We're continuing "AK Week" here at Cheaper Than Dirt! with a short piece about the modern version of the AK-47, the AK-74 chambered for the 5.45x39 cartridge. Click here to read more
The 5.45x39 Cartridge
Weapons designers have long toyed with the concept of a lightweight high-speed round that would destabilize upon entering soft tissue. Eugene Stoner first developed the 5.56mm round for the US AR-15 (and later M16) rifle in 1957. The Soviets had long known that the 7.62x39 round did not perform optimally at ranges less than 200 meters, and therefore sought to develop a smaller, faster, lighter round that would have better terminal ballistics than the 7.62, but which would still have an effective range of around 500 meters. While all high speed ammunition tends to yaw when entering soft tissue, the lighter, faster 5.56 NATO round tended to yaw so drastically that it would break up and fragment more causing more serious wounds.
The 5.56 NATO round and the Soviet 5.45x39 share much in common, and that's no surprise. The Soviets took the 5.56 NATO and improved upon it by making it even more inclined to yaw. The construction of the 5.45x39 bullet features a steel core with a copper jacket and lead-plugged tail. The jacket forms an air space above the penetrator at the nose, making the round lighter and faster still. This, combined with the lead plug in the tail, made the round very tail heavy and incredibly unstable in soft tissue. Even upon impact the air-gap in the nose remains intact, causing the bullet to violently yaw sideways and rapidly break apart as it passes through tissue. The 5.45 also has a very high cross-sectional density giving it an excellent ballistic co-efficient and hence, aerodynamic stability. The increased cross-sectional density also makes the bullet much better at penetrating kevlar and other body armor than the older 7.62x39 ammunition.
First battle-tested in the Soviet war in Afghanistan - one of the most brutal and bloody wars of our time and certainly one of the most inhospitable of environments to field troops and material - the AK-74 proved it's merit. Afghans who came up against the AK-74 in the Afghan-Soviet war dubbed the 5.45x39 round the "poison bullet" due to the wound-causing capability of the round. There were rumours that the round might violate the Geneva Convention. Though, since the round was not an explosive, poisoned, or a hollow point round, the greivances were never found to have merit. Similar complaints were made when the 5.56 NATO round was introduced, though neither cartridge was ever found to be in violation of the Geneva Convention.
The AK-74 Rifle
AK-74 is the abbreviated form of Automat Kalashnikova 1974 - Automatic Kalashnikov 1974. The AK-74 is still produced at Izhevsk Mechanical Works. Like its great granddaddy, the AK-47, this gun has numerous variants - both domestic (Russian) and foreign.
The rifle is light compared to earlier versions - at slightly more than 6 1/2 pounds. With the full stock extended, the AK-74 measures an inch longer than three feet; folded it measures 27 inches. The standard gun has a 16-inch barrel. The AK-74 is capable of cycling upwards of 650 rounds per minute, leaving the flash-suppressed barrel at nearly 3,000 feet per second with a 55-grain bullet. It has an effective range beyond a half mile and uses standard 30-round, 45-round and RPK-74 detachable box magazines.
The AK-74 shares many similarities with it's parent, the AK-47. Not wanting to do away with the incredibly reliable AK platform, the Soviets rechambered the barrel in 5.45, and left the cartridge length the same at 39mm so that the action could stay largely unchanged. Both rifles use the same gas piston system, as well as the same rotating bolt locking mechanism. The bolt system runs on identical rails as the AKM/AK-47, but the bolt itself is slightly smaller to accommodate the smaller cartridge. It is also lighter, making it more efficient and further reducing recoil. The AK-74 also features a larger and stronger extractor than the AKM extractor, which was prone to failure.
The AK-74 was designed with a groove cut into the stock of the weapon so that soldiers could identify the weapon by touch in total darkness. This along with the distinctive muzzle break make the AK-74 easily distinguished from the AKM. The muzzle break actually increases the report of the firearm, but substantially reduces the already low recoil of the rifle. Modern versions of the AK-74 also feature rail systems for mounting weapon accessories
Variants
There are a number of variants of the AK-74. The AK-74M is available with a "plum"-colored (manufacture 1985-1989) or black (1989-present) side folding stock made of plastic. The AK-74M is still the standard-issue rifle for the Russian military. The AKS-74 is the marine and paratrooper version and features a side folding triangular stock. The AKS-74U also sports a triangular folding stock, but also has a very short barrel with a modified muzzle break. This "Krinkov"-version is commonly mislabeled as a submachine gun. It is actually still an assault rifle by virtue of the fact that it utilizes a rifle cartridge instead of pistol ammunition. The "Night" model of the AK-74, designated the AK-74N, has all black polymer furniture and sports a night vision infrared scope mounted on a side rail.
Like the AK-47, there are numerous licensed and unlicensed copies of the rifle. Yugoslavian licensed manufactured M80s are one well known variant that were used extensively by the nations armed forces in the 1990s, and remains in use today in the many republics of Yugoslavia. Other versions of the AK-74 were manufactured in Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, and East Germany. Many of these versions were later converted to 5.56 NATO. Like the AK-47, there exist innumerable semi-auto variants manufactured in and imported into the United States. Here they maintain enormous popularity among civilians. Select-fire versions of the AK-74 are not legal for import into the United States due to the Gun Control Act of 1968 which banned the importation of firearms for anything other than a "sporting purpose"
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Converting Your AK-47 to be 922(r) Compliant
Click here to read more.
If you are in possession of a "POST-BAN" AK-47 rifle and want to bring it up to "no-ban" status, this article will take you through the steps to outfit you with a legal, "pre-ban" appearing rifle. Or, to explain the term pre-ban a bit further, an AK as was imported in fair numbers prior to the 1989 gun ban, with an original style fixed or side folder buttstock, a pistol grip, bayonet lugs, removable flash hider or muzzle brake, and hi- capacity "banana" magazine (subject to various state laws).
The rifle you have in your hands to convert is undoubtedly an import and is probably going to have a "thumbhole" stock, no bayonet lugs, no flash hider, and whatever device is on the muzzle is welded, pinned, or silver-soldered permanently. You may or may not be able to legally insert a 30 round high capacity magazine in your state or local area.
There are many of these imported rifles out there just waiting to be given some TLC by their owners.
This article is going to cover the stamped receiver model since these are the most common. Milled receivers are converted in a very similar manner, except they need a buttstock specially made for milled receivers. A few notes on milled receivers are tossed in along the way.
You should have at least some mechanical aptitude to begin this conversion. Some may be able to sail right through to the end. Others may hit a snag at one or two points along the way and need some help. Some may get involved and find that they have bitten off more than they want to chew. Hopefully, you are like Clint Eastwood in a line from one of the "Dirt Harry" movies, "A man has got to know his limitations!" Enough said.
In this article, we refer to "semi-automatic assault rifles (SAW)" and "assault weapons ban (AWB)" because that's how the 1994 gun ban defined the semi-auto AK-47s as well as other types of semi-auto rifles. We certainly do not consider the semi-auto AK-47 an assault rifle as that term would define a rifle capable of fully automatic fire. In other words, we really know better, so don't be alarmed into thinking we have been programmed by the anti-gun crowd.
Why Do This?
This is a good question to think about before you start. You will be spending several hundred dollars to accomplish the conversion. You will be spending a considerable amount of time taking it apart and working on it. You may be asking yourself if this is way too much time and money to invest on a silly old "post-ban" AK-47.
To help you come to a consensus here, you should go online and examine how much $$$ pre-ban and no-ban AKs are selling for these days. The prices will surprise you. If you own a post-ban AK that you paid $200 to $250 for years ago, and you add $350 to it for the conversion, you still have a good solid investment as no-ban rifles are easily selling for $750 to $1,000, depending on the specifics. Pre-ban rifles are easily $1000 and up. Even the rather crude Romanian WASR no-bans are going for $500 at retail gun shops.
Imported AKs are quickly drying up as people are snatching them up and the BATFE continues to restrict the import of even partial parts kits. If you have an interesting AK that was assembled in the original country as a complete firearm such as an Egyptian Maadi, it is worth the money and effort just to say you own one, as these have always been considered the most authentic and closest to the Soviet AK-47s. Plus, it was assembled by the original Maadi AK factory team, not by some minimum wage worker for some large gun importer and distributor. This, if for no other reason, makes your post ban Maadi worth more than you think. The same holds true for the complete post-ban imported Bulgarian AK rifles.
Like many of us, if you get into a financial bind, the toys are sold off first. If you have increased the value, desirability, and appeal of your toy, you will not only sell it quicker, but sell it for more than you have invested. There are not too many "investments" you can do this with. It's having your cake and eating it too.
And of course, in the conversion process, you can assemble the AK you have dreamed of having, custom tailored to your specifications.
Do you have any good excuses for not starting right now?
Title 18 U.S.C. (922r) Discussion
No discussion on converting your AK from one status to another would be complete without a description of what "922r" means, both as a law and what you are going to be required to do to stay legal with your firearm.
Yes, you can convert it legally, but you need to jump through a few legal "hoops" in the process. This part may help you understand the need to do what we are going to do later in the article.
Short Background
In 1989, President George H W Bush took steps to stop the import of 43 types of semi- automatic firearms which were considered to have "no sporting purpose" according to the language of the Gun Control Act of 1968. This stopped all the evil "black" rifles from coming in such as the AK-47(series), Uzi, FAL, FNC, HK-91, Daewoo (series), and many, many other cool rifles, just because George Bush thought they should be banned. Be informed, this ban did not start in Congress, but was created by the BATF at the behest of the Office of the President of the United States through the recommendation of "Drug Czar" Bill Bennet.
This was the beginning of the term "pre-ban" rifle. Pre-ban rifle refers to any semi- automatic rifle (on the ban list) with all the "evil" features (such as the AK-47 series) and imported into the US prior to President Bush's intervention on March 14, 1989. They are still legal to own and sell and are "grandfathered" as far as the law goes.
A few imported rifles were caught up in the ban process. Mitchell Arms had about 3,500 Yugoslavian AK-47s of several varieties and calibers waiting in Customs where they remained for about 5 years before being released for sale. Even though technically considered to be post-ban rifles, they are now highly sought after AK's (known as the Yugo M-90), and are perfect candidates for the 922r conversion.
Five years later, Bill Clinton signed Congressional anti-gun legislation (Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, also referred to as the Assault Weapons Ban (AWB)) in Sept of 1994, which defined an "assault rifle" for the first time. We will cover the legal definition of this later in the article. The bill also limited civilian sales of magazines of more than 10 rounds capacity. Pre-ban high-capacity mags were still legal to own and sell. This bill furthered the import restrictions and even determined what configuration of semi-automatic rifle assembled from imported parts could be legally built within the USA. This ban was to be sun-setted in 2004, which it was, after much discussion in Congress to extend the ban permanently. The purpose of this ban was to emasculate the firearms industry's ability of making any politically incorrect firearms. However, they did not take into account the cleverness of red-blooded, Second Amendment loving, American gun manufacturers. The AWB did more to stimulate the firearms industry than the anti-gun people ever could have imagined. Sales of firearms and ammunition of all sorts went through the roof as citizens flocked to gun shows and dealers as a reflection of their distrust of the Government. And rightly so. After all, why should you trust a government that would take your firearms?
At the start of the Clinton Gun Ban, AK clones that passed the criteria "for sporting purposes" were allowed to be imported. These were pretty ugly to AK lovers, to name one group. Other "black" rifles suffered the same ugliness. The wording of the bill under Title 27 U.S.C., made it illegal to import or assemble a pre-ban configuration AK with even a plain buttstock, as it would necessitate having a pistol grip to function, the pistol grip being the clincher. That's because the language of the bill legally defined an assault rifle as a semi-automatic rifle having the capability to accept a detachable magazine and at least two of these "evil" features: folding or telescoping stock, bayonet lugs, threaded muzzle, flash hider, pistol grip, and grenade launcher. As a result, a typical AK-47 clone was imported with a large, ugly thumbhole buttstock, no bayonet lugs, no threaded muzzle, or if it did, the muzzle attachment was welded on, but no flash hiders what-so- ever were allowed, and 5 or 10 round magazine.
