97 replies to this topic

[Federal Farmer]

Here's the kit I'm starting with.  The finish on these parts looks new.  The gun was probably never used before it was cut up.


I had to use my 12-ton press to remove the barrel pin.  And it is bent...

[JR1987]

Im not familiar with AKs. Is this going to be an SKS AK clone or is it actually an AK kit? It looks cool can't wait to see some finished pics

[Federal Farmer]

JR1987, on 28 March 2012 - 11:00 PM, said:

Im not familiar with AKs. Is this going to be an SKS AK clone or is it actually an AK kit? It looks cool can't wait to see some finished pics

It's a Polish Ak-47 with and under-folding stock.

[JR1987]

Yeah the A in the title shoulda told me that... thought it said SKS... my bad

[Yas]

Don't you just love that ping sound when that pin finally lets loose?  Thats a nice looking set of parts.  Was it a choice set from somewhere?  The last Polish I saw was ridden hard and put up wet.

[I Hate Gunlaws]

Wow. The kit does look pretty fresh. As for the barrel pin, I had the same problem on my PSL kit when I started. Barrel pin didn't want to budge. Heated up the trunion with a torch (just a little), and it popped out relatively easy.

[Federal Farmer]

Yas, on 29 March 2012 - 09:31 AM, said:

Don't you just love that ping sound when that pin finally lets loose?  Thats a nice looking set of parts.  Was it a choice set from somewhere?  The last Polish I saw was ridden hard and put up wet.

I bought this kit maybe 3 or 4 years ago from gunthings.com ak-builder.com I think.  It cost something like $279.  

I also have 2 other kits, both Romanian AKs that I bought back then, not in as good condition as this one.

[Jason4567]

What is the deal with these kits? Is it major work to get it back into working order? Does it require a bunch of special tools? Is the licensing of this any different than just buying an already made one? And for that matter, why was this one "cut up"?

[Federal Farmer]

Jason4567, on 29 March 2012 - 03:06 PM, said:

What is the deal with these kits? Is it major work to get it back into working order? Does it require a bunch of special tools? Is the licensing of this any different than just buying an already made one? And for that matter, why was this one "cut up"?

They can't be imported as firearms, I believe, due to the 'sporting use' import requirement signed by Pres. Bush (first one).  Also, they are full auto and not registered prior to 1986, so banned for civilian ownership due to the Hughes Amendment of the 1986 FOPA signed by President Reagan.

After they cut off the receiver, what remains is essentially scrap metal, plastic and wood.

The tools required are pretty minimal.  You pretty much need the press pictured or one like it (around $200) to press the barrel in and out.  If you want to bend your own receiver, you'll need a few hundred bucks in jigs.

If you do bend your own receiver, it is un-serial numbered and there is no 4473, etc.  It is a home-made firearm and cannot be transferred out of your ownership.  There is a process under which you can get the ATF to serialize it for you, but I expect if you make a habit of that they'll want you to pop for the manufacturer's FFL.

[Jason4567]

Interesting. Thanks for the explanation. I am curious, if you make one as a homemade firearm, does that change legality as far as the Cook and Chicago "assault weapon" bans?

[Federal Farmer]

Jason4567, on 30 March 2012 - 10:22 AM, said:

Interesting. Thanks for the explanation. I am curious, if you make one as a homemade firearm, does that change legality as far as the Cook and Chicago "assault weapon" bans?

No.

[Federal Farmer]

Here's the receiver flat, rivets, support pin, and rails.  I'm going to have to visit a friend who welds when it comes time to weld the rails to the receiver.  I'm pretty sure I can handle all the rest.

[Federal Farmer]

Headspacing question.  This kit appears to match parts, at least the front trunnion and bolt match.  The bolt and much of the rest of the gun appears unfired.  I tried a gypsy form of headspacing by attaching a round to the bolt and seeing how tight or loose it closes.  I did it for 10 rounds and found that 5 rounds wouldn't close all the way and the other 5 closed tight.

This was after I removed the barrel pin, but haven't pressed out the barrel yet.

Thoughts?

[sleepercaprice1]

If the bolt closed on 5 rounds and was tight on the other 5, I would not worry too much about excessive headspace. As far as the 5 that the bolt didn't want to close on, remember that the bolt is typically moving forward with a bit of inertia in actual operation. Did you try whacking the charging handle on the ones that didn't want to chamber? Also, are you sure that the chamber is clean? A little crud in the chamber might prevent chambering.

