Hello i am a relative newbie to ak's. I have been wanting to buy one for awhile and i finnaly live in an area where i can own one. My plan was to order a SAR-1 from aim surplus but of the 4 local ffls i can find only one deals with them. Of course the one guy who deals with them is a jack ass and wants to charge me a 20% fee for my total order cost and not just a flat fee. So if i order through him i will be paying around $360 for a sar 1 after shipping etc. After searching some more i found a gun store about an hour away from me that stocks maadi ak-47's and sar-1's. What i was wondering is do maadis suck? I have read alot about sar-1 and people generally seem satisfied with them. But i cant find antyhing really on maadi. Sorry if this seems long winded. I went to the ak abc forum and waded through some of the links but wasnt able to find much.

Thanks

Chris

The Maadi will most likely be a thumbhole stock and slihtly more expensive that a SAR1. You'll spend even more to convert it to a normal stock and pistol grip.

If you're looking for that starter AK, just stop by that shop and pick up a SAR1.

Quoted: The Maadi will most likely be a thumbhole stock and slihtly more expensive that a SAR1. You'll spend even more to convert it to a normal stock and pistol grip.

Not necessarily,the Maadi Misr is sold in pistol grip configuration.Personally,I like a Maadi.Out of the box,it may need a little attention like smoothing up rough egges on the top receiver rail and fixing trigger slap.The finish is rather ugly but highly functional.A few years ago,Myself and a couple other Guys went on a shooting/camping trip in the Mountains,it rained solid for 3 days.I had a Maadi and the other two Guys had SAR1s,when we got back to the Jeep Cherokee we just put the wet AKs in the back with everything else and drove three hours home.It was late and we did'nt unload the vehicle until the next day,both SAR1s were covered with surface rust but the Maadi's paint over park finish was good. Either way you go you'll have a good AK,but at least check out the Maadi.

Also, InRange has a few Maadis available for $350 each...Complete with long barrel, and threads ready for a compensator/brake....

KF

Thanks for all the responses. I emailed the dealer and he said the maadis all have thumbhole stocks and are all high cap. Will these versions of the maadi take 75-100 round drums? Also i read that on some maadis you cannot use foreign hi cap mags is this true?

Chris

Those RPM's should function fine with drums, and being thumbhole stocked rifles foriegn mags are no problem. I'm pretty sure it's the Misr's that require US followers/floorplates to be compliant.

Thanks again for all the help. What should i be looking for on these rifles to make sure they are in good condition other than finish and normal wear and tear. My only experience with Russian semi autos is with my SKS. His asking price is $385 for the SAR and the Maadi. Is this to high or decent?

Chris

Quoted: Thanks again for all the help. What should i be looking for on these rifles to make sure they are in good condition other than finish and normal wear and tear. My only experience with Russian semi autos is with my SKS. His asking price is $385 for the SAR and the Maadi. Is this to high or decent? Chris

Seems a bit high. I find them at gunshows down here in PA for $300 for a SAR1 all the time.