I recently had the pleasure of attending a factory tour and product demo for Inter Ordnance (IO), located in Palm Bay, Florida. If you haven’t heard of Inter Ordnance, or IO Inc., they manufacture various models of AK-47s, AR-15s, a couple variations of 1911s and are working on more. Many of their AR/AK variations are 100% American made, with some having a combination of domestic and imported parts (mostly imported furniture) . . .
History
Inter Ordnance has been around for a while and has something of tattered past. You can dig up what you want, but I’m going to focus on the new and what I’ve seen thus far. They started out as a military surplus importer and then began importing and manufacturing their own firearms.
IO recently moved to new location in Florida after being based in North Carolina. As stated by their owners, Uli Wiegand and Ramzi Kheireddine, while they were in the Carolinas, they had personnel and quality control problems among various other issues. With their move to Florida, they are hoping for a fresh start, totally revamping their processes for quality control, tapping into the aerospace industry for highly skilled employees, and creating a call center for product support.
In their new location, the machining, building and testing of all of their products has been streamlined and is tracked using modern software. Every gun is inspected by a QC professional (who is tagged on the firearm). Then, before they leave the factory, the owners take a second look to make sure everything looks and works as it should.
So they seem to be really working to improve their products, their image, and to make sure every customer gets a great product as well as a great ownership experience. One thing I can tell is that the owners and staff are very passionate about their business and are really pushing to do the best they can and provide the best experience they can.
Factory & Quality Control
Inter Ordnance’s factory is a large space, with a lot of storage. Their machine shop is smaller, but contains everything they need to push out up to 5,000 AK rifles a month when running at maximum capacity using all of the standard CNC machines and modern machining processes.
As I stated earlier, IO had quality control issues, but they’ve taken a lot of steps to try to correct any possible quality issues. They use custom jigs, specialized tools, and processes that tie a person to the product so they know who built, checked and approved or scrapped each firearm, holding everyone accountable to make sure that no bad products make it out the door.
Even after every gun has been moved through the QA processes, the owners personally inspect the guns to make sure that everything is in order. I don’t know if a personal inspection is something that will last long term, but they are doing it now, as well as overseeing each step of the process to make sure everything goes and continues to go smoothly.
Warranty
Inter Ordnance offers a 100% lifetime warranty on their products. The warranty extends for the life of the product, not just for the first owner. This is a great warranty, and the people at IO really stand by it. If there is ever anything wrong, you can call, or send your weapon in, and they will make sure everything gets fixed and is in working order.
Bottom Line
The bottom line is that I was really impressed with the quality, care and pride everyone that works for Inter Ordnance shows. If you are in the market for an AK, definitely check them out. And I’m excited to hopefully get a couple guns for a more thorough T&E. But from what I saw and got to shoot, I was impressed.
“As I stated earlier, IO had quality control issues, but they’ve taken a lot of steps to try to correct any possible quality issues. They use custom jigs, specialized tools, and processes that tie a person to the product soo they know who built, checked and approved or scrapped each firearm, holding everyone accountable to make sure that no bad products make it out the door.”
Someone needs to go back and read their W. Edwards Deming. Most quality problems are the result of a flawed system, not a flawed worker. Additionally, it’s not possible to inspect quality into your products.
Additionally, it’s not possible to inspect quality into your products.
Very true, although with uncomplicated products you could have a good argument over some beers. Is an AK47 uncomplicated? Also we’re assuming that the parts are good to start with.
“Additionally, it’s not possible to inspect quality into your products.”
True, not by the act of inspection itself. But good QC processes/procedures are one of, if not THE critical step to high quality production. First off, inspection itself obviously does not improve the quality of an individual product, but it is GREAT at preventing “quality escapes” that is, when a product with problems makes it out of the factory and into the hand of the consumer/end-user. Of course if you’re making a thousand widgets and 800 of them fail quality, sure its great that those 800 widgets didn’t make it out the door, but you still have a big problem. To remedy that you need to know what was wrong, so you can go back to the source and fix the problem. How do you know what was wrong? Inspections! That combined with all the other processes mentioned (tying different manufacturing steps with the operator, equipment, etc that performed them) gives you the data you need to identify and solve the problems. There are some VERY powerful tools/techniques out there to increase quality/production (Six Sigma, etc) but they all need the same thing to work effectively: data. The systems described in the article provide a lot of the necessary data for those tools to work.
I agree with the comment about the fact that you cannot inspect quality into a product. As a Corporate Manager of Quality and Regulatory Affairs I can tell you that inevitably a mistake will go undetected and get out the door as QA inspectors are not infallible. Ask NASA. They make mistakes just like everyone else does. The focus must be on design and making the process as human proof as possible.
The article also alludes to a tattered past with respect to quality and it is a good thing that they are acknowledging past sins and have made strides to correct them. However, as a prospective purchaser of one of their guns I can tell you that a wet blanket was thrown over my impression of this organization when I found out about their policy of charging customers for shipping BOTH ways for warranty work. It is bad enough to charge a customer to have to send a gun back to the factory for a mistake that they made in manufacturing, but both ways! It almost seems as if they are hanging their hat on the fact that they have put so much inspection into the gun prior to delivery that they think that most claims are really not their fault. Admittedly, I can understand their reluctance to have to pay for shipping from a high incidence of customers that make unfounded claims, but on the other hand how much does it cost to make a questionable repair? Compare that to how many sales they lose because customers (like myself) are reluctant to purchase something from a company that has diluted the effectiveness of their warranty by this unfriendly policy. Compare that to the amount of goodwill and reputation they could earn by taking care of their customer’s problems. I would think that with their storied past they would do anything and everything to dispel that reputation by becoming known as a company who will take care of their customer’s needs at all costs. I had a professor in one class tell us, “The only thing you get when you try to convince a customer that he is wrong, is a pissed of EX customer.” By charging customers for shipping it is almost as if you are telling them that there could not possibly be anything wrong with our product because we inspect them so much. I’ll follow that up by saying that those companies that actually mold their practices and policies around the trite but true cliche “The customer is always right,” are the companies who at worst remain competitive, but in most instances stand out in the crowd. When you charge a customer anything for warranty work you insult them and you come across as being the type of company who tries to cut corners.
My recommendation would be to continue to refine your process through the application of six sigma and lean management principles to get your reject rate down to levels that the amount of warranty claims becomes so minuscule that it would be in your best interest to maintaining your reputation by not charging ANYthing for shipping. That is what a world class manufacturing organization would do.
Dear Larry,
we appreciate your candid and constructive reply. I’m also glad that you fully understand what a manufacturer goes through, having said that i want to clarify that we do pay for the shipping if a brand new rifle has issues, it is rifles that have been sold a while back that the customer pays for the shipping. sometimes rifles come in for repairs that were created by operators’ abuse to the firarm, that’s of course not the case all the time.
again, thanks for your comment and I hope that you one day decide to purchase one of our rifles, i guarantee that you will be happy.
I agree with both Larry and Uli about customer service relations. Always stand behind your product 100%, and admit your screw-ups. I run a small custom class 2 operation, so I work directly with every client, and try to advise them on the advantages and disadvantages of each feature they desire in their suppressor, SBR, SBS, or AOW. If a client returns a firearm for repair, then I personally deal with it. That’s not Six Sigma or LEAN management; that’s just an indication of how small this shop is. Anyway, there is a wrong way and a diplomatic way to handle complaints. Typically, I let the customer pay the shipping to me, and I pay the return fare. If the customer was mistaken, I don’t ask for a refund on my shipping cost. If the customer was right, then I refund him his initial shipping charge. I have managed to develop a degree of customer loyalty this way. My experience with IOI is limited to what Ive read online. The impression I have is that they had QC issues in the past, but are now doing much better, so much so that I may be placing an order through one of my distributors. Currently, they appear to be suffering from that military adage “One aw shucks wipes out a thousand attaboys” (no, that’s not the real quote, but you get my drift). My impression is IOI has repaid their quota of “attaboys”, so maybe it’s time to give them another chance. If they start offering some decent eastern European SxS shotguns, they’ll certainly get my interest, and that of my clientele.
Uli,
Thank you for your reply. After a conversation I had with your manager Ron, I decided to go ahead and purchase and received my AK a couple days ago. I have not fired it yet, but everything looks good so far. I appreciate that both you and Ron took the time to carefully respond to my concerns. I am confident that should a problem occur, that it will be taken care of.
Thanks again,
Larry P.
Larry, thanks for you business. I appreciate your kind words. We at I.O.INC Interordnance are there for you, our valued customers. Please let us know how we can be of any further assistance.
Best regards,
Uli
Uli, Thanks for elaborating on the return and warranty issues. As a dealer I often put products through T&E much the same as you do in QC. I recently spoke with Kathleen at IO and look forward to testing some of the products. The article that was written was done eloquently and with Transparency much the same as we do in T&E reviews with our customers. There are so many variants of Firearms platforms that it will be interesting to see how this performs. I used the AK for many years in Private Contracting overseas and have seen how there has been changes and improvements to the clones that are available, some good and some..well. it’s nice to see Companies who make strides forward to process improvement because it shows pride in workmanship and dedication to the Company. I will send a detailed review once we get a chance to review your products.
Matt, thanks for reaching out to me. We are dedicated to our customers and products. Over the last years we refined the production process and for every manufacturing and assembly step there is a jig and checking devise.
All our forged and casted parts are machined in house and then they are properly heat treated.
All parts are entirely manufactured here in the US.
Most of our staff are veterans and former Nasa employees.
We are standing 100% behind our products. This is why we offer a lifetime warranty.
You can see an extensive test of our rifles on Classicfirearms.com.
Please let us know your opinion about our rifle, once you took it to the range.
Best regards and all the best for 2015.
Uli
I’ve got a I. O. Inc. AK-47 that blew up in my face last year during deer season and I’ve been trying to get someone to replace it ever since but I’ve not had anyone return my call I’m not seeking any kind of damages or PTSD caused by the incident I just want my gun replaced (need help not greed)
Story is an advertisement. Paid? I.O. are genuinely terrible. I WANT to like their products, but their QC rep has been awful for years. Perhaps we’ll see what their move results in.
Jeff, if you’ve had problems with IO products, you should let us know about your experience.
So is this lifetime warranty apply to recent product or all your old stuff also? I have a friend whose 7.62 pps-43C likes to go boom out of battery.
Dear Sir, the PPS 43 and the Polish AKs are not made by Inter Ordnance they are made by Pioneer Arms in Poland, IO Inc is only the importer. On the other hand all IO inc products are now fully American made, with the exception of the wood furniture and they are backed by a hassle free warranty. Please check out our new lines at
http://Www.ioinc.us thanks and have a great day.
Did you ever contact and fix this mans Rifle? Seems to me he cant get help from you, Jim Vann April 2, 2020 At 00:58
I’ve got a I. O. Inc. AK-47 that blew up in my face last year during deer season and I’ve been trying to get someone to replace it ever since but I’ve not had anyone return my call I’m not seeking any kind of damages or PTSD caused by the incident I just want my gun replaced (need help not greed)
I had one of the AK rifles. Five rounds through it and the piston separated from the carrier. I contacted IO about it in October and was told to call back in February. In February I was told to call back in April. In April I was told that the company wasn’t doing repairs or replacements anymore. The weapon sat on my table at a gun show for a couple of months with a sign stating what it was, what happened and how I was treated by IO. I later had the weapon repaired and lost about $500 selling it with a full explanation of what was done. The broken part goes on my table at every show and firearms class I do. I make sure that my students and those who stop by my table understand that IO is pure garbage and their CS is horrible. It would probably have been better for them to do the right thing than to cheat me out of $500+. I’ll keep on letting folks know the truth about the crappiest company in the industry. Heck, I would trust RG before I would IO.
Every review is a potential advertisement, otherwise why would the manufacturer agree to the inspection?
Just because the reviewer gives generally positive commentary does not mean the review is a paid advertisement any more than a bad review might mean a competitor paid him to trash the company.
Sometimes things just are or appear to be pretty darned good. If you can’t trust TTAG to give an honest review then you may be at the wrong address. Also note that RF is VERY upfront and prominently tags every paid article as a PAID for article.
This review really doesn’t say anything other than they have a poor reputation, they moved, they have a process (different?), the owners inspect every completed unit and lifetime product warranty. OK. So what?
Where’s the meat on this? How about purchasing new products from the new manufacturing location and testing those prior to visiting the company and give us the results? Not testing and evaluation models sent from the company. Because, R51… If there’s something wrong, bring it up and see how the company handles this and find out what they have to say about it.
Would the author value a similar post enough to make a buying decision? If so, I would advise, TTAG not to accept reviews from this person.
Not a single mention about a specific product or independent testing. Hoping for some T&E samples is not independent testing.
What was the purpose of this article?
The purpose of the article was to piss you off. You, personally.
Mission accomplished.
Thanks, Ralph.
Not pissed at all. I am used to TTAG articles having substance. This is let down.
Jeff, this is Uli Wiegand. I apologize that you were not happy with our products in the past. I offer you any of our products at 50% off the MSRP. If you are not happy, we will issue you a full refund. No questions asked. All I ask for is that you will give us an honest chance to show you a huge difference. This is my personal e-mail address: [email protected]. I am convinced once you handled, shot and tested our products you will see us with different eyes. We invested heavily into new tooling, CNC equipment, etc. But what makes or breaks a company is its staff. Down here in Florida we found a great workforce of former NASA employees, people who actually worked on the shuttle, and veterans who served our great nation in the Marine Corps, Army and Air Force.
last but not least we have a fantastic engineering staff. Head of this department is Ramzi, a mechanical engineer. He also my partner. His direct e-mail is [email protected]. Our tel# is: 321-499-3800. Please feel free to talk to Kathleen at ext.107 and she will be more than happy to direct your call to the appropriate department.
God Bless,
Uli Wiegand.
This comment from the owner just sold an AK. Placing order with Bud’s now.
This comment also sold you another one. Great customer service
We appreciate the kind words and your business. We at I.O. (Inter Ordnance) are always there for our customers.
I can always be reached at [email protected] or 321-499-3800.
God Bless.
Uli
Saw the IO at a gun store today looked like a decent rifle but i’m skeptical had my mind set on a wasr10. idk if i should take a chance on IO but at 50% off msrp got nothing to lose.
But what about this guy ? Why is it he was not spoken to or taken care of? Jim Vann April 2, 2020 At 00:58
I’ve got a I. O. Inc. AK-47 that blew up in my face last year during deer season and I’ve been trying to get someone to replace it ever since but I’ve not had anyone return my call I’m not seeking any kind of damages or PTSD caused by the incident I just want my gun replaced (need help not greed)
I agree Ray.sometimes I watch Guns &Ammo on the Sportsmans channel and they are always on ther with some Russian guy telling them how great IO Incs AK47s are. It ends up as just a commercial for a poorly made product. I have looked at and handled several IO Inc AKs and they are nothing but loosely made junk IMO. G&A seems to like to push IOs substandard firearms.
IO is a terrible company whose relocation has nothing to do with the fact that they are a terrible company. I feel sorry for their customers, and hope none of them suffer any loss other than financial loss.
Eric, This is Uli Wiegand, president of Inter Ordnance.
Please contact me personally at [email protected]. Did you ever owned a product of ours? Please advise. If you had any issue in the past you have my word that we will make it right. Unfortunately I was not made a ware of some issues we had back in NC. After the move and hiring good staff we found out about them.
So please let me know and I will make it right.
I offer you any of our products at 50% off the MSRP. If you are not happy, we will issue you a full refund. No questions asked. All I ask for is that you will give us an honest chance to show you a huge difference. This is my personal e-mail address: [email protected]. I am convinced once you handled, shot and tested our products you will see us with different eyes. We invested heavily into new tooling, CNC equipment, etc. But what makes or breaks a company is its staff. Down here in Florida we found a great workforce of former NASA employees, people who actually worked on the shuttle, and veterans who served our great nation in the Marine Corps, Army and Air Force.
