With the latest arms embargo on Russian manufacturers, Kalashnikov Concern lost out on a big chunk of potential sales. Eager to service that demand, a spin-off company is establishing a manufacturing plant in the United States to continue to design and build Kalashnikov Concern firearms for the U.S. market. I had a chance to talk with their lead designer, and he’s excited to start bringing some new Saiga rifle designs to the market, especially now that they’d be exempt from that pesky 922(r) compliance issue . . .
The one rifle I have seen from Kalashnikov Concern in Russia but not in the United States is the 9mm PDW. I put my hands on it at IWA last year, but apparently there are currently no plans to bring that sweet little package across the pond.
The current schedule has the very first rifles being churned out in Q2 of 2015, but those schedules have a tendency to slip. Stay tuned.