As time passed, things improved as manufacturers started producing AK's using US made parts to bring the appearance back to something resembling the original configuration. This was allowed by the language of Title 18 USC, Part 922r, which stated that no more than 10 imported parts could be used to build an AK style rifle with at least some of the evil features. The BATF originally wanted just 2 imported parts as the maximum, but Congress upped the ante and settled on 10 imported parts as the maximum which greatly decreased the US made parts that must be substituted in the build. In other words, the required US made parts dropped from 14 to 6 in the final bill. Apart from this small victory, it was a very confusing time to deal in AK's.
After Sept 14, 2004, things came back to normal in that high capacity mags were legal to sell to civilians and evil features such as folding stocks, flash hiders, and bayonet lugs were again legal. In retrospect, the 10 year AWB was a waste of time. It did nothing to reduce crime and only hindered US Citizens from owning their favorite weapons in original form. Both the 1989 and 1994 gun bans pushed the price of firearms and magazines up in the process. In 1989, after Bush's ban was announced, the price of an AK-47 NIB import increased from $350 to $550 overnight. Through the years, all black rifles continued to increase in price as more and more restrictions were implemented, supplies shrank, and demand grew. Simple economics. Now, that same $550 NIB AK-47 will bring $1,200 and perhaps more. A recent, high quality, brand new, US made AK clone will cost $750 and up.
Be informed that there are pending Congressional bills as late as June 2008, i.e., House Resolution 6257, that would renew the AWB permanently. You might want to get your AK-47 922r'd before they do another ban. If the Congress Critters get it passed, it will undoubtedly be much more severe than the last one.
Title 18 (922r) and Title 27 Laws
922r
"Title 18 U.S.C., Chapter 44, Section 922 (r) No person shall assemble a semiautomatic rifle or any shotgun using more than 10 of the imported parts listed in paragraph (c) of this section if the assembled firearm is prohibited from importation under section 925(d)(3) as not being particularly suitable for or readily adaptable to sporting purposes."
This statute was actually put in place about 1990, but got little notice. With the 1994 ban, it got big press when the BATF began putting manufacturers on strict compliance notice. The same notice holds true for individuals doing their own conversion work.
The 922r language presented a list of 20 parts that applied to ALL semi-automatic assault rifles (not just the AK-47 series) made from imported parts sets or kits. For the AK-47, 16 parts apply. The following is a list of those parts, also referred to as "compliance parts."
1. Barrel
2. Receiver
3. Front and Rear Trunions (Applies to stamped receivers only)
4. Bolt Carrier
5. Bolt
6. Gas Piston
7. Buttstock
8. Pistol Grip
9. Upper and Lower Handguards (Both count as 1 part)
10. Muzzle Device
11. Hammer
12. Trigger
13. Disconnector
14. Magazine Body
15. Magazine Follower
16. Magazine Floorplate
You may choose replacement parts from the list as desired. The point being that a maximum of 10 imported parts from this list may be used to build an AK rifle. The bottom line is that you must use 6 US made parts from the above list to assemble a stamped steel AK and 5 US made parts for a milled receiver. Since you are not looking to do a total rebuild of your AK, you will likely choose the smaller parts. But, if you ever wanted to do a complete build from a parts set, you would be able to replace all the parts on the list with US made parts save the bolt carrier, bolt, trunions, and possibly the barrel. US made barrels are available for several AK builds, but not all.
Title 27 U.S.C.
For historical purposes, Title 27, Part 478.11, defines the meaning of a semi-automatic assault weapon (S.A.W.). It was sun-setted with the AWB as of Sept 14, 2004. But, we will list the language as it appeared to demonstrate what we labored under for those long 10 years. A semi-automatic assault weapon is:
(b) A semiautomatic rifle that has an ability to accept a detachable magazine and has at least 2 of the following features:
(1) A folding or telescoping stock,
(2) A pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action of the weapon,
(3) A bayonet mount,
(4) A flash suppressor or threaded barrel designed to accommodate a flash suppressor,
and
(5) A grenade launcher.
During the period 1994 - 2004, if you built a rifle with most of these features you would have been in violation of the Title 27 definition of a S.A.W. Thank goodness we have passed Sept 14, 2004 and can do away with this list of banned features. But, you still need to be in 922r compliance with no more than 10 imported parts used for the build. It is sort of complicated, but not overwhelming. We will get through it.
Where to start?
Let's say you have a post-ban Egyptian Maadi stamped steel receiver AK-47. It has the thumbhole buttstock, no lugs, welded muzzle nut, and is ugly as heck! The good news is that it may have the very desirable laminated handguards. If these don't suit your taste, save them as they sell quickly to guys that want them. Since you are in possession of an assembled rifle, there is no need to consider changing out the receiver and barrel, that's just counter productive, and would actually lessen the value of the completed project. But, you do need 6 US made parts to make this into something recognizable as a "no-ban" AK-47.
Fire Control Group
The most practical course for any 922r rifle conversion is to install a US made fire control group (FCG). This consists of a hammer, trigger, and disconnector. Very simple to remove the old parts and install the new ones. This gives you three US made parts! When you install these, you are half-way there!
You may choose to use a single or double hook FCG. The double hook set is usually used for milled receivers, but will fit a stamped receiver with little effort. The area around the trigger slot in the receiver may need to be opened up with a small file for the double hook trigger to fit. The single hook trigger will fit with no modification. The advantage of the double hook trigger is a more positive grip on the hammer and smoother trigger let-off.
You must do some disassembly to get the old parts out. Remove the dust cover, main spring, and bolt carrier, and lay them aside. Next, find the "shepherd's hook" that holds the front and rear axis pins in place. It usually pulls out the front through the magazine well. Once that is removed, tap the trigger axis pin to the left and work it out completely. This will free up the trigger and disconnector. Set these aside in a baggie, but save the disconnector spring to use later. Remove the hammer axis pin in a similar manner. The hammer is wrapped in a fairly powerful spring that usually holds it in place due to the long arms that get tangled in the receiver. You will experience this when you try to take it out. Study how it is placed in there because you will have to reinstall it correctly, later. Pull the hammer and spring out. Put the hammer in the baggie and save the spring. Take the new hammer, install the spring on both "ears" and reinstall it in the receiver. This may take a few minutes for your first time. If you get it wrong, you will figure it out as it will only work in one configuration.
Next, get some heavy grease such as Hoppe's gun grease or even Vaseline and dip one end of the disconnector spring in it. This will keep the spring from falling out during the assembly process. Put the disconnector spring in the disconnector spring hole (greased end first), position the disconnector in the trigger, and then line the trigger and disconnector up so that the axis pin will go straight through. This isn't as hard as it sounds, but may take some trial and error. Once both axis pins are in place, reinstall the shepherd's hook to retain them under fire. You cannot skip this step or give it short shrift. It MUST be firmly in place or the first time out you will get a massive jam when the axis pin cones out and the hammer jumps out of place. One shortcut to eliminate the problems in replacing the shepherd's hook is to go to your local auto supply store. Take your axis pins with you. Ask them to let you look at their E-Clips that are widely used for assembling throttle and carburetor linkages and the like. Find two that fit and use those instead of the shepherd's hook. They work. Next, reinstall the bolt carrier and bolt as well as the main spring and dust cover. See that everything functions smoothly back and forth. The trigger should hold the hammer solidly and release smoothly. In fact, you may find the new trigger is quite a bit better than the original. With those parts installed, we go to the next step. Editor's Comment: there are several good FCG sets available. TAPCO and K-VAR are two good brands.
Stock Set
We need three more US made parts. A US made stock set will give us three parts. There are many such parts available on the market today. You can choose wood or synthetic stocks or furniture, as it is called in the firearms world. Do you want to have a folding buttstock? Time to decide. You can do that, but you may have to substitute another US made part as most of the good folders are East German. There are US made folders that will work just fine, however, they install on the receiver in a non-original manner.
Do you want an original Soviet or Polish laminated stock set? That is possible and permissible. Just be sure to use no more than 10 imported parts in your conversion.
We are going to install a US made synthetic stock set for our Maadi. A number of sets are available. Standard length buttstocks and buttstocks 1-1/4 inch longer are available depending on how you want to setup your AK. Choice of color is up to you.
First we need to remove the thumbhole stock. The pistol grip screw is removed with a slot screw driver and is pretty straight forward. At the rear of the receiver there is a tang with at least two wood screws. One is visible outside the receiver and one or maybe two screws are under the dust cover. Remove all the screws. All that is left is to pull the stock off which may be on there pretty snugly. Whatever it takes to get it off without damaging the receiver is OK.
Before assembling the new buttstock, also remove the handguards. With the dust cover off, remove the main spring, bolt carrier, and gas tube. Under the gas tube is a short lever that needs to be lifted and swung forward. Once it is forward, move the collet forward also. The lower guard will then drop out. The upper hand guard is a bit trickier, but is easily dealt with once you know the secret. Take a large wood-working clamp with wood jaws, or put in a large vice with padded jaws, and twist the wooden hand guard out 180 degrees. This will come out for sure, but may be stuck in there pretty good. Keep at it until you have it off. While still in the vise, reinstall the new upper handguard in an opposite manner. The lower handguard installs just the opposite of removal. It may take a tap with a brass hammer to get the collet back into position. Brass hammers will not damage steel as the brass yields first, but don't get carried away with the pounding.
Now, install the buttstock. It goes in about the same as the old one, except it does not use the pistol grip screw to keep it in place like the thumbhole stock. The synthetic stock may need some minor fitting with a small file, sandpaper, or Dremel tool. Don't get carried away with removing material as you want it to go in snugly, but not to the point of deforming the receiver. You want it to fit around the rear tang and end of the receiver with no gaps. Take your time to get this to fit properly and you will be proud of your accomplishment.
All that is left is to install the pistol grip. The grip screw that you took off earlier should be fine to re-use. If not, you may need to buy a longer unit. Also, a bit of fitting may be needed on the grip to match the angle that the grip screw goes in so as to get a snug fit. The pistol grip should also go up against the trigger guard very tightly to get the proper relationship on the trigger when shooting. These are usually minor fitments.
You now have at least six US made parts for your Maadi and you are now legal for that configuration. If you later want to go with a side folder, and you use an East German crutch stock, you will need to add another US made part to be legal. One other part you can use for this contingency is a US made muzzle device. This leaves you covered for future changes. The rule is, if you add one imported part, then you need to replace an imported part with a US made part somewhere else, always having no more than 10 imported parts on the rifle, from the 922r list, of course.
While we are on the subject, a brief word or two about installing a folder. It is going to install in the rear trunion just like the synthetic buttstock. The only difference is that it may require the use a metal working file instead of sandpaper to get it fitted snugly into the trunion. Remove any metal from the folder, not the receiver. Some touch up with cold blue solution may be needed before you do the final installation to keep the bare steel parts from rusting. A good coating of Hoppe's Gun Grease is also good to apply over the re-blue.
Gas Piston
If you want to retain one of the FCG parts, handguards, or other compliance parts for whatever reason, you may opt to install a US made gas piston. This is a fairly easy operation to perform, but is a bit more work than replacing the FCG and stock set. The thread pattern for virtually all gas pistons are the same size and pitch. So take heart in knowing that the one you buy will fit your import. In at least one instance, the gas piston you are replacing will need to be a bit longer than the ones available so be aware of this before you change out the gas piston on the Mitchell Arms M90 Yugoslavian .308 M77 counter sniper model. This piston is 1/4 inch longer than standard. You would have to find a shop to make one for you on a special order basis.
With the bolt carrier out and bolt removed, you need to look at the bolt carrier just behind the gas piston to see if you can find the pin that is holding it in place. You may need to take a piece of emery cloth and give the area a sanding like buffing your shoes to get the pin to stand out. Once you have found the pin, take a small drill bit and drill the mushroomed head out. Then, take a drift and start to tap it out the other side. This may take a bit of force so be careful not to damage the bolt carrier in the process. It is best to brace the carrier on a nylon gunsmith anvil available from Brownell's.
