While checking different boards, I found stories of people that had ordered the same conversion, had been waiting forever and had been told they were out of stock but at gun shows there was Ciener Co. selling the conversions (at PREMIUM prices) they said they were out of.
This doesn't only happen with people like Ciener. There is a company here in Goodyear, (suburb of Phoenix), Lancaster Arms. They make beautiful AK-47 rifles. The problem is they are terrible to deal with direct. You are required to pay 100% of your order cost up front. They then make people wait for months for guns they said would take weeks. These type of stories are all over Internet gun forums. I bought one from a local shop here in town and walked out with it in 5 minutes. A beautiful "Russian Red" Model. Atlantic Firearms sells them as well. But Lancaster themselves are a noted PITA to deal with direct.
After reading a thread about how people were waiting months for guns, I attended a local show here in town, and there was Lancaster. They had one of the biggest displays at the show, with literally dozens of guns for sale. All were cash and carry. This is the main reason I try
never to deal direct with a company. You are always better off buying from a stocking dealer.
It's much the same with AR-15 rifles. I hear all of these horror stories about people waiting weeks or months for CNMG lowers and rifles from companies like Rock River Arms. I can go to shops within 15 minutes of my house and buy just about any AR-15 I want. When I bought my RRA LAR-9, 9 MM AR-15, I posted a pic of it on a forum, and a guy posted back that he had one just like it on order for over
4 MONTHS! When an individual orders from a large company, they get "put on the bottom of the list" way too often. This is why I try to avoid ordering direct. Yes, you'll pay a few bucks more, but you'll have your gun in fifteen minutes, not 6 months. I'm not very patient when it comes to waiting for something I want. Bill T.