Century International Arms takes the WASR-10 imports from Romania, reams out the magazine hole to accomodate a double-stack 30 round standard magazine, and then replaces enough parts in the WASR-10 to make it 922r compliant. The WASR-10 is based on a CUGIR Romanian model, but is modified to be "922r compliant" and distributed in the USA by Century Interational Arms.) On April 6,1998 a ruling by the Treasury Secretary banned the import of semi-automatic rifles that use a magazine holding more then ten rounds. (I would venture to opine that the most common model NOW (2009) for sale in the USA is the WASR-10, modified for 30-round magazines. They often were sold with three 5-round magazines, an oil bottle, a cleaning kit and a sling. The retail price for a new MAK-90s was often less than $200. A very few were made to shoot 5.45 x 39 ammo. According to "JA," of, more MAK-90 rifles were imported from China than any other model of semi automatic AK type rifle from any other country. Around a million MAK-90s were exported to the USA in the early 90s. (The earlier AKs were banned because of their "evil" features: pistol grips, folding stocks, threaded muzzles and bayonets.) The new model was basically an AK with a wood thumb-hole stock and no bayonet lug (although you do sometimes see MAK-90 receivers with under-folder holes drilled and filled). Following the import ban in 1989, the Chinese developed an AK which met the "sporting purposes" clause. The MAK-90 is a Chinese factory built AK model exported to the USA from China from 1990 through 1994 by two Chinese export companies: Norinco and PolyTech. I have owned three of them, and share some of my photos in this web page. The letters/numbers MAK-90 stand for Modified AK-1990. Receiver metal thickness: 1.6mm (most other stamped AKs have 1mm thick receivers) Weight with empty magazine 8 lbs 4 ounces
Norinco MAK-90 Model of the Kalashnikov AK-47Ĭalibers: Usually 7.62x39mm rarely 5.56x45mm