Poly-Tech vs. Norinco

[Heavy Trigger]

I am totally new to the AK-47. I just purchased a Poly-Tech. It has a nut welded on the end, I guess to cover some threads.

My question is this:
A guy recently wanted to sell me his Mak-90 Norinco out of the box in the plastic. It was a nice looking weapon. He wanted $500 for it with a 30 rd. clip. It had a thumb-hole stock with a milled receiver.

I ended up buying a Poly-Tech with fiber stock, alos new in the plastic with a 30 rd. clip. I purchased this one for $475.

This guy seems to be under the impression that his Norinco would have been a better buy. Is he right?

Also, did I get a good, bad or average price for my Poly-Tech?

Thanks for your input!

[56s]

You made the correct choice.

The Norinco MAK-90 is a fine rifle but it does not have the finer fit and finish of the Pre or Post-Ban Poly-Techs.

Good to hear that you bought one of those drag stocked Polys. I was talking the Kengs at the SHOT show about your rifle. It is a true Poly-Tech that had to be modified by welding the nut on and installing the Choate stock. Other than that you now own a very nice weapon.

Congrats and happy shooting!

Take care, OUT in Vegas!

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56s

[Polyak]

Heavy Trigger, excellent purchase and a good price too. I bought one last September for $500. Your going to find that most AKs on the market today (post bans) don't even begin to compare to the quality on the Polytechs.

I've put an ACE US stock kit and Kobra Collimator sight on mine, I'll never be selling this one.
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=160247&a=1548502&p=15342505&Sequence=0

[Heavy Trigger]

How much did that sight cost you?

It looks really awesome, has it helped a great deal?
I have not even fired mine yet, I've only had it two days!

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Aye, fight and you may die, run and you'll live. At least a while. And dying in your beds many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that for one chance, just one chance to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take our freedom?!

Pro Libertate - For Freedom

[Polyak]

I've had the Kobra sight on the rifle for two weeks now. And for two weeks now, each weekend we have experienced a snow storm. Needless to say, I haven't made it to the range yet with it. I am sure it will be wonderful, there are a lot of members on this board that have had one for a while and love 'em. By just playing around with it around the house I can tell that the targeting is extremely improved. The Kobra allows you to keep both eyes open at all times. You also don't have to be directly behind the centerline of the sight to see the reticle, you can be off in any direction and see it just fine.

There are 3 different reticle settings you can change quickly by pressing one button on th esight body. You have a dot, tee bar and a tee bar with a dot. You also have 16 different brightness settings on it.

Contact Tantal for the best price on this sight at http://www.tantal.kalashnikov.guns.ru/ .
The price is amazingly very inexpenxive(It is an unadvertised price, e-mail Tantal and he can give more info). The Kobra is even in use by the Russian special forces.

Go to this link http://www.ak-47.net/akcgi/Forum6/HTML/003338.html . I have a more indepth description about the mounting of the Kobra as well as some pictures of the reticle itself. http://www.ak-47.net/akcgi/biggrin.gif http://www.ak-47.net/akcgi/biggrin.gif

[JA]

Just checked my Norinco MAK-90 milled receiver rifle and it is stamped 386 in a oval. So it is made at the same factory as Poly Tech rifles. The milled receiver MAK-90 is a post ban Poly Tech Legend. As the Legends were the only milled receiver Chinese rifles imported. So you choose a stamped receiver Poly Tech rifle over a post ban Norinco marked milled receiver Poly Tech Legend rifle.

[Louie]

I d prob take the Poly Stmpd too.. This is why. The Mak 90 w/ the milled rec may have a chopped in the bk rec. If it does, def buy the Poly. It will make it vy difficult if u ever want to add the orig type furn bk on it. Also the Poly still has whats left of a bayo lug, and the muzzle is threaded, and has the best trigger pull of any AK I ve shot. Just my 2c. I do have Mak90s also, and they are great rifles compared to the s..t rifles on the market today..

[Heavy Trigger]

Polyak, I just noticed in your picture that your rifle has a cleaning rod attached.
How?
Mine doesn't even have a hole for one.
Ahh, I bet you drilled it out huh?
What size drill bit?
Where did you get the rod. How much $$$?

