Identify the origin of this mystery AKM

[Suck My Glock]

So two Arizona women with Mexican dual citizenship were gunned down inside their SUV in Sonora today. Mexican authorities found a stolen Ford F150 nearby with an AK left inside.

Curiously, despite being rather familiar with various AK models and origins, I can't place where this one comes from. It APPEARS to be Chinese in every way (including the auto sear pin),...EXCEPT for the bulged trunnion. I'm familiar with the Yugoslavian and Iraqi AKMs that had the bulged trunnion, and this is neither of those. Unless this was some sort of home-built mash-up of different parts,...I can't figure out where this thing came from. Unfortunately, this picture has no better resolution that what you see here, so I can't enlarge it any more to read any markings or proofs.

Anybody here an AK master who tell us the country of origin for this thing?

 

[BigNate]

Send the picture to Brandon Herrera...

 

[Jack Dupp]

Vepr?

 

[mtptwo]

Yeah, the trunnion tells me is a Vepr

 

[Suck My Glock]

Yeah, the trunnion tells me is a Vepr

But that doesn't jive with the front sight tower or the perforated gas tube. The front sight tower is of the type found on early milled receiver Russian AKs, as is the perforated gas tube. When Russia then devised the stamped receiver AKM, they did not retain these, and the front sight towers were of a skinnier A profile with open top "ears", and the gas tubes were no longer perforated. The Chinese Type 56 is notorious for being the only stamped receiver design that retained these first model milled AK features. I have never seen a Vepr or Saiga with them.

 

[mtptwo]

Yeah, but VEPRs have used standard sights before. Zastava has been know to use PKR trunnions as well.

The perforated gastube is a mystery