MAK 90 questions

[JustJohn3]

Hi, I have an MAK 90 with the blond wood thumb hole stock that I bought back in the early '90's.

Do these things have any value in the AK world or are they junk? I see them in actively bidding auctions in the $850-ish price range.

Another questions, can one legally replace the thumb hole stock with a pistol grip style stock?

Can you legally thread the barrel and install a flash hider?

Thanks!

[G3isMe]

I have couple of them myself. I like mine and I don't think anyone considers them junk. If you take off the thumbhole stock you have to put in the requisite number of US made parts. Off hand I do not know what the list of parts are for AKs. Search the threads here or google.

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[MakNorinco]

Yes they have value, just check gunbroker $800-1200 is what I'm seeing people bid right now for STAMPED guns.


Yes you can thread the barrel, install a flash suppressior and a pistol grip, just make sure you follow 922r and install the correct number of US made parts to change the "configuration" of the gun.

[STGThndr]

The Mak 90's are well-made AKs in my own experience. Wish I had gotten several when the price was hot. Pretty sure the bores were chromed and they are built hell for stout. The butthole stock was the first thing I replaced. With a Choate "Dragonov-type" stock, for which it was not necessary to replace parts, but much more user friendly..
There are places which sell wood for these. The only problem with some is the "angle-cut" at the rear of the reciever. This causes some fitting issues but is surmountable.

[idsubgun]

I've owned several 7.62 AK's over the years. The only two left in my safe are my MAK 90's.

[Zeusizme]

If you want to replace the stock or thread the barrel then you need to make the gun 922r compliant. You will need to replace 6 parts with US made parts. I would replace HTS, and the furniture to make the weapon compliant. You could also thread the barrel and us a US made muzzle device which would count toward the 6 parts you need.

[idsubgun]

Originally Posted by Zeusizme

If you want to replace the stock or thread the barrel then you need to make the gun 922r compliant. You will need to replace 6 parts with US made parts. I would replace HTS, and the furniture to make the weapon compliant. You could also thread the barrel and us a US made muzzle device which would count toward the 6 parts you need.

I wouldn't touch rhe HTS!!!!! It's one of the best out there!
Change the furniture to K-VAR stuff, add a US muzzle device, anything else but don't touch the HTS!!

[mutter]

The MAK 90 did not come with a muzzle device. Therefore only thread and add a US made device if you want a muzzle device. It makes no difference to parts count if you leave the muzzle alone.

[Zeusizme]

Well the guy wants to convert his mac90 over to look like a normal AK. How else is he going to get 6 US made parts on the gun without changing his HTS out? Yes he could use a US made mag which would count as 3 parts, but I doubt his other mags are US made. He could change out his gas piston but I doubt he would want to go through that. Other than that he would be left with changing the barrel, trunnion, bolt, bolt carrier, all of which wouldn't make sense. I remember the Mac90 I owned had some nasty trigger slap. Just my opinion on the matter.

[TideWater 41009]

Originally Posted by mutter

The MAK 90 did not come with a muzzle device. Therefore only thread and add a US made device if you want a muzzle device. It makes no difference to parts count if you leave the muzzle alone.

That's right. You don't need ANY US made parts; you are only limited to the number of non-US parts you can use.

[Tibodoe]

MAK 90 is my favorite AK.

[idsubgun]

Neither of my MAK 90's have trigger slap. Quite the opposite. I wish every other brand of AK I've owned, and still own, had such nice triggers.

[Zeusizme]

The only way to replace the thumbhole stock with a standard stock and pistol grip or thread the barrel would be to make the weapon 922r compliant. Otherwise the OP would be in violation of federal law. If you wanted to keep the original look of wood there are several companies that produce US made wood stock sets. That would bring the total to 3 which leaves 3 more parts to choose. If you threaded the barrel and installed a US made muzzle device then you would be down to 2 parts needed. All that would be left at this point would be barrel, trunnion, HTS, receiver, bolt, carrier, mag body, mag floor plate, or mag follower. AK's have a total of 16 parts that fall under 922r. You are only allowed a maximum of 10 foreign made parts that fall under 922r.