Last but not least we have a fantastic engineering staff. Head of this department is Ramzi, a mechanical engineer. He also my partner. His direct e-mail is [email protected]. Our tel# is: 321-499-3800. Please feel free to talk to Kathleen at ext.107 and she will be more than happy to direct your call to the appropriate department.
God Bless,
Uli Wiegand
I am very impressed that the president of the company is taking the time to respond to concerns about the old QC issues with IO. This is very rare. Some of these ungrateful people haven’t even thanked him for doing so and even offering great discounts to PROVE that his company is much more in tune with QC and customer service. (TO ALL THE GREEDY PEOPLE WITH THEIR HANDS OUT, HE IN NO WAY MADE THAT 50% TO EVERYONE, STOP TRYING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS MAN. HE MADE THE OFFER TO A FEW WHO HAD PROBLEMS IN THE PAST. HE NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT A DISCOUNT FOR “GUN ENTHUSIASTS”) Dana H and Brian act like disingenuous, opportunistic handout seeking blood suckers. Sucking the life blood out of companies so you can get some free shit. Go buy a WASR and have fun shooting through that factory assembled rust machine and it’s crooked ass barrel, you scavengers. I am going to purchase an IO Ak 47 tomorrow based solely on the fact that I truly believe that if the president of the company is this much of a believer of his products, then I’d be crazy not to give them a try. They have a lifetime warranty, are more than reasonably priced, so what more can you ask for? Some people need to get over themselves and understand that businesses do improve. Stop holding old grudges or even making up new ones to get free shit. if you have problems with the new IO systems, then you can whine and complain, until then, give the company a break for christ’s sake. Uli, I’ll keep you posted on how I like the rifle when I pick it up from my FFL and shoot it for a while. Thanks for your concern. It’s nice to see someone in your position that is so down to earth and takes the time to interact with their customers. That tells me all that I need to know about the direction that you are taking this company. Good luck and you have a new customer here and I don’t even want a handout. I think you’ve been more than generous with your offers. Sometimes people will try to take advantage of you and suck you dry, all to save a dollar. Then you’ll never hear back from them again because of their ungrateful nature. Let your new QC and loyal customers speak for itself. The sales will follow and the reputation will mend. All you ingrates, so some respect. Because of entitled fuckers like you is why we don’t have more presidents/ceos/owners of companies interacting with us. You idiots scare them away. I won’t be back to respond, but I wanted to let Uli know that his kindness and enthusiasm is appreciated. Whomever has an issue with this post (it will only be the few cheapskate, gun welfare, ungrateful fools), blow me, and I won’t see your responses, so don’t waste your time, ingrates. Good Luck Inter Ordinance.
Matt, I used to bash IO more than anyone I knew due to a horrid experience I had in the past, now I can’t bring myself to talk bad about them. I took them up on the 50% off and the rifle that I received was essentially perfect. Fit and finish was excellent, accuracy was excellent, customer service was amazing. I published an honest review on my site soonerstatearsenal.com if interested. I think there are several people here just to take advantage of Uli and Ramzy’s generosity, it’s a shame people have to be this way.
Dear Sir,
we appreciate your kind words. I would like to personally invite you to our plant for a private tour. If you like you can witness the birth of our rifles. You will see all steps from birth to a finished test fired and quality controlled product.
Please feel free to contact us anytime.
Have a Happy Holiday season and God Bless,
Uli
I wanted milled. That’s why I ended up with the Arsenal SAM7R-51 Now arsenal came out with the SAM7R-66. It has Arsenals in-house made Picatinny Quad Rail Handguard System. Soon K-Var will have just the hand-guards for sale and then so will my SAM7R-51
Mark, Arsenal rifles are one of the best AK rifles made. The problem is that they are very expensive. I dare to test our rifles against any Arsenal rifles. Check the fit and finish, craftsman’s ship and accuracy. We use nitrited barrels which give our rifles excellent accuracy and make the barrel corrosion resistant. Plus this technology is much more environmentally friendly than chrome lining.
I offer you 50% off the MSRP. If you are not happy with our firearm, we will issue you a full refund.
You can e-mail me directly or call Kathleen at 321-499-3800 ext. 107.
God Bless,
Uli Wiegand
I hope they fix their QC. Having more choices is a good thing.
I fully understand why IO products had quality control issues. Too many subcontractors manufacturing parts without coordination. A case of the old adage “too many cooks spoils the broth”. Now that IO has control over the entire process, I expect their product quality will improve.
I’ve looked at the IO AKs in my LGS. The ones out on display were worse than the WASRs there. Canted front sights, salt build up around the joints from the bluing, and loose furniture. Not worth the money at all.
I bought a used IO a few years back, it was one of the better AK’s I’ve purchased under the $1k mark. The ones I’ve seen on the shelves that are new, are extremely nice for what they are.
Do they still make that .380 hellcat? I looked at one a few years ago. Another Keltec clone. Well I hope they get better. I was completely underwhelmed by the hellcat. I also agree choice is good. Especially with the Russian embargo.
Back in 2012 I bought an AK-47C from them. My first trip to the range the trigger guard rivets FELL OUT and it sheared a rivet securing the front trunnion. They took six months to replace the rifle. Will never own an IO product again no matter where they move their factory to. JUNK. I’ve never had a worse experience with a gun company.
“This is a great warranty, and the people at IO really stand by it. If there is ever anything wrong, you can call, or send your weapon in, and they will make sure everything gets fixed and is in working order.”
Does the author have personal experience of this actually happening, or is that just what the folks at IO said? I don’t have any interest one way or the other (I’m not an IO customer, satisfied or otherwise), but often companies offer warranties that seem good on paper, but have such horrible service that it negates the value of the warranty.
@Josh, IO is supposedly an importer of Pioneer Arms out of Poland. If you have contacts there, can you ask if they are planning on importing the PAC Coach Shotgun?
I’ve got one of their Pioneer Arms import AK’s. It’s not a great rifle, but I’d put it very much on par with a WASR, and generally they’re a bit cheaper than a WASR.
Wow, just a laughably bad review, even by TTAG standards. Did you examine any of their finished products? Did you test any of them? Or did you just get a free tour and report based on your “feels” from the tour?
Here’s a guy with one of the new Melbourne guns. Poor sap … only took ten days for his IO to try to kill him:
http://www.akfiles.org/forums/showthread.php?t=197705
While I won’t deny IO guns are shit and it would have eventually crapped out anyway, it looks like an overcharged round could have caused that damage.
Here is a post about I.O Inc and poor quality, terrible Customer service….
http://www.thefirearmsforum.com/threads/stay-away-from-i-o-inc.85241/
Dear WAJJr,
Do you own one of our firearms? It is one thing to personally have an experience than to go by “hear say”.
I offer you any of our products at 50% off the MSRP. If you are not happy, we will issue you a full refund. No questions asked. All I ask for is that you will give us an honest chance to show you a huge difference. This is my personal e-mail address: [email protected]. I am convinced once you handled, shot and tested our products you will see us with different eyes. We invested heavily into new tooling, CNC equipment, etc. But what makes or breaks a company is its staff. Down here in Florida we found a great workforce of former NASA employees, people who actually worked on the shuttle, and veterans who served our great nation in the Marine Corps, Army and Air Force.
last but not least we have a fantastic engineering staff. Head of this department is Ramzi, a mechanical engineer. He also my partner. His direct e-mail is [email protected]. Our tel# is: 321-499-3800. Please fee free to talk to Kathleen at ext.107 and she will be more than happy to direct your call to the appropriate department.
God Bless,
To answer your question, yes I do own a Hellcat 1st Generation it was a POS as shipped from I.O.,Inc. I am the person who posted the problem with the gun on thefirearmforum.com (K75RT) Back when you had your chance to make it right you did not. The only reason you offer 50% off is your name is tarnished. I spent my money with I.O., Inc and got screwed. I’d be a fool to do it again. No Thank You
Dear Sir, thank you for your mail and comment. Our offer stands. We warranty our products for life. The only thing you needed to do is to send in the Hellcat for repair or replacement.
We wish you good luck.
God Bless,
Uli Wiegand
I’m sure that they will keep track of the rifles going to anyone getting the 50% off deal. “Quality control done by the owners themselves”, right?
IO = garbage. Glad they moved their junk factory out of NC. Location has nothing to do with lack of QC. TTAG – you really just tanked your credibility posting this trash.
Dear Bob C,
Do you own one of our firearms? It is one thing to personally have an experience than to go by “hear say”.
I offer you any of our products at 50% off the MSRP. If you are not happy, we will issue you a full refund. No questions asked. All I ask for is that you will give us an honest chance to show you a huge difference. This is my personal e-mail address: [email protected]. I am convinced once you handled, shot and tested our products you will see us with different eyes. We invested heavily into new tooling, CNC equipment, etc. But what makes or breaks a company is its staff. Down here in Florida we found a great workforce of former NASA employees, people who actually worked on the shuttle, and veterans who served our great nation in the Marine Corps, Army and Air Force.
last but not least we have a fantastic engineering staff. Head of this department is Ramzi, a mechanical engineer. He also my partner. His direct e-mail is [email protected]. Our tel# is: 321-499-3800. Please fee free to talk to Kathleen at ext.107 and she will be more than happy to direct your call to the appropriate department.
God Bless,
I love how IO is getting so much trash in this thread. You’re all being venomous for no reason.
Granted, I have no experience with IO but I’m willing to give them a try, if something is wrong and they fix it then it’s fine.
There is no reason? Google “inter ordnance problems” and then start reading. The pages, and pages, and pages, of problems people have had with IO, and the frequent lack of support IO has given to their product.
Also, how much you want to bet this guy’s IP resolves to a location near Palm Bay, FL? IO has been known to use shill accounts in the past.
You’d lose that bet. You’re welcome.
Glad to hear they are not shilling here, at least not yet. Unfortunately it’s something they’ve been caught doing before.
Eric, we do not need to have fake names to post. Our products made in Florida speak for themselves. I offered you already a rifle at %50 discount to test yourself. There is nothing more I can do to see for yourself that we are making great quality products made in America for Americans.
By the way. We did some tracing and the “bad and garbage comments” usually originate from the same IP addresses. Please check it out.
God Bless.
Uli Wiegand
Melbourne I know exactly where there at same company just different name Royal Tiger Imports now and not a much better reputation
Here is another example of I.O’s inferior work. Take a look at the rifling in this barrel.
http://www.thektog.org/forum/f100/i-o-hellcat-206095/
Do you think Uli Weigand will honor his lifetime warrantee and replace this inferior barrel?
Doubt it!
“No Reason” Does my IO Inc AK-47C blowing up in my face due to shoddy rivets and improper headspace count as “No reason” or maybe the six months they took to replace said blown up rifle, no you’re right I should LOVE IO Inc, right?
We had a customer hell bent on ordering a IO 380 that was on closeout for under $180 out the door. This was a couple years ago. We figured what the hell, may as well have a couple of cheap pocket guns in stock so we ordered in a couple. They looked OK but once you opened them up the cheapness was apparent. One had a barrel that looked like it was made by a bunch of drunken monkeys with a dull file. You couldn’t tell what were lands or grooves or tool chatter. I couldn’t see how there would be any spin on a bullet leaving that tube. It was beyond bad. After getting the run around from IO on warranty return and being told we would have to pay shipping both ways we decided we could do better by having a crappy gun give away raffle. So via our website we put up a “WIN This Crappy Gun” link and had 1000 people sign up for it in about a week. The guy who “won” got his pistol and reported it seemed to shoot OK at 7 yards and was happy to have it but that was the last IO we ever ordered. Companies change for the better and worse all the time. Hope they get it together as more choices is a good thing. I don’t see how they could get any worse.
That’s the vibe I got. I would compare the quality to a Cobra. The AK’s I’ve seen seem cheap too. Glad I didn’t get the hellcat. I got a Taurus TCP and was very happy with it until I sold it. Who knew Illinois would get CC?
The IO polish receiver ak sporter I have has been pretty decent, but it doesn’t like polymer mags(tapcos will not fit) and the cloned waffle mags are junk, I can only fit 25 rounds in it. Mag wobble is pretty bad, but no reliability issues with it so far.
I bought a NIB IO AK from gun show vendor.
First thing is that the magazines they included with the rifle didn’t fit. I had to take a knife to the top of the back or the magazines to scrape away a good portion of plastic so that the magazine would allow the bolt to close and pick up a round. Then noticed the sight was completely canted, still off the mark too. Then when shooting it, it would fire full auto bursts without my finger on the trigger.
My pregnant wife shot it, got startled by the full auto, dropped it while it kept on shooting until it jammed.
Then the rifle would pick up another round, but not reset the hammer.
Further inspection saw that the two rivets that hold the trigger group in place, where the recoil spring sits in the back of the receiver, had bent so much, that I couldn’t put the dust cover back on as it was too short to be held in the recess below the rear sights.
I contacted IO about the problem, they screwed me about. About a year later I contacted them again, he said my warranty expired.
I told him about the lawyer I was getting involved due to the defective product causing undue danger to my wife and others.. He wanted me to send the rifle in for an inspection.
I told him that I’d rather an independent inspection..
Didn’t hear back.
Disclaimer – sarcasm follows!!!
Wonder what would happen if you turned IO in to the ATF for manufacturing an unlicensed machine gun?
if its a defect that caused it to fire full auto such as a broken part as in that case they do not call it a machine gun, but you best get it repaired.
My dad won one of their STG-2000s a few years ago at a raffle. It had a worse finish than WASR-10s and the polymer furniture felt really cheap, but it didn’t have any misfires or jams ever. The price was right for him but I wouldn’t gamble on their products. I’d rather go with a Century Yugo NPAP or OPAP or an M+M M10.
I have an M + M M10. It runs great and is a much better made rifle although some of them have had problems and their customer service sucks from what I’ve heard. Never had to contact them about mine. Getting ready to SBR it soon.
“custom jigs, specialized tools, and processes that tie a person to the product so they know who built, checked and approved or scrapped each firearm”
None of that changes the facts that they use sub-standard parts in their guns. Shitty receivers, shitty rivets, shitty trunnions. Their imported Radom guns might be ok since they just put on compliance parts, but I wouldn’t touch one of their US made ones with a 10 foot pole.
Having lived around the Space Center for 50 plus years and ive known many Space Workers ,Why would a high paid Space Worker with a Degree go to work building AK-47 rifles at a company with a not so perfect reputation?Why would they not stay at there High Paid Govt job with lots of benifits and perks and go to work for less money .I find it very hard to believe the place has more than one maybe two Nasa or Space Center workers except for ones who may have had a problem and cant go back to the Space Center .They make big bucks out at the Space Center far more than Uri is even going to think about paying them.So Id like to know since he brages about space workers there how many do you have and what are there positions in your company and who did they work for at the Space Center before .Also just because someone worked out at the space Center does not mean there going to make a good firearm builder or designer ,Personaly id rather have someone with a long history in the firearms bussiness than a space center worker. I have 450 or more and have worked on rebuilt repaired or built from parts kits many of those and more,I have 37 years in Bussiness manageing employee associates successfully and maintaining a happy fun productive working atmosphere,Developeing people who truely care about there jobs and what they do for the company,A manager in any company like that is well worth there weight in gold and far more valuable than a Space Center Worker who knows little to nothing about firearms when they walk in the door.Thats UrI,s problem he thinks he is going to hire a few shot out space Center Workers who know nothing about Gun builds or the bussiness and all his problems are goin g to go away,From what I understand there is a very unhappy working atmosphere among employees working there and pissed off employees do things like toss extra parts in packages being shipped out because they are pissed off at whatever was done to them that day. That was done in a shipment or two .Your employees are your companys life blood keep them happy and they look out for you they are productive ,ride there asses all the time critise them to death over small things threaten them and they will be your downfall,employees will make or break you No Nasa Rocket Scientist is going to fix things but very good professional management with experience in the firearms field will.
In my opinion: Buyer Beware!
