flintoid sez:To the untrained eye of course it looks just like any old "AK," but this is a real world sample of what essentially was the first fielded prototype of a tool that changed the landscape of the world. The type 1 AK was rare in its production numbers and was a proof of concept for the AKM, which was produced after all of the SKS tooling wore out which made type 2 and type 3 AKs. The type 1 was a mixture of forged trunnions and stamped sheet metal, riveted together- the same as the massively produced AKM. But design worries of ill informed field commanders used to robust beating sticks (mosin nagants) pushed for an overly conservative and expensive design (type 2 and 3) which were eventually dumped in 1963 with the AKM, or "modernized AK" which is the same basic sheet metal + riveted trunnion design but the trunnions are smaller and less complicated. Many of those parts went from forged and machined parts to cast parts- like the gas return block, front sight block, and rear trunnion as time moved on. These parts took less mechanical load and allowed for manufacturing corners to be cut in the name of cost. The evolution of the AKM continued through the 60's and into the 70's , ending in the mid 70's in Russia.
The fact that this rifle is already a unicorn in the world and somehow ended up here (before importation bans and whatnot) makes it extremely desirable. Especially if it is all matching. And in good condition.