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Page AK-47 » Galil & Valmet Discussions
AK Sponsor: palmetto
Posted: 5/22/2015 2:30:48 PM EDT
I stumbled across this odd 372 AR/ARM hybrid. I know there were some transitional guns that had similar features as this rifle. Here are some pics.































It seems that most of what I see indicates the rifle was an MR over stamp with an oval grind mark that has AA stamped in the relief. It has a bipod mount but no bipod. There are no signs one was ever installed (no marks on the finish or pin hole). It has a poly AR hand guard, Galil style muzzle device and of course a bayonet lug. It does not have a carrying handle nor the ARM rear hand guard retainer. It does have an 18" barrel. I haven't confirmed the rifling but I'm guessing it's an early 1:12 gun.






Have any of you guys seen this before?  I've read such guns existed based upon an older thread here but it seems this rifle falls out of the serial number range listed in that thread (AAL vs. the AA03x of this rifle).






Thoughts?






Thanks for any help identifying this rifle.






 
Link Posted: 5/28/2015 10:53:00 AM EDT
[#1]
Definitely an interesting piece.  You have it right as a AA overstamp of a Magnum Research marked Galil.  Since the wooden handled ARM was sold at a premium, IMI probably took and ARM and remarked/repainted and added AR polymer parts for it to ship.  Since the prefix was the only thing that was modified, it would not fall into the normal AA prefix serials, as far as I know.

Action Arms had a large supply of what we call "take Off" Galil parts as late as the early 1990's after the Bush AW ban.  I had a ARM and got several parts kits from Dave Force, who was the Action Federal Sales manager.  I had a presample Galil ARM that was chopped into a SAR model, and was able to buy all the correct ARM parts from Class 3 Supply, who bought almost all the Action Arms Ltd Uzi and Galil parts inventory when Action Arms/Ammo was dissolved.  The late Evan Wilden continued to sell odds and ends for these guns until he passed away.

These Galils still surface in new in the box condition even now - which is something since they are great shooters, but heavy for the caliber.

Barrel should be marked 12 under the handguard or near where it screws onto the receiver.

Only problems I remember was the flash hider removal required a bit of attention otherwise you would screw up your muzzle threads.

Original IMI Wooden ARM handguards are still floating around in new condition if you want them as a spare.  They drop in even with the rear handguard retainer without the bipod cuts.
Link Posted: 5/28/2015 11:59:08 AM EDT
[#2]

Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:


Definitely an interesting piece.  You have it right as a AA overstamp of a Magnum Research marked Galil.  Since the wooden handled ARM was sold at a premium, IMI probably took and ARM and remarked/repainted and added AR polymer parts for it to ship.  Since the prefix was the only thing that was modified, it would not fall into the normal AA prefix serials, as far as I know.



Action Arms had a large supply of what we call "take Off" Galil parts as late as the early 1990's after the Bush AW ban.  I had a ARM and got several parts kits from Dave Force, who was the Action Federal Sales manager.  I had a presample Galil ARM that was chopped into a SAR model, and was able to buy all the correct ARM parts from Class 3 Supply, who bought almost all the Action Arms Ltd Uzi and Galil parts inventory when Action Arms/Ammo was dissolved.  The late Evan Wilden continued to sell odds and ends for these guns until he passed away.



These Galils still surface in new in the box condition even now - which is something since they are great shooters, but heavy for the caliber.



Barrel should be marked 12 under the handguard or near where it screws onto the receiver.



Only problems I remember was the flash hider removal required a bit of attention otherwise you would screw up your muzzle threads.



Original IMI Wooden ARM handguards are still floating around in new condition if you want them as a spare.  They drop in even with the rear handguard retainer without the bipod cuts.
View Quote
Thanks for the info. So you think this gun was likely modified by IMI into this configuration?  

 
Link Posted: 5/28/2015 12:51:12 PM EDT
[#3]
Yup.

Action did not usually modify models up or down since the top of the line for them was the Galil Sniper, which was a bit of a dog accuracy wise - and Action was not set up for assembly or manufacture in the AA division.  

Anything that came into the country from Israel was as made/packed by IMI.