Before removing the piston, take an overall measurement of the distance from the end of the bolt carrier to the end of the gas piston. This will be needed when you reinstall the new unit. Once the pin is out, unscrew the old gas piston completely out of the bolt carrier and place it in the baggie with the FCG parts. Once you have the piston out, take the time to clean up the inside of the bolt carrier, especially the threaded area. Aerosol brake cleaner or Gun Scrubber is a good tool for this job. Take the new piston and thread into the bolt carrier. Be sure to apply the measurement of the old unit and make the new piston the same length. Once installed, your piston should have some wobble to it to allow it to float in the gas tube. If it is completely rigid, you may have some troubles with the action jamming or short stroking.
Next, you need to re-pin the piston in place. There are two methods to use here. One is to drill the piston with a 1/8 inch drill bit and install a 1/8 inch steel roll-pin. This is perhaps the easiest method. Trim the roll-pin to fit inside the bolt carrier after it is installed as you don't want it standing proud to snag on anything. However, this method will not appeal to the purist as the hole will be seen on the bolt carrier upon pulling the bolt back. Not a big deal for most of us, however. The second method involves either making or buying a replacement pin to rivet into position like the original. You will still need to drill the new gas piston to accept whatever size pin you have selected to use. This pin should be a soft steel to facilitate the forming of a mushroom head; don't try to use an old drill bit as it will shatter wildly. Mushrooming the head can be accomplished using a steel mini-anvil and steel ball-peen hammer. Don't worry about anything standing proud of the bolt carrier when you are done as that is easily removed with a small file, and can be polished with some emery cloth. In fact, when you are done, take the emery cloth and polish the entire forward part of the bolt carrier in a shoe-shine manner to give an overall uniform appearance. If you choose this method, it should be almost impossible to tell where you did the work.
The next thing to do is to reassemble the bolt carrier and check for smooth operation. It should be just as smooth as before you changed the piston out. If you feel a drag, inspect the parts until you find the source. If the piston drags anywhere in the gas tube, it is probably because you did not clean the threads in the bolt carrier of trash and burrs enough to allow the piston to float. Or if you used the original pin method, you did not drill a large enough hole for the pin in the gas piston to allow the piston to float. That is why the steel roll pin method works the best; it will allow the piston to float and is easily taken apart for whatever reason.
Bayonet Lugs
Bayonet lugs are not required except for completing the look of the original AK. Yet, many AK lovers want to be able to install their matching bayonet while they display it in their homes. Nothing wrong with that. We will proceed down that avenue. There may be a problem doing this depending on which post-ban AK you have.
If you have a model with the underside of the gas block completely smoothed off, then you are facing a bigger challenge than one with the stub for the cleaning rod to pass through, still intact. In the first case, either decide to forgo the lugs or face the challenge of replacing the gas block itself. This is not a small operation and requires a press of some sort, preferably hydraulic. You would have to first remove the front sight tower to get to the gas block. It is not recommended to go this far with your 922r conversion, for obvious reasons. You could possibly create a T-shaped unit with cleaning rod hole in the center to weld or solder in place, but that would be up to the more mechanically gifted out there.
A similar situation exists for those that have the cleaning rod stub still on the gas block. You will have to make or buy some "ears" to either solder or weld in place to serve as the bayonet lugs. This is a much easier task than the above situation and hopefully the one you are facing. Of course, if you want to forgo this operation, that is up to you. At least you will still have the cleaning rod which gives the original look to the AK. Bayonet lugs, either missing or present, are not usually noticed until closer inspection.
Muzzle Device
Adding a muzzle device such as a flash hider or slant brake is not too difficult to do. Hopefully, you have an AK with the threaded muzzle, but with some device tack-welded in place. If not, you will have to go a slightly different, but easier route.
With threads present, go about the task of removing the welded muzzle nut. It is best to take a Dremel tool with synthetic cutoff wheel and carefully go at the task of cutting off the nut. Be sure to wear your eye protection before starting. Of course, you want to remove the nut without damaging the front sight tower or the threads. You can cut through the welds piecemeal to get the nut off. This will leave you with a bit of Swiss pattern file work to remove the last bit of weld from the tower, but it is not too hard to accomplish. Take your time. Clean the FST to be square and clean looking. Test fit the new slant brake or flash hider to see if it threads all the way up to the FST without kinking.
One last thing for this operation. You must also make or buy a pin and small spring to serve as the retainer for the new muzzle device. The pin can be easily made from a worn- out drill bit "upper end" of appropriate size. The spring can usually be found in a common mechanical pen or pencil. The hole for the pin and spring is almost always present to begin with. If not, you will have to determine where it should be and drill it out. This is a bit more involved, so if the hole is not there, you may want to skip this operation or secure the slant brake with a small set screw out of view on the under side.
Any muzzle device you want to add, short of a sound suppressor is now legal to install.
For those with no threads on the muzzle, your easiest route is to fit a slant brake with a small hole drilled in the bottom side to accept a set screw. Line up the brake to be a bit on the bias or 45 degree slant and mark through the set screw hole on the barrel with a marking pen. Take your drill and put a very shallow hole in the barrel for the set screw to hold to. Use loctite on the set screw. This method of attachment will be almost unnoticeable on the final job. You might also find a muzzle attachment made especially for non-threaded barrels which will usually be a much tighter fit. Keep in mind, however, if you use an AK-74 style brake on a non-threaded barrel, it must have the small hole in the barrel for the set screw to catch on, otherwise it will shoot off after a few rounds. Been there, done that.
Refinishing
After the steps required to put your AK into 922r shape, you may find that all the handling and fitting leaves you with a bit of a ragged looking rifle as far as appearance. There are several ways to remedy this, even doing it yourself!
It is not required or recommended to refinish the internal parts such as the hammer, trigger, and disconnector. These have clearances that would possibly be altered in the grit- blasting process and would need to be touched up after refinishing. It is just easier to leave them in the shape they are currently in.
With any finish you decide on, don't forget to refinish at least a couple of magazines to match the rifle. If you paint, don't add too much paint to the end that inserts into the magazine well. Otherwise, it will be difficult to install and remove and you will mar the paint in the process.
Paint Finish
If you have access to a grit-blasting cabinet and airbrush, you can easily prepare the metal and apply special paint for a long-lasting finish. First thing is to strip the rifle down to the barest possible condition. You should have just the barrel and receiver with no internal parts remaining. This includes removing the front sight windage and elevation assembly and the rear tangent sight. Be sure to plug and tape the bore on both ends as well as the gas block. After this prep, place the barreled receiver into the blast cabinet and use aluminum oxide as an abrasive. Go over the assembly in a thorough manner, both inside and out. You may want to go light over any markings on the receiver to keep from obliterating them. Blow any remaining grit out of the receiver and go over it with Gun Scrubber to flush it out completely. But, if it is going to be a few days before you plan to paint, add a coating of WD-40 or light oil on the bare parts to keep them from rusting, which they will do in a big hurry. Before paint, go back over the parts with Gun Scrubber to remove the oil. Be sure to let the solvent evaporate and go over the crevices again, as any trapped oil will keep the paint from adhering.
There are several specialized paints designed for gun refinishing. Get one in the color and luster you are happy with and follow the instructions included. Most of these paints can be applied with a standard hobby airbrush such as a Paasche, which is about the best. You will need to reduce or thin the paint to get it to spray and you will also need enough thinner to do a clean-up afterward. Most of the paints will dry quickly, but need about 30 minutes to be able to be handled. It is best to make a few jigs to hold the parts while they are in the drying stage. Rubber surgical gloves are handy to use here so you can hold small parts while you are painting them without getting that nasty paint on you. Keep in mind, it is best to do this paint work outside as the fumes will be very thick, to the point of making breathing quite dangerous. Unless you have a special paint booth with power ventilation, go outside.
Two notes on applying the paint finish. First, lay up a "dust coat" to start with. This will make a sticky surface which will support the following coats without sagging or runs. If you get a run on the bare metal, have a rag with some thinner handy to wipe it off and respray immediately. Runs on top of previous coats may have to be dried completely and lightly sanded before you can proceed with the final paint job. Light coats will lead to quicker drying times and avoid runs and sags. Second, you need to walk the line on getting enough paint on the metal to provide a long wearing finish, but not so much that you will affect the operation of the AK by applying too much paint in critical areas such as the rails that the bolt carrier runs on. Too much paint will tend to crack off, rather than wearing off.
Also, a primer is not generally required when using a specially formulated gun coating since the grit-blasting gives a very good "tooth" for the paint to adhere to. The problem you would face if you did apply a primer is that any nick in the paint would likely expose the gray or green primer. This would not look especially good or authentic. Bare metal exposed, however unfortunate that would be, is still better than seeing primer.
Stencils are available to create a camo job if that is what you like. In fact, complete sets of firearm paints and stencils are available to create camo finishes from Lauer Custom Weaponry. Most of these paints are designed to be baked after painting, but they can be left to air dry if you have the time. Keep in mind that it will take several weeks of non- use to cure in this manner or you will run the risk of marring your paint job. This is by far the easiest finish for the at-home 922r conversion.
Parkerizing
Parkerizing is pretty much for the professional finisher. Unless you want to shell out $$$ for the setup required to do this work, it is best to take it to your local gunsmith. However, a park job is one of the nicer finishes to apply. It is the standard finish of military firearms. Expect to pay $100 to $200 or more for this work. Many colors and tints are available to pick from. You may even want to send your parts off to a parkerizing specialty shop such as Arizona Response Systems. These guys deal with the black rifles all the time and have undoubtedly re-parked hundreds of AK's. For an extra fee, they probably would do a turn-key job for you.
Wood Finish
There are several options for finishing or refinishing your stock set if you go the wood route. Red stain and gloss finish are very popular right now to emulate the Soviet look. But, you may use any color of stain and clear-coat luster that gets your AK juices flowing. Take a look at some of the pics posted online on some of the gun forums for ideas. If you are doing an economy trip and have an ugly, beat-up imported stock set that you have gotten at a cheap price, you may want to consider painting over it. Black is a color that hides the most sins. Of course, you may elect to go with a custom camo job for the entire rifle that will make even the worst condition AK look very interesting. Remember, you may use an original imported stock set as long as you use no more than 10 imported parts overall.
Synthetic Finish
The synthetic stock set will be colored throughout and not need any refinishing for scrapes. However, you may have a black set and wish to change to OD Green or Desert Tan. This is easy to do with the same paints used on the barreled receiver. Camo is an option as with the wood sets, but you may not have to use a base coat, just add the highlight color patterns (tiger stripes perhaps).
Reassembly
Once you have your "pet" AK refinished, take your time in getting it back together. Get a padded bench mat to lay your receiver on while you work such as a foam pad for laying on your automobile fender. These work great and are usually impervious to solvents. A few special tools such as a brass hammer and drift set, steel drifts, and a gunsmith screwdriver set will make your work much more agreeable and less likely to damage parts on the assembly job. Buggered screw heads are the mark of a real gun hack. Of course, that's what most of us really are, but why advertise that fact when a set of screwdrivers are not that expensive and will last many years?
When you are done and have taken your time, most will have no idea that your AK did not come that way from the factory.
Once assembled, work the action several times to be sure it is free to move in the required manner. Also, be sure the bore is completely free of any grit or residue that may have crept in. Check your magazine and make sure that no paint build up in the mag well prevents mag insertion. Same for your mag if you painted it too.
With these checks complete, take it out and shoot your new toy! Be sure to go to the range on a day when you can show it off to lots of people. Hey, after all that work, you deserve a few compliments!
Compliance
If you don't fully comply with the 922r statute, you can be faced with confiscation of your rifle and a felony change. If convicted, this means Federal Prison time. It ain't worth it folks! Do it right or don't do it at all.
Keep in mind, some states do not allow "assault weapons" under any circumstances. Be absolutely sure you are allowed to own one before converting your "sporting rifle" to 922r configuration.
Most 922r US made compliance parts are marked as such these days, but not all. It may be wise to keep all your receipts in case someone calls your hand on your conversion.
High Capacity Magazines
Some states have laws that do not permit high capacity mags, no matter if your AK is 922r compliant. This may be also true of local areas such as counties, parishes, and cities. You must be aware of these laws before inserting a hi-cap mag into your AK rifle. Some states allow hi-cap mags, but they must all be made prior to the 1989 gun ban. Most of these states place a felony level charge on having an illegal hi-cap magazine, so, the same penalties as described above may apply here, except that you may end up in a state prison. Again, not worth it.
