1964 Izhevsk (8/10):

We got that super nice batch of minty ВК series 64s a while back. As far as I know there were only 5 of those, and although they were torch cut, they had no burns or dings in the wood, just some very light scratches. I've only seen 2 more come up for sale recently, and they weren't as nice as the ВКs.

1964 Tula (10/10):

None observed in NOS condition.

1965 Izhevsk (5/10):

Last year when I was looking for these, they were pretty though to find in good shape, but since then there have been several small batches of them. Most of these have been the demilled plasma cut type.

1965 Tula (10/10):

None observed in NOS condition. I will be copying and pasting this line a lot for Tula.

1966 Izhevsk (6/10):

Five of these came up in a batch in January 2024, all early year МЭ prefix rifles. @Jrice and I got the nicest ones. Since then there have been a couple more very small batches surface in 100% condition.

1966 Tula (10/10):

None observed in NOS condition.

1967 Izhevsk (9.9/10):

Only a single example has been observed in 100% NOS condition, ИУ872, which appeared in a small batch in May 2025. Owned by me.

1967 Tula (8/10):

There were only a small handful of these in the earlier Sauer batches. Only 4 confirmed to be 100% OG, all ЛН prefix rifles. All of them torch cut with heavily burned stocks. With a small miracle I was finally able to pick one up after years of looking.

1968 Izhevsk (3/10):

These are easy street to find in original condition, probably the most available kit out there due to the Rguns imports.

1968 Tula (8/10):

I don't know of any of these from the recent imports. There were some in the RGuns imports about 10 years ago.

 

1969 Izhevsk (3/10):

These are not hard to find at all, with all those RGuns imports and the more recent ones as well, they are pretty abundant.

1969 Tula (5/10):

Definitely not too difficult to find, more scarce than 69 Izzy though.

1970 Izhevsk (7/10):

Only saw a handful of these, not very common at all.

1970 Tula (7/10):

Similar to its Izhevsk counterpart, not a whole lot of them.

1971 Izhevsk (3/10):

One of the more plentiful years out there for Izhevsk.

1971 Tula (9.9/10):

A single example was sold by IvanDrago in 2025, no others known in 100% OG condition. @DK18 has a ГВ prefix example with all original parts and wood, but the paint was sadly stripped off of the metal parts.

1972 Izhevsk (4/10):

These were pretty common in the earlier Sauer release, but have dried up more recently.

1972 Tula (6/10):

One of the more common years of Tula, still can be difficult to find, I haven't seen any in quite a while.

1973 Izhevsk (7/10):

Not very many of these at all, only seen a handful of them.

1973 Tula (7/10):

Same as above. Glad I have one.

 

1969 Izhevsk (2/10):
View attachment 376739
These are not hard to find at all, with all those RGuns imports and the more recent ones as well, they are pretty abundant.

1969 Tula (4/10):
View attachment 376740
Definitely not too difficult to find, more scarce than 69 Izzy though.

1970 Izhevsk (7/10):
View attachment 376741
Only saw a handful of these, not very common at all.

1970 Tula (7/10):
View attachment 376742
Similar to its Izhevsk counterpart, not a whole lot of them.

1971 Izhevsk (3/10):
View attachment 376743
One of the more plentiful years out there for Izhevsk.

1971 Tula (10/10):
View attachment 376744
Impossible, none known to exist.

1972 Izhevsk (4/10):
View attachment 376745
These were pretty common in the earlier Sauer release, but have dried up more recently.

1972 Tula (6/10):
View attachment 376746
One of the more common years of Tula, still can be difficult to find, I haven't seen any in quite a while.

1973 Izhevsk (7/10):
View attachment 376747
Not very many of these at all, only seen a handful of them.

1973 Tula (7/10):
View attachment 376748
Same as above. Glad I have one.

I actually own a 1965 tula

 

1974 Izhevsk (3/10):

Not hard to find at all in the earlier Sauer release, have dried up recently.

1974 Tula (5/10):

Probably the nicest Tula kits available to buy, not uncommon either the last couple years.

1975 Izhevsk (3/10):

Similar to 1974, dried up more recently.

1975 Tula (10/10):

None observed in NOS condition. Pretty tough to find in refurbished condition as well.

1976 Izhevsk (10/10):

Impossible, forget about it.

1976 Tula (8/10):

Only a small handful in the more recent import batch, similar to 1967 Tula, very scarce.

1977 Izhevsk (8/10):

These were apparently fairly common in NOS original condition in the earlier PLO imports, with at least a couple dozen out there. These have been dried up for a long time.

1977 Tula (10/10):

Even more impossible.

All credit to this site for the trunnion pics: http://www.ak-info.ru/joomla/index.php/uses/12-spravka/94-akmarkings

 

Nice post. Now I want more. Lol
IMO, there were more NOS RGUNS 68 Tula’s out there before I bought mine. The members had posted quite a few beautiful 68 & 69 Tula’s from RGUNS. At the time, those kits became my quest. I remember a few mint 68’s that I was out bid on GB but eventually got a great kit after all.

