I have two KBI SA85m guns.

1)  Thumbhole stock with AMD gas tube
2)  Regular AK stock with standard tube.  ( I think this was done by someone after importation)

Are the Kassner guns significantly better than the KBI guns?  I know that the difference in names is to denominate between before and after 1989 importation.  Just wondering what the 89 ban effect was on the guns.

Did Kassner or KBI ever import an AMD 63 or 65 pattern rifle?  How was the short barrel handled?  Is it easy to SBR these guns?

What other versions did Kassner or KBI import?  I love my SA85's and am thinking of getting a full stable.

Kassner = pre-1994 AWB.
KBI = post-1994 AWB. Honestly, I'm not sure how the 1989 ban affected them. It may be that you could plug in '1989' where I put '1994' and that would make it right. That's one area I haven't researched and I didn't get into guns until '91, getting my first SA85M in '96. But, I know all pre-1994s are 'Kassnar' and all post-1994s are 'KBI'



The guns all came from Hungary as complete rifles and quality was the same throughout. The 'post-ban 'Sporter' versions had a brighter finish than the pre-ban which were finished exactly like the mil-issue.

SA85M came with either standard or short gas (post-ban). Pre-ban is standard gas tube.

Kassner imported an underfolder SA85M.
There was never an AMD63. The rifle that looks like an AMD65 came before the AMD65 and was the AK63. The AMD65 was developed from that. Both of these were select-fire military issue and never imported as whole guns. Many AMD65 parts kits were brought in but only a few AK63 kits.
Kassner/KBI only dealt in FEG guns completely made in Hungary for export to the USA.

The AMD65 parts kits that came with the original short barrel needed a permanent barrel extension to make the 16" requirement. All you have to do is get your SBR stamp from ATF and then have the barrel extension removed. None of the others ever had short barrels either in the military or as commercial imports but there are people who will make them SBRs if you insist. They are more valuable however in original condition.

There are a few others that came late, all called SA2000M, which was the special receiver for single-stack magazine only. The AMD65s with FEG receiver and original barrel have an SA2000M receiver that was modified here for double-stack mag. The whole guns imported as SA2000M will all have the short gas with 16" barrel and almost any combination of stocks; black polymer with black polymer hand guards, blond wood with wood hand guards, blond wood stock with wood pistol grip and wood front grip like AMD65 with the naked gas tube and vented steel fore arm. Those are pretty much the models I know about.

The pre-ban SA85M regular stock and underfolder  will cost about $3900 for the pair. You already have a nice post-ban. If you really want an SA2000M single-stack, they're fairly inexpensive. The other models by KBI are scarce and really not that interesting but you find them here and there. But if you have a pre-ban and a post-ban in excellent original condition, with maybe the pre-ban under folder, that would be pretty much a complete Kassnar/KBI FEG AK collection.

sax: the KBI SA-85M's were imported before the '94 ban. I know you know this, you goofed.

No. It was 'Kassnar' that was pre-ban, 'KBI' was post-ban.

Correct, Kassnar's are pre 1994, they are also pre 1989. KBI's are also pre 1994 though AND they are post 1989. We call the KBI SA-85M a post-ban because it is a post 1989 ban rifle. You are mistaken.

Kassnar - imported '86-'87.
KBI - imported late '89-'93.

It's your wording. People in the AK community recognize 1989 as the date to call an AK pre or post-ban. "Everyone" knows that. Regardless, they still were imported years earlier than you said.