Recap
We actually installed 8 US made parts on our Maadi. These are as follows:
1. Hammer
2. Trigger
3. Disconnector
4. Buttstock
5. Pistol Grip
6. Handguards
7. Gas Piston
8. Muzzle Brake
We have 2 more US made parts than is required to meet 922r minimums. However, it hurts nothing to be a few parts over the count. You may want to later change that fixed buttstock to an East German folder. No problem, you would still be 1 US made part "strong."
If you decided to go for the full original Maadi look and use an original Egyptian laminated furniture set (3 imported parts), you would need to resort to using 1 more US made magazine part since there are not any other parts to substitute, practically speaking. That's not too bad as you can load up some Egyptian 30 rounders with US made mag followers (1 US made part) and always have them with that rifle. It's basically mix and match.
Keep in mind that many new products for the AK-47 are popping up every month. Keep an eye on our web pages for the latest gear.
Conclusion
This article is intended to cover the 922r conversion process from start to finish. However, there may be some areas that were not touched upon adequately or at all. Feel free to chat online or call us to ask any questions you may have about this process.
If you are in possession of a "POST-BAN" AK-47 rifle and want to bring it up to "no-ban" status, this article will take you through the steps to outfit you with a legal, "pre-ban" appearing rifle. Or, to explain the term pre-ban a bit further, an AK as was imported in fair numbers prior to the 1989 gun ban, with an original style fixed or side folder buttstock, a pistol grip, bayonet lugs, removable flash hider or muzzle brake, and hi- capacity "banana" magazine (subject to various state laws).
The rifle you have in your hands to convert is undoubtedly an import and is probably going to have a "thumbhole" stock, no bayonet lugs, no flash hider, and whatever device is on the muzzle is welded, pinned, or silver-soldered permanently. You may or may not be able to legally insert a 30 round high capacity magazine in your state or local area.
There are many of these imported rifles out there just waiting to be given some TLC by their owners.
This article is going to cover the stamped receiver model since these are the most common. Milled receivers are converted in a very similar manner, except they need a buttstock specially made for milled receivers. A few notes on milled receivers are tossed in along the way.
You should have at least some mechanical aptitude to begin this conversion. Some may be able to sail right through to the end. Others may hit a snag at one or two points along the way and need some help. Some may get involved and find that they have bitten off more than they want to chew. Hopefully, you are like Clint Eastwood in a line from one of the "Dirt Harry" movies, "A man has got to know his limitations!" Enough said.
In this article, we refer to "semi-automatic assault rifles (SAW)" and "assault weapons ban (AWB)" because that's how the 1994 gun ban defined the semi-auto AK-47s as well as other types of semi-auto rifles. We certainly do not consider the semi-auto AK-47 an assault rifle as that term would define a rifle capable of fully automatic fire. In other words, we really know better, so don't be alarmed into thinking we have been programmed by the anti-gun crowd.
Why Do This?
This is a good question to think about before you start. You will be spending several hundred dollars to accomplish the conversion. You will be spending a considerable amount of time taking it apart and working on it. You may be asking yourself if this is way too much time and money to invest on a silly old "post-ban" AK-47.
To help you come to a consensus here, you should go online and examine how much $$$ pre-ban and no-ban AKs are selling for these days. The prices will surprise you. If you own a post-ban AK that you paid $200 to $250 for years ago, and you add $350 to it for the conversion, you still have a good solid investment as no-ban rifles are easily selling for $750 to $1,000, depending on the specifics. Pre-ban rifles are easily $1000 and up. Even the rather crude Romanian WASR no-bans are going for $500 at retail gun shops.
Imported AKs are quickly drying up as people are snatching them up and the BATFE continues to restrict the import of even partial parts kits. If you have an interesting AK that was assembled in the original country as a complete firearm such as an Egyptian Maadi, it is worth the money and effort just to say you own one, as these have always been considered the most authentic and closest to the Soviet AK-47s. Plus, it was assembled by the original Maadi AK factory team, not by some minimum wage worker for some large gun importer and distributor. This, if for no other reason, makes your post ban Maadi worth more than you think. The same holds true for the complete post-ban imported Bulgarian AK rifles.
Like many of us, if you get into a financial bind, the toys are sold off first. If you have increased the value, desirability, and appeal of your toy, you will not only sell it quicker, but sell it for more than you have invested. There are not too many "investments" you can do this with. It's having your cake and eating it too.
And of course, in the conversion process, you can assemble the AK you have dreamed of having, custom tailored to your specifications.
Do you have any good excuses for not starting right now?
Title 18 U.S.C. (922r) Discussion
No discussion on converting your AK from one status to another would be complete without a description of what "922r" means, both as a law and what you are going to be required to do to stay legal with your firearm.
Yes, you can convert it legally, but you need to jump through a few legal "hoops" in the process. This part may help you understand the need to do what we are going to do later in the article.
Short Background
In 1989, President George H W Bush took steps to stop the import of 43 types of semi- automatic firearms which were considered to have "no sporting purpose" according to the language of the Gun Control Act of 1968. This stopped all the evil "black" rifles from coming in such as the AK-47(series), Uzi, FAL, FNC, HK-91, Daewoo (series), and many, many other cool rifles, just because George Bush thought they should be banned. Be informed, this ban did not start in Congress, but was created by the BATF at the behest of the Office of the President of the United States through the recommendation of "Drug Czar" Bill Bennet.
This was the beginning of the term "pre-ban" rifle. Pre-ban rifle refers to any semi- automatic rifle (on the ban list) with all the "evil" features (such as the AK-47 series) and imported into the US prior to President Bush's intervention on March 14, 1989. They are still legal to own and sell and are "grandfathered" as far as the law goes.
A few imported rifles were caught up in the ban process. Mitchell Arms had about 3,500 Yugoslavian AK-47s of several varieties and calibers waiting in Customs where they remained for about 5 years before being released for sale. Even though technically considered to be post-ban rifles, they are now highly sought after AK's (known as the Yugo M-90), and are perfect candidates for the 922r conversion.
Five years later, Bill Clinton signed Congressional anti-gun legislation (Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, also referred to as the Assault Weapons Ban (AWB)) in Sept of 1994, which defined an "assault rifle" for the first time. We will cover the legal definition of this later in the article. The bill also limited civilian sales of magazines of more than 10 rounds capacity. Pre-ban high-capacity mags were still legal to own and sell. This bill furthered the import restrictions and even determined what configuration of semi-automatic rifle assembled from imported parts could be legally built within the USA. This ban was to be sun-setted in 2004, which it was, after much discussion in Congress to extend the ban permanently. The purpose of this ban was to emasculate the firearms industry's ability of making any politically incorrect firearms. However, they did not take into account the cleverness of red-blooded, Second Amendment loving, American gun manufacturers. The AWB did more to stimulate the firearms industry than the anti-gun people ever could have imagined. Sales of firearms and ammunition of all sorts went through the roof as citizens flocked to gun shows and dealers as a reflection of their distrust of the Government. And rightly so. After all, why should you trust a government that would take your firearms?
At the start of the Clinton Gun Ban, AK clones that passed the criteria "for sporting purposes" were allowed to be imported. These were pretty ugly to AK lovers, to name one group. Other "black" rifles suffered the same ugliness. The wording of the bill under Title 27 U.S.C., made it illegal to import or assemble a pre-ban configuration AK with even a plain buttstock, as it would necessitate having a pistol grip to function, the pistol grip being the clincher. That's because the language of the bill legally defined an assault rifle as a semi-automatic rifle having the capability to accept a detachable magazine and at least two of these "evil" features: folding or telescoping stock, bayonet lugs, threaded muzzle, flash hider, pistol grip, and grenade launcher. As a result, a typical AK-47 clone was imported with a large, ugly thumbhole buttstock, no bayonet lugs, no threaded muzzle, or if it did, the muzzle attachment was welded on, but no flash hiders what-so- ever were allowed, and 5 or 10 round magazine.
As time passed, things improved as manufacturers started producing AK's using US made parts to bring the appearance back to something resembling the original configuration. This was allowed by the language of Title 18 USC, Part 922r, which stated that no more than 10 imported parts could be used to build an AK style rifle with at least some of the evil features. The BATF originally wanted just 2 imported parts as the maximum, but Congress upped the ante and settled on 10 imported parts as the maximum which greatly decreased the US made parts that must be substituted in the build. In other words, the required US made parts dropped from 14 to 6 in the final bill. Apart from this small victory, it was a very confusing time to deal in AK's.
After Sept 14, 2004, things came back to normal in that high capacity mags were legal to sell to civilians and evil features such as folding stocks, flash hiders, and bayonet lugs were again legal. In retrospect, the 10 year AWB was a waste of time. It did nothing to reduce crime and only hindered US Citizens from owning their favorite weapons in original form. Both the 1989 and 1994 gun bans pushed the price of firearms and magazines up in the process. In 1989, after Bush's ban was announced, the price of an AK-47 NIB import increased from $350 to $550 overnight. Through the years, all black rifles continued to increase in price as more and more restrictions were implemented, supplies shrank, and demand grew. Simple economics. Now, that same $550 NIB AK-47 will bring $1,200 and perhaps more. A recent, high quality, brand new, US made AK clone will cost $750 and up.
Be informed that there are pending Congressional bills as late as June 2008, i.e., House Resolution 6257, that would renew the AWB permanently. You might want to get your AK-47 922r'd before they do another ban. If the Congress Critters get it passed, it will undoubtedly be much more severe than the last one.
Title 18 (922r) and Title 27 Laws
922r
"Title 18 U.S.C., Chapter 44, Section 922 (r) No person shall assemble a semiautomatic rifle or any shotgun using more than 10 of the imported parts listed in paragraph (c) of this section if the assembled firearm is prohibited from importation under section 925(d)(3) as not being particularly suitable for or readily adaptable to sporting purposes."
This statute was actually put in place about 1990, but got little notice. With the 1994 ban, it got big press when the BATF began putting manufacturers on strict compliance notice. The same notice holds true for individuals doing their own conversion work.
The 922r language presented a list of 20 parts that applied to ALL semi-automatic assault rifles (not just the AK-47 series) made from imported parts sets or kits. For the AK-47, 16 parts apply. The following is a list of those parts, also referred to as "compliance parts."
1. Barrel
2. Receiver
3. Front and Rear Trunions (Applies to stamped receivers only)
4. Bolt Carrier
5. Bolt
6. Gas Piston
7. Buttstock
8. Pistol Grip
9. Upper and Lower Handguards (Both count as 1 part)
10. Muzzle Device
11. Hammer
12. Trigger
13. Disconnector
14. Magazine Body
15. Magazine Follower
16. Magazine Floorplate
You may choose replacement parts from the list as desired. The point being that a maximum of 10 imported parts from this list may be used to build an AK rifle. The bottom line is that you must use 6 US made parts from the above list to assemble a stamped steel AK and 5 US made parts for a milled receiver. Since you are not looking to do a total rebuild of your AK, you will likely choose the smaller parts. But, if you ever wanted to do a complete build from a parts set, you would be able to replace all the parts on the list with US made parts save the bolt carrier, bolt, trunions, and possibly the barrel. US made barrels are available for several AK builds, but not all.
Title 27 U.S.C.
For historical purposes, Title 27, Part 478.11, defines the meaning of a semi-automatic assault weapon (S.A.W.). It was sun-setted with the AWB as of Sept 14, 2004. But, we will list the language as it appeared to demonstrate what we labored under for those long 10 years. A semi-automatic assault weapon is:
(b) A semiautomatic rifle that has an ability to accept a detachable magazine and has at least 2 of the following features:
(1) A folding or telescoping stock,
(2) A pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action of the weapon,
(3) A bayonet mount,
(4) A flash suppressor or threaded barrel designed to accommodate a flash suppressor,
and
(5) A grenade launcher.
During the period 1994 - 2004, if you built a rifle with most of these features you would have been in violation of the Title 27 definition of a S.A.W. Thank goodness we have passed Sept 14, 2004 and can do away with this list of banned features. But, you still need to be in 922r compliance with no more than 10 imported parts used for the build. It is sort of complicated, but not overwhelming. We will get through it.