 

Yeah, yours was a pretty damn smoking NOS '68 Tula from what I saw of it. I don't think we got anymore in the more recent batches.

 

Interesting. Seems I have a 10/10 kit. I will post some pics of my 1966 Tula when I am able.

 

Yeah, let's see it. All original parts and OG wood? That will be the first one I know of.

 

Re: the 2021/2022 imports (there were no other importers, this was it, all from the same guy who just wholesaled to a bunch of other retailers)

1961 Izzy:

A few. Posted pics of a mint all matching plasma one back in 2021.

1961 Tula:

One or two plasma kits, mostly matching, but refurbed.

1976 Tula:

Quite a few, had three myself at one point, all NOS unissued. One I posted all built up.

1976 Izzy:

Only one kit observed, in heavy refurbed condition.

1977 Izzy/Tula:

None observed



Now if we're talking kits in general prior to 2021 imports, theres quite a variety of stuff.

1977 Izzy AKM & AKMS PLO kits:

Dozens and dozens. used to be one of the more common PLO kits until people realized how special they were and hoarded them. Have had three myself over the years. All have (mostly) been in NOS minty all matching condition.

1976 Izzy PLO:

A few known examples of the years. One posted here in detail back in 2011 or so. All matching.

1976/77 Tula PLO;

Rare, but not ultra rare. These kits were mostly in very used condition, partially matching.

And then the whole array of PLO/Euro Deacts from years 60-75.

 

Re: the 2021/2022 imports (there were no other importers, this was it, all from the same guy who just wholesaled to a bunch of other retailers)

1961 Izzy:

A few. Posted pics of a mint all matching plasma one back in 2021.

1961 Tula:

One or two plasma kits, mostly matching, but refurbed.

1976 Tula:

Quite a few, had three myself at one point, all NOS unissued. One I posted all built up.

1976 Izzy:

Only one kit observed, in heavy refurbed condition.

1977 Izzy/Tula:

None observed



Now if we're talking kits in general prior to 2021 imports, theres quite a variety of stuff.

1977 Izzy AKM & AKMS PLO kits:

Dozens and dozens. used to be one of the more common PLO kits until people realized how special they were and hoarded them. Have had three myself over the years. All have (mostly) been in NOS minty all matching condition.

1976 Izzy PLO:

A few known examples of the years. One posted here in detail back in 2011 or so. All matching.

1976/77 Tula PLO;

Rare, but not ultra rare. These kits were mostly in very used condition, partially matching.

And then the whole array of PLO/Euro Deacts from years 60-75.

Great information on the older PLOs. I did see that 61 Izzy you had posted, but the lower hg was not original on it. Keep in mind that I was referring to completely original NOS examples only in this thread. Pretend all those referbs don’t exist for this discussion. Three original PLO 77s is awesome though!

I will edit my post to reflect those NOS 76s & 77s.

 

One of my old 1977 Izzy kits

 

Its been a while since I’ve looked at this kit. Seems like mine doesn’t quite count as my bolt is unnumbered. Sorry for getting everyone’s hopes up. Here are the pics.

 

Its been a while since I’ve looked at this kit. Seems like mine doesn’t quite count as my bolt is unnumbered. Sorry for getting everyone’s hopes up. Here are the pics.

Yeah, the lacquer is almost completely worn off of that one, doesn't qualify as NOS for sure. I'd still say you have a 10/10 kit there, good luck finding another 66 Tula like that! Also, nice transitional wrench flat slant brake on there.

 

Now that’s a cool kit! Personally the BFPU kits do a whole lot more for me than any of the NOS stuff. Cooler to have seen action than sat out the Cold War in a crate somewhere.

 

I am going out on a limb by saying, i dont even think we have seen the best yet. Just getting started on the good ones. Whoever robbed the museum and is cutting these things up is sure doing a good job.

Nobody else finds it odd that plasma cut guns are showing back up with older style cut full receivers that the BATF will no longer allow?

Someone is sitting on hoard of these releasing them slowly to artificially inflate the market.

Flame me if you want it's a conspiracy.

These kits are too good have no preservative, smells fishy to me.

B

 

I'll say it again. All these kits came from the same source in Europe. These guns were seized by the Italians in the 90's, enroute to the Balkans and kept in storage. In 2020, they were released for sale to the European market. Many remained in tact for the Swiss and other markets there, and then we got some of the kits. There is no conspiracy.

 

Now you're part of the conspiracy. I am not that easily fooled. Anyways I'm joking. I have been told the same story, and a few others. But this is the part that confuses me. Why such different styles of demilling if these are all coming from the same source?

You got plasma cut, then you got saw cut, then you got plasma and saw cut diagonal with missing receiver sections... are these being bought buy different importers each getting authorization for different type of demil?

Where do the Rguns kits fit in because they have some pretty good condition kits as well?

I was told somewhere along the lines of 25,000 remaining by more than one person but I don't believe everything I hear.