[wash]

One of the best AK variants on the market. Congrats!

[Holdn4aces]

Ironwood furniture and a Tapco mag = 6 freekin parts. Yes, I would use a Tapco mag before I changed out the HTS, it's that nice.

[MK ULTRA]

Keep the mag out of it and thats 3 less foreign parts. That makes only 3 US parts you need.

If the barrel is not threaded then it HAS NO MUZZLE DEVICE so thats one less foreign part. SO DONT THREAD IT so it requires another US part. Its not the number of US parts. Its NO MORE THAN 10 FOREIGN PARTS. Thats why pulling the mag creates 3 less foreign parts. Nothing says the mag has to be in the gun when counting parts.

MAK 90's are great. They have the "CIRCLE 386" and are made in the poly tech factor parts count is done.

I just left the stock on there.

[G3isMe]

Originally Posted by Zeusizme

............I remember the Mac90 I owned had some nasty trigger slap. Just my opinion on the matter.

Originally Posted by idsubgun

Neither of my MAK 90's have trigger slap. Quite the opposite. I wish every other brand of AK I've owned, and still own, had such nice triggers.

I have a Poly Tech thumbhole and a Norinco MAK and they both have nice triggers. I also have an Egyptian Maadi that came in as a Mak type with a thumbhole stock and it has the worse trigger slap of any rifle I have ever owned or even shot for that matter.

If you are looking for stocks that fit on the slant cut receivers, Ironwood designs makes them.
http://ironwooddesigns.com/IWDNEWAKMA_2.html

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[JustJohn3]

Thanks for your advise, guys! I had installed a Choate Dragonov style buttstock many years ago and it is a bunch better than the OEM piece.

My MAK has a mediocre to poor trigger pull, so I was thinking about using one of the sets from Tapco. Is the quality of those parts okay? I see they are offered with single hook and double hook configuration. Is that a choice I have to make, or do I get whatever is in the gun now? Are there other brands of HTS sets to consider?

Thanks!

[Zeusizme]

Tapco HTS groups work fine. You can use either the single or double hook trigger although the double hook trigger may need modified to fit. I use double hook trigger groups because they tend to have a smoother pull IMO

[JasonB]

Kinda odd, thought most(maybe all?) Chinese made guns were supposed to have better trigger pulls due to using the double hook set up?

[Vaughn L. Allen]

I had two with trigger slap. I hated my first MAK90 because of it and never shot it much until I traded out the HTS.

[randy762ak]

YOU may find that you need to make a threaded sleeve to solder on the barrel so you can install a flash hider as Many Mak 90s were made compliant by turning off the threads on the barrel,so you dont have enough material to just re-thread...

[arashi]

Originally Posted by randy762ak

YOU may find that you need to make a threaded sleeve to solder on the barrel so you can install a flash hider as Many Mak 90s were made compliant by turning off the threads on the barrel,so you dont have enough material to just re-thread...

You can just thread them to 1/2x28 then use a specially made 1/2x28 slant brake. Works great.

[STGThndr]

I researched some buttstocks for my MAK90 and found one on the Ironwood site. When I contacted them about it, the lady swore that they make no buttstocks for the MAK90. I thought it odd but didnt argue with her. Why they advertise them?

[Timber Wolf]

Originally Posted by STGThndr

I researched some buttstocks for my MAK90 and found one on the Ironwood site. When I contacted them about it, the lady swore that they make no buttstocks for the MAK90. I thought it odd but didnt argue with her. Why they advertise them?

It has been many, many years ago now but I know for a fact they at least DID make them as I have a set on my slant cut MAK. Sometimes you have to wait for them to run them though, seems like it took me a while to get mine.

[TRANSAM 79]

The Chinese AK/AKM are designed after the original milled ak's.Even the stamped ones are thicker and use the older AK gas design.Some of the newer ones arent pretty.They used belt sanding vs grinding(but so does everyone).They still funtion great.