Where to start?
Let's say you have a post-ban Egyptian Maadi stamped steel receiver AK-47. It has the thumbhole buttstock, no lugs, welded muzzle nut, and is ugly as heck! The good news is that it may have the very desirable laminated handguards. If these don't suit your taste, save them as they sell quickly to guys that want them. Since you are in possession of an assembled rifle, there is no need to consider changing out the receiver and barrel, that's just counter productive, and would actually lessen the value of the completed project. But, you do need 6 US made parts to make this into something recognizable as a "no-ban" AK-47.
Fire Control GroupThe most practical course for any 922r rifle conversion is to install a US made fire control group (FCG). This consists of a hammer, trigger, and disconnector. Very simple to remove the old parts and install the new ones. This gives you three US made parts! When you install these, you are half-way there!
You may choose to use a single or double hook FCG. The double hook set is usually used for milled receivers, but will fit a stamped receiver with little effort. The area around the trigger slot in the receiver may need to be opened up with a small file for the double hook trigger to fit. The single hook trigger will fit with no modification. The advantage of the double hook trigger is a more positive grip on the hammer and smoother trigger let-off.
You must do some disassembly to get the old parts out. Remove the dust cover, main spring, and bolt carrier, and lay them aside. Next, find the "shepherd's hook" that holds the front and rear axis pins in place. It usually pulls out the front through the magazine well. Once that is removed, tap the trigger axis pin to the left and work it out completely. This will free up the trigger and disconnector. Set these aside in a baggie, but save the disconnector spring to use later. Remove the hammer axis pin in a similar manner. The hammer is wrapped in a fairly powerful spring that usually holds it in place due to the long arms that get tangled in the receiver. You will experience this when you try to take it out. Study how it is placed in there because you will have to reinstall it correctly, later. Pull the hammer and spring out. Put the hammer in the baggie and save the spring. Take the new hammer, install the spring on both "ears" and reinstall it in the receiver. This may take a few minutes for your first time. If you get it wrong, you will figure it out as it will only work in one configuration.
Next, get some heavy grease such as Hoppe's gun grease or even Vaseline and dip one end of the disconnector spring in it. This will keep the spring from falling out during the assembly process. Put the disconnector spring in the disconnector spring hole (greased end first), position the disconnector in the trigger, and then line the trigger and disconnector up so that the axis pin will go straight through. This isn't as hard as it sounds, but may take some trial and error. Once both axis pins are in place, reinstall the shepherd's hook to retain them under fire. You cannot skip this step or give it short shrift. It MUST be firmly in place or the first time out you will get a massive jam when the axis pin cones out and the hammer jumps out of place. One shortcut to eliminate the problems in replacing the shepherd's hook is to go to your local auto supply store. Take your axis pins with you. Ask them to let you look at their E-Clips that are widely used for assembling throttle and carburetor linkages and the like. Find two that fit and use those instead of the shepherd's hook. They work. Next, reinstall the bolt carrier and bolt as well as the main spring and dust cover. See that everything functions smoothly back and forth. The trigger should hold the hammer solidly and release smoothly. In fact, you may find the new trigger is quite a bit better than the original. With those parts installed, we go to the next step. Editor's Comment: there are several good FCG sets available. TAPCO and K-VAR are two good brands.
Stock SetWe need three more US made parts. A US made stock set will give us three parts. There are many such parts available on the market today. You can choose wood or synthetic stocks or furniture, as it is called in the firearms world. Do you want to have a folding buttstock? Time to decide. You can do that, but you may have to substitute another US made part as most of the good folders are East German. There are US made folders that will work just fine, however, they install on the receiver in a non-original manner.
Do you want an original Soviet or Polish laminated stock set? That is possible and permissible. Just be sure to use no more than 10 imported parts in your conversion.
We are going to install a US made synthetic stock set for our Maadi. A number of sets are available. Standard length buttstocks and buttstocks 1-1/4 inch longer are available depending on how you want to setup your AK. Choice of color is up to you.
First we need to remove the thumbhole stock. The pistol grip screw is removed with a slot screw driver and is pretty straight forward. At the rear of the receiver there is a tang with at least two wood screws. One is visible outside the receiver and one or maybe two screws are under the dust cover. Remove all the screws. All that is left is to pull the stock off which may be on there pretty snugly. Whatever it takes to get it off without damaging the receiver is OK.
Before assembling the new buttstock, also remove the handguards. With the dust cover off, remove the main spring, bolt carrier, and gas tube. Under the gas tube is a short lever that needs to be lifted and swung forward. Once it is forward, move the collet forward also. The lower guard will then drop out. The upper hand guard is a bit trickier, but is easily dealt with once you know the secret. Take a large wood-working clamp with wood jaws, or put in a large vice with padded jaws, and twist the wooden hand guard out 180 degrees. This will come out for sure, but may be stuck in there pretty good. Keep at it until you have it off. While still in the vise, reinstall the new upper handguard in an opposite manner. The lower handguard installs just the opposite of removal. It may take a tap with a brass hammer to get the collet back into position. Brass hammers will not damage steel as the brass yields first, but don't get carried away with the pounding.
Now, install the buttstock. It goes in about the same as the old one, except it does not use the pistol grip screw to keep it in place like the thumbhole stock. The synthetic stock may need some minor fitting with a small file, sandpaper, or Dremel tool. Don't get carried away with removing material as you want it to go in snugly, but not to the point of deforming the receiver. You want it to fit around the rear tang and end of the receiver with no gaps. Take your time to get this to fit properly and you will be proud of your accomplishment.
All that is left is to install the pistol grip. The grip screw that you took off earlier should be fine to re-use. If not, you may need to buy a longer unit. Also, a bit of fitting may be needed on the grip to match the angle that the grip screw goes in so as to get a snug fit. The pistol grip should also go up against the trigger guard very tightly to get the proper relationship on the trigger when shooting. These are usually minor fitments.
You now have at least six US made parts for your Maadi and you are now legal for that configuration. If you later want to go with a side folder, and you use an East German crutch stock, you will need to add another US made part to be legal. One other part you can use for this contingency is a US made muzzle device. This leaves you covered for future changes. The rule is, if you add one imported part, then you need to replace an imported part with a US made part somewhere else, always having no more than 10 imported parts on the rifle, from the 922r list, of course.
While we are on the subject, a brief word or two about installing a folder. It is going to install in the rear trunion just like the synthetic buttstock. The only difference is that it may require the use a metal working file instead of sandpaper to get it fitted snugly into the trunion. Remove any metal from the folder, not the receiver. Some touch up with cold blue solution may be needed before you do the final installation to keep the bare steel parts from rusting. A good coating of Hoppe's Gun Grease is also good to apply over the re-blue.
Gas PistonIf you want to retain one of the FCG parts, handguards, or other compliance parts for whatever reason, you may opt to install a US made gas piston. This is a fairly easy operation to perform, but is a bit more work than replacing the FCG and stock set. The thread pattern for virtually all gas pistons are the same size and pitch. So take heart in knowing that the one you buy will fit your import. In at least one instance, the gas piston you are replacing will need to be a bit longer than the ones available so be aware of this before you change out the gas piston on the Mitchell Arms M90 Yugoslavian .308 M77 counter sniper model. This piston is 1/4 inch longer than standard. You would have to find a shop to make one for you on a special order basis.
With the bolt carrier out and bolt removed, you need to look at the bolt carrier just behind the gas piston to see if you can find the pin that is holding it in place. You may need to take a piece of emery cloth and give the area a sanding like buffing your shoes to get the pin to stand out. Once you have found the pin, take a small drill bit and drill the mushroomed head out. Then, take a drift and start to tap it out the other side. This may take a bit of force so be careful not to damage the bolt carrier in the process. It is best to brace the carrier on a nylon gunsmith anvil available from Brownell's.
Before removing the piston, take an overall measurement of the distance from the end of the bolt carrier to the end of the gas piston. This will be needed when you reinstall the new unit. Once the pin is out, unscrew the old gas piston completely out of the bolt carrier and place it in the baggie with the FCG parts. Once you have the piston out, take the time to clean up the inside of the bolt carrier, especially the threaded area. Aerosol brake cleaner or Gun Scrubber is a good tool for this job. Take the new piston and thread into the bolt carrier. Be sure to apply the measurement of the old unit and make the new piston the same length. Once installed, your piston should have some wobble to it to allow it to float in the gas tube. If it is completely rigid, you may have some troubles with the action jamming or short stroking.
Next, you need to re-pin the piston in place. There are two methods to use here. One is to drill the piston with a 1/8 inch drill bit and install a 1/8 inch steel roll-pin. This is perhaps the easiest method. Trim the roll-pin to fit inside the bolt carrier after it is installed as you don't want it standing proud to snag on anything. However, this method will not appeal to the purist as the hole will be seen on the bolt carrier upon pulling the bolt back. Not a big deal for most of us, however. The second method involves either making or buying a replacement pin to rivet into position like the original. You will still need to drill the new gas piston to accept whatever size pin you have selected to use. This pin should be a soft steel to facilitate the forming of a mushroom head; don't try to use an old drill bit as it will shatter wildly. Mushrooming the head can be accomplished using a steel mini-anvil and steel ball-peen hammer. Don't worry about anything standing proud of the bolt carrier when you are done as that is easily removed with a small file, and can be polished with some emery cloth. In fact, when you are done, take the emery cloth and polish the entire forward part of the bolt carrier in a shoe-shine manner to give an overall uniform appearance. If you choose this method, it should be almost impossible to tell where you did the work.
The next thing to do is to reassemble the bolt carrier and check for smooth operation. It should be just as smooth as before you changed the piston out. If you feel a drag, inspect the parts until you find the source. If the piston drags anywhere in the gas tube, it is probably because you did not clean the threads in the bolt carrier of trash and burrs enough to allow the piston to float. Or if you used the original pin method, you did not drill a large enough hole for the pin in the gas piston to allow the piston to float. That is why the steel roll pin method works the best; it will allow the piston to float and is easily taken apart for whatever reason.
Bayonet Lugs
Bayonet lugs are not required except for completing the look of the original AK. Yet, many AK lovers want to be able to install their matching bayonet while they display it in their homes. Nothing wrong with that. We will proceed down that avenue. There may be a problem doing this depending on which post-ban AK you have.
If you have a model with the underside of the gas block completely smoothed off, then you are facing a bigger challenge than one with the stub for the cleaning rod to pass through, still intact. In the first case, either decide to forgo the lugs or face the challenge of replacing the gas block itself. This is not a small operation and requires a press of some sort, preferably hydraulic. You would have to first remove the front sight tower to get to the gas block. It is not recommended to go this far with your 922r conversion, for obvious reasons. You could possibly create a T-shaped unit with cleaning rod hole in the center to weld or solder in place, but that would be up to the more mechanically gifted out there.
A similar situation exists for those that have the cleaning rod stub still on the gas block. You will have to make or buy some "ears" to either solder or weld in place to serve as the bayonet lugs. This is a much easier task than the above situation and hopefully the one you are facing. Of course, if you want to forgo this operation, that is up to you. At least you will still have the cleaning rod which gives the original look to the AK. Bayonet lugs, either missing or present, are not usually noticed until closer inspection.
Muzzle Device
Adding a muzzle device such as a flash hider or slant brake is not too difficult to do. Hopefully, you have an AK with the threaded muzzle, but with some device tack-welded in place. If not, you will have to go a slightly different, but easier route.
With threads present, go about the task of removing the welded muzzle nut. It is best to take a Dremel tool with synthetic cutoff wheel and carefully go at the task of cutting off the nut. Be sure to wear your eye protection before starting. Of course, you want to remove the nut without damaging the front sight tower or the threads. You can cut through the welds piecemeal to get the nut off. This will leave you with a bit of Swiss pattern file work to remove the last bit of weld from the tower, but it is not too hard to accomplish. Take your time. Clean the FST to be square and clean looking. Test fit the new slant brake or flash hider to see if it threads all the way up to the FST without kinking.
