Coming Soon: An American-Made Kalashnikov

CNN ^ | 1/25 | Aaron Smith

[nickcarraway]

Soon you'll be able to buy an American-made Kalashnikov.

Kalashnikov USA, which split from its Russian parent company three years ago, will start selling a semiautomatic 12-gauge shotgun called the KS-12 in February, CEO Brian Skinner told CNNMoney.

The gun is being produced at a new factory in Pompano Beach, Florida, and will probably cost at least $750. Skinner said the company is still trying to determine the price, which depends on the cost of manufacturing.

Later this year, the company will start selling a semiautomatic 9-millimeter pistol, with a carbine version to follow. Kalashnikov USA also has plans to offer the KR-103, described as a "That'll be the bread and butter gun," said Skinner, who took over in 2015. "That will be the main AK.

The company employs 40 people at the 40,000-square-foot factory in Pompano Beach and is looking to hire more, including assemblers, painters, junior gunsmiths and junior engineers.

The AK-47 was invented for the Soviet military by Mikhail Kalashnikov under the direction of Josef Stalin. It became the most popular assault rifle in the world, favored by the Russian, Chinese, Iraqi and Afghan armies, as well as ISIS, the Taliban, Somali pirates and some American gun enthusiasts.

[Tilted Irish Kilt]

Ping

American made in Florida

[ptsal]

Bookmark

[Celtic Conservative]

Made in Romania for half the price is more attractive to me.

CC

[DIRTYSECRET]

I’d prefer an M-1 Garand from Korea. Whatever happened to them?

[Celtic Conservative]

So would I. At last report the Obama administration was refusing re-importation.

CC

[Clutch Martin]

The whole philosophy behind the AK was ease of manufacture as a cost driver. Cheap to produce kept costs down. Soviet low tech and high rates of production allowed a market swarm putting millions of very affordable weapons into the guns and butter diplomacy pipeline at a rate the U.S. couldn’t compete with.

(Snark warning)

And now? This anti capitalistic icon of cold war efficiency has gone chic... With an associative inflated price tag. Red Stars on Kepi’s will once again become a fashion statement for the trendy at heart. Raise a fist, place your orders... and get radical in front the mirror in the privacy of your collective flat!

[refermech]

Wonder why the mexicans haven’t started to make them? I guess our guys could make them pretty cheap but they would have to automate everything to keep the price down.

[ChildOfThe60s]

Why not both?

[Big Red Badger]

What is Made in Mexico but car farts?

[Big Red Badger]

Sorry...PARTS.

[central_va]

Really? Would care to post pricing information?

[PUGACHEV]

"Made in Romania for half the price is more attractive to me."

I wouldn't want a Romanian AK. The few I looked at were total junk. I wouldn't pay $10 bucks for the best of them.

[MHGinTN]

“Skinner said the company is still trying to determine the price, which depends on the cost of manufacturing.” Depends on the cost for manufacturing + the profit margin the market will bare.

[MHGinTN]

Maverick 88 parts are made in Mehico ...

[tumblindice]

I’ve got three WASRs. They’re a little rough looking but they shoot all day without a hiccup.
Some had some cant and trigger slap problems, but that was a long time ago.
If you’re more concerned with form over function, some black BBQ grill paint and you’re good to go.

Try shooting one instead of just looking at it so you don’t get confused with a poser who just shoots his mouth off.

[jospehm20]

I have one. It is a good AK. It is ugly and sloppy but it works every time.

[tumblindice]

I’ve got a Slidefire on one WASR.
It gets a little hot so I replaced the wood upper forestock with the heat shields from my AR M4gery grips. A little trimming of the length and they slide in perfectly.
Downside is, he’s a hungry boy.

Pugachev’s right: the out-of-the box WASR’s not much to look at, but a lot of owners are going to TAPCO it anyway.
Anyone buying an older WASR just make sure the gas tube, barrel and front sight align, and take off the dust cover to see if you are going to have to replace the trigger group, which is no big thing and gives you another American part.

You might find this interesting. http://wasr-10.com/
Any dumbass (not you) afraid they might one day try to disassemble one with a round in the chamber, see the article on testing the safety lever to see if it trips the hammer.

[PUGACHEV]

I can only tell you what I have seen. Back in the days of Ronald Magnus, I bought a Norinco AK, which I kept until my terrible boating accident. It was a beautiful rifle, with a chromed barrel and gorgeous furniture. Every part fit right and was exquisitely machined. It even had a triangular folding bayonet. I put well over 4K rounds trough it without the hint of a misfire or failure to feed. It was perfectly balanced, if a little small for the Western frame. A spacer at the end of the stock took care of that. The Romanian AKs I looked a few years ago had red plastic or phenolic grips, that were either under molded or over molded, and fastened askew. The woodwork was very poorly done. The sheet metal seemed not to mate well at joints which were either overlapping or misjointed. No two machined parts looked exactly the same on any of them. I had no interest in firing them, much less buying one.

Back in the early '90s Potomac Arms, the retail outlet for Interarms, had barrels of Chinese SKS's for sale, $65 each. I bought six of them, and of those only two shot straight, and one of those two was a tack driver. I gave the others away and kept the good one. My impression is that buying a Romanian AK might be a similar experience.