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Americans Are Snatching Up Russian AK-47s In record Numbers
TBI ^ | 8-15-2012 | Geoffrey Ingersoll

Posted on 08/15/2012 10:48:31 AM PDT by blam

Americans Are Snatching Up Russian AK-47s In record Numbers

Geoffrey Ingersoll
Aug. 15, 2012, 1:17 PM

I'll never forget the first thing my ex-wife's father said to me: "Wanna go shoot an AK?"

I obliged.

It turns out Americans are turning to AK 's in droves to fill their home armories.

Russia doesn't mind, and neither do it's arms companies, like Izhmash, which are quickly shifting from military to civilian fabrication in order to fill all the orders.

Overall it's been a good deal for American enthusiasts, and for Russian investors, since existing laws banning Chinese imports essentially subsidizes Russian businesses.

Andrew E. Kramer of New York Times reports "And in the United States, Izhmash cannot be underpriced by Chinese competitors. The federal government has banned most imports of Chinese handguns and rifles since 1994.

Selling Saigas in the United States is integral to the enterprise’s evolving business model of making single-shot civilian guns to occupy workers and equipment in between government orders for fully automatic assault rifles. About 70 percent of the factory’s output is now civilian rifles, up from 50 percent two years ago. Of the civilian arms, about 40 percent are exported to the United States."

To be clear, we're talking about perfectly legal to import, and to own in some states, civilian versions of the AK-47. One shot, semi-automatic. These companies have cut back on their fully automatic, military versions in order to supply the U.S. market.

Due to the Second Amendment and America's widespread culture of gun ownership, the US market for civilian weaponry is among the largest on the globe. The AK has not only a violent history, .

(snip)

(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...


TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: ak47; ammo; banglist; guns; revolution; russia; youwillnotdisarmus
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To: Army Air Corps

Ya know, I was doing some welding in my workshop and a bird flew into the rafters. I looked away from my work for just a moment, and another bird flew in, knocked over all of my rifles into a heap in front of me. I dropped the welding rod on a pile of oily rags, and the fire department can tell the rest of the story.

So tragic.


41 posted on 08/15/2012 12:06:00 PM PDT by rarestia (It's time to water the Tree of Liberty.)
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To: blam

If you are in the market for an AK-47, be careful. Russians did and do not have a monopoly on their production, and a lot of the copies, like the Chinese version, are very low quality.

You might consider some of the later Russian made models as well. Here’s a good guide:

http://cheaperthandirt.com/blog/?p=465


42 posted on 08/15/2012 12:12:58 PM PDT by yefragetuwrabrumuy
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To: blam

Kin ah git me a huntin license heah?


43 posted on 08/15/2012 12:13:28 PM PDT by crosshairs (America: Once the land of the free. Still the home of the brave.)
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To: Army Air Corps
Man, there a lot of us klutzes on FR. I had a couple of guns once. I thought that I’d go target shooting in the woods a while back. It is the damnedest thing, but I lost those guns in some field.

Dog ate mine.
44 posted on 08/15/2012 12:15:52 PM PDT by crosshairs (America: Once the land of the free. Still the home of the brave.)
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To: blam

How much does one cost? New? Used?


45 posted on 08/15/2012 12:17:21 PM PDT by arrogantsob (Obama MUST Go. Sarah herself supports Romney.)
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To: rarestia

good heavens what a sad tale - i lost mine in an asbestos factory fire


46 posted on 08/15/2012 12:21:20 PM PDT by Revelation 911 (How many 100's of 1000's of our servicemen died so we would never bow to a king?" -freeper pnh102)
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To: Revelation 911

Tragic... and what makes it worse was that the safe was open and the fire just spread right into it. If only that safe was closed...


47 posted on 08/15/2012 12:34:51 PM PDT by rarestia (It's time to water the Tree of Liberty.)
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To: blam

There won’t be any need to disarm most people. They will simply raise the taxes, fees and costs of firearms ownership until most people just surrender their guns rather than pay the costs. Not all, but most.

They will put huge taxes on firearms transfers in estates so those willed guns will have to pay huge taxes or they can elect not to take the guns. Most people are not savvy enough to keep their guns out of their wills, so this will catch a lot of people.

