Ok since I seem to have somehow become one of the leaders of the AK build, I want to help smooth out the road for those of you who aren't completely in the know(Mind you, I am by no means completely in the know hahah)
Probably your first question is. What do I need?
1. A parts kit. This can be a Romanian kit, a polish underfolder, virtually any kit you find on the net with 47 in the name
The parts kit will be a complete gun with a torch cut reciever per BATF law. (Kits being currently imported are also required to have the barrel cut)
2. A reciever. This can be an 80% flat or 80% undrilled reciever(pre-bent, but you have to drill all the holes) or finally a 100% reciever. I will not be going any further into this at this time.
3. 922r Compliance parts. For an AK-47 the magic # is 5 parts. Per Federal law no semiautomatic firearm may contain more then 10 foreign parts. These parts are
(1) Frames, receivers, receiver castings, forgings or stampings
(2) Barrels
(3) Barrel extensions
(4) Mounting blocks (trunnions)
(5) Muzzle attachments
(6) Bolts
(7) Bolt carriers
(8) Operating rods
(9) Gas pistons
(10) Trigger housings
(11) Triggers
(12) Hammers
(13) Sears
(14) Disconnectors
(15) Buttstocks
(16) Pistol grips
(17) Forearm handguards
(18) Magazine bodies
(19) Followers
(20) Floorplates
The ones I marked in red do not apply to the AK47, as an AK47 does not have them. Those marked in blue are readily available from US manufactures.
Now there are 16 "parts" to an AK according the feds. We cannot have anymore then 10 parts of foreign manufacture, so we need 6 US parts. Our reciever is going to be part #1. So now you have to pick 5 more blue parts from that list to replace. The most common thing to replace is your trigger group(Tapco G2 is a good replacement) This counts for 3 parts, disconnector, trigger and hammer. So now we need two more parts. If you want to keep the outside of your gun "authentic" do a gas piston and a US made matching flashhider. If you want to replace the furniture, that is another great way of getting your other two US parts.
I do not reccomend whatsoever using mag bodies, followers or floorplates in your parts count. This limits you to crappy US mags(plastic foreign mags are the way to go, plus they're cheaper) and god forbid you go to the range and borrow someone's foreign mag and BATF shows up(I know of no occasion of this happening, but you're taking the time to consider all of these laws, might as well follow them!)
4. Rivets, Screws, or Welder. These are your three options for assembling your rifle. There are several sites that sell rivet kits, and also several that sell screw kits.
Rivets - Must press the barrel out of the trunnion, need headspace guages to reassemble, but gives an authentic look that some people crave.
Screws - No headspacing required, can be installed w/out removing barrel. Some do remove the barrel though, it makes tapping the trunnions easier. Also the screw heads can be filled with metal epoxy to give it that rivet look if you really want it.
Welder - Weld the trunnion to your reciever, gives a nice smooth look, also much faster then screwing or riveting. I dig this method, but I would like to try the other two as well, just for my own knowledge.
When it comes to assembly...this site seems to have the best information I have found so far. http://howtobuildanaktyperifle.com/ (this is also where I got a lot of the information for my list above)
I will say this about his screw build directions...I disagree LOL. A screw build does not need the barrel to be removed and also it is better to weld in your rails if doing an 80% reciever, where he screws them in. While screwing is fine, it's going to look like poopy on the outside with a line of screws going down the middle of the reciever.
Probably your first question is. What do I need?
1. A parts kit. This can be a Romanian kit, a polish underfolder, virtually any kit you find on the net with 47 in the name
The parts kit will be a complete gun with a torch cut reciever per BATF law. (Kits being currently imported are also required to have the barrel cut)2. A reciever. This can be an 80% flat or 80% undrilled reciever(pre-bent, but you have to drill all the holes) or finally a 100% reciever. I will not be going any further into this at this time.
3. 922r Compliance parts. For an AK-47 the magic # is 5 parts. Per Federal law no semiautomatic firearm may contain more then 10 foreign parts. These parts are
(1) Frames, receivers, receiver castings, forgings or stampings
(2) Barrels
(3) Barrel extensions
(4) Mounting blocks (trunnions)
(5) Muzzle attachments
(6) Bolts
(7) Bolt carriers
(8) Operating rods
(9) Gas pistons
(10) Trigger housings
(11) Triggers
(12) Hammers
(13) Sears
(14) Disconnectors
(15) Buttstocks
(16) Pistol grips
(17) Forearm handguards
(18) Magazine bodies
(19) Followers
(20) Floorplates
The ones I marked in red do not apply to the AK47, as an AK47 does not have them. Those marked in blue are readily available from US manufactures.
Now there are 16 "parts" to an AK according the feds. We cannot have anymore then 10 parts of foreign manufacture, so we need 6 US parts. Our reciever is going to be part #1. So now you have to pick 5 more blue parts from that list to replace. The most common thing to replace is your trigger group(Tapco G2 is a good replacement) This counts for 3 parts, disconnector, trigger and hammer. So now we need two more parts. If you want to keep the outside of your gun "authentic" do a gas piston and a US made matching flashhider. If you want to replace the furniture, that is another great way of getting your other two US parts.
I do not reccomend whatsoever using mag bodies, followers or floorplates in your parts count. This limits you to crappy US mags(plastic foreign mags are the way to go, plus they're cheaper) and god forbid you go to the range and borrow someone's foreign mag and BATF shows up(I know of no occasion of this happening, but you're taking the time to consider all of these laws, might as well follow them!)
4. Rivets, Screws, or Welder. These are your three options for assembling your rifle. There are several sites that sell rivet kits, and also several that sell screw kits.
Rivets - Must press the barrel out of the trunnion, need headspace guages to reassemble, but gives an authentic look that some people crave.
Screws - No headspacing required, can be installed w/out removing barrel. Some do remove the barrel though, it makes tapping the trunnions easier. Also the screw heads can be filled with metal epoxy to give it that rivet look if you really want it.
Welder - Weld the trunnion to your reciever, gives a nice smooth look, also much faster then screwing or riveting. I dig this method, but I would like to try the other two as well, just for my own knowledge.
When it comes to assembly...this site seems to have the best information I have found so far. http://howtobuildanaktyperifle.com/ (this is also where I got a lot of the information for my list above)
I will say this about his screw build directions...I disagree LOL. A screw build does not need the barrel to be removed and also it is better to weld in your rails if doing an 80% reciever, where he screws them in. While screwing is fine, it's going to look like poopy on the outside with a line of screws going down the middle of the reciever.