If the bolt and receiver numbers match, I wouldn't worry about it too much. There's not much you can do about changing headspace anyway unless you try to relocate the location of the barrel pin.

I've assembled a few AK's and never had any problems with headspace. I used a method for checking that I read about years ago on the AKFiles, I think. I stuck a piece of scotch tape on the case head of an unfired round and tried it in the chamber. The thickness of the tape should cause resistance and tight chambering. I know that's not too scientific, but it's all I knew to try.

[GarandFan]

That the flat has the upper rails already bent will save you some time and hassle (particularly in terms of fitting).  Matching numbers parts kits come at a premium because they almost never present problems with headspacing.  If your barrel is original to the front trunnion (which they always are) and if the bolt carrier and bolt match the front trunnion ... you should have no problem with headspace.  Once you put that pin back in (or a replacement), that barrel will be within a couple thousandths of where it was originally.  The approach suggested by Sleeper would give some peace of mind.  Also, a lot of AK builders have headspace gauges they will loan you.

[Federal Farmer]

I just noticed last night that the handguard/forearm I was intending to use are actually from Israel (CAA).  If I want to use them I'll have to find another part to swap out.  

[Federal Farmer]

GarandFan, on 04 April 2012 - 05:40 AM, said:

That the flat has the upper rails already bent will save you some time and hassle (particularly in terms of fitting).

Yeah, I paid an extra $5 for the flat to have them pre-bent.  I have a jig for that too, but felt better about having it done and it was cheap enough.

[Federal Farmer]

Federal Farmer, on 05 April 2012 - 07:48 AM, said:

I just noticed last night that the handguard/forearm I was intending to use are actually from Israel (CAA).  If I want to use them I'll have to find another part to swap out.  

So if I want to use the CAA handguard and forearm I have to swap out another part and the only one I can think makes sense, pretty much the only thing left, would be the gas piston.

Am I missing something?

[Federal Farmer]

I just noticed that the barrel has a removable slant brake...

[GarandFan]

For 922r compliance ... on the AK you have (stamped with muzzle device), you're supposed to replace 6 original parts with US made parts (the rule actually revolves around a max of 10 total imported parts).  Since you need to keep the stock ...

1) receiver
2) hammer
3) trigger
4) sear/disconnector
5) muzzle device
6) gas piston or pistol grip (the latter is FAR easier to replace, but keeping the bakelite grip retains more of the original look)

[GarandFan]

Federal Farmer, on 05 April 2012 - 07:48 AM, said:

I just noticed last night that the handguard/forearm I was intending to use are actually from Israel (CAA).  If I want to use them I'll have to find another part to swap out.  

I'd use the original handguards ... see previous post.

[Yas]

I'm curious as to how your doing your rivets.

Press or modified bolt cutter method?

[Federal Farmer]

Yas, on 06 April 2012 - 07:44 AM, said:

I'm curious as to how your doing your rivets.

Press or modified bolt cutter method?

I'll be using a press.

[Federal Farmer]

GarandFan, on 06 April 2012 - 05:12 AM, said:

Federal Farmer, on 05 April 2012 - 07:48 AM, said:

I just noticed last night that the handguard/forearm I was intending to use are actually from Israel (CAA).  If I want to use them I'll have to find another part to swap out.  

I'd use the original handguards ... see previous post.

I probably should, as this kit is in such good shape...

[Federal Farmer]

Here is the jig and flat, in the press ready for bending.  The beer is there for...uh, scale.  Actually, I'm fortifying myself slightly as I'm nervous about possibly making a $40 mistake during my first ever bend attempt.



Here it looks, pre-bend.  There is about a 16ths of an inch play either side of the flat, which makes me cautious that it's lined up correctly.

[Federal Farmer]

And here we are post-bend.  It actually took longer than the timing of the posts makes it seem as the file upload from my phone took longer...

[willxjcherokee]

Good job! I am jealous of your skills.

Build me an AK    

[Federal Farmer]

OK, all is not well in paradise. You should be able to see the crease in what should be a flat side. This happened on the other side as well. I didn't bend in small enough increments. I'm going to have to flatten that out.

[Federal Farmer]

Good news!  I think I got it flattened out...close enough anyway...

[Yas]

Did you grease the Flat before trying to bend?  I found Spray White Lithium Grease worked well.

Edited by Yas, 10 April 2012 - 09:11 AM.