How to identify pre-ban and post-ban Polytech?

[Tampstick]

Post bans are almost always marked "sporter" and or the origional serial numbers ground of the receiver/trunion and remarked with the year imported as the last digits in this number. Some Maadis have the year imported stamped in that funny stamping on the rear site support. Any rifle with a M or Mak-90,roMak,wuM-1, this stands for modified. These new numbers and or letters will be cut,carved,stamped,stained or embossed into the receiver/trunion. The post ban rifle will have the bayonet lug chopped off the gas block or as in Poly Tech rifles the spike lug ground off the front site base. The cleaning rod retainer cut off the underside of the front site base on Norinco,Bulgarian,Hungarian rifles. Barrel threads missing or ground off. Threaded collar tack welded over the barrel threads. Romanian 5.45 rifles have the threads circumcised off the fromt site base. There are plenty more ways to tell if it is a post ban but these are just a few and there are plenty of knowledgeable on this forum.

[winning24]

I just recently purchased a new post ban Poly Tech. They now come with a Choate Draganov style black polymer stock and handguards. It still has the cleaning rod retainers but I did have to drill in to the polymer handguard to fit the cleaning to the rifle. The handguard collar had the hole for the rod, it's just that the handgurd itself did not(easy fix). You can see where the bayonet lug was ground cleanly. There is also a barrel nut covering the threads that was welded on. My Poly Tech's reciver calls it out to be an AKS 762.

[JA]

Post ban Poly Tech's were imported in three configurations.
1-MAK-90 milled receiver 16" barrel with barrel threads turned off.
2-MAK-91 milled receiver 20" barrel with barrel threads turned off.
Both have 386 in a oval on the left side of the barrel trunion/rear sight base.
3- stamped receiver 16" barrel imported by Keng's Firearms Specilities. These rifles were caught in customs when the 1989 ban went into effect.
The post ban underfolder receiver rifles will be stamped MAK-90 or NHM-90 on the receiver.

[steaklover]

I always thought that all polytech are pre-ban. It turns out that there are some AK marked as Polytech are post-ban. And I read it somewhere that some chinese AK (not sure it's just on Norinco) post ban has underfolder receiver. How can I tell if it's pre-ban or just a post ban which the sellers just took off the thumbhole stock and then installed a folder stock and pistol grip?

[STEEL CORE]

Hey JA, look into Norinco area, I just want to know if my buddy James has a pre or post ban gun. markings are triangle 66,5xxxx number, marked 1556s-1, sile n.y. n.y. on side, tack welded muzzle nut on threaded bbl, lug ground down, big wood thumbhole covering underfolder reciever holes. dont say Mak ,Jack or Shack ,anyplace, he got it from gunshow dealer no box back in 95 I think. Metal stock and wood pistol grip and it'd be a killer preban!

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

[steaklover]

Thanks for all response. But I still have a question: Is there a way to identify preban and post ban chinese AK by looking at serial numbers? For example, I saw a chinese AK with serial number start with PF85-xxx-xxxxx, As I understand, this is pre-ban, right? Or some postban may get similar serial number because they were get caught in between?

Thanks,