Thanks

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Aye, fight and you may die, run and you'll live. At least a while. And dying in your beds many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that for one chance, just one chance to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take our freedom?!

Pro Libertate - For Freedom

[Polyak]

Heavy Trigger, you are correct. I did drill it out. The retainer at the front of the hndguard already had the hole in it for the rod, just the handguard itself didn't have the hole. My Poly came N.I.B. with the cleaning rod stashed with it in the styrofoam. I'm afraid I don't remember the exact size bit that I used. I just took a bit with a little larger diameter than the rod itself. It took a little while to get it right, a lot of wiggling inside the hanguard with the drill bit to create a nice ramp for the rod to follow to get it to go into the slot in the receiver. It kept wanting to butt up against the receiver instead of going into it's slot. I finally got it to work and it is very tight now. I try to stay away from removing it because of the difficulty I have getting it back in. It usually only takes about 10 minutes to get it back in, but it is frustrating at times to say the least. But it was worth it, I really like the looks with cleaning.

If yours did not come with the cleaning rod maybe try K-VAR or some of the other companies in the links section. I'm sure someone has to have one for sale, I doubt that it would cost too much.

Hope this helps,
polyak

[56s]

I'm with Steel Core on this one.

Both rifles are basicly the same gun with the Poly-Tech only having a nicer fit and finish.

I own both and they both do what they are supposed to do, go bang!

Take care and keep on shooting!

OUT in Vegas!

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56s

[STEEL CORE]

NORINCOS put holes in targets just as good as POLYTECHS, dont forget what the product was designed to do. Both the same in my opinion,
can you hit your target with either is th answer...

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"STEEL CORE" ! When you want to send the very best!

[Gary]

That's a nice looking folder, but if it's metal and it's freezing outside, I wouldn't put my face to it either. I suppose a piece of shrink wrap could cure it though.

[Bryant]

I personally believe the Chinese made AK's are the best AK's out there. I have owned Chinese, Romanian, and Bulgarian and I have seen most of the other variants- and Chinese has the best made.

[S-S-R-9-9]

From what I believe to have heard years ago, the difference between Polytech and Norinco were more than just cosmetic. The Polytech AK's were made to meet certain specs that were specified by a western company. Even though they were all chinese, the Poly's were the ones with the better finish, assembly, and better heat treated parts (like hammers and such). I even remember during the 1980's, some sort of magazine ad (probably in shotgun news) was printed explaining the differences between the two. I have owned both and have seen and handled many more, I would have to say that the Polytech rifles at the very least get better final fit and finish inside and out (IMO) http://www.ak-47.net/akcgi/smile.gif

[DaveL111]

I have a Norinco MAK 91, and a Bulgarian milled receiver AK built by Mike@MSC. The Bulgarian receiver finish is a little better than the MAK 91. I saw a pre ban Polytech Legend at a local gun show recently, and it looked finish-wise the same as my MAK 91. Of course both the MAK 91 and my Bulgarian shoot very well. I have not put a US parts kit on my MAK 91 cause the trigger pull is great. Also, the retainer spring for the hammer and trigger pins is more substantial on the MAK 91. I understand that this is a peculiarity of the Chinese guns.

[SELECT-FIRE]

The reason that the MAK-91 receivers look the same as those on the Polytech legend rifles is that the '91 receivers were built by PolyTech. I get better groups with mine every time I shoot it, and I wouldn't get rid of it for anything. However, the NORINCO guns are excellent, too. I own examples of both, and am very pleased with them (although my MAK-91 is technically an NORINCO, it is built around PolyTech parts). The Chinese, like most communist countries, do not fool around when it comes to building weapons. They are all built to last, PERIOD.

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They're Coming......

[7th Fleet]

I agree the Chinese AKs especially the Polytechs and Legends are the finest AKs made. But the Maadis are made in Egypt on Soviet supplied machinery, back when Egypts Nassar was in bed with the Soviets. They are just about the closest that you can get to a Soviet era AKM.

...7th

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The Price of Freedom is Eternal Vigilance.

[CAMPYBOB]

six of one...27/54ths of the other.