I.O. Inc. or IO Inc. or Interordance of America Inc. or Interordance Inc. or similar variants are all the same company whose president is Ulrich H. Wiegand (aka Uli). Uli has renamed, rebranded and even moved facilities — all to escape his well-deserved reputation for poor quality, poor customer services, and in general, poor business practices.
Uli’s AKs are a hodgepodge of imported and domestic parts of questionable quality and pedigree. Common problems include: bolt-hold-open issues; hammer/trigger/bolt assembly misalignment; improper riveting; failure-to-fire (FTF) due to various faulty bolt issues; loose stocks; various mis-feeding/cycling; magazine misalignment due to faulty receiver fabrication; improper parkerizing/finishing; worn springs, pistons, gas tubes; improper head-spacing; etc.
Besides posting lavish praises of IO products by fake customers to hide real quality and safety problems with his AKs, Uli even promises — no details in writing though — a lifetime warranty. There is no guarantee IO Inc. will be in business even a year from now.
Uli is originally from Germany and most people associate German products like Mercedes-Benz cars with high quality; unfortunately, Uli’s I.O.Inc. is more closely associated with the Ford and its Pinto.
Did I forget to mention: Uli and his Interordnance of America, L.P., and related companies, were indicted on Tuesday, February 3, 2004, by a federal grand jury sitting in Charlotte on 83 counts alleging conspiracy, illegal importation of machine-guns, illegal possession and transfer of machine-guns, structuring, and money laundering.
You should verify all of the above for yourself before purchasing anything — especially AKs — from Uli and I.O Inc.
To whom it may concern.
This is Uli Wiegand, I am the owner of I.O.INC, Inter Ordnance. The person hiding behind Bubba Joe obviously has a personal problem with me. I know this person behind this fake name and he used to work for us a long time ago. Unfortunately he has no courage nor guts to approach me directly and discuss whatever issue there might be. So let us stick with facts and no “tales”.
I do not understand why he hides and tries to bash our products, he never personally laid his eyes on nor handled or shot our new products.
Having said that we, Inter Ordnance, offered 5 internet bloggers to test our rifles. Please contact us at 321-499-3800 and ask for Kathleen or Ramzi. We will send the rifle to you at 50% OFF MSRP to test and let us know your honest opinion, if you don’t like it simply return it and get your money back, if you like it you can keep it!. Log on to our website and look at the models you are interested in.
The move to Florida’s space coast was a blessing. Back in Carolina we could not find good and professional engineers, machinists and assembly personnel. This is why we took the decision to move to Florida`s space coast with its qualified workforce. Many of our employees are former Nasa personnel,Army, Marine Corps and Air Force. The Team at IO is proud to manufacture firearms right here in the US.
Please let me comment on each paragraph and you the educated reader can make up your own mind.
We hired new customer service personnel. We also bought a new computer systems which allows CS to track all firearms related services. We offer lifetime warranty. This is unheard of in the industry. If you experience any problems with our product, please call us and we will fix or replace the fire arm. Since we moved down to Florida the return rate went down to an all time low. This speaks about the quality and craftsman’s ship of our products.
Bubba Joe/ H.P please get your facts right. Back in the Carolina we started out with Romanian Parts kits and assembled them on to US made receivers and US made barrels and we used Tapco fire control components. The problem was that trunions were already pre drilled. This caused a misalignment of the trunnion and the receiver. Back then there was no bolt hold open feature available on our rifles. So again misinformation. Let us stick with facts:
Over the last 2 years we invested heavily into tooling, CNC machinery . All our parts and components are 100% new and US made e.g, Our castings come form Ohio, our fully heat treated receivers out of Charlotte NC, Our barrels are Mossberg barrels which we nitrite in FL. Our springs and small parts come out of Illinois. Our magazines are manufactured in FL long with all other plastic components.
All parts are 100% US. We machine the bolt, bolt carrier, trunnion and other parts in house. Later this year we will make our own barrels. We already purchased a gun drill and the other necessary equipment to manufacture our own barrel.
Also our engineering team has designed and fabricated numerous fixtures to ensure quality and take the human errors out of the equation. These fixtures are being used after each sub-assembly after Test firing it goes through QC again.
We are in business since 1995. Next year will be the 20th anniversary. We do not need fake customers to post fake comments. Our products speak for them self. Unlike Bubbo Joe, hiding and making false accusations we are straight forward and we welcome anyone to our plant to see for them self. Please make an appointment with Kathleen 321-499-800 ext 107.
Bubba Joe is right, I was born and raised in Germany. Germany has quality products and we try to follow this philosophy. I love the US and I became a US citizen this year. I am a firm believer of domestic production and this is why we stopped importing inferior eastern European made firearms and focused on domestic production.
Bubba Joe, a Pinto was never made in Germany. Ford has actually a great reputation now!
This is also old news. Back in 2004 my brother and I were indicted of a variety of “Fake” charges. All charges were dropped against me. Does anyone really believe that ATF would issue Licenses to me if I had a bad record, C’mon.
Everyone who reads “Bubba Joe’s” comments will see that these accusations are groundless and fake. I personally invite anyone who is interested in our products to check them out either at the plant or at your local gun shop. This is my e-mail address. Please feel free to contact me directly [email protected]. We are proud to manufacture all products here in the US.
I guess I do not need to comment the last sentence. It clearly shows that Buuba Joe has a personal problem with me.
To sum everything up, check out our new rifles, feel them, inspect them and then let the best rifle win.
Our entire production team, engineering team, customer service team and myself stand behind our products. Please see for yourself.
God Bless
Uli Wiegand
I’ll be honest, I had a horrid experience with one of your NC made rifles (as above).
I now run a gun shop in Oklahoma City and publish gun reviews to my website.
I plan on taking you up on the 50% off MSRP to review one of the new FL made guns, I will be completely honest in my review, it says a lot that you posted on here personally to defend your product.
Blake, I appreciate the honesty. Please contact Kathleen at 321-499-3800 ext 107 and e-mail her your FFL. Please let us know what model you want to get. Kind regards, Uli
Blake to place an order for the rifle of your choice, Please contact Kathleen or Me @ 321 499 3800 ext 107. thanks.
@Uli, When can we expect to see you guys importing the Pioneer Arms Coach Shotgun????
We have to check with our Polish partner Pioneer Arms. We will have some thing published once they become available.
Best regards,
Uli
I am a former US Army Special Forces Weapons Sergeant (MOS 18B) with multiple combat zone tours to include in Afghanistan.
I have fired nearly every make and model of AK from around the world (some very high volumes of shooting) as well as carried in the field and taught with them.
There is a bit of negative banter in this article’s comment section, so
I have two points to make, so listen up troops:
(1)
I can vouch for both what the author (Josh) said and have many of own positive observations about I.O. inc. And their products.
(2)
Simply put:
The American Made AKs produced by IO Inc. Are the only ones that I feel safe firing and the only ones that I would spend my own money on.
From what I saw and experienced recently with Inter ordnance, I can see good things coming in the future.
I just bought the IO sporter the other day despite reading all the negative reviews, took it out to the range today, and it failed. The bolt lug was jamming up against the factory supplied magazines. Every shot the bolt handle had to be manually slammed forward. You could see on the brand new magazine where it was starting to chip away at the plastic lip. Took pictures as evidence too. I really wanted to love this rifle and give it a chance, but I immediately traded it to a friend for a new HK. He placed a wasr 10 bolt into it, and now runs great. I would like to give the IO sporter another chance, but for the price of it, I may just have to pass.
Dear sir, the rifle is under warranty you can send it in anytime for repair, please have the person you traded with send it in, bolts shouldn’t be interchanged because the rifle is head spaced to that particular bolt.
Please call us 3214993819 or visit our website.
I hope you give our new line another try.
I have sent it in for repair. Hope it returns soon.
I contacted Uli by email today to tell him about my bad experience in the past with IO firearms and to see how serious they were about their customer service. I received a prompt reply from Ron by email and spoke with him on the phone. The conversation was very pleasant, however they would not offer any discount due to not having the serial number and where I purchased the rifle almost 9 years ago. I got rid of the rifle within a week of purchase do to the severe issues with it. The whole purpose of contacting them was not to receive a discount but see how they handled an unhappy customer from the past. It seemed they were not concerned with a potential repeat customer. Having said all that to say this, I am still in the market for an AK platform rifle but may look elsewhere.
Dear Sir,
My customer service team informed me that you could not provide the serial number, model nor where you have purchased the rifle. Therefore I can not offer the rifle at a 50% discount. Not having this information it is hard for us to verify anything. Having said that I offer you as a sign of good will the AKM 247 at $399.95. If you are interested in this offer please furnish us with your dealer information and a copy of his FFL.
Best regards.
Uli Wiegand.
Uli, thank you. It is this kind of customer service that instils confidence in me purchasing your product.
So wait, you called and said you purchased a rifle nine years ago, have no proof of purchase or even serial number, and cannot even say where you bought it, only that you had “severe problems” and kept it only a week, and you’re surprised that they weren’t willing to give you 50% off a brand new rifle?
Hell, I’m surprised they didn’t simply laugh at you and hang up. Uli’s offer seems incredibly reasonable, given the circumstances.
Matt, Uli’s offer is extremely reasonable. The phone conversation I had with Ron was more in depth then what I posted here in the interest of brevity. As I stated before the main reason of the call was to see how they handled customer service issues from the past given their new facility’s and management. As you can all see Uli is a stand up guy that believes in his products and will stand by them.
I will take uli up on his offer!! I just picked up my replacement rifle yesterday and have spent the last 2 days emailing io. First I wont write this to bash io, and second Ron in customer service is a standup guy and has done everything he can to make my situation right.
I cant give a solid review yet because I have not shot the new rifle yet, I can only give you a first impression review. Before I do I want to add I purchased my rifle 2 years ago, I tried sending it in back when keith was there, after many failed attempts to get him on the phone I finally did and he was not helpful at all, so I just threw it back in the safe and forgot about it. After reading online about there move to Florida I decided to try and send it in again. My original rifle had a canted barrel, and would not shoot straight. I had to pay to send it to them, and was ignored when I asked about being reimburse. I called to ask about the progress on it and I was told it was next in line to be worked on, and the next day it showed up at my door. It was in poor shape, it looked horrible, so back to io it went. They did replace my rifle, I will say the replacement looked good fit and finish was good, no complaints. in fact I was impressed with it, but then I took it to the range. It would jam every couple of shots, tons of ammo and troubleshooting later I figured out the problem was in the gas hole on the barrel. So back to io it went, again it was replaced.
So with all that I now have there latest rifle, so here is my first impressions.
the good
1. customer service is getting there, Ron is a standup guy no complaints about him.
2. fit and finish, extremely better than the last 2 rifles. I have to be honest the improvements are there!! the rifle fills solid! mags fit tight no wobble, no noticeable cant.
the bad
1. there was some bad casting marks on my bolt carrier, but Ron was quick to offer to replace that
2. the rifle I sent in had a bayonet lug, the one I got back did not. the bayonet lug was ground off, may be minor to some people but its not minor to me. I am extremely disappointed about it.
remember I have not shot it yet but will do in the next day or 2, as of right now I will admit this is actually a nice rifle, but I am waiting to see if io is going to do anything to make it right on the bayonet lug! as of right now I am on the fence with io, If not for Ron I would completely bash them! I will update after a trip to the range
Dear sir, I’m glad you you like the fit and finish of the rifle, and the fact that it is solid. We appreciate the kind words.
You said that you need to see what we are going to do to make it up to you? Well the last rifle we sent you is an upgrade from the one we replaced ( $200 value the wood sporter) Ron even offered you a free quad rail.we appreciate you and all our customers and we will try our best to please everyone.
uli I never received a upgrade. I have always had a sporter wood with scope rail and bayonet lug, I never had the rifle without those options. I have pictures of all 3 rifles, I also have all the old emails back when I sent my original rifle in to bob. Yes ron did offer to send me a quad rail, but that was because I had spent money on shipping, and just paid another 37.20 on my ffl transfer. The fact is 2 years after my original purchase I now have a rifle without the bayonet lug when the one I purchased had one. I am not trying to call you a liar uli, and I will take it that you are not calling me a liar.
just so there is no confusion the quad rail was discussed before I even received this rifle. I have spent a lot of money, ammo and time trying to get riffles in and out of the mail.
Thank you for your kind words. Please let us know your feedback once you had a chance to play with the rifle at the range.
Have a great weekend.
Uli
Dear Sir,
I am glad you are happy with the free upgrade. Please let us know when you took the rifle to the range. God Bless,
Uli Wiegand
again I did not receive a free upgrade, yes ron said he would send me a quadrail for having to go out of pocket again for all the back and forth with the rifles, and for the record I have not received that yet. I am sure its in the mail. I did make a trip to the range today, but I had to cut my range trip short, but plan on going back tomorrow.
I only ran 4 mags through the rifle today, 1 tapco, 1 Romanian, 1 Yugo, and 1 IO mag. Every mag fit tight with no wobble, and no jams today. I did have one minor issue today, the front sight would work itself up and down, it fits loose in the front sight base, so I could not zero today. I wont complain about that, quick fix I will order one online to replace it, but so far the rifle did not jam on any of the mags I ran. The io mags I have will only hold 26-27 rnds but again I think I can fix them.
So far so good, I actually think this one will be good to go. I do plan on going back to the range tomorrow, early so I can run some more ammo, I have about 500rnds I will run through it tomorrow.
So my only real complaint so far is just the bayonet lug, I know that might not be a big deal to some but i did not pay for a rifle without a bayonet lug?
uli the article states that you want everyone to have a great ownership experience.
I assure you my experience has been nothing but great. I purchased my rifle the day before oboma was re elected, and I just now have a rifle that will function. I have had to ship my original rifle back 2 times, the replacement rifle had to be replaced, to get to the rifle I have now. The rifle I purchased was the wood sporter with scope rail and bayonet lug, so when you imply that I received a upgrade it does not settle with me well.
I was told I would get a quadrail to make up for having to ship the rifles back and for the ffl transfer fees.
I actually wanted a refund but was told that was not possible, and to give yall a chance to make it right, so I did, and I received a rifle without a bayonet lug, the opposite of a upgrade that you keep implying I received, a downgrade as far as I am concerned. So in the end I will say that my experience has not been greet, so my question to you is are you going to do anything to make it right, and will you acknowledge that I did receive a rifle without a bayonet lug?
Sir, thank you for your comments.
I checked into your file and I was told by Ramzi and by Ron that a “free” quad rail was sent to you. Please call us for the tracking information. Ramzi, our mechanical engineer, tried to call you as well and did not get a hold of you. He left you a voicemail with his phone number.
As far as what I could gather from Ron and Ramzi, my staff went out of their way to accommodate you.In your previous comments you mentioned that the rifle performed well.
Regarding only 27rds in the magazine, please take the mag apart and turn the spring by 180 degrees. Then the magazine will accommodate 30rds.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can be of any further assistance.
Sincerely
Uli Wiegand
I did speak with Ramzi, and I will say my opinion of IO has changed. Keep in mind I was 100% mind made up that I would never buy from IO again. I thought I would never say this but I would honestly say that IO is on the right track, and are heading in the right direction in quality control, and customer service. So the big question would I buy from IO again? YES in fact after the holidays I plan on buying a parts kit from io to build my own ak.
I think it will take time for them to repair there image, and most wont give you guys a second chance but I think in time all the bad reviews and opinions will change, mine did.
Thank you for the kind words.
Have a blessed day.
Uli
@Uli,
It would be great to see the Polish Coach Gun in your lineup….please.
I will talk to my Polish partner Michael with Pioneer Arms. I know it is very expensive to make. I will report once I have news.Thanks for asking. Have a great weekend.
Uli
@Uli, thank you sir….I appreciate your responsiveness! Good luck to IO!
Thank you sir. Have a great weekend. Uli
Received my rifle the other day.
Fit and finish looks much better than their previous rifles.