One last thing for this operation. You must also make or buy a pin and small spring to serve as the retainer for the new muzzle device. The pin can be easily made from a worn- out drill bit "upper end" of appropriate size. The spring can usually be found in a common mechanical pen or pencil. The hole for the pin and spring is almost always present to begin with. If not, you will have to determine where it should be and drill it out. This is a bit more involved, so if the hole is not there, you may want to skip this operation or secure the slant brake with a small set screw out of view on the under side.
Any muzzle device you want to add, short of a sound suppressor is now legal to install.
For those with no threads on the muzzle, your easiest route is to fit a slant brake with a small hole drilled in the bottom side to accept a set screw. Line up the brake to be a bit on the bias or 45 degree slant and mark through the set screw hole on the barrel with a marking pen. Take your drill and put a very shallow hole in the barrel for the set screw to hold to. Use loctite on the set screw. This method of attachment will be almost unnoticeable on the final job. You might also find a muzzle attachment made especially for non-threaded barrels which will usually be a much tighter fit. Keep in mind, however, if you use an AK-74 style brake on a non-threaded barrel, it must have the small hole in the barrel for the set screw to catch on, otherwise it will shoot off after a few rounds. Been there, done that.
Refinishing
After the steps required to put your AK into 922r shape, you may find that all the handling and fitting leaves you with a bit of a ragged looking rifle as far as appearance. There are several ways to remedy this, even doing it yourself!
It is not required or recommended to refinish the internal parts such as the hammer, trigger, and disconnector. These have clearances that would possibly be altered in the grit- blasting process and would need to be touched up after refinishing. It is just easier to leave them in the shape they are currently in.
With any finish you decide on, don't forget to refinish at least a couple of magazines to match the rifle. If you paint, don't add too much paint to the end that inserts into the magazine well. Otherwise, it will be difficult to install and remove and you will mar the paint in the process.
Paint Finish
If you have access to a grit-blasting cabinet and airbrush, you can easily prepare the metal and apply special paint for a long-lasting finish. First thing is to strip the rifle down to the barest possible condition. You should have just the barrel and receiver with no internal parts remaining. This includes removing the front sight windage and elevation assembly and the rear tangent sight. Be sure to plug and tape the bore on both ends as well as the gas block. After this prep, place the barreled receiver into the blast cabinet and use aluminum oxide as an abrasive. Go over the assembly in a thorough manner, both inside and out. You may want to go light over any markings on the receiver to keep from obliterating them. Blow any remaining grit out of the receiver and go over it with Gun Scrubber to flush it out completely. But, if it is going to be a few days before you plan to paint, add a coating of WD-40 or light oil on the bare parts to keep them from rusting, which they will do in a big hurry. Before paint, go back over the parts with Gun Scrubber to remove the oil. Be sure to let the solvent evaporate and go over the crevices again, as any trapped oil will keep the paint from adhering.
There are several specialized paints designed for gun refinishing. Get one in the color and luster you are happy with and follow the instructions included. Most of these paints can be applied with a standard hobby airbrush such as a Paasche, which is about the best. You will need to reduce or thin the paint to get it to spray and you will also need enough thinner to do a clean-up afterward. Most of the paints will dry quickly, but need about 30 minutes to be able to be handled. It is best to make a few jigs to hold the parts while they are in the drying stage. Rubber surgical gloves are handy to use here so you can hold small parts while you are painting them without getting that nasty paint on you. Keep in mind, it is best to do this paint work outside as the fumes will be very thick, to the point of making breathing quite dangerous. Unless you have a special paint booth with power ventilation, go outside.
Two notes on applying the paint finish. First, lay up a "dust coat" to start with. This will make a sticky surface which will support the following coats without sagging or runs. If you get a run on the bare metal, have a rag with some thinner handy to wipe it off and respray immediately. Runs on top of previous coats may have to be dried completely and lightly sanded before you can proceed with the final paint job. Light coats will lead to quicker drying times and avoid runs and sags. Second, you need to walk the line on getting enough paint on the metal to provide a long wearing finish, but not so much that you will affect the operation of the AK by applying too much paint in critical areas such as the rails that the bolt carrier runs on. Too much paint will tend to crack off, rather than wearing off.
Also, a primer is not generally required when using a specially formulated gun coating since the grit-blasting gives a very good "tooth" for the paint to adhere to. The problem you would face if you did apply a primer is that any nick in the paint would likely expose the gray or green primer. This would not look especially good or authentic. Bare metal exposed, however unfortunate that would be, is still better than seeing primer.
Stencils are available to create a camo job if that is what you like. In fact, complete sets of firearm paints and stencils are available to create camo finishes from Lauer Custom Weaponry. Most of these paints are designed to be baked after painting, but they can be left to air dry if you have the time. Keep in mind that it will take several weeks of non- use to cure in this manner or you will run the risk of marring your paint job. This is by far the easiest finish for the at-home 922r conversion.
Parkerizing
Parkerizing is pretty much for the professional finisher. Unless you want to shell out $$$ for the setup required to do this work, it is best to take it to your local gunsmith. However, a park job is one of the nicer finishes to apply. It is the standard finish of military firearms. Expect to pay $100 to $200 or more for this work. Many colors and tints are available to pick from. You may even want to send your parts off to a parkerizing specialty shop such as Arizona Response Systems. These guys deal with the black rifles all the time and have undoubtedly re-parked hundreds of AK's. For an extra fee, they probably would do a turn-key job for you.
Wood Finish
There are several options for finishing or refinishing your stock set if you go the wood route. Red stain and gloss finish are very popular right now to emulate the Soviet look. But, you may use any color of stain and clear-coat luster that gets your AK juices flowing. Take a look at some of the pics posted online on some of the gun forums for ideas. If you are doing an economy trip and have an ugly, beat-up imported stock set that you have gotten at a cheap price, you may want to consider painting over it. Black is a color that hides the most sins. Of course, you may elect to go with a custom camo job for the entire rifle that will make even the worst condition AK look very interesting. Remember, you may use an original imported stock set as long as you use no more than 10 imported parts overall.
Synthetic Finish
The synthetic stock set will be colored throughout and not need any refinishing for scrapes. However, you may have a black set and wish to change to OD Green or Desert Tan. This is easy to do with the same paints used on the barreled receiver. Camo is an option as with the wood sets, but you may not have to use a base coat, just add the highlight color patterns (tiger stripes perhaps).
Reassembly
Once you have your "pet" AK refinished, take your time in getting it back together. Get a padded bench mat to lay your receiver on while you work such as a foam pad for laying on your automobile fender. These work great and are usually impervious to solvents. A few special tools such as a brass hammer and drift set, steel drifts, and a gunsmith screwdriver set will make your work much more agreeable and less likely to damage parts on the assembly job. Buggered screw heads are the mark of a real gun hack. Of course, that's what most of us really are, but why advertise that fact when a set of screwdrivers are not that expensive and will last many years?
When you are done and have taken your time, most will have no idea that your AK did not come that way from the factory.
Once assembled, work the action several times to be sure it is free to move in the required manner. Also, be sure the bore is completely free of any grit or residue that may have crept in. Check your magazine and make sure that no paint build up in the mag well prevents mag insertion. Same for your mag if you painted it too.
With these checks complete, take it out and shoot your new toy! Be sure to go to the range on a day when you can show it off to lots of people. Hey, after all that work, you deserve a few compliments!
Compliance
If you don't fully comply with the 922r statute, you can be faced with confiscation of your rifle and a felony change. If convicted, this means Federal Prison time. It ain't worth it folks! Do it right or don't do it at all.
Keep in mind, some states do not allow "assault weapons" under any circumstances. Be absolutely sure you are allowed to own one before converting your "sporting rifle" to 922r configuration.
Most 922r US made compliance parts are marked as such these days, but not all. It may be wise to keep all your receipts in case someone calls your hand on your conversion.
High Capacity Magazines
Some states have laws that do not permit high capacity mags, no matter if your AK is 922r compliant. This may be also true of local areas such as counties, parishes, and cities. You must be aware of these laws before inserting a hi-cap mag into your AK rifle. Some states allow hi-cap mags, but they must all be made prior to the 1989 gun ban. Most of these states place a felony level charge on having an illegal hi-cap magazine, so, the same penalties as described above may apply here, except that you may end up in a state prison. Again, not worth it.
Recap
We actually installed 8 US made parts on our Maadi. These are as follows:
1. Hammer
2. Trigger
3. Disconnector
4. Buttstock
5. Pistol Grip
6. Handguards
7. Gas Piston
8. Muzzle Brake
We have 2 more US made parts than is required to meet 922r minimums. However, it hurts nothing to be a few parts over the count. You may want to later change that fixed buttstock to an East German folder. No problem, you would still be 1 US made part "strong."
If you decided to go for the full original Maadi look and use an original Egyptian laminated furniture set (3 imported parts), you would need to resort to using 1 more US made magazine part since there are not any other parts to substitute, practically speaking. That's not too bad as you can load up some Egyptian 30 rounders with US made mag followers (1 US made part) and always have them with that rifle. It's basically mix and match.
Keep in mind that many new products for the AK-47 are popping up every month. Keep an eye on our web pages for the latest gear.
Conclusion
This article is intended to cover the 922r conversion process from start to finish. However, there may be some areas that were not touched upon adequately or at all. Feel free to chat online or call us to ask any questions you may have about this process.
Monday, September 28, 2009
So you are thinking of buying an AK-47
Click here to read more.
This article is intended to help the first time AK buyer get the needed information to make an informed purchase of an AK-47 or AK-74 rifle.
This is not for the current AK owner and collector, and as such, you may feel unchallenged by this information. That's OK. We still love to have you here. Feel free to read along with us anyway.
Of course, we are only talking about purchasing the semi-automatic version of the "Automatic Kalashnikov Model 47" or AK-47, which can go by many trade names and designations, but is still a rose by any other name.
Today's semi-automatic AK market is flooded with Kalashnikovs ranging from marginal to excellent quality. You may find that the deciding factor is your "hip-pocket national bank" (your wallet). We can work with you as well as the guy with deep pockets who is ready to buy but just needs a push in the right direction. Let's begin.
Some Basics
The AK-47 and AK-74 rifles are by far the most produced modern small arms in the world. Some estimates are as high as 100 million copies. In addition, they are quite the "bad-boy" of the firearms world. There is good reason for this. The AK has earned the reputation by many armies for being an extremely reliable weapon under all possible conditions. This is a good thing. Since it is such a good weapon, and the full auto version is relatively cheap on the international black market, many find it to be their weapon of choice, especially gangs and drug traffickers, not to mention terrorists in all parts of the world. Also, the US military has faced the AK-47 in just about every conflict from Vietnam to the present day. Thus, the "bad-boy" reputation. You should have already gotten over the "not invented here" syndrome or you would not be thinking about buying one to start with. Believe it or not, and much to their loss, many suffer from this malady.
To keep a mental tab on how long the AK has been in service, the AK-47 was introduced in 1947 and the AK-74 in 1974. Pretty easy to remember, huh? Actually, this method of model numbering is common to the European world where the rifle is simply named after the year it was designed or introduced.
The 7.62x39mm round has good stopping power and can be favorably compared to the .30-30 cartridge. 7.62x39mm is plentiful in that countless ship loads of ammo have been brought into the US over the last 20 years, to the extent it is virtually a universal cartridge. The AK-74 5.45x39mm round is a bit less well known. It is essentially the Soviet answer to the 5.56 NATO round. It is available, but not to the extent of the 7.62x39mm. For this reason, it may be best not to consider the AK-74 in this caliber. The same rifle is available in 5.56 NATO for those who would find that convenient. Editor's Comment: The best bet for your first AK is the original .30 caliber (7.62x39mm) AK-47.
Magazines have been brought in over the years to the tune of millions, undoubtedly. The basic AK-47 mag is the steel, 30 round "banana clip." While these have gone up in price over the years, used surplus and unissued condition magazines are still available for under $20. The great thing about AK mags is the demand is so high they are being made new right here in the US! These are mostly the synthetic variety and most are of high quality and very usable. However, the very best synthetics are from places like Bulgaria which produces the "waffle mag" with the "Circle 10" arsenal mark at the bottom. Highly recommended if you go synthetic. Of course, all the synthetic mags are impervious to rust (not including the springs) and are very robust. East German and Polish steel mags are about the best. There is a whole world of information in identifying AK mags as they all are similar. Perhaps we will also add that information in the future. Editor's Comment: The number one recommendation is the military surplus, 30 round, steel, banana magazine.
