http://www.classicfirearms.com/long-guns/polish-ak

I really like this rifle. The Radom factory in Poland is renowned for producing some of the highest quality military firearms the world has ever known.
This rifle is no exception.

Rifle comes complete with all U.S. parts required to make it compliant including a Tapco G-2 No Slap Trigger group, 45 degree comp and U.S. made Molot style tactical grip. This rifle has very high quality laminated wood furniture and a high polished blued metal finish. Accepts all high capacity AK mags and drums... Rifle carries a full manufacturers warranty

These only came into the country in a very limited quantity so if you are looking for a really nice AK that is a little different give this one a try.

Beautiful Polish AK-47 Rifle manufactured by Pioneer Arms at the Famous Polish Radom factory

Did these come in as sporters that were reconfigured like Arsenal rifles? Is it really a Polish receiver and barrel?

Judging by the photo, the buttstock appears to be Romanian as well as the lower handguard (which looks to be a Romanian wooden vertical grip from an AIMS rifle with the grip portion cut off and the area sanded smooth).

This rifle was not made in Poland. They may have used some of those receiver shells that came in a while ago. How can it be manufactured by Pioneer Arms in Poland?

Was it made at Radom or not is the question...if so I would bite at that price!!!!!

Centerfiresystems has milled AKs for 599 right now.

Who cares?

I'm not interested in a milled AK and I certainly don't want the one at Centerfire with a US barrel.

If true, I guess the same way they are bringing in Russian and Bulgarian AKs at Arsenal. Of course the big question is IF that is actually the case.

You expressed interest in a Polish AK, BM just let you know that CFS has a great deal (considering they dried up 5 months ago and have been going for +100 higher than that) on a Polish 1960, no need to get snippy to those trying to help


Because that's the name the Radom factory has been putting on some of their guns, such as the PPSH 43s.

Are you serious about the Pioneer Arms?

What exactly is there to kid about here?

I expressed interest in a specific Polish AK that was stamped not milled, and I expressed a specific interest in a original factory barrel.

It's like somebody asking about a Colt 6920 and then getting a response about a DPMS .308 rifle on sale someplace. It's kinda annoying. It's hard enough to get reliable information on a specific firearm without somebody coming along and making everything convoluted.

I'm just trying to get factual information on this rifle, which is being advertised as a Polish import. I need to know if it is really true and it's a Polish receiver and barrel brought into compliance with US parts. I have zero interest in CAI rifles sold by Centerfire.

Sorry if that sounds snippy, but things easily get off topic.

You make no sense. Either that or you didn't understand my initial post.

What is so incredulous about it being made in Poland at the Radom plant? No different than the Saiga, M+M, Cugir, FEG, or every other imported AK that gets converted here.

Other than they aren't made anymore? And that Classic states they are made by Pioneer Arms AT Radom? Come on.

I just picked up one of my Polish receiver blanks and compared it to the photos. The magwell dimples look different, as does the circular indent near the safety. These look like US made receivers to me.

What are you not getting? The PPS 43 was not made for decades either until "Pioneer Arms" started making them again in RADOM a few years ago. I have no idea what the pedigree of this AK is but it's far from unrealistic for a former USSR or Warsaw Pact arsenal to see a commercial opportunity, tool up and start building commercial versions of the guns they produced years ago. Look at what FEG did with the AMD 65, Radom the PPS 43, etc.. etc...

And that is exactly why I'm interested.

IF Pioneer really is importing a sporter version with an original barrel and doing the 922r dance to make them compliant I want one.

IMO the rifle looks like a very nice build.  I like the fact it has a chrome lined barrel (although it doesn't specify if it's US made or original Polish).  Nonetheless, if I was looking for a quality build, I'd buy it.  I've got several Polish underfolders, Tantal's and a milled 1960 version...you won't be disappointed in the quality of a polish firearm.

On another note, I have one of those PPS-43 builds as pictured.  It is a great firearm and the fit/finish is excellent. If it didn't require a tax stamp, I'd love to convert  it to a functional folding stock.

I called and spoke to them yesterday.  The woman assured me it was a Radom receiver (with the markings to prove it) and original Radom factory barrel.  

All of this information sucks.  I will now have $600 less in my bank account

I called Classic and the lady told me it was made in the USA by I.O.