I also like the fact that they have gone away from the horrid old club-stock and furniture and gone for a nearly identical set to what Arsenal Inc uses. Impressed that EVERYTHING on this gun has a “USA” on it, even the front trunnion, my last IO had a Romanian front trunnion. The gun also comes with a recoil buffer already installed, nice touch. Plan on shooting it this week for a review on my site. Looking forward to it.
Kathleen provided exceptional customer service, good job guys. Will let everyone know how it shoots.
Dear Sir,
Thank you for your kind words. It is always great to hear if my staff does a good job. I will tell Kathleen about your kind comments. Please let us know your feedback once you had a chance to shoot your rifle at the range.
Have a great weekend.
Uli
Hi, my name is really John, and I own several ak’s none of which are American made. I have always completed extensive research on any firearm I purchase before doing so and that is why so far I do not own an American ak variant rifle. With that being said, least anyone regard myself as a “commy”, I’ve always wanted a great American made ak style rifle and that’s why I’m still researching.
I also want to say I understand completely when it comes to being outraged over “garbage firearms”. This happened to me when I purchased an EAA imported Tanfoglio Witness 10mm pistol.
However, I must say, as we all know, we are ALL prone to make mistakes and need a second, and all to often more, chance(s).
There are compelling arguments on both sides, making it even harder to make a decision. I would love to “handle” one before purchasing it or take the “50%” offer, but I’m sure the door on one of those avenues is closed by now and the other is not available.
I look forward to more detailed reviews, perhaps some videos.
I also what to wish I.O. Inc. and its owners the very best of luck in their endeavors to make a great American made ak.
Sincerely,
God bless,
John West
I left a review on my website in the blog section, at soonerstatearsenal.com.
I took them up on the 50% off offer and I was in no way disappointed.
I knew IO had bad reputation, but seeing that the OWNER of the company was willing to extend himself to potential customers plus back his products with a LIFETIME warranty, I purchase one of the AKM247 models. Upon inspection, it was easy to see why people bash these rifles. Poor rivet work, the bolt would get stuck on the hammer when charging it, some metal flashing was left in the rear sight groove. I never even fired the weapon before sending it back to IO.
Dear sir, I find that hard to believe first of all the rear sight is an investment casting which means there is no machining performed on it thus no metal shavings, there’s no way that the rivets will come out the way you describe them simply because the inspection jig that we install every rifle in won’t allow a rifle to fit in it if the rifle’s rivets aren’t pushed in.
When you start bashing a product back it up with some pictures at least. Please reply to me with the serial number of the rifle to my email so I can verify that in fact you have indeed purchased our brand. If indeed what you say is true I will personally call you, apologize and send you a free rifle.
It shouldn’t be hard to believe because you have the rifle right now. I sent the pictures to Ron Cornell ([email protected]), who in turn, opened a “RMA” (#927 for reference) and provided me with a FedEx Shipping label. Tracking confirmed the rifle was received at your FL location Monday.
I would be happy to send you the pic I took of the rivet work and the serial as well. What is your email sir?
Sir if the rifle is in I will check it out first thing Monday. Thanks
After not receiving a response Monday morning, I reached out to Ramzi Rafic Kheireddine with the following email:
Good morning sir.
I am following up (in a not so public way) to the comments you made regarding my post to the above referenced article. Please understand what I said was not intended to defame your organization, but was to portray an actual customer experience, as the article (and Uli’s posts) was a driving force in me “taking the leap of faith” on your product.
Have you had the opportunity to look at my rifle? I have attached the same pictures sent to Ron for your review. I did not take a picture of the rear sight because it was not the focal point of my complaint. I planned to modify it along the lines of Jim Fuller’s design at some point anyway. However, the fact still remains that a clump of metal is stuck in the groove of the sight.
Regards,
This was Ramzi’s response:
Good day Brian,
I did get a chance to look at your rifle this morning and I was planning to respond on the blog later on but here is my response since you emailed me.
First of the rifle is dismantled, I don’t understand if you haven’t shot it why take the trigger group pin, safety selector etc… out?
To answer your comment from the blog of course if you pull the charging handle slowly it will stop ( the hammer applies an upward pressure onto the bottom of the carrier causing it to get stuck when charging slowly. The gun is made of brand new parts and not surplus like other brands so all the mechanical components need to be worn in (100 rounds at least). Once it is worn in the carrier will slide with less friction on top of the hammer.
Second, yes the lower right rivet is indeed not flush at the 9 o’clock position and is seated perfectly on the other side. However when I read your comments it sounded like all the rivets were bad! And this particular rivet will not fail or affect the performance of the rifle.
Third, the rear sight notch had a tiny metal flashing that I took out with the tip of my pocket knife and a magnifying glass.
Brian, I know now that your intentions were not to bash us online, but that’s not how it sounded. I can understand if we said we won’t fix it or replace it.
We will drill the rivet out and re-rivet a new one and change the rear sight. I will also include a couple of clear magazines back with your rifle. Brian our goal is to please all our customers and treat them right, that’s why we offer a lifetime warranty. Please let me know If you need anything else.
Have a merry Christmas and a happy new year
Kind Regards,
I have sent the following email as a follow-up:
Thank you, Ramzi.
I must say I am not pleased with how this has been handled though. Nothing stated in my post was false, you have confirmed this in your response to me today.
The bolt does indeed stick. I have researched this with other rifles using the G2 trigger system and this is a characteristic of the hammer’s profile. With use this will subside. This is my first AK platform rifle using this system.
“To answer your comment from the blog of course if you pull the charging handle slowly it will stop ( the hammer applies an upward pressure onto the bottom of the carrier causing it to get stuck when charging slowly. The gun is made of brand new parts and not surplus like other brands so all the mechanical components need to be worn in (100 rounds at least). Once it is worn in the carrier will slide with less friction on top of the hammer.”
Properly seated rivets sit flush against the surface at the underside of the rivet’s crown. You acknowledged this was clearly not the case with my rifle.
” Second, yes the lower right rivet is indeed not flush at the 9 o’clock position and is seated perfectly on the other side.”
I stated the rear sight had metal flashing stuck in the sighting groove, and you have acknowledged this as well.
“Third, the rear sight notch had a tiny metal flashing that I took out with the tip of my pocket knife and a magnifying glass.”
“First of the rifle is dismantled, I don’t understand if you haven’t shot it why take the trigger group pin, safety selector etc… out?”
To answer this question about the rifle being “dismantled”. I removed aftermarket additions (Krebs safety selector, Tapco retaining plate, Manticore MB) prior to mailing the rifle for the RMA as I was told i could not be guaranteed they could be accounted for during the servicing process. They were removed at the FedEx store when this was discovered, just moments before mailing it off.
I do not want any clear mags as I will have no use for them, but thank you for offering. I do however expect an apology to be made for basically calling me a liar.
“When you start bashing a product back it up with some pictures at least. Please reply to me with the serial number of the rifle to my email so I can verify that in fact you have indeed purchased our brand. If indeed what you say is true I will personally call you, apologize and send you a free rifle”
I WISH I could post pictures to this blog. But still, no apology… not holding my breath for a free rifle LOL.
Brian thanks for your reply, I never called you a liar. I was trying to be polite and courteous to you in my response. You obviously twisted the meaning of my email again, tried to contact me outside the forum and post my response, if your objective was to make me look bad, Bravo…
you evidently don’t know much about the mechanics of an AK, “The bolt does indeed stick. I have researched this with other rifles using the G2 trigger system and this is a characteristic of the hammer’s profile” your own words.
Well kind sir it’s the carrier that gets the pressure from the hammer not the bolt, you need to do some research on that a bit more to familiarize yourself with the mechanism. Also please practice installing the shepard’s hook correctly and not bend it by forcing it over the trigger pins incorrectly, if it’s installed inaccurately (the way you returned the rifle) it will malfunction and cause damage and possible injury.
As for the rear sight you said it was a machining burr, again you were wrong, it was a flashing/dirt that was removed with the tip of my pocket knife. You just wanted to make us look bad for a small (.005”) piece of metal that was on the rear sight. You really are complaining about that!
Third you said “the rivet job on the gun is horrible….” But you failed to mention that it’s only 1 rivet out of 15 rivets on the receiver that had a minor to NO effect on the functionality of the weapon. I’m starting to wonder if you are getting paid from the competition to bash us! Especially when I went over and beyond by promptly getting back with you, fixing the rivet you complained about, included 2 free mags and sending back your rifle out in less than 5 working days, someone else would have said thank you for standing behind your product and for being proactive.
God Bless you!
Tapco’s retaining plate tab that is bent at a 90 degree angle at the top to aid in installation. You should know this because it appears IO copied their design. I would have left the original in place had it not appeared inferior to the Tapco design. So no sir, I did not bend anything.
Check here: http://www.tapco.com/products/ak/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=59
I know full well it is the bolt CARRIER getting stuck on the hammer. It is the hammer’s profile (not having a rounded surface) that is causing this.
I mentioned in my first post that there was a bit of FLASHING (go back and read it) stuck in the rear sight. As in flashing left over from the casting process. I do not believe it was removed with a simple pocket knife, but it was good of you to not deny it being there.
As for the rivet not affecting functionality, I would not want to stick a device with explosive properties next to my face that has structural mechanisms out of spec. I wouldn’t want to find myself being the next Darwin Award winner. That doesn’t matter anyway because you claimed your rifles must pass through an inspection jig that will not allow the rifle to fit if all rivets have not been pushed in. Clearly not the case here though, right? – rhetorical question, don’t actually answer that, Ramzi…
You cannot discredit my comments, especially when they are backed by your own words. And no, I do not work for nor am I getting paid by your competition. That’s a joke. I do however, work hard for my money and get pretty pissed when I find out it was not spent well.
Its like this you as a manufacturer have a duty to your customer to provide a product esp a firearm thats in perfect condition,Not one they have to fine tune and fix issues no matter how small they are once they reciever your product you sent them,Thats what a Final Inspection is and should be done for each and every firearm or product,Also If you had a policy like many reputiable companys have that the customer is always right no matter what and just did what it takes to make them happy you would not be on here argueing back and forth in a un professional manner with your customers who pay your bills. Your rifles should have a final inspection by a professionaly qualified inspector the best man or woman you have who would have caught those minor flaws,had them fixed and this gentleman would have only had praise for you and your product.But when you assemble rifles and send them out with no final inspections or someone who is unqualified to inspect this is the type of quality control problems you get,Your customer is unhappy,He bought a brand new rifle from you,Why should he have to fix your shoddy workmanship on the rivit or accept it on a new rifle,much less take his pocket knife and dig whatever crap or crud is stuck anywhere ,That should have been done by you the Manufacturer not him.You offered him a new rifle if the rivet was messed up,Now send him a New Rifle. Dont shoot your mouth off if your not willing to back it up.Personaly I have not bought or owned a AK-47 from you,But am considering it,But thought id read all of these comments to see if it was a good idea or if I should go elsewhere.What I do not like is how Managers or CS argue back and forth with a customer who is not happy,Im thinking that could be me if I order a rifle and a few small things are wrong with it.I am paying for a NEW rifle,Not a scratched one not one with small flaws the company over looks and expects me to overlook it when im paying full price for a NEW rifles,What they call rifles like that in the industry is Blemished if your not willing to do what it takes to make it perfect and those are sold at reduced rates.Its not the customers Fault you sold them a rifle thats not perfect,A new product is perfect,Not something they need to work on or fix when they get it home because you failed them in provideing them a perfect new firearm..You sire are wrong for argueing with this customer,critiseing this customer and belittleing this customer.He was unhappy with the gun you sold him ,You should fix it and send it back peroid as it should have been when you first shipped it,The customer should not have to be your final quality control employee,Obviously you either do not have one or you need to get a better one so you do not have these little issues that go out the door that could easily have been corrected in minutes if anyone at your company cared enough to fix them,any QC that looked that gun over would have spotted those little issues to you,but to someone putting down $899.00 or more for a NEW firearm those are big issues and if you want to become a big respected company,You need to pay attention to the details,not just over look it and send it out .You should send this man that weapon you promised and if you have a QC person retrain them or find someone else to do that job,if you do not have one get one it will save you a lot of problems like this.
Brian, you should apologize to them for wasting their time, you should apologize to us for wasting our time with your posts, and you should apologize to yourself for being such a dbag.
I sent Uli an email and called the company this morning. I am in the market for an AK rifle and after reading how confident he was with his products I was very intrigued.the fact that they were going to offer a rifle at 50 percent off to those of us who were skeptical sounded amazing. unfortunately, I was told that was going to be going to happen for 10 rifles.Apparently all of those have been sold now. That seems a little different than it sounded in the posts that were written here by the owners. I wish them good luck, I guess I am back in the market for a WASR.
To whom it may concern.
I received in my inbox on 12-2-14 at 10:34pm the following email from Dana Hangen.
Lieber Uli,
I am writing to you today after reading your comments on the story about IO on the website “The Truth About Guns.” I had heard questionable things about IO in the past, but have wanted an American made AK for a long time. I read about your offer to sell a rifle for 50% off to enthusiasts who want to give your company a chance. I am impressed with what I have read and would like to take advantage of that offer if it is still available. I have been in the AK market for a while and have been eyeing your product online. I have yet to see it on the shelves. If you are willing to offer me this discount, I will test the rifle and report back to you. I appreciate your time in reading this.
ich danke Ihen, Herr Wiegand,
I was planing on responding to the mail later today. I was tied up in meetings all morning.
I appreciate you contacting me personally. Since we posted on this forum, we received numerous requests for firearms at a 50% discount. We gave a lot of firearms away at this price. Please take a look at the date when we have posted our comments. You can imagine the quantity of e-mails and phone calls we have received.
Our products are 100% US made and we warranty our products for life. If you rather would purchase a Romanian product which has a 3 month warranty it is up to you.If it were up to me, I rather purchase a high quality US made product than an import.
In order to assist you, I can offer you a rifle at 20% discount of MSRP. Please let us know if this will satisfy your needs.
We appreciate you considering an I.O.INC product and remain with best regards,
Uli Wiagand
Dana Hangen
Just curious, Mr. Wiegand… have you anything to say in regards to my situation? I too have contacted you, both through the email you have listed on this blog and through your website, http://ulrichhwiegand.com. Do you believe it to be a good practice to address customer concerns this way? To quote your engineer and partner: “Dear sir, I find that hard to believe…” and “When you start bashing a product back it up with some pictures at least.”.
Everything I stated was wrong with the rifle has been acknowledged, albeit downplayed in significance. How would you feel if you were in my position, Mr. Wiegand?
Dear Sir, I am aware of the situation. I read every e-mail and other written communication between our company and you. I also read the blogs and other public media.
My staff bent over back wards to satisfy and appease you. All you did was taking advantage of our courtesy and professionalism.
We wish you all the best in your endeavors and a Happy Holiday Season.
God Bless,
Uli Wiegand
I honestly was not expecting that response, yet I shouldn’t be surprised.
See – This is why I’m not in sales. Because I’d tell people like Brian to FO. I received an excellent norinco MAK-90 two decades ago and it was not perfect either. Nit picking over useless crap. Then trying to use it to humilate the company and seller for your own enjoyment. This is what we call a customer nobody wants.
I’m trying to imagine what Brian looks like and all that comes to mind is the head of a penis popping out of a shirt collar.
I had a I.O. inc from North Carolina. It shot every time I pulled the trigger but the sights were slightly canted and none of the wood furniture fit right. Luckily I was able to get rid of it. Hopefully their new AK’s are better, but I am scared to risk it.
Dear sir, I’m sorry that you had some issues in the past, however the entire operation is now completely different than what it used to be, we now make all the rifles from brand new US made parts as opposed to surplus, hired new qualified technicians and engineers as well as brand new CNC machining.
If you happen to have the old serial number, please call me, so I can make you a discounted offer on one of our new rifle. you can buy with our new product with confidence, I’m sure you will see the difference. I hope you give us another try.
God Bless.
Honestly, the last IO ak I had was a serious let down.. the fit and finish were pretty bad.. sights were canted, the coating had defects and the gun jammed. I ended up selling it for a song, and since then have had a bad taste in my mouth.
