View Thread: Important announcement


K-VAR
A note to AK enthusiasts:

The passing away of the assault weapons ban has increased the number of legal configurations for these weapons. It seems as if the sky is the limit for the variations that are now possible to produce. We have noticed, for instance, that folding stocks have become popular items in the last few weeks, as well as components to manufacture AK pistols.

However we would like to caution anyone interested in manufacturing a pistol on several issues. First of all the receiver must start out as a pistol. It has never been legal to convert a rifle to a pistol. In the past there have been successful AK pistols in 7.62 and .223 calibers.

It is in the issue of caliber that a hidden danger lies. As of today no pistol has been available in 5.45mm, the cartridge of the AK-74 rifle. It has come to our attention that once a pistol is made available in 5.45mm, this cartridge will be considered a pistol cartridge. Since most, if not all, of this ammunition is imported and contains a steel core.

The BATFE has already indicated that if this happens the ammunition will be considered an illegal armor-piercing pistol cartridge. This will have the same effect that producing an AR-15 pistol in 7.62x39 had on the firearms industry a few years ago. The imported supply of inexpensive high-quality ammunition was cut off. Currently no major ammo manufacturer is producing 5.45 and this caliber would be very expensive to make here.

So we would like to encourage anyone who wishes to build an AK pistol to use calibers 7.62x39 and .223, or any established pistol calibers. We do not need to create another crisis by shooting ourselves in the foot and giving ground back to those who would like to see our good luck reversed.

Thank You.
K-Var

recon-1
Well said!

chargedmr2
"Since most, if not all, of this ammunition is imported and contains a steel core."

Since when is this the case? *Almost* no 5.45 has been imported with a steel core and the attempts by the few who are trying have not been successful yet. The only threat here is that "potential" steel core ammo will not be legal to import in the FUTURE--and thats IF anyone is able to do so anyway. This begs the question: Why has no one been successful with bringing military grade 5.45 into the US in any significant quantity??

Also, what about the exemption for .22 caliber ammo from the definition of armor piercing ammo? Is 5.45 exempt from the definition because it is .221 caliber or not? Many people have brought this up but no one has provided a yes/no answer.

Toten Kopf
I don't know where your getting steel core 5.45x39 ammo, everything I get is lead core with a thin (very thin) steel/copper washed jacket.

Just because a magnet picks up a bullet doesn't mean it has a steel core.

308@noon
Christ oh mighty. The current supply of 5.45 is the commercial hunting loads and they do not contain the steel knocker, its not importable as military spec.

It that was the case then .223 and 7,62 x 39 would be banned as lead core, yeah right.