Rifles are available in two major receiver groups: milled and stamped. This is where you must decide if you want to go high or low dollar. Just about any milled AK is going to be on the pricey side. That's just the way the market is. Not to say that some of the stamped receivers are going to be cheap either. But, generally speaking, the milled variety is going to cost you more. To explain the difference between the two, the milled receiver starts life as a solid chunk of quality steel and is put through numerous machining stages until there is a finished monobloc receiver. That's the primary reason for the greater cost; all the machine work. The stamped receivers are, just as the term implies, stamped out of a flat sheet of steel and then formed in a series of bending operations until the final box-shaped receiver is completed. Of course, there are added operations for the stamped receiver such as adding the front and rear trunions, spot welding the bolt carrier rails to the inside, and installing a number of heavy rivets that are the trademark of the stamped AK receiver. A fairly recent improvement to the stamped AK is the development of the heavy 1.6mm steel receiver. This produces a receiver that is almost as rigid as the milled but without all the intricate milling operations. This is probably the one to buy if you are considering the stamped variety. However, there is something aesthetically pleasing about the solid chunk of steel on the milled receiver. Let your pocket book be your guide. Editor's comment. For your first AK-47, go with the stamped steel receiver, either the 1mm or the improved 1.6mm. It is every bit as serviceable as the milled and will more than likely cost you a bunch less. Look at one of the Romanian models (1mm receiver) for around $400-$500. Be sure it accepts the standard double stack hi-capacity magazine, however.
Manufacture
Let's face it; the days of importing a complete, functioning AK-47 into the US are over. This basically ended in March 14, 1989 when President G. H.W. Bush created an Executive Order banning the import of 43 different semi-automatic rifles. This is where the term "pre-ban" started and is still in use almost 20 years later. If you want one of these pre-ban rifles, by all means get one. The thing to keep in mind is they cost-a-plenty. We are talking in the realm of $1K to $2K or better. That's great if you have the money. You can be assured of getting a quality rifle if you buy a Norinco, Polytech, Valmet, Maadi, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Yugoslavian, or any other such available, pre-ban, imported AK- 47. You may find yourself owning something so nice that you will be afraid to shoot it! Especially one that is still new in box (NIB). Don't be afraid to shoot it unless you just want to keep it for posterity's sake or as an investment. But, that is not what this article is focusing on. We are looking at buying a shooter.
US manufacturers are producing their AK's from imported "parts kits." These are complete, fully functioning, select fire, AK-47 rifles that were demilled in the country of origin (or possibly the US importer) to conform to BATFE specs. This means cutting and removing the receiver between the front and rear trunions and carefully removing all the small parts to be shipped forward for import. Recently, the BATFE has even restricted the import of barrels from these kits. That's just another part that has to be replaced with a US-made unit which in turn ratchets-up the cost of the finished rifle. These import restrictions have been successfully overcome by many AK makers as the demand is there to justify doing all the work of producing the receivers and barrels here in the US. As a matter of fact, there is one company that produces an absolutely outstanding "Bulgarian" AK made right here in the USA!
Price isn't always a true judge of quality, but most of these quality AK's are going to run at least $750. The old phrase, "You get what you pay for" runs true here. You cannot cut corners and have a first class firearm. However, fear not, you can get a quality AK at reasonable prices. There are many Romanian AK's out there that are certainly worth owning for around $400-$500. Fit and finish on these may not be the absolute best, but they are complete and functional AK's that will serve you well. You would be cautioned to make a close check of the front sight tower (FST) if you decide to go this route. We have seen many FST's on Romanian and Yugoslav AK's that are not properly aligned (canted left or right) and need to be set straight before you can have a successful shooting adventure. If you special order one sight unseen, you may have to resort to having a gunsmith perform this service for you if it comes in canted.
Furniture
The decision to buy an AK comes with several choices, one being "furniture." Furniture is the firearms term for the buttstock, pistol grip, and handguards. However odd it may sound, it is the accepted term to refer to the exterior parts of the rifle other than the barrel and receiver. Furniture is divided into two major groups: wood and synthetic. Both are equally good.
Wood Furniture
The Soviet AK started with wood furniture. This would be the way to go if you want a traditional AK-47. There are a variety of woods to choose from as well as laminated woods. The laminated wood is probably the best choice for overall durability. You can go with original Soviet bloc wood or go with one of the many US made stock sets. If you buy an AK and want to change-out the furniture for any reason, that is easily done. You may buy a synthetic furniture AK and want to go wood, or vice versa. Or, you may have a blond Hungarian stock set and want to change to walnut. It's easy to do. These sets are available prefinished and ready to install or ready to apply the finish you desire. One very popular fad is to duplicate the red toned Russian finish with a gloss topcoat. Looks very nice on any AK.
Synthetic Furniture
Synthetic AK furniture came along sometime in the late 60's or early 70's. East Germany may have been the first to use a plastic furniture set. This is known as the "pebble finish" and was medium brown in color. This is not the most robust choice of furniture as it appears to be more of a PVC plastic as opposed to the later, tougher, glass filled nylon, but you may like the look. Later came the black synthetic furniture by the Bulgarians. Some people like the all black AK look the best. Easily accomplished if you want to change to that look. Synthetic furniture sets are now available in OD green, Plum, and black to name a few. You may even find them in various camouflaged patterns. Stencils for doing your own multi-color camo paint job are available as well. Also, you may buy your AK with standard AK length buttstock or in the longer "US" version, which adds about 1-1/4 inch to the overall length, which is more comfortable for most US shooters.
Folding Stocks
AK's offer several buttstock options other than fixed position. You can find an under folder, a right side folder, or a left side folder. These are now legal to own since the sunset of the Clinton 1994 - 2004 gun ban. If you want to leave tradition behind, you can also buy an AK with an AR-15 style collapsible buttstock. The under folder is perhaps the most recognizable version, but the side folders have certainly been around for a while. Side folders come in either the triangular shape which approximates the basic shape of the wooden buttstock, or, you can find what is called a "wire stock" which is a single rod extending from the rear trunion to the terminus at the buttplate. This is also called a "crutch" folder since it resembles the end of the crutch that goes under the armpit. All are good, just depends on what blows your skirt up. The beauty of the side folders is that they can be retrofitted to a conventional buttstock AK with little work. The underfolder is an underfolder for life.
Barrel Length
You will find that the majority of the AK's out there have barrels that are 16.1 inches long. This is true to the original concept and has held constant since introduced. Of course, like all military weapons, there is always a use for shorter and longer barrel versions. Short barrel AK rifles fall into the NFA area and are restricted from private ownership without the BATFE tax stamp and NFA paperwork. Legal ownership is not insurmountable, but most guys don't want to go through the process. One alternative is to get a Krinkov AK-47 (AKSU) which was designed with a 10 inch barrel, and that has been modified by adding a fake "can" or suppressor that is permanently attached. You can have the best of both worlds; short barrel rifle and legal. As long as the barrel and attachment have an overall length of 16 inches, you are good to go. Keep in mind, barrel length is measured from the bolt face in the ready-to-fire position to the very end of the barrel or permanently attached device. Most manufacturers go an extra 1/4 to 1/2 inch just to be sure they are not short by a fraction.
Long barrel AK's usually fall into the sniper category such as the Soviet SVD "Dragunov" and the like. The Chinese made several long barrel AK's as well as many other Soviet bloc countries. These are great, but be warned, Soviet and Chinese SVD's are VERY expensive, usually a minimum of $2500 up to $4000, depending on condition and accessories provided. These are more for the serious collector as opposed to the first AK buyer. But, if you have deep pockets, don't be afraid of getting one. One more thing about the long barrel AK's. Don't assume that the long barrel is a guarantee of tack driver accuracy. Soviet bloc accuracy is considered hitting a human in the vital parts at extended range. Anywhere in the chest area or head is considered a good shot. While, in the West, we like to think in terms of a sniper rifle being able to shoot sub-minute-of-angle (MOA). I would expect the SVD to shoot 1 to 1.5 MOA at best. Of course, for the purists who may be reading, the SVD is not technically an AK-47. But it is close enough to include in this discussion.
Muzzle Attachments
The bore-end of virtually all AK barrels are threaded to accept some type of muzzle attachment. This thread pattern is 14 x 1mm, left hand. The most common attachment is the slant brake. The idea behind the slant brake is that the escaping gases will work to push the rifle down and to the left to compensate for the tendency for the recoil to push the rifle up and to the right. Sometimes a plain muzzle nut is installed just to protect the threads. There are many other muzzle attachments for the AK. If you like the AR-15 style flash hider, you can find one threaded to work. The AK-74 style flash hider or muzzle brake is also popular to install on the AK-47.
US Made Parts
If you buy a US made AK comprised of import parts kits, they must conform to the 922r guidelines (The Imported Parts Law, 1990). This is a code that was developed by the BATFE to set a standard for the manufacture of an AK style rifle (actually any semi-auto rifle on the ban list) from parts kits. The imported parts count cannot exceed 10 parts. And, this is not just any 10 parts on the rifle, but 10 parts from a possible list of 20 parts that must be complied with. For the AK-47 clones, this list includes 16 parts that apply. So, you must be sure that the AK you purchase has at least 6 US made parts substituted in the build. The most common US made parts that are used in the builds are the hammer, trigger, disconnector, gas piston, buttstock, pistol grip, upper and lower handguards (both count as one part), slant brake or plain muzzle nut, mag follower, and mag floor plate.. It only takes 6 of these, so it is up to the manufacturer how they want to work the build. Also, if using the mag parts as US made parts, you must always use the mags with these parts when firing the rifle or it would be an illegal configuration. As mentioned earlier, there are several US made magazines available that would give 3 US made parts to the build (the mag body also counts), but most manufacturers do not setup the build this way as it would preclude the use of genuine issue AK mags, which in all likelihood, will be what is used by the purchaser. You can reasonably expect an AK from a reputable manufacturer to be in proper 922r compliance. Most US made AK's will also have a certificate stating that the rifle has been found to be in full 922r compliance by the BATFE. This is your best guarantee of being legal. The above discussion is for stamped receiver AK's. Milled receiver AK's only require 5 US made parts since the front and rear trunions are integral to the milled receiver and are not counted as applicable 922r parts.
Finishes
AK's are available with a number of metal finishes. The most common is the Parkerized finish. This is a durable and traditional finish for a military firearm. All it needs is an occasional oiling. The Egyptian MAADI uses a paint finish which isn't as durable as the park job, but that's the way they did it. Some US manufacturers use a combination of parkerizing to "prime" the bare metal followed by a high-tech paint finish over that. To go really high tech, but gaudy, there is silver nitride. Also, there is the traditional blue finish as used on Polish and original Yugoslavian AKs as imported by Mitchell Arms in the late 80's. These are perhaps the nicest finished AK-47's out there. Of course, finish is something that can be changed later if the mood suits you.
Wood finish on the AK is usually a tung-oil type but can be linseed oil or polyurethane. Not much more to say about that.
Synthetic furniture needs no additional finish.
1994 - 2004 Ban Models
You may find some remnants from the 1994 - 2004 Clinton Gun ban for sale. These are referred to as "post-ban" models. Post-ban AK's could be found either new or used. Basically, these are AK's that have had the bayonet lugs ground off, muzzle attachment (no flash suppressors were allowed) welded or silver soldered to the barrel, either absent a folding stock or the folding stock welded or fixed in the open position, or possibly with a thumbhole buttstock. These can be fine shooters at more reasonable prices since most AK seekers want all the whistles and bells of the pre-ban AK-47's. It is legal to modify these to "no-ban" configuration as long as you remember to comply with the 922r regulation.
Most likely, post-ban rifles still in possession of the factory or distributor were sent back through a re-assembly or upgrade process and were brought up to no-ban status effective September 14, 2004. There may be one or two minor features that were not brought up to date on no-ban rifles such as leaving the muzzle attachment permanently attached as it would not be time and dollar-wise to try to remove it. Also the same logic for the bayonet lugs. These are rather small issues as neither affect the operation of the AK as far as live fire. These fall under the heading of aesthetics. Editor's Comment: Could be a chance to save some $$$ on a nice AK.