After reading this article and the comments below I have a different opinion of the company. I’m impressed by their upgrades to the company infrastructure, their new staffing and most importantly the owners ability to accept their past issues and obvious dedication to customer service.
The next time I purchase an ak I will strongly consider giving IO a second chance.
-Ray
Meanwhile at Rifle Dynamics, Jim Fuller and company build AK’s by hand and have a fantastic reputation.
Uhm, yea…at over 3x the price (starting) of an I.O. rifle, they’re not even in the same ball park and only marginally even the same sport! Apples to cucumbers!
I’ll add my $.02. I just picked up my M247-T from I.O. today. At first glance I see no issues at all. Workmanship is what I’d expect from a $550 weapon. All rivets are flush, all edges are finished (i.e.-not rough cut), all actions are smooth, no loose fitting parts. I too was leery about I.O. at first given all I’ve read, but I am pleased to say I see nothing on my weapon that indicates there’s ANY of the issues that caused their prior reputation! I will post back after I’ve put some rounds down range, but as of right now I’m very pleased with my product! You could certainly do much worse!
I am the kind of person that does alot of research on product reviews before I buy. The one thing that has stopped me from purchasing an IO AK is all these past negative reviews. By the looks of it the owner seems he is making an honest attempt in fixing the issues. It seems in the past they just put together their guns with imported parts, but if they are making their own parts wouldn’t this fix the issues? I’m going to go check one out tomorrow and judge for myself.
Hello Dion, we certainly appreciate you giving us a chance, we have improved our products by investing in tooling CNC machinery and hiring qualified technicians. please let us know your feedback. thanks
I too had heard many of the issues and problems with I.O.’s AK’s but have been impressed with the owners, and customer services responses to many of the people’s concerns on this site. I will be at the SHOT show next week, and I am planning on stopping by the I.O. Inc booth to see the quality of their rifles compared with what else is on the market in that price range. I may become a dealer if I am impressed and satisfied with their service and warranty. I am also interested in the 1911 that they are making as we get a good number of inquires for a quality lower priced 1911.
My background is 15+ years in the US Army with 7+ deployments to the Middle East area of operations, 2 to Iraq, 1 to Afganistan, and the rest to other areas. I was badly injured during my 2nd deployment to Iraq and now I work with a manufacturer helping to design and build his AR’s. Wealso have a small gun shop which is why I am interested in checking out I.O. Inc. See you at SHOT Uli and I hope we get the chance to discuss your products in detail. Good luck with the new location and I sincerely hope that people give you guys a 2nd chance and that your reputation is eventually repaired.
SSG G. out!
“Death Waits in the Dark”
Dear sir,
thank you for your kind words. All of us at Inter Ordnance are dedicated to manufacture a quality product and offer best customer service to our customers. We appreciate your service and sacrifice for the great nations of ours.
Please contact Kathleen at 321-499-3800 ext 107 or [email protected] and make an appointment for SHOT. Ramzi and I will make sure that we will show you all our new products incl. the .45 Venom.
Best regards and see you in Vegas.
Uli
Today I contacted IO about a issue with a rifle I bought back in July, the fore end cap is extremely loose looks like the dove tail in the barrel was cut to deep, also the dust cover was rubbing the carrier so I ordered a new top cover and fixed that on my own, I tried to fix the problem by shimming the fore end cap but finally put some JB Weld in the dove tail to fill in the deep groove. Only one magazine was run through the rifle. Finally I broker down and called them and I filled out the RMA form on the web sight and we will see how this shakes out. I also had my dealer order me another rifle last week to get another look at the companys products. I will follow up on this issue and report the outcome..
Dear Sir,
I just talked to our customer care staff. As far as I understand you talked to Corey and Dave. They asked you to send the rifle in so that our senior gunsmith can look at your rifle and determine what is wrong.
We stand behind our product and we ill fix or exchange your rifle. No questions ask.
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
God Bless,
Uli
Thank you for your reply Mr Uli,
Got the RMA email this morning the rifle will be inbound tomorrow.
God Bless you Brother
Well, I finally got a chance to run 90 rounds thru the one I bought in Dec. Its accuracy was good. Nice tight groups.
However, I do have some concerns. When charging the weapon, more than a couple times the bolt would not fully feed a round into the chamber. The round wasn’t getting caught on anything that I could tell, it was more like there wasn’t enough spring tension to push the round out of the mag and fully into the breech. This happened a hand full of times out of 90 rounds. Even before I took it to the range and without a mag in, when just working the action back and forth the bolt still got held up from fully returning. I thought it might just need to be broken in, but that didn’t seem to be the case. I can’t say that I am fully disappointed in this weapon but I am certainly closer than when I initially bought it. I will try a few other things to see if I can’t help the feeding issue, but if those don’t work and it still semi-regularly has the same issue, I will be calling the I.O. Inc.
Tim,
One thing I noticed about the one i sent back was that the side of the bolt carrier was rubbing on the dust cover. I replaced the dust cover with a Russian version from KVAR and still noticed a little drag on the bolt. Keep in mind I hadnt even fired the weapon yet just manually cycling the bolt. I still noticed a little rough spot in the action so I took of the dust cover and carrier spring and thats when I saw the carrier rubbing on the rear sight block. Then I fired one magazine through the gun with no function issues but carrier rub could be your problem. I own a WASR now and have owned several SGL guns from Arsenal and never noticed these issues in those guns. Now with that being said I did have a issue with my SGL 31 and a canted front sight block. Any how I also have another I.O. AKM at my dealer that I havent even looked at yet, I am very happy with the service so far that I have received, sent mine back Friday. I would suggest taking the dust cover off , take the carrier spring out and manually cycle the bolt back and forth by hand and see if you have any areas rubbing are binding the carrier..I would bet you will see your problem pretty easy when you do this.When you take all this things out you will get some drag as the carrier goes over the hammer but as you clear the hammer and the piston starts to head home there should be zero drag or any binding.
Tim,
One last note make sure that you have no magazine in the weapon and also double check your chamber for any obstructions. This way you are reproducing your issues the same way before the range session. Since you said the weapon did it with no magazine in it i bet you will see carrier rub some where look for the black on the carrier to be worn.
Hello Tim, pleae take the recoil spring assembly out of the carrier then push the carrier past the hammer and see if the carrier goes all the way with ease. If not then the carrier is rubbing. If there’s no rubbing then grease or oil the recoil spring assembly so it’s not hanging up or slowing the carrier.
Please rest to sure that your rifle is under warranty and we will always take care of our customers. Please be safe meanwhile and call us with if you need any assistance.
Customer service 321 499 3817
or email [email protected]
God bless.
After doing a lot of research I found the issue to be caused by “bolt carrier hang” on the hammer. There’s a lot of videos on youtube. Mine is doing the same thing. basically the bottom of the bolt carrier is getting hung up on the blocky top of the hammer. The solution is to remove some material (obviously not TO much) from the blocky edge of the hammer, rounding it out and making it smoother and less “catch resistant”. I’m sure this will probably void my warranty but its an easy fix that’s easy to do and prevents me from having to ship my gun across country and wait for some other “fix” from the factory. This is not a bad mouth against I.O. Inc. as the bolt carrier hang happens on many other manufacturers guns as well. Maybe you guys can factor this issue in on the next generation designs. I’m back to being 98% happy with my product.(100% if I didn’t have to do a little filing) = )
Tim, I appreciate your response, every month I take a rifle out of the production line and do a torture test on it, usually after a few hundred rounds the hammer and the bottom of the carrier’s surface get smoother or polished up making it a lot easier for the carrier to overcome the pressure exerted by the hammer. your warranty still stands no worries. I thank you for buying our product and if there’s anything we can do please let us know.
It’s OK I will take 98% lol
God Bless
Quick update FedEx had Wednesday the 21 as the delivery day but delivered the weapon today 1-20-2015.
The weapon is in there hands now , I will follow up as soon as I get any status updates
Anyword on the Pioneer Arms SxS shotgun coming back????
Dear Sir,
During the SHOT show Mr. Michael Michalczuk, informed us that he will not be making the double barrel 12 GA shotguns anymore. We are sorry to have no better news for you.
Have a great weekend,
Uli Wiegand
@ Uli, that is truly sad news. Such a beautiful piece…truly it was. Thank you for responding.
Update IO Inc replaced the rifle I sent in with a new one, and I have received a tracking number showing Tuesday next week delivery. All I can say is WOW i will pick the replacement rifle up and the other sample I had my dealer order on Friday the 30th and report back on how they both look. Again WOW I am totally amazed at the service I have received, IO Inc has stood behind there product as they stated and thats what matters. So key board commando’s stay tuned !!!!
Picked up the replacement rifle today and a gave a quick look and noticed that they upgraded me to the version with the side rail, so that is a added bonus also noticed the handguard looks like the same stuff as on my Arsenal rifle overall gun looks great. I will run some rounds down range this weekend and give it a quick function test. Great service and will recommend to new buyers as well.
Thank You IO
God Bless
I would really consider the company as a whole however on there site it say clear:
The warranty is only valid applied to the original (first personal) owner of the firearm.
This alone makes me wonder the quality of a firearms, obviously neglect would not be covered but
a warranty only as good as owned tells me they do not think their product is good enough for resale of these
which occurs in thousands of FFL, many top manufacturer have warranties that cover the firearms not the person. I have seen reports saying I.O. covers regardless of ownership, however their website warranty information differs from that reported. So this article on this site “truthaboutgus.com is not accurate.
Inter Ordnance Shot Show News
As the president of Inter Ordnance I would like to keep you, our valued customers, updated on current events at Inter Ordnance. While at Shot Show, several of you had questions and comments regarding our new and growing manufacturing facility in Palm Bay, Florida and its effects on our quality and accuracy.
The move to Florida’s Space Coast was a huge success for Inter Ordnance. We are proud to say that all parts and components are new and manufactured here in the USA. We were able to hire dedicated and experienced former NASA personnel and veterans. We use state of the art Haas CNC mills and lathes, a California based company with the largest, most modern machine tool manufacturing operation in the U.S. Our engineering team designed several production methods which allows us to achieve a grouping of 100 yards of 1-2 inches MOA. Because we machine our forgings and castings in our state of the art machine shop, we were able to eliminate stress on the trunnion and barrel during the head spacing process, and machine and marry the trunnions to the receiver ensuring that the barrel and trunnion are always 100% aligned.
We achieve such quality and accuracy by starting with 100% U.S. made brand new mil spec parts. Picture an engine. In a brand new engine, all parts are new and manufactured to specification. If you use old parts in a new motor, none of the parts are 100% matching or aligned. So it is obvious that longevity and gas mileage will never be as good as with brand new parts. It is exactly the same with firearms. If you use used and worn components from mismatched guns like trunnions, bolt heads, etc., then you will never achieve a 100% fit from used parts. Because of this, we now offer a service to the home builders to provide them with brand new mil spec parts, made right here at the Space Coast. Please contact us at [email protected] for more information.
We believe in our product and are confident in its performance and quality, which is why we offer a lifetime warranty on our production. This warranty is also transferrable to a new owner, as long as the new owner registers the product with us.
We encourage our Inter Ordnance customers to check out our new Venom .45 ACP 1911 pistol. The pistol is now in production, and will be delivered shortly to our distributors and dealers.
We truly appreciate the positive comments made in person at the Shot Show, and on the various forums on the web. We are working hard to provide to you a quality product made entirely in the U.S.A. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me or my staff directly. We are here for anything you may need.
God Bless
Uli Wiegand
President, Inter Ordnance
Uli ,I just read your post and was impressed ,Your AK-47,s are this accurate at 100 yards? all of them? Our engineering team designed several production methods which allows us to achieve a grouping of 100 yards of 1-2 inches MOA. Id love to see that,Do you have a Range you use in Melbourne.I am in Port Saint John ,And I have several different AK-47,s a Polish Tantal also a couple Norinco,s one in 5.56 the other is a standard 7.62×39 I dont think I have been able to get any of the calibers to shoot that well at 100 yds except the 5.56 caliber the Tantal is a 5.45×39 as im sure you know also .I think I might be interested in buying a few of those if they are garunteed to shoot as good as you say when first bought .and they are reliable as you say,plus there are no issues with them when they arrive.I really do not like buying firearms that spend more time in the shop that im shooting them,Im not saying thats the case with yours,I just know AK-47 Rifles are not known for the best accuracy.But I do agree with you that building a firearm from a used parts kit is and can be hard to get the optimum accuracy out of it as if the parts are not from the same parts kit rifle they all have worn differently and you get a sloppy built used rifle than can be inaccurate ,But like you say when you build a rifle from all new quality manufactured parts using a quality steel machined to spec when you build that rifle it will be as tight as it was intended to be for a new rifle,lets face it AK-47 rifles are not known for tight specs and for a reason so they continue to function when dirty,dropped in mud holes and used in bad weather conditions sand etc,loose tollerances kept them going in Vietnam and other conflicts when the M-16 rifle in the same conditions put our troops at risk early on because of the tight specs and tollerences and misconception they did not need to be cleaned when they first were being sent in to the field a big mistake.I think New firearms all the parts need to seat together after at least 200 to 300 rounds depending on the firearm,once parts are seated together they run like a finely tuned greased sewing machine .Personaly id like to Build one of your kits from all new parts being a very experienced rifle builder,of the M-14,M1 Garand,AK-47,M1 Carbine ,1903 Springfield Rifle and the 1903A3 springfields AR-15 rifles all variations and an expert in these and accurizeing them along with many other Military rifles from WW-I to present day.I have been trained in two different U.S. Armory programs for the M1 Garand and the M14 rifle building and accurizeing them to match spefications.Presently Im Retired and maintain my own sizeable collection of Military weapons and a Accessories some others.I do enjoy watching your fin ds in ethopia but have only ordered one firearm from your shipments as I had to completly disassemble and restore each part keeping it as original condition as i could,looks good now,But the Barrel was a big Disappointment .Definatly like a sewer pipe but it did have grooves and lans so i got it to clean up but it is extreemly pitted inside,So its a shooter for sure ill shoot it till i find a better barrel I dont think thats going to be easy.But anyways seeing the dusty dry conditions id hoped the barrels would be better,I recieved a Rifle from a source in Nepal ,This rifle was kept in a local cave the bore was packed with fine dusty dirt like i saw in ethopia .I saw it and said Oh no,Thats going to be toast.I dumped the dirt out cleaned it and it looks like a brand new barrel inside.Aparently the fine dry dusty dirt kept moisture away from the inside walls of that barrel in the cave.So really in conditions like your rifles come from,You never know what you might find.So I may take another chance on one of those one day also. Reguards, James W Persinger, CEO Big guns and bullseyes Inc
Picked up the replacement rifle today and a gave a quick look and noticed that they upgraded me to the version with the side rail, so that is a added bonus also noticed the handguard looks like the same stuff as on my Arsenal rifle overall gun looks great. I will run some rounds down range this weekend and give it a quick function test. Great service and will recommend to new buyers as well.
Thank You IO
God Bless
I’ve purchased 5 AK47’s from IO Inc over the years (2 Black, 1 Laminated Wood, 1 w/FDE Furniture, and one of there Polish models) . The first one I purchased (Black) was definitely not one of their better rifles. The finish was subpar to say the least and had the worst mag wobble but all in all it shot well. I just couldn’t get over the mag wobble and sold it. The AK with the laminated furniture looked like someone didn’t want to fit the butstock in properly and left a slight gap between the receiver (easy fix) but should’ve been caught by QC. It to shot well. The AK with the FDE furniture also has mag wobble but hasn’t seen any range time yet. So, that leaves me with 1 Black rifle that looks good and shoots great and the Polish model that looks great and shoots great. Really don’t wanna get rid of the FDE AK. Just may test out their warranty. With all that said, I’ve never experienced any failures of any kind.
Dear Sir,
please let us know the serial # of your firearm. I am sure the rifles you own or owned were manufactured in NC.
None of our in FL produced firearms have any magazine wobble. All magazines fit tight and secure.
