have a slight nitpick. As far as I know "S" in AKS, does not stand for "semi", but for "special'nij" = "special". And this special part refers to the folding stock. At least this is the case for the Russian nomenclature, it is entirely possible that Chinese had it different. please correct me if I am wrong
Norinco Mak-90 video when?
I want Ian’s thoughts on that bad by
PTK Int'll from Atlanta GA has an interesting history.
This was the first AK I fired. I wish I could get one, complete with the screwdriver stabby bit, in the proper cartridge.
beautiful condition!! my absolute favourite firearm, from my homeland
Great history and always interesting to watch. Thank you
When did 7.62x39 ammo become readily available on the US market? Around '85-86? When did we first start seeing the $70 SKSs of legend?
You answered your own question.
Theres about as many diffrent ak copies that there is gun owners in the state of texas...
I have a Polytech AKS made in factory 386. It is made of heavier steel than the Russian one and is fine fit and finish. Bought it in 1989.
the bayonet position seems to lend itself to being dangerously close to slicing your hand, unless only the tip is sharpened