I am still looking for a nice 73-75, will I get that chance?

B

 

I'm with you Slurms. Never understood the preferred desire to have NOS minty looking AK's that sat in a box their whole life. I end up selling most my NOS minty builds because I don't shoot them.

Love my 77 BFPU and 73 BFPU Izzy's. Talk about history and heavy use:

 

[QUOTE="


Again, those are some damn fine rifles. That patina is to me just beautiful. Don’t get me wrong, I do like the mint NOS stuff too. These recent kits have been invaluable for establishing transition timeline changes and so forth. One of my grails would be one of those 1976 Izzy AKM’s, but you better believe I’d rather have one with a little character as opposed to an NOS example, really as long as it had the D cut rear trunnion I’d be happy with it!

 

I said what I said, lol. Nothing changes. I tried!

 

Those rifles were 600 Euros RETAIL in Europe in 2020. The dealer that had the live guns told me that I could have a crate of 10 for 5K, with all the bayonets, magazines, pouches, etc. Sadly, at the time, the postal system was all fucked up because of Covid, so Europe stopped allowing parcels for individuals.

 

cleveland reefer over on the ak files had a 1959 izzy listed on GB for awhile. there is a few in the us for sure

 

Yeah, there are plenty of 1959s, but was it completely original NOS matching with OG finish on the wood? For some reason people don't read the thread before posting...

 

You guys better read the thread or else the NOS police will get you.

 

A lot of people don't even know what original even is, this handguard certainly is not:

https://www.theakforum.net/threads/1961-izzy-akm.326195/

 

An original 1961 lower handguard would have looked like this in case anyone was wondering:

 

This thread is taking a strange turn. I have seen a bunch of folks, myself included, take time out to detail and either show/list kits that thought would be of interest to the topic of this thread. To be getting irritated and upset in ones replies is not the answer. Take the info then sift through the minutia to better ascertain the answers you are looking for.

Thank you for correcting me on the 1961 kit that has the incorrect refurbed LHG. I have not had that kit in over 2 years now, and have handled more kits than I can even begin to imagine over 12+ years. I was simply trying to add to the topic requested regarding NOS kits. Forgive the lapse in memory

 

This thread is taking a strange turn. I have seen a bunch of folks, myself included, take time out to detail and either show/list kits that thought would be of interest to the topic of this thread. To be getting irritated and upset in ones replies is not the answer. Take the info then sift through the minutia to better ascertain the answers you are looking for.

Thank you for correcting me on the 1961 kit that has the incorrect refurbed LHG. I have not had that kit in over 2 years now, and have handled more kits than I can even begin to imagine over 12+ years. I was simply trying to add to the topic requested regarding NOS kits. Forgive the lapse in memory

Forgive me for being a bit irritated, but extraordinary claims demand extraordinary evidence. Showing up and claiming a completely original 1959 exists in the US market with no evidence, well, I'm skeptical to say the least. At least post a picture or something if you're gonna do that. For now, I will assume what @LongDongSilvers was referring to was like many other 59s we have seen, maybe with the original metal parts at best, but probably not the wood. It would be nice to see it though.

 

Guys when it comes down to it, none of these kits are NOS. They’re cut up pieces of metal and wood. They lost their NOS status when they got torched

 

Harsh reality, but true. Unless you are handed a NOS factory rifle from the crate without a cut receiver or barrel, kits are just boxes of parts.

 

That of course doesn’t mean they can’t be enjoyed and they’re not cool. I love my kit builds

 

Sorry this is a bit off topic

Vlado from your pictures you seem to know someone in who had direct access to one of the 30k rifles that were siezed by the Italians. Great pictures btw they all look almost unissued. My question is how many of these rifles were set aside for the western market, was an inventory list ever accessible from the original exporter? How many are left? Excuse all my questions but I have heard multiple story from people just trying to get the facts straight.

I know nobody wants to reveal their sources and it's standard business practice to not divulge certain things. True it may effect market value but if anyone has more nformation above please reiterate... or PM me.

 

Would love to see this thread done for russian 74s.

 

For OG examples that are in the wild in the USA? It wouldn't be a very long list. 83, 87, 88, 89 Izhmash, plus maybe a couple more years in very small numbers. I don't actively look for 74s, this is just what I've seen passively so there are probably a couple more. Most of these are in elite collections by now and not available to the average new collector.

 

The European exporter is Limex in Austria.
They have had contracts to dispose of surplus rifles from Austria, Italy and Slovenia.

I have been there about 6 times to photograph for my book series.

The AKM rifles were all repacked in Belarus during and just after the Soviet Union. Most were refurbished. Some, they were refurbished, but the lower handguards had serial numbers stamped...Further mudding the waters.

Also, one of the main Russian authors that came up with the P= 1959 told me in December that he made a mistake, and P = 1960. That's why when I put my latest book together, the "P" marked AKM, I labeled as 1960.

 

So Pavel’s updated information is off by a year? What new information did he share?