Also our finish of the is top military grade quality maganese phosphate. As we stated over and over again. We guarantee our US-manufactured products with a Life-Time warranty. If you are not 100% satisfied, please send in the gun and we will repair or exchange it. Our products are 100% US made and our staff consists mostly of veterans and former NASA employees.
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me directly at [email protected] or our head of engineering Ramzi at [email protected].
God Bless,
Uli
You are correct sir, all of the rifles in question were manufactured in NC. As requested I’ve sent an email with a pic of the serial # and a short video. Like I said previously all the rifles that were shot functioned flawlessly. Besides some QC issues with fit and finish, I’m still a loyal customer. Not looking for any hand outs here.
Dear Sir,
Thank you for your kind words. We at Inter Ordnance take quality, reliability and customer service serious.
We forged an excellent team here in Florida who are dedicated to manufacturing the best possible product and have best customer service. If you ever need anything, please do not hesitate to contact me or my staff.
God Bless,
Uli
So far my experience has been far from good. 1st problem the magazine they sent was bad. (They did send a new one for free but still really?!?) 2nd Problem I was also sent two additional I.O mags from the dealer I purchased the gun from because of a mix up. One of the two mags sent again was faulty. So at this point we have a 50% failure rate in regards to there magazines. Well this all really inconsequential, being that the Pièce de résistance here is the gun! Which is a total f*&#ing disaster. 3rd Problem, This is because they simply do not know how to manufacture an proper AK variant. The cut outs for the BCG to be removed from near the rear trunnion are to long about 2 and 1/2 mm to long. This results in the BCG popping out of the receiver during cycling. One side of the BCG will stay in the rail and the other will grind on the top of the receiver which results in a fail to load. The attempted to fix this with a piece of rubber that is about 1″ thick. This piece sits on the recoil spring at the rear trunnion stopping the BCG from going all of the way to the rear and popping out! However the problem hear is this also causes the firearm to short cycle because it doesn’t have enough force to fully cycle. Now I will admit it does not happen every cycle but it does happen enough so that I would not rely on this firearm for anything accept some plinking (Even then though it will likely just result in frustration at the fact that I am having to hold the bolt open for every 6 rounds to clear the chamber.) In addition to all of that the bolt hold open the designed into the safety selector is simply pointless and dangerous. It does not hold the bolt very well. you can bump the gun and the bolt will slam shut. If you just oiled your gun then DO NOT USE THIS. This slide will not stay in place if you oiled you gun recently. All in all this is the worst AK variant I have ever owned ever. I’ve owned the old CAI crap job WASR 10’s and at least they shot well. They may have had canted sights, rough finish and missing cleaning rod but at least these were problems that could be solved with little effort.
Just viewed an email sent to me by Ramzi stating that I am responsible for the shipping both ways but the rifle does have a lifetime warranty. The rifle in question has pretty serious mag wobble (Too bad I can’t upload a short video of it) and it’s clearly a poorly manufactured receiver. So……
1. Customer pays retail for the rifle
2. Rifle needs “lifetime warranty” service
3. Customer pays shipping both ways
4. Customer winds up paying above retail for a rifle that should’ve been 100% from the manufacturer
I don’t mind paying to ship the rifle (even though I shouldn’t have to) but both ways is a little too much. By the time it’s all said and done you’re paying $50-$60 or more on shipping. Loyalty should go both ways.
Ray, it’s funny that when I spoke to you on the phone you didn’t complain about the shipping. Your rifle is one that was made in NC not FL, back then when you purchased the rifle IO had a limited warranty since the rifles they assembled were made from surplus and not new US made parts like they are now.
I reached out to you and told you we will fix it for free and if we can’t we will replace it although the rifle didn’t have a lifetime warranty.you should have called years ago when you bought it and said that the magazine fits loosely, but instead you decided to go on the forum and make it sound negative.
it’s funny you said that you own 5 IO rifles if the first one was bad why buy 4 more?
we will wait for your rifle and will fix it and also add the extra translucent magazines to offset your shipping as promised on the phone. Thanks
I am very pleased with my ak-47 sporter, I bought it brand new a hour from where I live I wanted a wasr 10 but I went with your American made ak. Do you guys have affordable wood hand guard set I purchased a surplus stock from apex. I have a fold able grip on the hand guard set I been trying to trade for another set ,and people have over priced sets how much would you guys sell a set? id love to have a set like on your one aks with the polish stock set.
Zach, thanks for your business. Please visit royaltigerimports.com. You will find new wood stock sets on this site.
Have a great weekend.
God Bless,
Uli
Uli, I just purchase an ak sporter yesterday i went strait to the rang shot about 5 rounds out of it before it started jamming. It ejects the round good but the bolt hadle won’t go forward all the way 1/4″ gap and I can’t pull it back to extract either Leaving a live round jammed. And I have to dissemble and use more pressure the. I feel nessicary to eject the live round and get the bolt handle to release.
Gabriel, sorry you are having cycling issues, I wish you called customer service as they can assist you better than the contacting Uli on the forum. I will get in touch with you today to get your serial number and we will take care of you right away. thanks
Gabriel, thanks for contacting me personally. I am sorry that you have an issue with our product.
Please advise the serial # of the firearm and ammunition you used. Also did you lubricate your firearm.
Our firearms are made with brand new parts and usually firearms need a break in period.
All firearms go through a rigorous quality control process at the plant and each firearm is test fired with 3 rounds.
Please contact customer service at 321-499-3800. All our products are warrantied for life.
God Bless,
Uli
Thanks for getting back to me. I have been emailing back and fourth with your team and am going to send the weapon back for a fixing. I’m just a little dissapointed that it’s brand new and needs to be fixed. Thanks though for getting back to me.
After actions review: I posted earlier in this thread about the charging bolt hanging up and not cycling a round. After I did some careful filing and smoothing out of the hammer that problem is now fixed.
I recently used my I.O. Inc. AK in a tactical rifle class. I shot between 400-500 rds over 6 hrs and I’m pleased to say that there were ZERO issues with the rifle. Every round went in, a bang was made, and every case came out! All bullets hit their mark! I am pleased with the product and the price.
Tim, thanks for your kind words. We at Inter Ordnance stand behind our products. All our firearms are manufactured in the US. All our products are backed by a life-time warranty.
We appreciate your business and if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us.
God Bless,
Uli
I’m newer to the AK platform and I would like to buy an entry level rifle. I’ve been considering the I.O. m247c or the N-pap. Can anyone comment on their experiences with these guns? I would like to know how the current production I.O. AKs are versus comparable rifles such as the WASR 10 or N-pap. I’ve done some research on my own and it sounds like you get nice quality from the N-pap, but I’m also impressed with what I’ve read about I.O. on here.
Thanks for any feedback!
Dear sir,
thanks for considering our product. Our products are entirely manufactured in the US. Most of our employees are veterans and former Nasa personal. The other products you mentioned are made in Yugoslavia and Romania.
Our products are backed by a lifetime warranty and by excellent customer service. If you have any questions, please fee free to contact us by e-mail or by phone. 321-499-3800.
God Bless,
Uli Wiegand
I’m really torn between an IO rifle or an import. It sounds like my options are go with an import and get a mechanically sound rifle with rough finishing or go with an IO rifle which is American made and very nice looking… but it sounds like many customers have mechanical issues with them.
I understand that IO has changed a lot recently but I’m having difficulty finding more recent reviewing of the newly made rifles. It would be really nice to see more reviewing of current production IO AKs. I just don’t want to invest in a rifle and end up sending it back and forth for repairs (although I know that happens at times with all manufacturers).
Dear Sir,
there are plenty of recent reviews. Please go to classicfirearms.com, atlanticfirearms.com etc.
The choice is yours. Our rifles are 100% mechanically sound. We are so confident taht we back them up by a life-time warranty. They are engineered and tested by former Nasa personal.
God Bless.
Uli
Alright, I’ll give it a try. I’ll try to keep others posted about my experience if it helps.
We are here for our customers. We are confident that you will love our product.
Please keep me personally posted. My e-mail is [email protected].
Thanks for your trust in our products.
God Bless
Uli
Classicfirearms.com sent me an email saying that I.O. Inc. is increasing prices on their AK line. I already ordered a rifle, but is this true? and if so was therean actual announcement on the matter from anyone else?
Dear Sir, this is the announcement which was sent to our customers. Also please have in mind that we provide full benefits for our employees incl, health insurance, dental insurance, 401K, paid vacation, etc.
Unfortunately cost are going up.
Dear valued customer,
On behalf of the Inter Ordnance INC team, I would like to thank you for your continued loyalty and support. We are humbled and honored to becoming the #1 brand for domestically produced AK 47 rifles and will work diligently to remain your supplier of quality firearms made in the USA. We appreciate your business, and will always find ways to continue to provide you with the highest quality products and services our industry has to offer.
As you are aware, there have been a number of events that have directly and indirectly impacted our industry and economy, such as the rise in inflation, energy and health insurance costs, just to name a few. We have attempted to do our best in managing these internally through a series of increased plant efficiencies, cost down measures and other activities. At this point, we can no longer buffer our valued customers from these rising input costs and are forced to pass along a modest increase so we can maintain the same level of service and quality that you expect from Inter Ordnance INC.
Effective May 1st, 2015, we will implement a price increase of about 6% on our full portfolio of US made firearms. All orders must be received, confirmed via an order acknowledgement and shipped by 5:00 EST, May 1st to be invoiced at current pricing. Any confirmed orders placed prior to May 1st with confirmed ship dates will be honored at your current price. Any new orders received after May 1st , 2015 will be invoiced at the new price. Inter Ordnance INC reserves the right to limit quantities. Your Territory Business Manager or sales representative is available to answer any questions you may have. Additionally, please feel free to contact Kathleen at [email protected] for any questions.
It is our continued responsibility to set standards for best practices that will strengthen and grow our industry. Aligning yourself with an innovative domestic and global leader such as I.O.INC during these times will assure your business a continued long term supply of high quality products and value for the markets we service together.
The Inter Ordnance INC Promise ensures you of our commitment to provide the highest quality products, technical expertise, exceptional customer service, and the broadest portfolio of solutions in the industry.
God Bless,
Uli
I’m in the market for my first AK and I’m down to two options, being on limited income.
I can either get a parts kit and slowly work at having someone build it for me, or I could go for an AKM247C. While I know all about I.O.’s reputation for not just poorly made firearms, but potentially life threatening firearms (parts guns with over-sized gas ports and improperly headspaced barrels) I realize that this was all in the past at the old facility with worse tools and worse employees.
I’m willing to give the new rifles a shot especially after some of the reviews directly from consumers on youtube, but there are two things keeping me from pulling the trigger, so to speak.
1. As seen in the video below, it seems as though the AKM247C has improperly drilled holes in the rear trunnion for the screws that retain the buttstock. They are too deep and too large. The Handguard retainers also seem to be somewhat loose as his handguard nearly came off as he handled the rifle. These rifles look lovely but the fit of the parts I’m seeing leaves a lot to be desired. While he did manage to fix the problem himself, it should exist to begin with. His three review videos showing the problem are as follows:
Overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fdkpS2Up-U
Range test and stock breaks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_RDVI9CRx4&feature=youtu.be
Stock fixed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXCgUU5CKQw
2. I have heard from others that very important components such as the Bolt Carrier Group (and maybe even the trunnions) are cast rather than forged. Why on earth would I.O. use an inferior method of creating such an important part? Cast components are weaker than forged components and this could be dangerous when it comes to a part that takes as much of a beating from recoil as the BCG does. While I could replace the BCG with a genuine forged polish Bolt carrier I should not have to pay $50 for an additional part to ensure the long term safe and proper functioning of the rifle.
Now, there is a third thing but not really important to me. The AKM247c has this very oddly shaped pistol grip for some reason yet it claims to be the “classic” build. Meanwhile the Polymer AKM247 has the correct “polish style” shaped pistol grip that is commonly seen on real AKMs. What’s the deal with the cheap ugly plastic grip on the classic version when they obviously have the correct polymer grip available on the base model?
I’m really on the fence here leaning heavily toward the AKM247c as I don’t like the way WASRs or Yugo AKs look, but these issues are very off putting. Should I put my trust in I.O. Inc?
Just recieved my akm247c from classicfirearms.com. All of the rivets look great, fit and finish is good, and the other components including the stock/handgaurd are tight. My only concern is that the bolt seems to be snagging a little on the hammer. I haven’t had a chance to take the rifle to the range yet, but I wont complain if it cycles. I was also on the fence and ended up purchasing this rifle along with a thumb-hole stock Yugo N-Pap. The N-Pap is smoother, but difficult to customize. I also looked at a few WASRs, but the ones I’ve seen were very rough. I love the look of the I.O. akm247c, and as long as it cycles well, I will be a very happy customer. I will try to run a few hundred rounds through the I.O. As soon as possible and comment on its functionality.
Took my akm247c to the range today and I put about 200 rounds through it without a problem. Despite being very hesitant to purchase this rifle, I am now a very happy customer! I feel like I got a lot for my money with this rifle. I will keep people updated if there are any problems in the future, but at this point I’m very satisfied. Also, I agree with others and I’m not a fan of the classic grip that I.O. makes. I replaced it with the traditional style cheap grip, but I will admit that I.O.s custom made grip is much more comfortable.
Dear Eli,
I just read the comments on this post and must say I’m sorry to see the attacks waged on your Company and Product. Seems there are many childish AK shooters that want a $2000 rifle for $400 and a lifetime warranty to boot. I’ve never owned an AK but after seeing the bizarre and childish tantrums of supposed Honorable American Riflemen I’m ready to give IO a second chance on principal alone. I’d like to ask if you’d build a rifle for me?
Eli, one thing to consider regarding IO. Business has a long memory. You may be better recieved by simply rebranding your company as you move into this new era of quality control and customer service. Much as DDI did as it reinvented itself.
Sincerely yours,
Lee in Arizona
According to the new rifles I’ve actually seen that have come out of their factory, they are still very poorly riveted and the gas port is still dangerously over-drilled. I came here earlier asking if the rifles were better since their movie to Florida as I was willing to give them a chance. You are better off going to an LGS to check some of them out for yourself and ensure the receiver says it was made in Florida, not Monroe, NC.
Quality on these rifles has not improved at all. You can only cut so many corners.
As for DDI, they did not rebrand themselves. DDI is not just Waffenwerks rebranded, they purchased Waffenwerks. The difference between them and IO is that they are using Like New Hungarian Parts kits (already in spec) and have people who know what they are doing putting them together.
Dylan, if this is your real name or not, this is Uli Wiegand.
I am sorry but what you are saying is simply not the truth. I wonder if you ever handled one of our firearms personally or took one to the range.
-Rivets are formed by a machine. They are all perfectly set and finished.
-Gas port. It is absolutely in its limits. We use the upper limit to guarantee always enough gas pressure since ammunition varies. You want your firearm to work!
We have the original Russian/ Polish blue prints. Come to Florida and see for yourself.
There is no need to further comment on your posting. I encourage everyone who is in the market for an AK to go to your stocking gun dealer and check out our firearms.
The products speaks for itself. I and my staff are always there for our customers. I can be reached by e-mail [email protected] and by phone. 321-499-3800. I also encourage you to schedule a factory tour to see how we manufacture our firearms. Actually you can see the birth of a US made AK 47. At the end of the tour you will be able to test fire the rifles.
God Bless,
Uli Wiegand
I just purchased a Florida-built M214 AK47 and I was absolutely amazed at the fit and finish of the gun. I have never felt a more robust, tight, straight and nicely finished AK. No mag rattle, no front end rattle, a stock that fits a normal sized adult, rails o’plenty, a great trigger and remarkably light weight sold me on the gun. I should have a case of 7.62 on my doorstep when I get home from work in the morning. Won’t get to the range until next week though! I am quite confident it will perform well. One question, should the gun have come with rubber rail covers? If so, there were none in the box. Thank you, Uli, for your candor and willingness to answer questions from all angles.
Lee, thank you so much for your comments.
