News from the AK market, ie ClassicArms

[Guest 2HOW]

WHAT IS GOING ON WITH AK RIFLES?.

THE AK RIFLE MARKET HAS BEEN CRAZY OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS, AND FOR GOOD REASON. I HAVE KNOWN WHAT THE CIRCUMSTANCES WERE THAT HAS CREATED THIS SITUATION BUT WAS NOT AT LIBERTY TO POST AN EXPLIANATION UNTIL NOW. THIS IS THE STORY AS I UNDERSTAND IT.

THE MAIN SOURCE OF AK RIFLES INTO THE U.S. OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS HAS BEEN THE COUNTRY OF ROMAINIA AND PARTICULLARLY THE CUGIR FACTORY WHICH WAS A STATE RAN MANUFACTURING PLANT. THEY HAD CONTRACTS WITH THE IMPORTERS HERE AND WERE BUILDING AK RILES FOR EXPORT TO THE CIVILIAN U.S. MARKET.OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS THEY HAVE SHIPPED THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF AK RIFLES INTO THE U.S.

FOR SOME TIME NOW ROMAINIA HAS DESIRED AND BEEN PETITIONING TO BECOME A NATO MEMBER NATION. ONE OF THIER ROADBLOCKS HAS BEEN THE FACT THAT THEY HAVE BEEN PRODUCING LOW PRICED AK RIFLES FOR EXPORT ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY TO THE U.S. CIVILIAN MARKET. I AM TOLD THAT THE POWERS THAT BE IN WASHINGTON HAD MADE IT CLEAR THAT AS LONG AS THEY CONTINUED THIS FOR PROFIT "PROLIFERATION" OF AK RIFLES INTO THE U.S. THAT THE U.S. WOULD CONTINUE TO OPPOSE THEIR ENTRY INTO NATO. FRANKLY THERE IS NOTHING NEW

ABOUT THAT AND THEY CONTINUED TO BUILD FOR A LONG TIME SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY NEEDED THE CASH FLOW THAT THE SALES OF THE RIFLES PROVIDED. THAT IS UNTIL RECENTLY. LATE LAST YEAR A MAJOR AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURER SET UP A NEW FACTORY IN ROMAINIA. THEY COULD NOT DO ALL OF THE WORK IN HOUSE AND DECIDED TO JOBBER OUT BUILDS ON SOME OF THEIR STEEL PARTS TO A NEARBY FACTORY. WHEN CUGIR WAS APPROACHED WITH THIS OPPORTUNITY TO RE-TOOL AND MAKE AUTO PARTS INSTEAD OF RIFLES THEY JUMPED AT IT. IT SOLVED THEIR POLITICAL DELIMMA WHILE ALLOWING THEM TO MAINTAIN A REVENUE FLOW. AS OF ABOUT 45 DAYS AGO THE CUGIR FACTORY IS DONE WITH FIREARMS MANUFACTURING AND ALL OF THE ROMAINIAN AK PRODUCTS ARE DRYING UP FAST.

ON ANOTHER FRONT. CENTURY ARMS HAS HAD AN ONGOING AND VERY SUCCESSFUL PROJECT WITH THEIR YUGO B-1 AND AB-2 AK BUILD RIFLES. UNFORTUNATELY THERE WERE ONLY A FINITE NUMBER OF KITS TO BUILD THESE RIFLES WITH AND THOSE KITS ARE NOW EXHAUSTED. CENTURY'S YUGO RIFLE PROJECT IS NOW DONE. AS I WRITE THIS WE NOW ARE OUT OF THE UNDERFOLD RIFLES AND ONLY HAVE LESS THAN 100 OF THE B-1 RIFLES IN STOCK.

SO WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD?. MY EDUCATED GUESS IS THAT WE WILL SOON SEE SOME U.S. MADE AK RIFLES COMING TO THE MARKET. BY THAT I DON'T MEAN ENOUGH PARTS TO BE U.S. COMPLIANT, BUT COMPLETELY MADE IN THE UNITEDS STATES. THE PROBLEM IS THAT SINCE NO MORE PART SETS CAN BE IMPORTED INTO THE COUNTRY WITH BARRELS INTACT, AND SINCE THERE AREN'T THAT MANY PARTS SETS LEFT HERE WITH BARRELS, THEN ANY NEW BUILDS WILL ALSO HAVE TO HAVE U.S. BARRELS. COMBINE THAT WITH ADDITIONAL U.S. PARTS, FURNITURE AND U.S. LABOR. AND YOU HAVE A VERY EXPENSIVE U.S. MADE AK RIFLE. I WOULD ALSO GUESS THAT MOST IF NOT ALL OF THESE RIFLES WOULD HAVE TO HAVE SOME TYPE OF POLY STOCK SINCE WOOD STOCKS MADE IN THE U.S. WOULD BE COST PROHIBITIVE. UNFORTUATELY WHEN THESE LAST IMPORTS SELL OUT I REALLY THINK THE DAYS OF THE INEXPENSIVE AK RIFLE ARE GONE.