The question I emailed today:

Are the Radom AKs newly manufactured with polish chrome lined barrels and all new parts?

Are they standard AKM pattern guns that use AK mags and other parts and accessories?

Do they have a side scope rail?

What is shipping and handling to XXXXX?

I need a Draco too, will they return?

The answers I got:

"Yes, they have chrome lined barrels and accept AK mags & other parts.  You can get a shipping quote through our website (new feature).  Century claims more Dracos are coming, but we have been on backorder with them for almost a year!"

Why can't we get a stright answer

Why can't we get a stright answer [/quote]

Wish I knew. If the seller were to say:

They are new polish manufacture including the barrel.

The receiver is ____________.

They have have x, y, z, installed for compliance.

They have a warranty for ___________ time.

They have a scope mount.

I'm on it TODAY

Might be flexible on the mount.

Thank you very much. Looking forward to some straight answers.

Just to clarify some things:

Radom is not weapons manufacturer. It is a town, 60miles south from Warsaw. Polish AKs were made in "Łucznik" (Archer - known from "11" code) factory in Radom. Also  so called "Radom Pistol" - wz.35 VIS (mod 1935 VIS) were made here. In middle '90s "Łucznik" gone bankrupt. It's assets were sold. On small part of orginal factory new company was established called Fabryka Broni "Łucznik" - Radom sp. z o.o. (Weapons Factory "Archer" - Radom Ltd. This company is considered to be continuation of original "Łucznik" and this company makes wz.96 Beryl assault rifle. But they do not make AKM or AKMS. Stock of parts for milled AK, kbkg wz.60, AKM and AKMS were bought by different private owned companies (Works 11 among them; they own rights to "11" logo and to MAG pistol developed in "Łucznik") that still assemble AK, AKM and AKMS from them.

Pioneer Arms Radom is young (10 years) company with US capital, that started to make double barreled shotguns in Radom (after "Łucznik" bankrupted, there was no shortage of place and workforce here for weapons factory). I was told that they shotguns are very good for Cowboy shooting, but they do not "manufacture" AKs - they may put them together from leftover old parts, like other companies are doing here. PPS they make is probably also assembled from leftover parts or refurbished military reserve that was surplused.

Two threads on this rifle, i'm updating both.

Go to the classicarms page. They have a full description of the Polish rifle now. They are adding a free case if you order quickly as well! Polish new construction from the ground up brought in to compliance once here.

"In the case of this Pioneer Arms Polish AK Rifle the U.S. Parts added and or replaced are as follows, the polish trigger group is replaced with a U.S. made G-2 3 piece trigger set by Tapco, the muzzle nut is removed and a U.S. made 45 degree compensator is added , the original grip is replaced by a U.S. made Molot style pistol grip, and the rifle is fitted with a U.S. made 30 round mag. Once the internal parts are added and the rifle has been brought into compliance, the magazine well is opened up ( typically on a C & C machine ) and the rifle will now legally accept high capacity AK mags. The remainder of the rifle in it's entirety including the receiver, barrel, furniture, and all other parts of the base rifle with the exception of the U.S. parts listed above were manufactured and assembled in Radom Poland. "

Add to what you read at Classic that it DOES NOT INCLUDE THE SCOPE MOUNT if that is important to you. I haven't decided yet.

From the site:

This is a little bit of an unusual Rifle of the Day being that this is a standard stock item. We typically post odds and ends or something different here. But in this case, I wanted to use this forum to highlight this new AK and answer some questions we have been getting concerning what I personally think is a very high quality rifle. I also wanted to offer you all a special one time bonus with this purchase.

We received these rifles in from the importer and posted them to the site around one week ago. Since then we have received many questions and even concerns regarding them. People have asked, Are they parts rifles ? Do they all look alike ? Why should I buy this rifle as opposed to any other rifle on the site ? How can they legally import this rifle? Why are they more expensive ? Etc... We even had an e-mail with a very angry tone that said we were trying to pass off parts rifles as new and we should basically be ashamed of ourselves. Well that is not the case, and honestly, that is just not how we roll. Even so it has become clear that a really good discription of these rifles and their history is needed.

So, as they say down at the horse barn, Here is the Scoop.

