Bakelite AK47 mags $40!?!?

[biggie24420]

Hey folks.... just thought you might be interested in some good quality, hard to find AK47 mags.

I was on AIMsurplus.com and noticed they had some good deals going on with AK 30 round mags and thought I'd pass it on.

I just ordered two Bakelite AK47 Russian mags. They have steel Russian military surplus mags too.

AK type Rifle Magazines

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[trainsktg]

I ordered one of each last week . Its AIM, so I expect no bad surprises.

Keith

 

[206thsense]

I like AIM. Never had any problems ordering stuff from them.

 

[ZA_Survivalist]

Other than the removable wire limiter (import reasons?), and (from what i hear) a stiffer spring.. They should be all good.
No real reviews yet. Mine should be here by later today.

 

[oneharmonic]

They've been that price for a while. $40 for the standard colors and and $50 for the plum.

I'll stick with Bulgarian or Chinese steel mags for now, since mags don't have a collectible value for me.

 

[mancat]

Bought a couple Izhmash bakelites a year or so for $20/ea just for the collector factor - the bakelite 7.62x39 mags were never hugely common. Don't think I would spend $40, but they're nice mags to have a couple of.

 

[ZA_Survivalist]

Received mine yesterday evening. Absolutely incredible condition and quality.
Looks like its never been inserted into a rifle either. It WILL come with a 10rnd wire limiter that takes all of 2 mins to remove (with one hand and a beer in the other)
The spring retaining plate will have a little extra vertical shim that has a hole, this hole hold the bottom portion of the wire limiter. And can either be ground down, snipped off or just left alone. I felt no impedement of function by leaving it there and loading it to 30 rounds.
Front steel lug as well as a steel magazine latch. Spring is in brand new condition and was pretty stiff.

The russian steel ones are effin kalashnitastic! Id say in brand new condition.
Still have wire limiters (so you can remove those if need be)
BUT these are great for the unconverted saiga crowd!
Being a foreign mag but still limited to 10 rounds doesnt violate 922r!
And if shtf that wire limiter can be yanked out.

Still trying to get a full story one these wire limited mags.
New import laws?
Russias extreme over abundance and theyre trying to get rid of some of the cold war era stock pile wharehouse inventory?

Just a good deal?
Steel bulgarian mags could be had for $8.99 per mag the. That dried up QUICK!
Get what you can before the decent deal is gone. Bniw steel mags for $17 probably wont last long, not to mention youre convered if ever a 10 round limit ever happens just hold onto those wire limiters.

 

[biggie24420]

I got mine yesterday.... they are really sweet. They both have the TULA star on them. One is a number 88 and the other is 12. 88 is more of a brown and the 12 is orangeish.

 

[peetar]

Yeah I bought 2 of these as well.
Sweet deal!

 

[206thsense]

^^Nice pics. Dammit, now I wanna buy some...

 

[JVK]

Little rich for my taste, not that i wouldn't like to give em a try. I've been super happy with the black & clear 40rd Bulgarians i've been using lately though.

 

[biggie24420]

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[trainsktg]

I have read that cleaning bakelite mags with petroleum-based oil is not good over the long run and something like olive oil is better. I tried it and mine seemed to soak it up.

Keith

 

[206thsense]

AIM Surplus is stocking more Bakelite AK47 mags for $30. S&H is a little pricey, but that just means you gotta order more mags to spread it around... haha.

http://www.aimsurplus.com/product.aspx?item=MAK47I30

 

[ZA_Survivalist]

Purchased two more.
AS must be behind a little, no shipping notification yet.

 

[Rix]

13 bucks to ship ONE mag.
lol

 

[ZA_Survivalist]

13 bucks to ship ONE mag.
lol

Still cheaper than buying 1 for $40-70 and yet still have to pay shipping.

For the condition these things going for $30 is a steal. I usually lump things into the order to justify shipping prices. Its all a % game.

 

[206thsense]

Tim of Military Arms Channel (MAC) posted a pic of his mags from a recent order:

http://instagram.com/p/ntwS_5TRKi/

They must have got a lot of orders because I just got my shipping notification e-mail 2 days ago. I'll post a pic when they arrive.

 

[mancat]

Bought a couple Izhmash bakelites a year or so for $20/ea just for the collector factor - the bakelite 7.62x39 mags were never hugely common. Don't think I would spend $40, but they're nice mags to have a couple of.

There are still a bubblegum ton of these mags manufactured, which leads me to believe there is still a huge stockpile somewhere out there waiting to be exported to the US - if we don't bubblegum up Russian relations completely first.

Soviet army was still issuing AKMs alongside AK-74s, especially to be used with the PBS suppressor, and these mags were being manufactured simultaneously alongside 5.45 bakelites.

I have a couple, but IMO they're only really worth the collector value. The bakelite material is somewhat brittle, and the mags are nearly as heavy as steel mags, if not more so.

 

[ZA_Survivalist]

There are still a bubblegum ton of these mags manufactured, which leads me to believe there is still a huge stockpile somewhere out there waiting to be exported to the US - if we don't bubblegum up Russian relations completely first.

Soviet army was still issuing AKMs alongside AK-74s, especially to be used with the PBS suppressor, and these mags were being manufactured simultaneously alongside 5.45 bakelites.

I have a couple, but IMO they're only really worth the collector value. The bakelite material is somewhat brittle, and the mags are nearly as heavy as steel mags, if not more so.

You hit the nail on the head with our primary problems being:
Russian relations, waiting exportation and not to mention

Artificial rarity and demand manufactured by our own firearms and accessories importers and distributors. So the day of cargo ships full of bakelite mags will never happen. $30 is as cheap as its gunna get.

Why sell the mags and parts for just double or triple what they're worth when you can sell them for four or five times what they're worth?! The day of inexpensive AK mags is long over, however waves of mags come in and prices do drop back down..
I.e classic firearms, CTD and Aim surplus seem to carry $10-$15 surplus steel mags.. however The two AK mag types that hold the highest value to shooters and collectors are: Bulgarian circle 10's and Bakelite.. and yeah yeah other shooters and collectors go after steel surplus mags from various countries (like myself) and yes some makes/models hold a higher value than others but lets face it.. when folks get sick of their steel mags they often go after something "lighter" or different..

i.e. polymer mags and polymer mags with steel reinforcements the two mentioned mag types are the most sought after in that category. Bakelite mags, no matter how common elsewhere are no where near as common (here in the US) as surplus steel so they'll always retain a collectors value.

IMO, Ive yet to have a bakelite mag break.. The weight isn't all that close to a steel mag and the last observation: less steel= less rust.
For an avid all weather shooter, polymer mags are the bees knees and less I have to worry about in wet weather.. & yet the mag is reinforced in the key areas
(aside from the feed lips) that it should be.