I know we had some issues in NC. It was hard to find dedicated and qualified staff up there. This was the reason we moved to Florida`s space coast. Ramzi and I commented on the measures and improvement and our manufacturing progress earlier on various forums. We are proud to employ veterans and former NASA personal at our plant. Our workforce is dedicated and qualified. Also our engineering staff and especially Ramzi redesigned the manufacturing process and each manufacturing step has jigs and checking devices to make sure that there is always a perfect fit and finish. In addition to this we developed a special technology to make our guns more accurate. Our rifles shoot on 100 yards 2”. This is unheard of an AK.
People who still attack us and post negative comments about our current production firearms, simply never handled rifles which were manufactured in FL nor took them to the range. It might be also the competition. We know that we are manufacturing a superior firearm. We spend a lot of time, effort and money to design and manufacture the technology and tooling to give you, our customer a superior prtoduct made in the USA.
So comments of gas holes being too large or sights are canted are “non sense”. Our gas hole is within specs. We deliberate made it on the upper limits to insure the firearm works when you need it. Enough gas pressure is important since not all ammunition is the same. You want your firearm to work. I challenge everyone who made this comment. We know what we are talking about. We have the original factory blue prints and everyone who makes false accusations can be proven wrong.
I invite everyone who is interested and especially people who write on these forums “not the truth”, to our plant to see for themselves our production process, the assembly and they can also test fire each firearm we manufacture.
In my opinion there is no need to rebranding or any other name changes. Every successful company had their ups and down in the past and one only learns through mistakes. Me personally, my staff and my company stand behind every firearm we manufacture and which leaves our plant. This is my we warrant our products for life.
And yes, we can manufacture a firearms for you. I invite you to come to Florida and you will see the birth of an US made AK 47.
Customers comment all the time how nice our guns are, the fit and finish, the smoothness of the action and the accuracy. They wonder that our firearms are half the price of the imported competition and are of much better quality and especially that they are made right in the USA.
Lee, if you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. [email protected] is my e-mail address and my phone # at the plant is 321-499-3800. We are closed this week in observance of the 4th of July holiday. We will be back in the office on the 13th.
God Bless
Uli
Thank you Uli. That is very kind of you. As I said, I’ve never owned an AK but from what you’ve said here, and the info you’ve shared, I would be very much interested in shooting, and perhaps owning, an IO AK.
Sincerely yours,
Lee
I have been looking at buying my first rifle recently. My uncle (USMC) took me shooting recently and we shot his M4, M1911 and Old Garand. It was a good time and I was thinking about getting my own rifle now that I’ve saved a little bit of money.
Some of the guys at his gun club/ranhe were bashing AKs (not uncommon for AR15 guys)
I did some research myself and talked to a couple buddies who shoot and both agreed an AK is a good beginner rifle.
I was looking at a Yugo M70 NPAP, RAS47 and CAI Saiga convert AK47. The forums I look around in, tend to bash the IO rifles pretty badly.
However after looking around, it appears that since the move to the USA and the new line of rifles (M214, 247, 247T) the quality may have improved and there is a limited lifetime warranty behind it. I assume it wouldn’t be very profitable to heavily warranty a rifle that’s going to keep coming back. This reminds me of the evolution of Kia/Hyundai.
So I started looking at the newer IO rifles a bit (avoiding the older ones) and am intrigued but hesitant. I don’t want to have asked for advice in my forum, only to entirely disregard it, then look dumb when I get a rifle that is subpar.
However the M247T has a lot of what I want. It’s new, made in USA (which is a big bonus to me), comes with a case, mags, nice rail, side rail and flash suppressor, as well as a lifetime warranty.
So I need some advice on whether I should “pull the trigger” on this, or go with something with a bit better track record (Yugo M70/NPAP, Saiga, C39-V2 WASR)? Arsenals are out of my current price range. DDIs are a bit high too.
Any input is greatly appreciated.
I’d highly recommend the WASR. It’s a cheap entry point and the money you save compared to other rifles can be spent upgrading an accessorizing it to suit your tastes. I’d recommend buying from Atlantic Firearms as well as they’ll perform some quality control checks for you to make sure mags fit decently and that the sights aren’t canted.
The IO aks have always been made in the USA, they just moved from one state to another. They no longer come with a case to my knowledge, at least that’s what Atlantic said.
From what I understand, they were assembled in the USA before, but not entirely made. I believe they are entirely made here now.
In regard to the case, You may be correct, but many of the sites are still advertising them as coming with a case.
In regard to saving money with a WASR, I don’t see how that’s possible.. IOs are as little as $499 (M214). The nicer M247-T is $549. The decent WASRs are about $599.
A quality control checked WASR at Atlantic Firearms is $569. You’re saving money compared to more expensive rifles and you’re getting something that has been confirmed to be of decent quality now. Go to forums like Akfiles, image boards such as 4chan’s /k/ board, or even youtube and you’ll see that while some of the I.O. Inc rifles are okay, a fair number of them are still arrive with grievous issues such as improperly riveted receivers.
No disrespect to the man who owns I.O. inc but his employees are still manufacturing sub par products for him.
If I were you I’d go with the WASR if only so you know you’re getting a decent rifle for your budget rather than risking it with I.O. just because it’s about $50-60 cheaper.
OK, I understand what you’re saying. I tend to do a ton of research and analyze (probably overanalyze) every purchase I make that is of any consequence. A $500+ purchase is a big purchase for me. The last thing I want is to be disappointed.
A lot of the guys at the range are going to want to shoot it and they will likely be judgemental if it shoots poorly (don’t really care, just don’t feel like listening to them sqawk). It would’ve been nice to shut them up with a good quality, accurate (AND American made) AK.
I know at closer to $599, I’ll have a hard time choosing between the WASR, CAI Saiga convert, Yugo M70AB2 underfolder and RAS47.
This will cause gray hairs…
Can you throw me a link to the Century Saiga? Saiga are typically very well regarded rifles but who knows what century did to it. The Yugos aren’t that bad but in a video review by someone fairly well known in the AK community, Rob Ski, he managed to break the Yugo ak during his tests.
So far it seems to be the only rifle to have outright failed.
Ryan, I read your comments and questions on this forum.
I know you have many AK rifle manufacturers to chose from. The Wasar is Romanian made and in our opinion of inferior quality. I urge you to go to a gun shop and check them out. We imported guns from Romania in the past and we decided not to import this product anymore.
Along with the Wasar, the Arsenal, Zastava and Russian products, all of these rifles are imported and 922 (r) converted. If you are looking to buy a brand new gun, made from brand new parts made in the USA at an affordable price we are the only company to chose from. I personally guarantee our customers the quality and we are so confident in our products that we back it up by a life time warranty.
In addition to this most of our production staff is consisting of veterans and former NASA personnel. Last but not least we recently brought a new production engineer, Mr.Eduardo on board. Eduardo was with Taurus for more than 20 years and brings a well of knowledge to our organization. We have many new products to come online shortly.
You can read comments Ramzi, I and happy customers made on this forum and:
classicfirearms.com
atlanticfirearms.com
etc.
We at Inter Ordnance are committed to manufacture the best product at affordable pricing right here in the US.
Again, please visit your local gun dealer and compare our firearms to other AK rifles. You will see a huge difference in quality, fit and finish.
God Bless,
Uli Wiegand
http://www.topgunsupply.com/izmash-saiga-ak-47-style-rifle-7-62×39-16.html
Well hot damn. If you managed to find a mostly converted Saiga for that price I’d recommend you jump all over it. They are arguably some of the best AKs you can get in the state, maybe better or as good than Arsenal AKs. You could always convert the front end of it later but the Saiga will serve you well.
Thanks for the reply guys.
It says something when the owner of the company cares enough to personally take the time to read and respond to simple inquiries such as mine.
I will be going to a couple local gunships and looking at a few different AKs. I know a few shops I visited a couple years ago only carried CAI WASRs and IO AKs.
The only reason that I feel this may be somewhat inaccurate is because gun shops will likely have already inspected their guns and fixed or sent back anything that is noticeably flawed.
On the other hand, my main concern regarding the IOs was potential defects from the factory. If I know I can get ahold of someone quickly (in the event there is some issue) and have my rifle repaired in a reasonable amount of time while covered under warranty, that makes a big difference.
Uli, I did some research on you and your company and it looks like you guys brought in some outside help to help with manufacturing and quality control in your new location.
It is refreshing to see an American company admit they might not know everything and be willing to bring in outside expertise when necessary.
Well I have some thinking to do, at least now I have the info to make a decision with.
Thanks for everyone who took the time to respond.
Ryan, thanks for your quick response.
I strongly recommend to go to your stocking gun dealer and compare our product to the other AK rifles.
I know you will pick ours.
Please let me know what you think after you have compared the products.
My e-mail is [email protected]
Best regards
Uli
not sure if I should take a chance with IO or go for the wasr10 looking to buy soon
Uli,
I have to agree with alot of these comments being personally and financially disappointed with your products in the past!!!! I am retired and 62 years old and have a number of friends looking for a good product but Icannot afford to take another hit hope you continue to improve your products in the future.
Past unhappy customer,
Phil, thanks for your comment.
I am sorry that you were unhappy with our products in the past.
I cannot make un happen what was done in the past. But what everyone agrees on, is that since we moved down to the space coast our firearms are perfect in fit and finish, accuracy and reliability. Also our friendly and prompt customer service team impresses our customers.
Please feel free to ask the moderator of the forum to publish some comments and also visit our site.
We had a media and buyers event at the plant last week. So the nationwide firearms media and distributors could get a first hand impression about the firearms manufactured at Inter Ordnance.
I would like to extend a loyalty discount to you. Please feel free to contact me at work 321-499-3800 ext 102 or e-mail at [email protected]. I will discuss the discount then with you. Please also feel free to go to your local gun shop and really take a close look at our rifles. You will see that our rifles are equal or better than Arsenal firearms at half their price. God Bless,
Uli
I just purchased a Florida-built M214 AK47 and I was absolutely amazed at the fit and finish of the gun. I have never feI just purchased a Florida-built M214 AK47 and I was absolutely amazed at the fit and finish of the gun. I have never felt a more robust, tight, straight and nicely finished AK. No mag rattle, no front end rattle, a stock that fits a normal sized adult, rails o’plenty, a great trigger and remarkably light weight sold me on the gun. I should have a case of 7.62 on my doorstep when I get home from work in the morning. Won’t get to the range until next week though! I am quite confident it will perform well. One question, should the gun have come with rubber rail covers? If so, there were none in the box. Thank you, Uli, for your candor and willingness to answer questions from all angles.lt a more robust, tight, straight and nicely finished AK. No mag rattle, no front end rattle, a stock that fits a normal sized adult, rails o’plenty, a great trigger and remarkably light weight sold me on the gun. I should have a case of 7.62 on my doorstep when I get home from work in the morning. Won’t get to the range until next week though! I am quite confident it will perform well. One question, should the gun have come with rubber rail covers? If so, there were none in the box. Thank you, Uli, for your candor and willingness to answer questions from all angles.
Brian, tanks for your comments.
We appreciate the kind words. Please let me know what you think about the rifle once you took it out to the range. Please feel free to contact our customer support team or me personally anytime. 321-499-3800 ext 102. Again thank you for purchasing an Inter Ordnance product. God Bless, Uli
Hello, Uli.
I took the rifle to the range today and, unfortunately, have mixed reviews. The good: it functioned flawlessly with metal or poly mags and the trigger is really nice. The bad: the rifle will not shoot to point of aim….the front sight block is canted to the right (and/or rear sight block is out of spec…seems a little bit biased to the left over bore centerline) such that max amount of front sight post drift to the left cannot bring impact to POA. It still shoots left three inches at 25 yards, benchrested, zero wind. Just to make sure I wasn’t having a bad day, I pulled my DPMS M4 and had no problems hitting the 200 yard gong with iron sights and that was offhand. So, I have a crooked M214 rifle. Could I fix it? Yes, I have the shop knowledge and experience to do so. Should I have to? NO. Do you actually sight the rifles for rough POA/POI agreement prior to shipment or just function test? Also, the clear mag will not load beyond about ten rounds…just jams up. I will send a sample target along with the rifle upon receipt of RMA number. Thank you.
Brian,
I am David Keen the Customer Service manager at I.O. I am sorry about the sites and mag. I would like you to fill out an RMA submit form on our site located here. http://www.ioinc.us/rma-submit-form.html Once this form is filled out I will call you and see what we can do about your issues on the weapon. Again we are sorry to hear about it but we will try and see what we can do to make this right.
Get ready Brian. They’re going to want you to pay to ship it to them for repair and then pay for return shipping. That’s their lifetime warranty, you’ve got to shell out more money for a product that should’ve been 100%.
Brian, thanks for your comment. I have asked our customer care supervisor to contact you and give you a call tag.
I do not understand that the rifle has a canted sight since each rifle should go through various jigs and measuring devices during the production process. But then again, humans put the products together and not robots. Mistakes can happen.
Please get with Dave and he will take good care of you. Once we have a tracking # we will send you a replacement rifle.
I am looking forward to receiving your gun to investigate the cause of the canted sight.
Regarding the magazine, we do not know why it was blocked at 10rds. Since you did buy the gun from local retailer it is most likely he modified the magazine to state and local law.
I am sorry for the inconvenience and please feel free to contact me anytime at 321-499-3800 ext 102 or [email protected].
Please let me assure you that we stand behind our products and you are covered by a life-time warranty.
God Bless,
Uli
Ray, I wonder if you are an Inter Ordnance gun owner or had any personal experience with our organization?
Just asking, since we DO take care of our customers if we are at fault.
God Bless,
Uli
Yes Uli, I WAS an owner and have had experience with your organization and your so called “life-time” warranty. In order to get my rifle repaired, your “organization” required that I pay to ship it to you and pay to ship it back to me. So now the consumer is paying $50-$70 more for a firearm that should’ve been 100%.
Change your policy!! Send out a shipping label and if the repair is under warranty fix it and ship it back on your dime. If the repair is not under warranty, then require the consumer to pay for the repair and shipping back to them. That’s a warranty!!!
Ray. Thanks for your reply. Please provide serial # of the firearm and your name and I will do some research.
Stand by and I will get back with you. God Bless. Uli
If you do business with Uli Wiegand you are putting money in the pockets of a guy who collaborated with the BATF to ban surplus 5.45×39 ammunition for millions of people.
IO and Royal Tiger are more toxic to American gun owners than the old commie S&W owners of the 80s and 90s ever were…
Who ever MastaDon is.
You are flat out not saying the truth. We are importers as well and we got hit with millions of rds of ammunition which we could not import.
We would never work against our 2nd amendment rights nor the firearms community.
I do not understand where you are coming from nor what you are talking about. This a baseless accusation and a lie.
I personally have a record of fighting for our gun rights and can prove this anytime.
So if you are a man of integrity you might want to come forward and let all of us know your name and source of this false statement.
God Bless,
Uli Wiegand
Yeah this comment regarding Uli colluding with the sleezier parts of our government to restrict our access to 5.45 ammo seems a bit out there.
When you said this, I searched for some kind of proof for about an hour and couldn’t find anything. I couldn’t see someone who relies upon the health of the AK industry in the USA, wanting to hurt it.
Can you provide a link to this information?
Hi guys..my name is sanborn I am an ex army paratrooper.I belonged to 1/509 airborne vicensa italy best line unit in the world..I know my way around weapons ,I have several.I purchased 4 akm 247 from io..they are made very well,,I was just at the range this weekend and some guy told me my io was crap,,so I looked at the source,,here is a kid who had no military experience, ,,took a piced together russian yugo ak and then steelwooled the weapon to make it look like a battlefield pick up ,,,what a pud,,,believe nothing you hear and half what you see,,most trash talk comes from guys who dont evan own one,,and the guy went on about cast parts ,,he really knew nothing ,,4140 steel is great ,,heat treated evan better,,nitrad barrel, ,smoken,,,,,one more thing ,some crybabies are saying it is overgassed,,,your woreout sloppy made ak has so much blow over it isnt funny,,io is made to print on cnc machines,,tolerance is tight,,on a battle field or a real deal gunfight I want that round to be ejected eavan if it gets bent in half and the next one put into the chamber,,no matter what,,,remember its a weapon ,,,not a gun
No ryan ,,,he is full of it,,he has had since nov 10 to reply ,,youll never hear from him again ,,perfect example of what i said,,,
So I bought my AKM247C a few weeks ago and took it to the rangethis padt Sat.