[gates]

Those were the days - early '90's - a MAK 90 thumbhole, and a thousand rounds for a few hundred bucks- I'm thinking $400 for the lot... how times have changed.

[Aeroscout]

Originally Posted by JustJohn3

Thanks for your advise, guys! I had installed a Choate Dragonov style buttstock many years ago and it is a bunch better than the OEM piece.

My MAK has a mediocre to poor trigger pull, so I was thinking about using one of the sets from Tapco. Is the quality of those parts okay? I see they are offered with single hook and double hook configuration. Is that a choice I have to make, or do I get whatever is in the gun now? Are there other brands of HTS sets to consider?

Thanks!

The MAK-90 and NHM-90 are two of the best AK variants of any sort you can get and are the best of all stamped receiver varieties.

Our Special forces use the Chinese type 56 AK when the mission calls for an AK. Being as they can use whatever the hell they want, that is saying something when they choose the stamped Norinco over any sort of milled receiver AK. The NHM-90 and MAK-90 are both for all practical purposes "de-fanged" Type 56's.

Using a double hook vs. single hook trigger will depend on what is present in your AK. If I recall both NHM as well as MAK-90's both have double hook triggers. Do a Google Image search and you'll see the difference.

I would not use the Tapco HTS. I used them in my NMH-90 I polished them up real nice and at first it was smooth as butter...after a couple hundred rounds the trigger now has a hitch that catches just before the hammer falls. The metal is too soft and it now has dragged a spur all along the edge.

If I had it to do all over again (which will end up happening) I'd use an Arsenal AK HTS.

ETA:

[Aeroscout]

And a pic

[PauloB]

Originally Posted by idsubgun

Neither of my MAK 90's have trigger slap. Quite the opposite. I wish every other brand of AK I've owned, and still own, had such nice triggers.

I agree. I wish my L1A1 had a trigger like my MAK. Very smooth.

[Fiorina]

Ive been reading this thread and wondering what "trigger slap" is?

[idsubgun]

Originally Posted by Fiorina

Ive been reading this thread and wondering what "trigger slap" is?

The trigger "slaps" your finger during reset while firing. Has to do with a bad, or mis-shaped, disconnector usually. The trigger snaps forward. Do a Google search for "AK trigger slap". Or "WASR trigger slap". Even "SAR trigger slap".

[Swedish K]

Originally Posted by gates

Those were the days - early '90's - a MAK 90 thumbhole, and a thousand rounds for a few hundred bucks- I'm thinking $400 for the lot... how times have changed.

Agreed... back when an SKS was under $99, MAK 90s were $299 - $259 if you bought 10 and Chinese 75 round drums were $29. I miss the old days... oh - you could buy a brick of .22 for $8 and it was always on the shelf!

I don't recall how many of those MAK 90s we cut up to build pistols back then - it made financial sense and paid the bills though - buy a MAK 90 a US made receiver (usually B-West) and a 75 round drum. Cut up the MAK 90, cut the barrel down on the lathe, make a short gas piston, drill a BIG gas port, make a rear sling mount to cover the back end, replace the hinge pin on the drum with a clevis pin, stick the mag in the mag well and tack weld the mag release... got around the fed 94 band and even the CA ban until they added B-west to the list.

[AyKay47]

Originally Posted by JustJohn3

Hi, I have an MAK 90 with the blond wood thumb hole stock that I bought back in the early '90's.

Do these things have any value in the AK world or are they junk? I see them in actively bidding auctions in the $850-ish price range.

Another questions, can one legally replace the thumb hole stock with a pistol grip style stock?

Can you legally thread the barrel and install a flash hider?

Thanks!

Yes and yes.

[wash]

Picking up my second MAK 90 in the am! I'll post pics of the pair soon. Bought the first one years ago, cheap. It is one that came in the Choate polymer stock. Love it. The one I"m buying Sat is in the thumbhole stock wood.

[wash]

One in wood is the one I got today.