Norinco NHM 91
Semi-automatic infantry small arm
The NHM-91 is a semi-automatic civilian development of the Russian Kalashnikov AKM and RPK infantry small arm built by Norinco of China and marketed in the U.S. by China Sports Inc. of Ontario, California (CSI Ont, CA).
Background
A civilian semi-auto variant of the Chinese Type 56 assault rifle, the NHM-91 was built to imitate the appearance of the Russian RPK light machine gun. First imported and marketed in the United States in 1991 by ChinaSports Inc., NHM-91's were modified to meet the requirements of a 1989 Executive Order by President George H. W. Bush prohibiting importation of certain 'assault rifle' configurations of military-style semi-automatic rifles such as the Norinco AKM/AK-47. These modifications included a one-piece U.S.-made thumbhole stock to replace the separate Chinese-made buttstock and pistol grip of the original AKM/RPK rifle and the inclusion of a rivet on the receiver preventing use of standard AK-47, RPK, or AKM magazines. All Chinese rifles were banned under the 1994 Clinton administration or AWB Ban and no Chinese AK variants were allowed to be imported.
Features
Based on the Russian RPK light machine gun, the NHM features a stronger receiver and a shorter, thicker-profile chrome-lined barrel measuring 20 inches (508mm) compared to the 590 mm (23.2 in) of the original RPK, along with a forward-mounted steel bipod. The NHM-91 was equipped from the factory with two 30-round magazines and a 75-round Chinese drum magazine.
Like the RPK, the NHM-91 utilizes a heavier-gauge stamped sheet metal receiver built from 1.5mm-thick stamped sheet metal instead of the 1mm thickness typical of a Soviet or European AKM. Other Chinese-made AKM rifles such as the MAK 90 and NHM 90 have thicker receivers as well, resulting in increased rigidity, heavier weight, and improved overall accuracy. The MAK 90 rifles may have either a straight cut stamped receiver or a slant cut stamped receiver.
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This entry incorporates text from “Norinco NHM 91” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.