Action did upgrade things like flash hiders, but that was pretty much on their police line of products.  I remember they modified a bunch of Mini Uzis with Galil flash hiders bored to .40 cal from .308  mounted on the Mini comped barrels for the US Navy to test.  Both IMI and Action Arms got stuck with a lot of product from cancelled orders, so I can see Action Arms taking all of the Magnum Research left over guns and importing them as readily available rifles until their full order of rifles/guns were ready for shipment/importation.

I rode back on a US Navy Cargo C5 from Israel in the early 1980's with crates of IMI ammo and weapons destined for someone in the USA.  The US was shipping a lot of military gear to Israel weekly from the US as foreign aid, and the planes were coming back empty from Israel.  I later found out that someone had the great idea to ship captured Combloc material taken from the PLO in Lebanon back to the US for government action through out the world.  I normally got off the plane at Oceana or Norfolk Air station - but 99% of the flights flew on to either Florida or Texas, which were large storage areas for covert military aid.  

The ARM was the most expensive of the Galils in 7.62 and 5.56, but the AR sold strong.  I could see IMI putting this rifle together to get product to Action Arms quickly.  I know IMI had Magnum Research select fire ARMs and SARs in stock into the 1990's, but they never bothered to bring them into the country so Action Arms had them remarked and sold as Post Sample guns for LEO.
Link Posted: 5/28/2015 3:28:54 PM EDT
[#4]
Thank you for the info.



It looks factory but man is it an odd-ball.  I'm glad to have it (had to buy it). I like the unique items.
Link Posted: 5/28/2015 5:25:03 PM EDT
[#5]
No biggie.

If you collect interesting Galil and IMI stuff, there was a big time collector in Northern Indiana who collected all sorts of Mil stuff from semis to select fires.  He had tons of stuff from Kent Lomont (rest his soul), and I know he bought some left over stuff when Action Arms dropped the IMI made stuff due to long lead times for orders and bad political climate.

I know that is where the first gold plated Semi Galils, Mini Uzi carbines and special serial number Uzi carbines went to that were in the Action Arms/Action Manufacturing lobby.  For some reason they liked to gold plate or chrome plate all their special weapons that had significant meaning.

I would have to look up his name, but he was up near Hammond and Michigan City and owned a Fedex subcontract shipping company and swam in cash.  I bought some small stuff from Kent Lomont and Kent traded some of my gear to this guy so I would get what I wanted quickly.......the guy was a Navy vet from Vietnam and was collecting stuff he liked - which included the IMI stuff.

There are some really interesting Galil semis out there that were imported from the early 1980s until the door closed by Bush - to include some very early Galil receivers that were market tests that had the first style lightened receivers on the right side and scope mount cuts on the left.  

Never got to look on the inside, but I think the chrome & gold plating was to cover a weld over job to convert a early full auto Galil to a semi..........wonder what that would be worth.  I think one had ÄA"prefix and IMI suffix - so it probably never had a serial number from the factory.

There was also a Ballistics Connecticut  registered Galil ARM that was converted for a Action Arms customer using parts that were provided by Action Arms to make it a "factory" like conversion.  I was told by a friend in Homeland Security that some of the stuff was seized when the registered owner got hooked on pain meds and tried to blow himself up.   That;s life in the naked city
Link Posted: 5/31/2015 3:54:23 PM EDT
[#6]
I have one exactly like this. I bought it new in 1988 I believe. At the time it was marketed as Model 372 AR-M (dash M). I thought at the time perhaps they were low on ARM parts and put the SAR hand guard on it. I have since bought the parts needed to convert it into a full ARM (Bi-pod (and pin), rear hand guard holder (for ARM (bi-pod legs), wood ARM hand guard, and the carry handle and pin). I can easily switch it back to look just like this one in just a few minutes. I believe I paid $699 at the time.

I believe these are called "transitional guns", because they were imported by Magnum Research but bought out by Action Arms before distribution to distributors.
Link Posted: 6/14/2015 8:01:57 PM EDT
[#7]
Still a nice piece.
Link Posted: 6/17/2015 10:40:17 AM EDT
[#8]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Still a nice piece.
View Quote


VERY nice indeed!

ARKAR
Link Posted: 6/20/2015 5:11:47 AM EDT
[#9]
Great looking rifle!
Page AK-47 » Galil & Valmet Discussions
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