There are going to be a lot of way they will try to get us to voluntarily give up our guns with taxes and fees. It will work for a lot of people.

This will also cause most people not to be able to afford new guns, so it kills 2 birds with one stone, dramatically dropping new gun sales while getting most people to surrender their weapons.


48 posted on 08/15/2012 12:44:10 PM PDT by Freedom_Is_Not_Free (REPEAL OBAMACARE. Nothing else matters.)
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To: blam

I have/had 3 of them. That is until the UFO came down and snatched them all up.

The first one I had was a fixed stock model. I bought it years ago for $150.00. Great shooter. Or at least it was until the UFO.

The second was a folding stock model. The stock folded to the side. Got it for $400. Another great gun until the UFO got it.

The third is a Ugo version with the underfolder stock. It has a sight for a grenade launcher. Cool gun. Those damn UFO aliens snatched that one too.

Well, at least they didn’t probe me.


49 posted on 08/15/2012 12:49:31 PM PDT by History Repeats (Drink plenty of TEA, but avoid the Koolaid.)
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To: blam

>> I’ll never forget the first thing my ex-wife’s father said to me: “Wanna go shoot an AK?”

Nor will I ever forget the second thing my ex-FIL said to me, while placing a four-inch group with the AK at 100 yards: “No grandson of mine will be a bastard. I have arranged the wedding chapel for 2PM Saturday. Be there with a necktie on.”


50 posted on 08/15/2012 12:50:09 PM PDT by Nervous Tick ("You can ignore reality, but you can't ignore the consequences of ignoring reality.")
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To: blam
VEPR .308. FTW.


51 posted on 08/15/2012 12:51:34 PM PDT by Freedom_Is_Not_Free (REPEAL OBAMACARE. Nothing else matters.)
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To: crosshairs
Are you sure it wasn't a bull?


52 posted on 08/15/2012 12:52:00 PM PDT by wastedyears ("God? I didn't know he was signed onto the system.")
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To: DesertRhino

HE HE HE. You said wood and bikini in the same sentence. LOL


53 posted on 08/15/2012 12:52:20 PM PDT by History Repeats (Drink plenty of TEA, but avoid the Koolaid.)
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To: History Repeats
Well, at least they didn’t probe me.

That's what they want you to remember.

54 posted on 08/15/2012 12:54:12 PM PDT by wastedyears ("God? I didn't know he was signed onto the system.")
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To: Army Air Corps

Aliens abducted all my guns. I kid you not. Took the safe and everything.

Good luck finding ammo you worthless little green scum-sucking...


55 posted on 08/15/2012 12:54:31 PM PDT by Freedom_Is_Not_Free (REPEAL OBAMACARE. Nothing else matters.)
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To: MrB

That’s sad to hear. Getting sticky rice crispies caked in the bolt group can be a real PITA. Sadly, many nice guns are ruined that way.


56 posted on 08/15/2012 12:57:29 PM PDT by Freedom_Is_Not_Free (REPEAL OBAMACARE. Nothing else matters.)
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To: Obadiah

Google around searching for Free Tibet, India, China, executions, Lao Gai (Chinese gulag) etc. You will learn that this happened circa early 2000s, and the woman was either a Tibeten freedom fighter, or a Chinese heroin smuggler, depending on who you believe.


57 posted on 08/15/2012 1:00:44 PM PDT by Travis McGee (www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com)
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To: GladesGuru

58 posted on 08/15/2012 1:03:11 PM PDT by Travis McGee (www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com)
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To: History Repeats

You too??

I would bet a lot of these spurious “canoeing accident” stories are just Freepers who are ashamed to admit space aliens stole their guns. They should come clean. The FBI is not going to like them lying like that. When the FBI comes to interrogate me, I’m telling them the true blue honest truth that I was robbed by little green men from space.


59 posted on 08/15/2012 1:04:44 PM PDT by Freedom_Is_Not_Free (REPEAL OBAMACARE. Nothing else matters.)
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To: blam
All my guns were lost in a mechanical rice-picker accident.

No, wait, that's my ears.

60 posted on 08/15/2012 1:04:54 PM PDT by Lazamataz (I love the Universe, and it loves me.)
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