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Bulldog · January 28, 2001, 09:23 AM

There's a few versions of the new (non-Steyer) Maadis. The MISR-90 is will accept standard AK mags while the MISR-10 only takes the 10-rounders.

Early MISR-90s generally came with the thumbhole stocks and Chinese Parts (MISR-Maks). Use of all mags is legal. Converting these to pistol-grip guns can be done by adding the appropriate amount of US-made parts, but some of these 90s have awkward cuts at the rear of the receiver which would make it difficult to fit a conventional stock.

Later versions of the 90 have US-made hammers, triggers, and disconnectors. In order to use full capacity mags with these, you'd need to add US-made floor-plates and followers to the mags for a total US parts count of 5. The finish on these guns apparently comes from the paint section of your local True-Value hardware store.

MISR-10s have a slightly different receiver and a narrower mag-well. If I understand correctly, they contain all imported parts. Some folks have converted these into full-capicity guns by opening up the mag well with a dremel and replacing 5 imported parts with 5 US-made parts. The legality of doing so, however, remains questionable. Romanian versions of this 10-round gun are also on the market today.

Another option (and my recommendation) would be to go with one of the 3 Romanian SAR versions that are out on the market now. Fit & finish is better compared to the Maadi series, and each contains a US-made trigger, hammer, disconnector, gas piston, and pistol grip, so there is no need to add US-made floor-plates and followers to your mags.
The SAR-1 is 7.62x39, the SAR-2 is 5.45x39, and the SAR-3 is 5.56x45 (.223). If this was going to be your only AK, the availability of ammo and mags prompts me to recommend the 7.62x39 SAR-1.

The SAR-2 (5.45x39), however, is one fun little gun. Ammo is harder to come by, but I'm finding it more and more at the gun shows. I ordered all of my 5.45 ammo from Ammoman. 30-round mags are among the cheapest (price-wise) out there - as low as $4.99 each at CDNN compared to $12 and up for 7.62x39 mags.

Yet another version of the Romanian AK is the Romak line-up. I'm not going to pretend to know anything about these, but from what I've read, Romaks tend to have better fit & finish compared to the SAR series, but you'd be stuck with a thumbhole stock. Prices on these are higher, as they are suppossedly banned from importation. Just checked out AK-47.net and they seem to be much higher than when I last checked.

Here's a pic of my SAR-1 with Bulgarian Polymer furniture:
http://www.geocities.com/shootinbull.../sar1right.jpg

And here's my SAR-2:
http://www.geocities.com/shootinbull.../sar2right.jpg

A good place to go for SARs is AIM Surplus.

January 28, 2001, 09:23 AM	#8
Bulldog Senior Member Join Date: February 22, 1999 Location: Texas Posts: 564	There's a few versions of the new (non-Steyer) Maadis. The MISR-90 is will accept standard AK mags while the MISR-10 only takes the 10-rounders. Early MISR-90s generally came with the thumbhole stocks and Chinese Parts (MISR-Maks). Use of all mags is legal. Converting these to pistol-grip guns can be done by adding the appropriate amount of US-made parts, but some of these 90s have awkward cuts at the rear of the receiver which would make it difficult to fit a conventional stock. Later versions of the 90 have US-made hammers, triggers, and disconnectors. In order to use full capacity mags with these, you'd need to add US-made floor-plates and followers to the mags for a total US parts count of 5. The finish on these guns apparently comes from the paint section of your local True-Value hardware store. MISR-10s have a slightly different receiver and a narrower mag-well. If I understand correctly, they contain all imported parts. Some folks have converted these into full-capicity guns by opening up the mag well with a dremel and replacing 5 imported parts with 5 US-made parts. The legality of doing so, however, remains questionable. Romanian versions of this 10-round gun are also on the market today. Another option (and my recommendation) would be to go with one of the 3 Romanian SAR versions that are out on the market now. Fit & finish is better compared to the Maadi series, and each contains a US-made trigger, hammer, disconnector, gas piston, and pistol grip, so there is no need to add US-made floor-plates and followers to your mags. The SAR-1 is 7.62x39, the SAR-2 is 5.45x39, and the SAR-3 is 5.56x45 (.223). If this was going to be your only AK, the availability of ammo and mags prompts me to recommend the 7.62x39 SAR-1. The SAR-2 (5.45x39), however, is one fun little gun. Ammo is harder to come by, but I'm finding it more and more at the gun shows. I ordered all of my 5.45 ammo from Ammoman. 30-round mags are among the cheapest (price-wise) out there - as low as $4.99 each at CDNN compared to $12 and up for 7.62x39 mags. Yet another version of the Romanian AK is the Romak line-up. I'm not going to pretend to know anything about these, but from what I've read, Romaks tend to have better fit & finish compared to the SAR series, but you'd be stuck with a thumbhole stock. Prices on these are higher, as they are suppossedly banned from importation. Just checked out AK-47.net and they seem to be much higher than when I last checked. Here's a pic of my SAR-1 with Bulgarian Polymer furniture: http://www.geocities.com/shootinbull.../sar1right.jpg And here's my SAR-2: http://www.geocities.com/shootinbull.../sar2right.jpg A good place to go for SARs is AIM Surplus.