Zastava M85NP: My Oddball AK That Runs 5.56 and Uses AR Mags
Marketed for just a few years, the Century Arms M85NP was super neat but soon faded away, leaving something of a missing link in the Kalash evolutionary story.
But first...
How did we even get 5.56 AKs?
In a 20,000-foot view, AKs, for the bulk of their run, have been chambered in 7.62x39 (M43) from the early 1950s onward, augmented by 5.45x39 starting in the late 1970s.
Then came the great thawing of the Cold War that started with the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 and capped on Christmas Day 1991 when the Soviet hammer and sickle was lowered for the last time over the Kremlin, and Gorbachev resigned without replacement.
Then a newly independent Russia became all about capitalism.
Developed by Izhmash long before it became the Kalashnikov Concern, the 5.56 NATO caliber AK-101was first introduced in 1994, with the popular thinking being that it would be pitched to former Warsaw Pact/Combloc countries that were pivoting to the West, allowing them to use NATO's ammo but retain their familiar AK pattern manual of arms and nomenclature. Unlike the NATO STANAG pattern AR/M4 mag, it used a new type of mag that had a more gentle bend than that of the 5.45mm AK74 series.
Which brings us to America
The AK on this side of the Atlantic only started to become available in decent numbers on the commercial market in the early 1980s, when Steyr USA started importing Egyptian-made semi-auto Maddi MISRs and Clayco Sports in California began bringing in Chinese AKM copies. Luckily, mags and ammo at the time were also affordable and available in bulk. However, other than use in Mini-30s and SKSs, 7.62x39 was derided as just an "AK round" and few domestic loads were available – something that endures four decades later.
That's what makes the unicorn of a 5.56 AK so appealing to some, as there are so many different ammunition brands and loads available, a factor compounded for those who already run 5.56 platforms such as ARs, Galils, and Mini-14s.
But the magazines, man.
Oh, the magazines.
When it comes to 5.56 AKs, there isn't any standard to how these things are supposed to work or fit, so it gets kind of funky. There are something like a dozen different AK101 makers out there (Bosnian AC Unity, Black River, Arsenal/Circle 10, ProMag, Tapco, Polytech, SGM, et. al) and some say that modified Galil AR/SAR/R4 mags kinda sorta work. But overall, it is kind of iffy.
Some types don't lock in right. Some wobble. Others just fail to feed outright. The prices range all over the place. Circle 10s, the gold standard when it comes to reliability, run $50 for the plain black models to a hundo for plum waffles – if you can find them. Unity mags can sometimes be had for like $13.
That's why 10 years ago, the Zastava-made M85 NP pistol in 5.56 seemed like such a good idea, especially for fans of the Krinkov. Its wow factor was that it had a magwell adapter that accepted (most) standard AR/M4 magazines – no foolin'!
Marketed by Century Arms starting in March 2014, they still have their slightly over-the-top 75-second propaganda reel on it on YouTube (try censorship-free Rumble, folks!) and show a Peyton Manning lookalike ripping it on the range.
My M85 NP Journey
I've owned several Kalash over the years, including some Arsenals and Norincos of various stripes, but never really considered myself an AK guyand at several times during my firearms collecting journey voluntarily got out of the AK game altogether – including getting rid of their ammo, parts, and accessories.
On the other hand, at any given time over the past 30 years, I tended to have a safe or two full of AR-pattern rifles as well as the mags and ammo stacked in bulk to support them.
So in 2014, the M85 NP caught my eye. It was cheap (sub-$500) and, as large format pistols generally escape 922 regulations, I knew that it would be more or less complete when it left Zastava's factory in Serbia rather than be subjected to an infusion of questionable parts here in the U.S.
Taking a closer look at it, there was a lot to like.
The M85 line is based on the old Yugo M70 short rifle, which itself was patterned after the Soviet AKS-74U. It has a 10.25-inch chrome lined cold hammer forged barrel and a 21.5-inch overall length. (All photos here to bottom: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Note the 1.5mm bulged receiver (thicker than the old M92PV).
It uses an AKSU-style hinged top cover, which makes cleaning easy.
The top cover has a fixed rear sight while the front sight has an auxiliary flip-up white dot "night" sight. The removable AKSU-pattern muzzle brake/booster is chunky and adds a bit to the cool factor.
Easily unscrewed without tools courtesy of a detent, underneath the brake the muzzle has 26mm LH threads. This limits its aftermarket muzzle device and suppressor options. Think Dead Air Wolverine or use thread adapters to drop it down to 1/2x28 or 5/8x24.
The double hook Yugo-style trigger generally breaks at about 6.5 pounds, which isn't terrible for an AK factory trigger.
How has it behaved?
With a 13-inch sight radius, once the front sight was adjusted to zero, I found the M85 NP to have decent accuracy at 100 yards, especially once it was SBR'd. It's not designed to be a long-range gun.
The worst thing I can say about it is that it has some serious muzzle blast, concussion, and fireball akin to a cheap flashbang or expensive M80. I'd never use it in an indoor range out of consideration for those trying to scroll Instagram in the bathroom.
In terms of reliability, I never intended on doing a formal review on the M85 NP, electing for it to be just a personal "fun" gun and curiosity. This means that I haven't kept a log of exactly how many rounds I've put through it. However, it has been on a couple of hog hunts and to the range dozens of times in the past decade, surely consuming more than 1,000 rounds of mixed 5.56. I cannot recall any issues with either accuracy or reliability.
The M85 NP shipped with a Tapco mag, but over the years I've used numerous aluminum and steel-bodied mags as well as PMAGs with no problems. Speaking of mags, it usually does not lock open on the last round.
Almost immediately after picking it up from the FFL back during the Obama era, I gently modded the M85 by replacing the awkward and uncomfortable factory grip with a Hogue rubber grip.
Isn't she pretty?
Then came a sling adapter that slid under the pistol grip, as well as a Russian surplus AK sling and paratrooper drop bag, which fit like a glove. Cost was about $50 combined.
I always intended to convert the M85 to an SBR but dragged my feet until 2023. While these accept an under-folder kit from Zastava, I wanted the more Galil-style side-folder stock, so after I got my Form 1 approved I went with one from U.S. Machine Gun.
The USMG stock is a no-weld affair and is rock solid. The overall length with it extended is 31 inches.
And with it folded, the M85 still fits in the Russki drop bag.
On the downside, it's heavy at 6.55 pounds advertised unloaded weight before any additions. With the USMG stock and Russki sling, I've brought that up to 8.4 pounds – and that's without any ammo!
Swan song
So what happened to the M85 NP? Well, Zastava began a U.S. operation in 2019 and no longer uses Century as an importer. As far as I can tell, they never offered it. I'm not sure how many were made. Mine is SN 000081, so I don't think the production run was very deep.
There are a bunch of 5.56 pattern AKs out there today, running from PSA's AK-556 (which are AR/M4 magwell compatible) to the RD600 NATO series from Rifle Dynamics. These typically run a sort of AK101/102 pattern 5.56 magazine. Of course, Zastava makes the ZPAP85 here in the States in a blend of imported parts and U.S.-made 922 compliant parts, but it takes the company's steel AK101-ish Zmags, not M16 mags.
Every SHOT Show – as well as at IWA in Germany this year – I ask Radko and the gang at Zastava if they plan on making an AR/M4 magwell 5.56 ZPAP85, and all I get is a smile and a polite, "No."
So I guess I'll just keep the one I have and continue to enjoy it.
If you see one floating around, you won't be ill-served to grab one of these interesting little fire-breathing monsters.