I have a question about a serial number that is on an Izhmash mag I have on my Yunker-2 BB gun: it has nothing to do with the serial number which is on the Yu-2 BB gun so I wondered whether there was a possibility it was the serial number of an original Russian army AK before being converted to CO2.

Regards from France,

Didier

https://imgur.com/a/CRCX0IR

From the photos, I'd say yes, those were real mags at one time.

Cool piece you have there! Not many made it to the States.

Thank you

I was unsure, as it could very well have been taken from another such Yunker-2 BB gun.

They are becoming scarcer in Western Europe, due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and to the EU sanctions imposed on Russia after the annexation of Crimea, but, yes, they're extremely cool, as they were made from real firearms parts (the receiver came from a semi-auto Saiga rifle, though) and sport the same furniture as their Russian army counterparts. You can also field strip them the exact way you would field strip an original AK.

As you might know, European gun laws are tougher than in most U.S. states, so having a BB gun made by Izhmash is definitely one of the coolest ways of owning an AK in France.

Is the serial numbering of AK mags rather a military or a civilian practice in Russia? That was the point of my original question, as I have little doubt the magazine is a genuine one.

Nobody will ever be sure on who created scratched the numbers in our what they are. It's possible it is a SN for the rifle or was paired with at one time. I have a slab side that has a number etched into it too.


In the us it was common at one time for people to engrave their SSN into guns and accessories so it could be that too.

Europe has some gun laws we are jealous of here in the US, mostly over the counter suppressors in some countries.

Thank you for your reply.

Yes, I understand that suppressors are a big issue in the U.S. Federal authorities should apply common sense there: suppressors don't make your firearms any more lethal than they already are - they are just a way of protecting shooters from undue noise while at the time making the neighbourhoods where ranges are much quieter.

Suppressors don't suppress noise altogether: they make it much more acceptable and less damageable to hearing.

Exactly. Even with a can guns are really loud. Should be over the counter. NFA is against our own constitution anyways.

Every now and then one of those Yunkers pops up around here. They are pretty cool!

I have another such BB gun, made from a Chinese full auto Type 56 rifle : https://imgur.com/a/f1AkrtX

Its receiver makes it a definite no-no in the U.S.

That's awesome!!


I like that little extra hole. Gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling! Al AKs should have that!

That one was part of the very first batch of "Cybergun AK-47's" sold in France. Somebody somewhere must have objected to them because, though the model is still available far and wide, they have changed the receiver, which is now a mere "toy copy" of the original one. The model I have, which most probably sports a Norinco receiver, wasn't banned from the EU and you can still buy it second hand, but the chances are that such Norinco BB guns will never ever be imported again from China.

Another of my toys, a Russian TyRex, that is a PP-91 Kedr SMG turned into a full auto BB gun:

https://imgur.com/a/TTFzLRm

Not a powerful toy, but so much fun that you can't help smiling when you press the trigger and start shooting full auto

That thing is pretty cool too!

A lot of that sort of thing doesn't seem to have made it to the States.

Eventually I'd like to make it over to France, visit some family and maybe tour the firearms world over there.

Some of these cute little Russian toys did make it to North America: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFG6vcRXmjk&t=730s

If you come over to France, please drop me a line: I'll be happy to host you (I live barely a few miles away from Germany).

Thank you. I have family a little south of Paris I haven't seen in 30+ years. Unfortunately Tati passed away a years back.