AK Pistol History

[68rs327]

How long have the AK Pistols been around?
Do any countries use them or were they just made in the last few years for the US Market?
I Googled for Photos of them being used by any foreign military, and couldn't find anything.
They are cool as hell, just wondering if any foreign armies actually used them?

[imanaknut]

Although I can't give the definitive answer, I do believe that they were something dreamed up here in the USA as one way to get a constitutionally legal length Krink style AK without paying the federal blackmail fees and related paperwork. The fad exploded in popularity for those who wanted the ultimate in cool AK regardless as to true usability.

And that is the beauty of the weapon!

[Helen Keller]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/Tim_Orrock/Romanian%20Stuff/r3168912631.jpg

[tank_monkey]

Although I can't give the definitive answer, I do believe that they were something dreamed up here in the USA as one way to get a constitutionally legal length Krink style AK without paying the federal blackmail fees and related paperwork. The fad exploded in popularity for those who wanted the ultimate in cool AK regardless as to true usability.

And that is the beauty of the weapon!

They were only really sold AFTER 2000 in common chains of commerce. Remember, the AK Pistol was ONLY a prototype (as far as a commercial US Firearm was concerned) during the 1990s.

REMEMBER THAT DICKWARD BILL CLINTON?!!?? Remember that he unilaterally BANNED steel core 7.62x39mm ammo from import or SALE?! Remember how people who prepaid for incoming shipments got screwed and anyone sitting on inventory got screwed? That fucker Clinton. He managed to pull that little sham off because of an obscure regulation banning HANDGUN AMMO that was considered AP. Now we all know that is a relative term. FN's 5.7 ammo is actually AP. 7.62x25mm Tokarev is also technical an AP round, but don't broadcast that to the ANTIs. So he managed to BAN steel core 7.62 AK ammo even though at the time there were NO AK PISTOLS for sale. I remember this distinctly because the NRA put out a flyer slamming the ban, noting specifically that as of the time Clinton did it, only a few prototypes were made and there were NONE available commercially in the U.S.

Okay, enough of the gun control history ......

So by the late 1990s, the only AK pistols were limited number productions from American builders, and those were NOT common. Also anyone could manufacture one for themselves now (hell, the damage was done. Steel Core 7.62 was already banned. Now there was nothing to stop us from making AK pistols). But there were always examples of ULTRA SHORT full auto AKs, either custom jobs by Title II manufacturers or limited run firearms in foreign countries.

By the mid to late 2000s (after the 2004 sunset of the Fed AW ban), we started seeing more and more AK pistols, built up from virgin American receivers and registered as HANDGUNS. :D We saw AMD style pistols, we saw Synthetic AK74 style pistols (still chambered in 7.62x39 though), and the ultra short AKs. Romania didn't start importing the Draco pistols until late 2010 (the import approval actually occurred towards the end of Bush younger's second term). Remember despite ATF being fuckwads and making up regulations as they go, Dubya himself NEVER PUSHED for any additional gun control restrictions. Romania actually got the green light to import AK pistols and Century was the importer.

But then, I'm not an AK Nut :D

[slamfire51]

1st time I ever saw one was during the AWB. Someone on the old Gunsnet site posted one. Most of us drooled over having one. Olympic Arms beat the weight restrictions of the Ban by drilling holes in the receiver of an AR pistol. This was almost, if not, impossible to do on an AK pistol.

[deth502]

i think the proliferation of homebuilt ak pistols can be traced back to mostly double tap me and his sub caliber conversions, and ^^^ slamfire51 with his x39 ones.

really, i think you could ask ANY one who has or wants to build an ak pistol, and if they do not mention slam or 2xtm, whoever they did get the idea from could be traced right back to them.