Single stack Mag rifles - converted?

[jrtoth]

I went to a gun show in Atlanta, GA and saw an AK for an ok price. I asked him about why it was cheaper. The dealer informed me that it was a rifle that used to take single stack mags but was converted to take normal AK mags.

Will this conversion put me in peril if the rifle has all foreign parts? Would it now need US parts to bring it under the 10 foreign part count because it was modified?

What was done to the rifle to let it take the Big mags? Something milled out (that could hurt or weaken the long term function) or just a minor part removed that was added in to restrict the mag type?

Thanks for all your help.

[preokc]

technically i beleive that it must have the proper parts count before it could be legally converted. the mag well was milled out to take hi caps. there was a company importing the single stack guns then putting there own us parts on them and then milling them so if its one of those then it's already legal.

[m03]

The dealer informed me that it was a rifle that used to take single stack mags but was converted to take normal AK mags.

This is common practice for several companies. They import them as single stack guns to comply with import laws, then mill the mag wells out and install enough U.S. parts to be legit. All of the double-stack magwell versions of the WASR and ROMAK-series AKM rifles from Century Arms are done this way, and Arsenal Inc. will be doing this with their future series of stamped AK74 and AKM rifles.

[JA]

Check this ruling on the import of semi auto rifles.
http://www.atf.gov/firearms/assault/treasrelease.htm
Century International Arms and Dominion Investmet Group are the only importers to import AK rifles after the above ruling.
CIA imported the WASR,WASR-10,SAR-1,SAR-2,SAR-3 models of AK rifles from Romania from 1998-present day. They also imported the Maadi MISR-S/A model from Egypt in 1999.
Dominion Investment Group imported the 991 and 992 models from Romania in 1999.
CIA added 5 US made parts to all the models of Romanian rifles they converted to use high capasity magazines. They were the trigger,sear,hammer,pistol grip,and gas piston. The opening for the mag was milled out wider to allow the use of hi cap mags. Below is a picture of the magazine well of a CIA 2004 import WASR-10 that they converted to use hi cap mags. Notice the spacer spot welded to the inside of the receiver that the red arrow is pointing to. A spacer is spot welded inside each side of the receiver to keep the 10rd mag centered in the mag well. The spacers served the same perpose as the dimples in the side of the receiver of AK rifles that use hi cap mags. The spacers were milled along with the mag well opening in the reciever to allow the use of the wider hi cap mags. This in no way effects the strength or longevity of the rifle as the mag well opening was just cut to the original specs.
The little shiny specks you see all over the inside of the receiver is not my crappy camera but metal chips left over from when the mag well opening was milled wider for the hi cap mags. So if you buy one of these rifles make sure to clean them all out before using the rifle.
http://www.gunsnet.net/album/uploads//966/Magwell_WASR-10.jpg

[jrtoth]

Thanks for the nice info.

PS that link for the ATF ruling...
It looks to me that the policy is (now) based on a law that does not exist. *sigh*

[Valkyrie0002]

You must still meet the US compliance parts count. That is a seperate law, has nothing to do with the AWB.

When Century converts single stack rifles to double stack they add the US parts for compliance.

Be careful if you buy a used WASR, check that it has the correct US parts count. It may not be factory conversion.