NONE OF THIS TAKES INTO ACCOUNT THE CURRENT POLITICAL CLIMATE AND THE FACT THAT WE SIMPLY DON'T HAVE A STRONG PRO-GUN CANDIDATE LEFT IN THE RACE. THIS TOO DOES NOT BODE WELL FOR THE FUTURE OF THESE TYPES OF RIFLES.

Edited March 28, 2008 by 2HOW
legibility

[Guest sling]

But why is the text so huge?

[Urse]

Here it is easier to read.

What is going on with ak rifles?.

The ak rifle market has been crazy over the last few weeks, and for good reason. I have known what the circumstances were that has created this situation but was not at liberty to post an explianation until now. This is the story as i understand it.

The main source of ak rifles into the u.s. over the last several years has been the country of romainia and particullarly the cugir factory which was a state ran manufacturing plant. They had contracts with the importers here and were building ak riles for export to the civilian u.s. market.over the past several years they have shipped thousands and thousands of ak rifles into the u.s.

for some time now romainia has desired and been petitioning to become a nato member nation. One of thier roadblocks has been the fact that they have been producing low priced ak rifles for export almost exclusively to the u.s. civilian market. I am told that the powers that be in washington had made it clear that as long as they continued this for profit "proliferation" of ak rifles into the u.s. that the u.s. would continue to oppose their entry into nato. Frankly there is nothing new

about that and they continued to build for a long time simply because they needed the cash flow that the sales of the rifles provided. That is until recently. Late last year a major automobile manufacturer set up a new factory in romainia. They could not do all of the work in house and decided to jobber out builds on some of their steel parts to a nearby factory. When cugir was approached with this opportunity to re-tool and make auto parts instead of rifles they jumped at it. It solved their political delimma while allowing them to maintain a revenue flow. As of about 45 days ago the cugir factory is done with firearms manufacturing and all of the romainian ak products are drying up fast.

On another front. Century arms has had an ongoing and very successful project with their yugo b-1 and ab-2 ak build rifles. Unfortunately there were only a finite number of kits to build these rifles with and those kits are now exhausted. Century's yugo rifle project is now done. As i write this we now are out of the underfold rifles and only have less than 100 of the b-1 rifles in stock.

So what does the future hold?. My educated guess is that we will soon see some u.s. made ak rifles coming to the market. By that i don't mean enough parts to be u.s. compliant, but completely made in the uniteds states. The problem is that since no more part sets can be imported into the country with barrels intact, and since there aren't that many parts sets left here with barrels, then any new builds will also have to have u.s. barrels. Combine that with additional u.s. parts, furniture and u.s. labor. And you have a very expensive u.s. made ak rifle. I would also guess that most if not all of these rifles would have to have some type of poly stock since wood stocks made in the u.s. would be cost prohibitive. Unfortuately when these last imports sell out i really think the days of the inexpensive ak rifle are gone.

None of this takes into account the current political climate and the fact that we simply don't have a strong pro-gun candidate left in the race. This too does not bode well for the future of these types of rifles.

Fortunately we still have a few ak rifles left in stock and we are doing our best to hold the price. But don't wait. They are selling fast. See a compltete listing of our available ak rifles below.

the only problem with his "theory" is that Romania joined NATO in 2004..

[Guest utarch00]

Holy cow.

[ZenDog]

I wonder if this is just a sales ploy--- no, say it ain't so, a gun shop wouldn't resort to fear mongering now, would they?

[Guest dotsun]

Glad I bought my underfolder last month.

[Daniel]

i still need an ak before i finish my ar.

[mousegunner]

AKs of all sorts are selling fast. People want them, and they are not easy to find in all parts of the nation. I think some are buying for the sake of a quick profit a few more months down the road. You've heard of the "housing bubble?" This is the "AK bubble."

[Magiccarpetrides]

lol thats why I have a Saiga in .308 and 7.62 I would like to get a standard AK or maybe a Tantel to add to the collection but the wallet wont allow it.

[The Rabbi]

I wonder if this is just a sales ploy--- no, say it ain't so, a gun shop wouldn't resort to fear mongering now, would they?

Nah, that never happens.

Century has been telling me for 6 months that there will be no more SKS's from (former) Yugoslavia.

[Smith]

Yeah and Russia will still be bringing them in as well as Poland, CZ is bringing their 58 in, ect........ I wouldn't worry about it. I remember them saying that the FEG PA-63 was rare and hard to find collectors item that would soon be gone forever. I see them all over the place now and for next to nothing.

[Guest Spuds]

Makes for a good story, no?

http://www.nato.int/STRUCTUR/countries.htm

Note Romania is already a member of NATO.

That CUGIR is no longer making AKs is well known. The reason is that production was moved to here: http://www.arms.home.ro/arms/pg/index.html

*Credit to gunboards AK/SKS forum for info

http://forums.gunboards.com/index.php?referrerid=23