AK Sponsor
Posted: 11/9/2010 5:14:43 PM EDT
| Im new to the AK world.. How do you tell what ak47 and ak74 mags are pre ban..what do you look for..I live in NY so it does matter.. |
|
I guess that asks the question that how can you even tell if it is a Chinese mag vs any other country. There appear to be so many countries making AK mags, they nearly all look the same. I don't notice many (if any) markings on these mags. It seems virtually impossible to identify one as pre or post ban and where it originated from.
This isnt really the case with AR mags as you know what a PMAG looks like or some other mags out there. |
|
CarlosC on another forum did a neat post to help in identification. Give it a check:
http://www.glocktalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1104378 However, keep in mind there's a lot of sellers that tend to advertise magazines as "preban" which, in your case given your location, can't actually be proven as "preban" should that make a legal issue for you. The ones that you can be legally sure of are East German and Chinese. Other countries, while more than likely made in the 1960's through late 1970's/early1980's, can't be proven to be "preban." On a side note, you may want to give this current sale post a check - they're Chinese imported through Yugoslavia and decently priced (I have no affiliation with the seller/member): http://www.akfiles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=75699 |
|
Quoted:
I guess that asks the question that how can you even tell if it is a Chinese mag vs any other country. Chinese made magazines do not have the flange on the back of the body where the magazine is welded together on those made in other countries. In addition the back of the "hump" on the follower isn't rounded like the follower on Warsaw Pact made magazines. |
|
Quoted:
CarlosC on another forum did a neat post to help in identification. Give it a check: http://www.glocktalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1104378 However, keep in mind there's a lot of sellers that tend to advertise magazines as "preban" which, in your case given your location, can't actually be proven as "preban" should that make a legal issue for you. The ones that you can be legally sure of are East German and Chinese. Other countries, while more than likely made in the 1960's through late 1970's/early1980's, can't be proven to be "preban." On a side note, you may want to give this current sale post a check - they're Chinese imported through Yugoslavia and decently priced (I have no affiliation with the seller/member): http://www.akfiles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=75699 this is a good post, thank you so much. So here is my logic, and please help me understand if you don't mind. For example, a Romanian magazine with the "0" marked on the rib. Who is to say that the Romanian magazines from 1980 (if they were made then, I have NO idea) are any different than the magazines made in 2010 (if they even make them now, once again I have no idea). My thought process comes from the AR side, where I see a Magpul PMAG I know there is no way that it can be pre-ban. Tapco and others have made polymer mags for AR that you know are newer. The same goes for .22LR magazines to fit in an .22LR conversion for AR, you know those are recent. So I guess, how can you know when approximately the magazines are produced if they dont have date codes and countries have been producing for decades? It seems the only mags which are pretty much sure to be pre-ban are Chinese, due to the import ban, right? |
|
Quoted:
this is a good post, thank you so much. So here is my logic, and please help me understand if you don't mind. For example, a Romanian magazine with the "0" marked on the rib. Who is to say that the Romanian magazines from 1980 (if they were made then, I have NO idea) are any different than the magazines made in 2010 (if they even make them now, once again I have no idea). My thought process comes from the AR side, where I see a Magpul PMAG I know there is no way that it can be pre-ban. Tapco and others have made polymer mags for AR that you know are newer. The same goes for .22LR magazines to fit in an .22LR conversion for AR, you know those are recent. So I guess, how can you know when approximately the magazines are produced if they dont have date codes and countries have been producing for decades? It seems the only mags which are pretty much sure to be pre-ban are Chinese, due to the import ban, right? This is the dilema you're going to face due to your local laws and location regarding the magazines. It's generally a good bet many surplus steel 30rd magazines were made before the ban by most countries. However, some continued making steel magazines for export around the ban and slightly after. It's basically a matter of risk - if called out by Johnny Law, can you prove your magazine was made "pre-ban?" On the flip side, can they prove it wasn't? Regardless, their legal representatives and attornies are free to them (well, at the cost of our tax money). Yours will cost whatever he/she will cost. They will use as many as they think needed to win their case. You will likely use as many (or few) as you can afford. In short, most are probably very much pre-ban era. Proving they are will be up to you. At least with the East German and Chinese, they're known to be preban by the BATFE due to their acceptance of them as preban and one of those countries "went of out business" in 1989. Because of your situation, it might be wise to stick with what you know and can defend. If you re-locate to another city/state where it's not an issue, you can enjoy a little less concern with the choice of magazines. |
|
Quoted:
I really want a ak74 and i seen one today at the gun store here in ny, and it came with a "pre ban" magazine..Im pretty sure the mag was a circle 10..Are these mags considered pre ban?? is there a difference between circle 10 and circle 21?? Circle 10 is Bulgaria Circle 21 is S. Korea? Not sure about that one, too lazy to google the country codes again. |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
I really want a ak74 and i seen one today at the gun store here in ny, and it came with a "pre ban" magazine..Im pretty sure the mag was a circle 10..Are these mags considered pre ban?? is there a difference between circle 10 and circle 21?? Circle 10 is Bulgaria Circle 21 is S. Korea? Not sure about that one, too lazy to google the country codes again. Yikes! 
Bulgaria Circle 10 = Arsenal Incorporated Circle 21 = NITI Kazanlak Circle 25 = Optico-Electron |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I really want a ak74 and i seen one today at the gun store here in ny, and it came with a "pre ban" magazine..Im pretty sure the mag was a circle 10..Are these mags considered pre ban?? is there a difference between circle 10 and circle 21?? Circle 10 is Bulgaria Circle 21 is S. Korea? Not sure about that one, too lazy to google the country codes again. Yikes!
Bulgaria Circle 10 = Arsenal Incorporated Circle 21 = NITI Kazanlak Circle 25 = Optico-Electron I had a brain fart. |
|
Quoted:
Its stupid tho because I cant even find anybody selling the E. German Bakelite's..And when I do they don't ship to NY... There's a few on Gunbroker. Have you checked this one: http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=200426065 |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
Chinese definitely are because they stopped importing 30 round Chinese AK mags in 1989. I thought it was Sept 1994 due to the AWB Yes it is. the AWB was Sep 1994, but all 'non-sporting' Chinese hicap mags and evil featured guns were prohibited for import in 1989 by presidential executive order. Hence all non-sporting Chinese anything is pre89 and therefore by chronology, pre94 and pre-ban. |
|
Quoted: Yes it is. the AWB was Sep 1994, but all 'non-sporting' Chinese hicap mags and evil featured guns were prohibited for import in 1989 by presidential executive order. Hence all non-sporting Chinese anything is pre89 and therefore by chronology, pre94 and pre-ban. The Executive Order was by Clinton back in 1994 Also in 1994, President Clinton, by Executive Order, banned importation of firearms and ammunition from Red China, then a major exporter of AK-47-type semi-automatic rifles. http://clintongunban.com/FactSheets.aspx?i=80&a=Fact%20Sheet The 1989 import ban didn't apply to magazines, just firearms |
AK Sponsor