New to me MAK90

[Steve_In_29]

Gotta love AZ. I stopped by a roadside yard sale guy I had bought some tools from before to grab a pick handle and saw this sitting on his table. Got it for $500 and it came with a 30rd mag and 20rds of x39. No box, paperwork, etc and the mag wasn't Chinese.

Very clean, almost no internal wear, 1994 numbers matching MAK90 Sporter. He supposedly got it in trade from a guy he knew that had it sitting in his safe for most of the time since he bought it. Slightly bubba'ed with the ATI stock and painted wood hand-guards. Though I prefer the ATI stock to the original wood thumb-hole abomination anyways.

Is that scope rail on the dust cover a MAK90 thing or was it added later? It is riveted onto the cover.

 

[Twobadazbrothers]

Nice score I love the mak90

 

[semperfisurveyor]

Sweet find!

 

[Steve_In_29]

The guys on AKFiles said it was easily worth almost twice what I paid so I feel pretty good. I wasn't really up on current values as my previous AK type purchase had been back when Saigas went for $299.

After dealing with CA crap I really enjoyed the AZ version of a PP sale background check...."You don't look muslim and I can tell you aren't a felon".

 

[admin]

I'm assuming that's a slant-cut receiver. If you take the rear stock off and check - and it's not, then double-score for you.

 

[Steve_In_29]

Nope straight cut receiver.

 

[NONEYA]

That was a nice score that you got.

 

[40mike-mike]

For a functioning AK47 that was a fantastic find & price. The rail is left over from an aftermarket dust cover that used to have an adjustable pic rail. Not cheap to find the original Chinese dust cover, but it’s can be accomplished. Very nice, always pays to ask questions & keep the eyes on scan mode!

 

[AZGEEZER]

Last time I bought one of those I paid $187 out the door from J&G. And ammo was $100 a case of 1200 and there was 2 types, steel core and lead core. Boy do I miss those days..

 

[Steve_In_29]

For a functioning AK47 that was a fantastic find & price. The rail is left over from an aftermarket dust cover that used to have an adjustable pic rail. Not cheap to find the original Chinese dust cover, but it’s can be accomplished. Very nice, always pays to ask questions & keep the eyes on scan mode!

Since I'm not worried about originality I picked up a smooth dust cover from my friend he had laying around. It's parked so doesn't match the MAK's finish but it functions fine and fits pretty tight.

It's becoming kind of a franken gun as the rifle is blued, cover is parked, butt stock is blonde wood (trimmed to fit Romanian), forearm is black wood and pistol grip is Mag-Pul. I can definitely pick it out of a line-up. LOL

 

[Steve_In_29]

Last time I bought one of those I paid $187 out the door from J&G. And ammo was $100 a case of 1200 and there was 2 types, steel core and lead core. Boy do I miss those days..

I wasn't in the market for an AK back then but I did buy my Russian SKS (since sold for a nice profit) for $99 OTD at the Pomona Gun Show. That was during the time when they would back a semi-trailer (loaded floor-to-ceiling and side-to-side solid with boxed rifles) up to the side door of the auditorium and just start piling them up behind the table to sell.

I still have some ammo cans filled with Chinese x39 around here somewhere. Unfortunately it's just the lead core and not the sought after steel core stuff.

 

[AZGEEZER]

Last time I bought one of those I paid $187 out the door from J&G. And ammo was $100 a case of 1200 and there was 2 types, steel core and lead core. Boy do I miss those days..

I wasn't in the market for an AK back then but I did buy my Russian SKS (since sold for a nice profit) for $99 OTD at the Pomona Gun Show. That was during the time when they would back a semi-trailer (loaded floor-to-ceiling and side-to-side solid with boxed rifles) up to the side door of the auditorium and just start piling them up behind the table to sell.

I still have some ammo cans filled with Chinese x39 around here somewhere. Unfortunately it's just the lead core and not the sought after steel core stuff.

Chinese ammo......somewhere? Oh yeah that's right.....your still getting things organized. Boy I can tell stories of our move, but it was in the same state.

The steel core stuff hasn't been imported since the mid to late 90's, doubt you'll find any even if you wanted too.

 

[Steve_In_29]

None of the Chinese stuff has been imported since Clinton banned it. The steel core stuff was going for $1 a rd on the secondary market last time I checked as it's the poor mans AP for x39 ammo.

 

[AZGEEZER]

None of the Chinese stuff has been imported since Clinton banned it. The steel core stuff was going for $1 a rd on the secondary market last time I checked as it's the poor mans AP for x39 ammo.

Guess that tells you the last time I bought x39 ammo. Part of the benefits of rolling your own, finding the spent cases can be a pain.

 

[40mike-mike]

The sweet part really of your find is it’s a well built AK, no doubt about that. You can change as little as you want, or put the fangs back on her & have a real beauty in all her glory. Nice to have options, ...without the preban price!
And probably everyone here is glad for you, but secretly thinks, “Why God?? Why couldn’t it have been me??
Seriously, very glad for you!

 

[PWilliam]

Very very cool find!

 

[Harrier]

That is one heck-of-a-find good for you!
I sold my MAK90 (milled receiver) last year for $975. Although I don't know the current market your straight cut should be worth similar.
I've seen that Chinese copper washed case- steel core fairly frequently the last couple years at pretty cheap prices too. It is a mild steel core - not armor piercing in the least and be careful shooting it where a fire could start- it will spark.

 

[AZGEEZER]

That is one heck-of-a-find good for you!
I sold my MAK90 (milled receiver) last year for $975. Although I don't know the current market your straight cut should be worth similar.
I've seen that Chinese copper washed case- steel core fairly frequently the last couple years at pretty cheap prices too. It is a mild steel core - not armor piercing in the least and be careful shooting it where a fire could start- it will spark.

A persons eyes can be deceptive. Both the lead and steel core back then were copper washed. Both of which look identical, and both are magnetic. You can't go by looks and be precise with the conclusion. Only 1 way to be 100% certain, and that's to separate the bullet from the case and look at the base of the bullet.

 

[AZ1]

I don't stop at many yard sales, but it's been a long time since I've seen any guns at a yard sale.

 

[Harrier]

That is one heck-of-a-find good for you!
I sold my MAK90 (milled receiver) last year for $975. Although I don't know the current market your straight cut should be worth similar.
I've seen that Chinese copper washed case- steel core fairly frequently the last couple years at pretty cheap prices too. It is a mild steel core - not armor piercing in the least and be careful shooting it where a fire could start- it will spark.

A persons eyes can be deceptive. Both the lead and steel core back then were copper washed. Both of which look identical, and both are magnetic. You can't go by looks and be precise with the conclusion. Only 1 way to be 100% certain, and that's to separate the bullet from the case and look at the base of the bullet.

that may be true but a simple magnet test to the tip reveals a lot too. IIRC Norinco had a line of lead core that came out after the ban on steel core (I think- timeline kinda fuzzy). I don't recall if it was all copper washed or not, I think I still have a yellow box and a blue box of it stashed somewhere.
I have a spam can and some opened of that copper/steel core milsurp stuff left and I'm pretty sure I know what it is.

Nevertheless, Chinese Mild steel Core performance is an internet myth. Maybe back in the day it was a little different than the run of the mill - but it's not worth much these days except to a collector maybe... if anyone wants to give me $1 a round? ...I got plenty to sell ...how about .50 a round?