MPi KM-72

Early versions of the rifles had wooden furniture, but later models have distinctive stippled brown buttstocks and pistol grips. The MPi-KMS (also called MPi-KM72) also has a side folding single strut "coat hanger" stock, a feature which is shared with the later Romanian rifles, and was never issued with a beach wood handguard. The handguards also differ. On early production weapons (from before ~1980-1981), a beech wood lower handguard was used due to them not being able to construct a plastic handguard that wouldn't melt at the time. From 1981 on, it was a bakelite lower handguard and a slanted muzzle brake. It should also be noted that rifles from 1965-1966 have been observed with laminate wood stocks that do not feature a trap door for a cleaning kit, unlike other AKM clones. The MPi-KM also has subtle differences such as a blued finish, different selector markings, and most noticeable, smaller sling loops to accommodate a proprietary 1-inch-wide nylon or canvas sling. This feature was removed from the AK-74 clone made in East Germany.