A co worker of mine has a Norinco NHM91 for sale with 3 30rd mags, bipod, and fiber stock. What is a good price? Are they reliable shooter/plinkers? Is it pre/post ban? Will it take the 75rd drums?
Thanks.

It is a post-ban.  The "91" in NHM91 stands for the year 1991.  It is post-89 import ban, which requires the post-ban features on imports.  Unless it had the required number of US parts before the 94 ban went into effect, it is not grandfathered.  Since no one made US manufactured AK parts until after 94, it would be pretty unlikely that it is anything BUT post-ban.  There's alot of BS talk about customs, and yada, yada, yada, but it all boils down to this.  If it says MAK90 (i.e. 1990) or NHM91 (for 1991) it's a post-ban gun and follows the same rules as any other foregin made post-ban gun.

They are an AK.  They are of course reliable and fun!  They are also very well made for any AK and usually have a great trigger in them.  It will legally take 75rd drums, unless you need US mag parts to make it pistol grip legal (they were all thumbhole).  There are enough US made AK parts that setting it up to take 75rd mags legally is a snap.  

They go for about $400-450 around here for one in great shape.  

Visit us at the AK side of the board by clicking on the site navigator above.

Ross

Chinese semi-auto version af AK, post ban, will take drums but they are all crap and unreliable(the drums not the rifle) 30 rounders are still relatively plentiful and cheap~$12.  Very reliable, I had feeding poblems with the hollow point Russian ammo that is the cheapest, a small amount of reshaping the feeding ramp area with a dremel tool solved this easily.  Now it always works with out jams.

Not sure of the pricing on these now; I paid $285 new about 6 years ago.  I've seen them in the stores now for $500-$600 I don't think they can be imported any longer. How much is he asking?  Offer $250 ?

He's not asking any price yet, he wants an offer. I want, well, have to be fair since he's my boss.

It has the Dragunov type fiber stock. Can I use 75rd mags with it? What do I need to put a pistol grip stock on it and use 75rd mags?

I though AR15 pre/post ban stuff was confusing...

You can use the 75rd drum with the thumhole, plastic dravgunov type stock.  You can't put a pistol grip on it without swapping certain US parts for the Chinese parts.  That turns the gun magically into a domestic (according to the ATF), allowing you one evil feature 9usually the pistol grip).  Imports are not allowed an evil feature.  

Mags are not an evil feature.  They are just mags.  The magazine ban is a completely separate law that has nothing to do with the status of the gun they are used in.  Simply put high-caps after 94 can only be made ans sold to LE/govt.  You can use any pre-ban highcap in any gun that will take them.  Using a 75rd drum in the Norinco is perfectly legal.

Check the AK side of the board for info on US parts, pre/post-ban, mags, options, info etc.  You're more than welcome to ask here, and there's plenty of us here as well, but the AK experts spend more time over there.  Besides, the AR fans get jelous over our jackhammers that are reliable and clean easy  

Come over to the darkside!

Ross

Let me take exception to the crack above about the drums being crap.  The 7.62 drums brought over here are definitely NOT crap.  Too expensive in todays market, maybe.  But definitely well made, and well functioning.They were and are Chinese armed forces issue, well designed,and compared to the Russian originals much easier to load.

Now the drums they brought over for the .223 versions of their AKs, and the things they adapted for the AR15s ARE crap.  Ill fitting, sleazy materials, and generally a quick buck ripoff of the 7.62 drum.

All in all, though, given the low price of the 30 round sticks, I'd really think twice about getting a drum.  You can get 7or 8 30 rounders for the price of one drum these days.

I had one for a couple of years.  Really enjoyed shooting it.  It was a little better made than the MAC 90.  It was accurate for the first mag or so but became less accurate the more it heated up.  I put a side rail on it and mounted a scope.

Most AKs produced for the domestic market are not made for prolong high rate shooting.  I would not waste time with a 75 rd drum.  They are heavy, hard to load and tend to jam under rapid fire and way too expensive nowadays.  They were OK to buy when they were $29.00.

It would be nice to have a bi-pod but they are hard to find and add quite a bit of weight to the gun.

All-in-all I had fun shooting it at the range for a while but did not think it was a serious weapon.  I did not consider it to be in my pile of SHTF weapons. I bought some US parts and put a nice blond Bishop stock on it and doubled my money as trade in material when I bought my first M1A.