These rifles were made from the gound up in Poland at the Radom factory to fill an order for a small Polish Exporter called Pioneer Arms. The initial batch of rifles built was very small and I can only assume that the exporter wants to test the U.S. market on these at this price point to see how they would go. Labor and Materials are a little more expensive in Poland but the quality is usually worth it. Based on the quality I see in these rifles I don't think the price will be an issue. They are very nice... But more on that later.

Under current U.S. importation laws regarding firearms only rifles that qualify as " Sporting Arms " are allowed to be imported. The primary criteria in that is the rifle cannot be imported if it has a mag capacity of more than 10 rounds. As such, these rifles, much like the Romanian WASR-10's and the Bulgarian SLR's are imported as an intact ready to fire rifle but with a narrow magazine well and a 5 or 10 round magazine. Once the rifles are stateside, the importers store them in a bonded warehouse where they are brought into compliance with what is commonly referred to as Section 922r. Basically sec 922r states that for a rifle to be considered U.S. Made it must contain a certain number of U.S. Parts. Once that part count is met, then the rifle can legally accept high cap ( Above 10 Round ) mags and drums as well as having military characteristics like muzzle breaks etc.

In the case of this Pioneer Arms Polish AK Rifle the U.S. Parts added and or replaced are as follows, the polish trigger group is replaced with a U.S. made G-2 3 piece trigger set by Tapco, the muzzle nut is removed and a U.S. made 45 degree compensator is added , the original grip is replaced by a U.S. made Molot style pistol grip, and the rifle is fitted with a U.S. made 30 round mag. Once the internal parts are added and the rifle has been brought into compliance, the magazine well is opened up ( typically on a C & C machine ) and the rifle will now legally accept high capacity AK mags. The remainder of the rifle in it's entirety including the receiver, barrel, furniture, and all other parts of the base rifle with the exception of the U.S. parts listed above were manufactured and assembled in Radom Poland.

Now to the quality. Polish made firearms have long had a reputation for extremely high quality workmanship and attention to detail. This rifle is no exception. The fit and finish are very nice. The wooden furniture has an expensive heavy look with a deep gloss finish. The blue is really consistant and highly polished. The rivets are all nicely seated and smooth with none of the gouges or hammer marks some times found on others. The action is smooth and the trigger is crisp. Bores and chambers are chrome lined. To sum it up, just a really nice AK. I would compare this rifle quality wise to the Bulgarian Stamped AK rifle but at a much lower price point.

So does it justify the extra money. Well, It depends. I have always contended that an AK, is an AK, is an AK. By that I mean that from the lowest priced one to the highest priced one virtually all AK rifles will throw a bullet down range reliably, at a high rate of fire, with a fair degree of accuracy. After that the difference are simply in fit, finish and general cosmetics. I like to call it the difference between a Chevrolet and Cadillac. Both will get you to the same place at the same time, but one will be a little more enjoyable to drive and have a little more style. Our baseline Romanian rifles are Chevrolets. They are rugged, reliable, highly affordable, and they function and shoot great....Still, there is a step up, and that would be to the Polish AK. These polish rifles are Cadillacs and for a little difference in cost some some folks would rather ride in style. If you are a Cadillac Man, then this is your rifle.

Rifle is Semi-Auto, 7.62x39 caliber and comes with one 30 round Mag

Item # POL-AK-S...............$579.99

Must have been sdrake100

I do admit to being wrong. Oh well. The only reason I was so suspicious is due to the fact It's hard to believe distributors anymore because they put up so much false info to dupe the buyer.

Classic Arms did make it sound like they had a rifle in their possession. How can "Brutus" like it if they don't even have it yet? Not to mention it wasn't made by FB, but another factory in the same city of Radom. These little marketing gimmicks are getting old.

You are right. However parts that were used to make them, were originally made by "Łucznik" ('11') and were not assembled into complete rifle. It is probable that guys at Pioneer who assemble those rifles, worked in "Łucznik", same as most staff of FB is from former "Łucznik". So it is not very far from original form. Also those days they pay little more attention to quality, than during commie era (and early '90s) in state owned factory.

They show in stock. They aren't?

The lack of being forthcoming is wearing me down with the firearm industry as a whole. It is what it is, so put it out there and let me decide if it is what I want and willing to pay up for. I had more stuff than I needed years ago but I consider it an oppurtunity to help maintain a right that it the most important. Lose the right to own and bear and they will take the rest. A hobby that can be fun and interesting.