I purchase was based on the review by this website and a few other boards. I was aware go the move from NC to FL.
Here are my impressions:
1. Fit and finish very nice
2. Mags I did not care for. Would prefer steel mags.
3. The slide can stick slightly
4. Shot nicely. One misfire due to very cheap ammo.
5. Overall happy except for slide sticking on occasion
Bolt carrier will stick untill it gets broke in a little,,,try p mag
Did it stick while firing at the range or only when you move it buy hand
It never stuck when firing only when moving by hand. I will try p mags. Thanks for the recommendation.
Just picked up the io sporter. Overall fit and finish seem good. Factory mag is extremely tight. Works better when metal mags and pmags are in. Action does hang up a little probably due to being new and needing some break in. Poly furniture looks good and is tight to the rifle. All rivets look good. I’ve seen other rifles come in a plastic case, mine did not. Also others I’ve seen came with cleaning kits, mine did not. Not sure if these things were not carried over the next product year. Sights are straight. I will shoot this rifle in a week or so. Hopefully it functions as well as it looks. I am a new io customer. Hopefully they have learned from their past and made the appropriate changes. Thanks again….
Holy crap! I ordered one of these a couple years ago and I haven’t had any real issues with it. I’m just surprised that there’s so many people that had issues. As a matter of fact at the time these were getting a better reviews than the WASR. Maybe I just haven’t rode it hard enough.
Your prolly alright,,,these are probably the best ones yet. I’ve fired 1500 rnds and no problems at all.my son and 2 son in laws got one each,we go to the range often.but remember ,nothing man made is perfect and sometimes there is problems in the manufacturing process, ,,like GM and the ignition problem,,,,the difference is that io stands buy thier product. If I needed I’d buy 4 more today no problem
I’ve been looking into these especially the M214. I wanted my next rifle in 7.62 that wasn’t an AR (already have one) because everyone and their grandma owns one. I might consider one of these later this year since the FALs and G3/91s that I’d like to have cost way too much nowadays for a decent reliable one. Looking into the Century C308 but IO’s seem promising since their are millions of AK parts out there.
One more thing,,,I dont work for io or anything ,,I just like em,,so I’ll just say this and be done.If you go back and look at early reviews ,ddi,,,century arms ,,,wasr,and prolly some others,,,were all labled (POS) when they started,,prettymuch the same badmouthing as io gets,,mostly hearsay from someone who knows a guy that bought one,,ect ect ,surely there are legitimate grips about something that was wrong,,but really,how many thousands of good ones that are out there,,running fine,,do yourself a favor, ,,buy one now or at least check one out yourself ,,while they are in expensive.
I just picked up an almost brand new Sporter (previous owner reported only shooting 20rds through it and it didn’t even look like it had been shot) and despite the reported issues of the past, I do have confidence that the rifle will perform well. The rifle felt very solid and there was no perceived wobble or issues. I am iffy on the grip that it comes with, but that is because I have fairly large hands so I will probably swap it out for a Hogue grip or something larger. I also plan to swap out the current furniture- stock and handguard- for magpul furniture and I have hopes of attaching a 1-4x scope but am unsure of what mount to use since the Sporter doesn’t appear to have a side rail. The company does seem dedicated to helping their customers and they stand by their product. Unfortunately I live in California, so I won’t be picking the gun up for another 8 or 9 days but once I do I will take it to the range and test it out. I will update when I have tested it out.
After hearing horror stories of I.O. AK’s made in NC I decided never to use the one that I purchased from Royal Tiger Imports in late 2012 or 2013. I know very little about AK rifles; wish I could return it and get one that was made in FL. Maybe I should just sell it and move on. I have a bad habit of destroying objects when they don’t work so I haven’t fired the rifle. Next time I will do my homework before I purchase a firearm.
I m sure you got a lifetime warranty with it,,some guys are saying if it dont break in 200 rnds you got a good one
Remember, ,you only hear the horror stories,,usually half truth hearsay,ya gotta ask ,evan from north carolina,,how many thousands of good ones were sold
I cannot speak to the condition of anyone else’s rifle from I.O inc., but the one I purchased from them arrived in perfect condition. Straight barrel and sights, flawless fit and finish, perfect rivets. Magazine locks up nice and it cycles beautifully. For the money, this is one of the best AK’s out there. Great job, I.O. inc.
They do not have a life time warranty unless lifetime means 5 years. They even admitted they had quality issues and that in part is why they moved from N.C. to Florida. And the horror stories are true. Just because you did not get a bad product doesn’t mean that it doesn’t happen. My STG2000c came with gas piston tube split. Have pictures to prove it. Only had 10 rounds fired through rifle. They told me to buy a gas tube from there site for the AK it would work so I did, not knowing they were modifies AK47 gas tubes. Not cool with them knowing it had to be modified. So unless you have a machine shop you might as well throw the rifle away if you need some of the parts. Only 5 years since they stopped making them and no service and no parts. Is that standing behind what they sell? Contacted them and it is like sorry we do not make them any more after all it is a 5 year old product. So if you do not get a bad one I guess you think no one does? Good luck.
I got an Inter-Ordance ak-47 because it was American made. That being written, I thought it would be of good quality. Boy, was I disappointed. This is the biggest POS I have purchased for a firearm. I ran 200 rounds through it using 3 different magazines. 2 of the magazines were a struggle to seat it correctly in the firearm. I got failure to feed, failure to extract, after racking the bolt it would not go all the forward so I had to hit the charging handle so it would seat correctly, I got so frustrated with this firearm that I put it out of my misery. Unfortunately I am not able to show a photo of the end result of what I had done with it. Others have written this is a good firearm. I wish I had the same experience. That being said, I hope the CEO will read this. You can place this firearm where the sun don’t shine.
Oh man all the mixed reviews…
I really like the idea of an all US made AK-47 and they seem to be priced very well. Also as a native of Florida I really like supporting local businesses as much as possible. Maybe I’ll take the risk and pick one up in the next couple weeks. I need me an AK!
Does anyone know if they do factory tours? I’d love to see the operation in person and I’m less than two hours away.
I recently purchased an AK-47 classic from IO. First let me say I am 100% satisfied. Actually, the gun EXCEEDED my expectations. I’ve put over 500 rounds through it without a single FTF, or FTE, or any other issues.
When the gun arrived from the dealer, it was missing the cleaning rod and had scratches on the front grip. The dealer IMMEADIATELY took the gun back and replaced it with one of my satisfaction. The cleaning rod, however, was still missing. I contacted IO and almost IMMEADIATELY the cleaning rod was mailed to me along with a couple extra buffers. The customer service agent I spoke to spent over 20 minutes answering my questions and talking about how IO compares to, and differentiates itself from others.
Now trust me, as always, I did my homework prior to buying this gun from IO. I read all the gripes, complaints and issues. Then I spoke to someone at IO about their products, their lifetime warranty, and their commitment to quality. In the end, I want d to purchase an American made gun, I wanted the wood furniture to look unique and above the typical “vanilla” finish, and I wanted a warranty that gave me the confidence to purchase. I got all 3. I’ll admit I was a little apprehensive after reading some reviews, but I’ll also tell you now that the gun has been worth every single penny. In fact, I plan to buy another AK from IO in a tactical version.
I would recommend the IO AK-47 to anybody looking for a gun that has a nice balance of classy appearance and rugged reliability. If that ever changes, I’ll be right back here in this comment thread to tell you!
I purchased a IO Ak (new production) from Buds gun shop. I was a little reluctant to purchase but the price point was good for a US made AK. Only 1 of the magazines that were sent work well (the all black plastic). I had several issues with the clear plastic magazine from a feeding perspective. For the exception of getting the rifle sighted in, have had no issues with the gun. It has worked flawlessly and went bang every time I pulled the trigger. The quality seems to be there and for the price with a quad rail it could not be beat. The trigger has a great feel to it. I will most likely try another gun from this company. It looks to me like they have their stuff together and my shooting mates had a great time with the rifle.
I bought my M214 back in March, since then I’ve put near 5000 rounds through it (all Wolf/TUL) and not one malfunction. I’ve heard all the nay-sayers whine and bitch, but I can’t seem to find what they’re complaining about with my rifle. I’ve let my friends shoot it, whom all rolled their eyes when I told them it was an IO, and every single one was impressed with how light it was and how well it shot. Made some believers at the range that day and anyone in the panhandle of Florida who wants to find out please seek me out and I’ll take you out to shoot mine. Hasn’t let anyone down yet.
My ONLY complaint is I am having a hard time finding steel mags that fit. I’ve bought some new Croatian and S Korean mags that didn’t match up when trying to seat them in. MAGPULs work like a champ, but I really want some good steels.
i had been very apprehensive about buying an io ak because all the bad comments ive read online. i own several ak’s of different manufacturers, but despite the bad press, i ordered one anyway as i always pull for the underdog. i have to admit that this is the best looking ak that ive purchased to date..fit and finish is outstanding! ill be purchasing more io ak’s in the future. way to go io….very pleased….
I have owned a WASR10, an IO AK, and an Century Arms AK. I prefer the Century Arms hands down. I do not like the bolt assembly on the IO rifles. My IO was the first weapon I ever put back in the shop on consignment. They are also starting to fetch hefty prices for a gun that do many other people are having complaints about.
https://www.facebook.com/I.O.incfirearms/. To Royal Tiger Imports aka Interordnance inc.
RMA #2407……I would like someone at the management level to contact me regarding the failure of the M-214 rifle I purchased from Atlantic Firearms in late 2014. The rifle appeared to be poorly assembled, appeared to be bent, and started punching through primers around 200 rounds fired, presenting a dangerous, possibly deadly situation for the shooter. I have returned it to you with the understanding(as stated by your customer service rep.) that it may possibly ‘ grenade’ harming shooter or bystander, that it was from a production lot of known problem rifles, and that it would be destroyed at the factory and replaced with a custom rifle that reflects your ‘advertised’ quality. I can’t seem to get an answer on the current state of my rifle as it has been with you for several weeks. I get nothing but runaround from your customer service department, unreturned calls/ emails. Please have someone in authority contact me immediately, thanks.
I can tell you that they do not have production lots at all – no location/lot.inventory control – so that is a flat out story. In addition you can sit on your hands and wait all day long, they have guns that they have not returned to owners and refuse to return. instead they offer a 300 discount on the purchase of a new one and no you cannot have your old one back. By far the worst company for a weapon especially when they are ok with putting the gun owners safety at risk to make a buck then they take your weapon and will not return it.
Interordnance replaced my damaged gun with a brand new one, very quickly. It apears to be a much higher quality build from the one I originally purchased. Very happy, at this point with, Tiger Imports and IO.
I bought an IO AK47 second hand and appears the previous owner(s) shot corrosive shells and never heard of a cleaning rod. After several hours and numerous patches, brushes and every cleaning solutions I owned, the bore shined again. However, it is severely pitted with little rifling left.
With Hurricane Matthew barely out of Miami, I know this is not a good time to ask, but can I buy a replacement barrel and have it installed locally (30214)?
Thx
Mike
I looked at A IO Sporter 15 a few months back. I was in the company of a good friend of mine who has many hours behind the AR platform, was at onetime a sniper school instructor and one hell of a USMC Operator. He looked at the rifle, broke it down, checked fit and finish, lock up etc. He was really amazed at what there was for the price. This guy never buys off the shelf. always builds using FN barrels, LMT, Anderson lowers etc. Top shelf stuff. His recommendation was, and I quote ” Damn! I think I will have to get one of these. Cant build one for that price and if all else fails, you’re not out a ton of money” Now, this will be my first black rifle. Shot one many times , just never owned one. If George says buy it, by damn, I will! Going to pick it up this weekend. Thanks for the great review and Thank You Mr. Wiegand for answering everyone here directly.
Well, I am at a loss.
I have considered purchasing an AK platform for some time, but have watched the prices climb. I came across the IO models quite by accident, and was curious as to how an American made rifle was so much less expensive than Century imports that I have read nothing but bad reviews on for a decade. This prompted me to go out and inspect some of these rifles in my area of Florida. The first dealer (extremely reputable and well known in the area) “Had no opinion” when I asked the sales guy. The second place I looked, broke it down and talked the rifle up, demonstrating solid fit and function check. He almost had me sold then and there! The third place was literally a hole in the wall (It may as well have been a cave of trolls it left me with such a bad impression) but the employees there were very versed in the AK platform, and compared an IOI to a number of other manufacturers side by side, showing a number of what they considered to be inferior qualities, from the construction of the receiver, to the sloppy pin fit to the overly tight folding stock. I left thinking that IOI must make their rifles out of tin foil.
I came home and I read the above article. I have now read every. Single. Solitary. Reply.
I have to admit, that I am no better off than when I started. I work for a small business. I buy everything from my meat and produce to my vodka from small, craft, local businesses. My AR is made in Florida. I loved the idea of my first AK being a Florida made rifle. I don’t have a huge budget, and I want to spend my money wisely. With so many horror stories it is hard for me to commit to anything.
I bought an AKM47 a year ago from I.O, from the first time I had jamming issue with it, I sent it 2 times to fix it but they sent it back with the same problem, for the 3rd time I sent it back and asked them to replace it, and told them that I am so tired of this.
A lady at their customer service who is a very nice lady promised me to replace it this time. and asked me to send them some photos and videos, that I did.
Then today I had a call from one of their gun smiths, he said nothing is wrong with the gun and he cannot replicate the jamming. and he insist to send the same one back to me, and he tried to convince me that the gun is perfect, but I reminded him that this is the 3rd time I send you for the same issue, and I want the replacement.
Anyways I have to talk to their manager tomorrow.
This gun was just pain for me, and they don’t want to take the responsibility.
I always try to buy the US product to support the manufactures in US, but I think I have to change my mind, I could buy a Yugo, Romanian or Russian AK47 with no issue.
Please do not waste your money and time to buy anything from I.O.
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I am a former Deputy Sheriff and Police Officer in Florida. I purchased an ak247 from I.O. in April of 2017. Rivets were protruding on the front trunion, I sent it back after numerous emails and phone calls, 2 months and nothing from I.O. Mr. Weigand YOU ARE DISHONORABLE LOW DOWN SNAKE. YOUR COMPANY SHOULD BE CLOSED DOWN FOR THE TREATMENT OF YOUR CUSTOMERS, YOU CHEAT!!!!
I bought a used 247T {after having a 247C on layaway but switched because it had the black furniture I wanted already}…..and had the warranty for the life of the gun. {read about in more than one website}Then, after sending several {unanswered}emails to them just with general questions, find out they now only warranty the gun to the original owner…and a question about how to remove the phantom flash hider was finally answered by “use a screwdriver to loosen it and the threads are 1 in 10 RH……..uh, that is the rifling. So far I am not impressed by the customer service. At all. I have now regretted my purchase.
Pass!
We are a small gun store in the west. We sent in an IO AK 47 in because the gun would shoot to the right.
We had a gunsmith look at it and determined that the problem started with the barrel. Sent it in August 2017
and I am still waiting for anything to be done with the gun. I have now been told that we might have something back by Sept 2018. We cannot recommend this company to any one or will not be purchase any
of their products. We have been put on hold for almost a year with NO SATISFACTION!!!
Uli
I recently purchased a16” complete KM15 upper with keymod hand guard. Your shipping folks sent me a 9mm not the 556 I ordered. I have been trying to work with your customer service rep I gave a complete description of what I ordered and want to exchange the upper for the right one. I cannot seem to get anywhere with this. Can you help me with this?
Thanks
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