Oh, and there is that attitude of "doing me a favor selling me something" because they are the gatekeepers crap that is pervasive in the industry. Maybe some other time.

Where did you hear that they did not have them in their possession? I just called and they said they are. Also, did Classic say they were made by FB and when? All i see is that they said they were made in a factory in Radom for Pioneer Arms. Pioneer Arms, from what i read has a sterling reputation and imports a very sought after shotgun and now the PPS43 (i think i got that right). Nothing i have read so far has been misleading except stuff you keep putting out there. Accusations of old parts, assumptions about production, and now complaints about availability are all coming from you. Have you actually called Classic and asked them about these rifles? Even an Atlantic rep has been saying they have high expectations for this rifle. The only good (or bad depending on how you look at it) thing that has come out of it is that i HAVE called 3 times now to ask them questions, and in fact placed an order for one, due to your posting.

I'm taking a chance on one as well. $80 more than a wasr and if they are anything like the new polish parts I've gotten from Apex they should be great.

Fingers crossed!

And currently a free case, which i need. If no one else has, i will post a review of the rifle as soon as it gets in. Unless Atlantic beats me to it.

Hmm, industry partner. I don't guess they offer any special deals or discounts for members do they?

Is the magwell opened up to specifically accommodate the Tapco magazine, as being over sized because they are to fucking lazy to install US made pistons while it's being assembled over seas?

The AMD's that were brought in were all but ruined because of this as it takes removal of the factory selector stop plate and replacement to get a better fit for steel mags.

They have them now, but not when I first read their description. Centerfire didn't have them either when I emailed them a couple weeks ago about these. At least they were honest and told me the details were scarce until they came in. Classic made it sound like they had all the info when in fact they did not have them in.

I'm glad some of you are jumping on these. They are a good deal.

If these are actual Polish AK, meaning with Polish barrel and receiver.  I be interesting.

I have one on order so I guess we will see what they are. Got mine from CFS so it might be here by the mid of next week.

Looking forward to a first hand report....

Yes, I too am looking forward to a review of this rifle.

Looking at the different pics from the Atlantic, Centerfire and Classic Arms websites, the butttstock appears different (wider at the rear).  Does it appear that way to anyone else?  Can't tell if it or the handguards in any of the sites are laminated or not.

I ordered this rifle and the parts do not look anything like the parts that came in a Polish underfolder parts kit. Different style parts and seriel numbers that begin with two letters. They appear more like Romanian parts. See my reveiw here:

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_4_64/143929_What_is_this_new_AK_.html&page=3

Update:  Just got off the phone with IO Inc. they said that the rifles come into the US as a barreled receiver, and they add all the rest, and they are Romanian parts. So, the only Polish parts are, the barrel and receiver. This directly from a sales associate at IO Inc.

I picked up mine from the FFL this afternoon. A quick inspection is all I have had time to do.

It looks pretty good but it is a mixed bag. Some good things and some bad things. It appears to be a mix of new and (possibly) used parts of different origins. I'm no expert about AKs but that is my initial impression of it. Some of the work is beautiful (AK standards) and some is a little shoddy (universal standards). I do not believe at this point that this is a 100% polish made gun with original parts substituted and mods made only where necessary for it to be brought into compliance. I plan to dig into it and find out.

Came with orange IO chamber flag, cleaning rod and kit, and one cheapo mag.

It is marked IO Inc. Monroe NC on the bolt handle side of the receiver and Pioneer markings on the opposite side.

The wood is very nice.

Eastern block steel mags are very snug and the mag opening appears to be nicely machined.

Sights etc look straight.

Forget about matching numbers. The numbers have been obliterated on the dust cover.

The original safe fire markings (I'm guessing here) have been welded over.

Nicely riveted (save one) and welded.

Some screw heads are buggered up.

Several scuffs down to the metal on the dust cover and receiver.

I must stress this is my INITIAL impressions of the gun and I hope to follow up with more info, pictures, and function report when I have more time. I guess I'm OK with it right now if it works considering that Buckeye/Vance's are selling WASR RI1188s and RI1166s for the same price.

I could not agree more, I think that both Centerfire and Classic Firearms built this rifle up to be more than they are. That being said, they are a nice rifle, just a mix master.