Shooting your new AK
This is the best part. The only drag in the last couple of years is the higher cost of all ammo. In years past, AK ammo was as little as 9 cents around. Hard to believe, but true. In any case, ammo is plentiful and still fairly inexpensive due to the sheer bulk available. Steel cased ammo is perfectly fine in the AK as that is what it was designed around. Some ranges will not permit any steel jacketed ammo, so keep that in mind.
Before you leave home, carefully inspect the bore for any grease that may be in the barrel. US made firearms rarely have it, but it may be there just the same. Light oil is not usually a problem and will be burnt out after the first round or two. In either case, go ahead and run some patches down the bore to see what you have. When they come out clean, go to the range.
Once out to the range, get it sighted in. You will need to have purchased a sight adjustment tool before hand as nothing else will work for you there. Keng's Firearms Specialties has some of the Polytech armory-grade models for around $35. This is the one to get! It is built like a tank. Other after market adjustment tools will likely break the first time you try to move that front sight for elevation. I won't go into the actual sighting process as you can do that I am sure. Just remember that when correcting the windage, move the front sight away from the desired direction, or, toward the wayward grouping, which is the opposite for the standard western style firearm with adjustable rear sight. So, if your group is to the right of the bull's-eye (or whatever you like to aim at), you must push the front sight to the right to get on target. Also, the rear tangent sight has a setting at the very rear which is called the "battle setting." At this setting, and after properly sighting in at 100 yards or meters, by aiming at center of body mass, you will hit an enemy between the shoulders and hips at ranges from zero to 300 meters or yards. Of course, you have the traditional ranges also listed from 100 to 700 or 800 meters or yards. For general use, sight-in at 100 meters or yards.
Feeding Problems
The beauty of the AK is that it eats just about any ammo you feed it with ease. That's just the way it was designed. Of course, you may encounter problems as with any firearm. Any new rifle may need a break in period, so don't be alarmed if you have a few failures feeding or extracting. Be sure it is properly lubed and oiled before you shoot and that may curb any problems before they manifest. Some AK's such as the Yugo's have a three- position gas setting which should be in the middle position. The other two are for very dirty rifles (more gas) and very hot loads (less gas). Be sure to check here if you have short stroking problems. In rare cases, you may have a bad magazine follower. Bent magazine bodies are more likely and this is easy to spot once you suspect a problem. If the rifle fails to run the bolt carrier to the rear AT ALL, then you have a block in the gas orifice between the bore and the gas tube. This may shut your shooting down for that session since it is going to require getting a probe in there to clean out whatever is blocking the orifice. Pretty rare, but possible.
Cleaning
This is going to involve some disassembly of your new AK. Not a problem. Just pop the dust cover off and proceed to take it down. Instructions are furnished with all AK's these days and plenty are available online. The best policy for cleaning is to assume that your ammo is made with corrosive primers, especially if it came from overseas. This means if you don't clean it after shooting, the bore will rust as well as the bolt face and breech areas. It's a really ugly mess, but will not actually affect the operation of your AK unless it is an extreme case and you let the situation go without ever stopping the rust. However, why take a chance on ruining the value of you rifle? Hoppe's No 9 cleaner is the best to use to clean up after corrosive primers. Use liberally and you will sleep well at night. Even if the primers are not corrosive, it is still a good policy to properly clean (from the rear of the bore) after a firing session. Lightly oil after cleaning and reassemble your AK.
Accessories
Not much is needed for the AK-47 except a sling. However, if you think you may want to add a scope, then you want to make sure your rifle comes with a scope mount. These can be added later, but the problem is finding someone to mount it accurately. It's just easier to get it on the rifle from the start. Something to consider, especially if you are getting near the "50" mark where the old eyes start losing a bit of their sharpness.
A bit of information on the mount. The traditional AK-47 scope mount is on the left side of the rifle, which is different from most modern rifles. It is a matter of necessity since there is not a solid mounting point to mount the scope on the top rear of the rifle. Dust cover mounts are available, but will not hold a steady zero. That method is OK for iron sights as on the Galil, but just not practical for a scope. The side mount does provide a nice feature in that it provides easy removal and replacement without losing "zero."
Other scope mounting options are available, now that the accessory market has greatly expanded. Picatinny rail handguards are available that replace the front handguards. On the Picatinny rails you can mount your favorite scope or aiming device. The potential problem here is the fair amount of heat generated from firing is quickly transferred to the sighting devices. Also, the picatinny rails are usually made of aluminumm which is pretty hot on the hands even if no scopes are attached. Of course, mounting a scope that far forward usually requires a long eye relief model or just a zero magnification aim point or red dot sight. If this method of sight attachment appeals to you, then you are covered.
There are many AK scopes to pick from. Since the traditional scope mount for the AK is on the left side, you need to either get a scope with integral mount such as a Russian PSO-1 or similar, or buy a left-side mount and add your favorite scope. The PSO-1 style scopes are good and are made to the military spec and configuration of the original Soviet model. In fact, you can still get one made in the Belarus military factory. Keep in mind, as with the accuracy of the AK, Russian scopes are not quite as good as we are used to here in the West. They get the job done, however. Sighting in a Russian scope is a bit different in that the windage and elevation knobs operate a bit different for the sighting- in process. Also, the reticle does not stay centered as on a Western scope. There are instructions online (AK-47.net) on how to sight-in a Russian-style scope. If you go with the side scope mount by itself, you can add just about any scope you like, including one you may have sitting unused. Such a deal. To the AK purist, mounting anything other than an AK style scope on an AK-47 is not kosher; just doesn't look quite right. But, each to his own.
The bottom line on accessories is that you can "pitch to the wind," in other words, you can "pimp out" your AK to your heart's desire! Keep in mind that the more equipment you apply, the less handy and rugged your AK becomes. It was designed as a rough and tough weapon and many believe it should be kept that way; the simpler the better.
That is the high points on buying a new AK-47. Of course, the complete history of the AK is not included here. That has been beat nigh-unto-death. You may check that out on many web sites if you desire.
This article is intended to help the first time AK buyer get the needed information to make an informed purchase of an AK-47 or AK-74 rifle.
This is not for the current AK owner and collector, and as such, you may feel unchallenged by this information. That's OK. We still love to have you here. Feel free to read along with us anyway.
Of course, we are only talking about purchasing the semi-automatic version of the "Automatic Kalashnikov Model 47" or AK-47, which can go by many trade names and designations, but is still a rose by any other name.
Today's semi-automatic AK market is flooded with Kalashnikovs ranging from marginal to excellent quality. You may find that the deciding factor is your "hip-pocket national bank" (your wallet). We can work with you as well as the guy with deep pockets who is ready to buy but just needs a push in the right direction. Let's begin.
Some Basics
The AK-47 and AK-74 rifles are by far the most produced modern small arms in the world. Some estimates are as high as 100 million copies. In addition, they are quite the "bad-boy" of the firearms world. There is good reason for this. The AK has earned the reputation by many armies for being an extremely reliable weapon under all possible conditions. This is a good thing. Since it is such a good weapon, and the full auto version is relatively cheap on the international black market, many find it to be their weapon of choice, especially gangs and drug traffickers, not to mention terrorists in all parts of the world. Also, the US military has faced the AK-47 in just about every conflict from Vietnam to the present day. Thus, the "bad-boy" reputation. You should have already gotten over the "not invented here" syndrome or you would not be thinking about buying one to start with. Believe it or not, and much to their loss, many suffer from this malady.
To keep a mental tab on how long the AK has been in service, the AK-47 was introduced in 1947 and the AK-74 in 1974. Pretty easy to remember, huh? Actually, this method of model numbering is common to the European world where the rifle is simply named after the year it was designed or introduced.
The 7.62x39mm round has good stopping power and can be favorably compared to the .30-30 cartridge. 7.62x39mm is plentiful in that countless ship loads of ammo have been brought into the US over the last 20 years, to the extent it is virtually a universal cartridge. The AK-74 5.45x39mm round is a bit less well known. It is essentially the Soviet answer to the 5.56 NATO round. It is available, but not to the extent of the 7.62x39mm. For this reason, it may be best not to consider the AK-74 in this caliber. The same rifle is available in 5.56 NATO for those who would find that convenient. Editor's Comment: The best bet for your first AK is the original .30 caliber (7.62x39mm) AK-47.
Magazines have been brought in over the years to the tune of millions, undoubtedly. The basic AK-47 mag is the steel, 30 round "banana clip." While these have gone up in price over the years, used surplus and unissued condition magazines are still available for under $20. The great thing about AK mags is the demand is so high they are being made new right here in the US! These are mostly the synthetic variety and most are of high quality and very usable. However, the very best synthetics are from places like Bulgaria which produces the "waffle mag" with the "Circle 10" arsenal mark at the bottom. Highly recommended if you go synthetic. Of course, all the synthetic mags are impervious to rust (not including the springs) and are very robust. East German and Polish steel mags are about the best. There is a whole world of information in identifying AK mags as they all are similar. Perhaps we will also add that information in the future. Editor's Comment: The number one recommendation is the military surplus, 30 round, steel, banana magazine.
Rifles are available in two major receiver groups: milled and stamped. This is where you must decide if you want to go high or low dollar. Just about any milled AK is going to be on the pricey side. That's just the way the market is. Not to say that some of the stamped receivers are going to be cheap either. But, generally speaking, the milled variety is going to cost you more. To explain the difference between the two, the milled receiver starts life as a solid chunk of quality steel and is put through numerous machining stages until there is a finished monobloc receiver. That's the primary reason for the greater cost; all the machine work. The stamped receivers are, just as the term implies, stamped out of a flat sheet of steel and then formed in a series of bending operations until the final box-shaped receiver is completed. Of course, there are added operations for the stamped receiver such as adding the front and rear trunions, spot welding the bolt carrier rails to the inside, and installing a number of heavy rivets that are the trademark of the stamped AK receiver. A fairly recent improvement to the stamped AK is the development of the heavy 1.6mm steel receiver. This produces a receiver that is almost as rigid as the milled but without all the intricate milling operations. This is probably the one to buy if you are considering the stamped variety. However, there is something aesthetically pleasing about the solid chunk of steel on the milled receiver. Let your pocket book be your guide. Editor's comment. For your first AK-47, go with the stamped steel receiver, either the 1mm or the improved 1.6mm. It is every bit as serviceable as the milled and will more than likely cost you a bunch less. Look at one of the Romanian models (1mm receiver) for around $400-$500. Be sure it accepts the standard double stack hi-capacity magazine, however.
Manufacture
Let's face it; the days of importing a complete, functioning AK-47 into the US are over. This basically ended in March 14, 1989 when President G. H.W. Bush created an Executive Order banning the import of 43 different semi-automatic rifles. This is where the term "pre-ban" started and is still in use almost 20 years later. If you want one of these pre-ban rifles, by all means get one. The thing to keep in mind is they cost-a-plenty. We are talking in the realm of $1K to $2K or better. That's great if you have the money. You can be assured of getting a quality rifle if you buy a Norinco, Polytech, Valmet, Maadi, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Yugoslavian, or any other such available, pre-ban, imported AK- 47. You may find yourself owning something so nice that you will be afraid to shoot it! Especially one that is still new in box (NIB). Don't be afraid to shoot it unless you just want to keep it for posterity's sake or as an investment. But, that is not what this article is focusing on. We are looking at buying a shooter.
US manufacturers are producing their AK's from imported "parts kits." These are complete, fully functioning, select fire, AK-47 rifles that were demilled in the country of origin (or possibly the US importer) to conform to BATFE specs. This means cutting and removing the receiver between the front and rear trunions and carefully removing all the small parts to be shipped forward for import. Recently, the BATFE has even restricted the import of barrels from these kits. That's just another part that has to be replaced with a US-made unit which in turn ratchets-up the cost of the finished rifle. These import restrictions have been successfully overcome by many AK makers as the demand is there to justify doing all the work of producing the receivers and barrels here in the US. As a matter of fact, there is one company that produces an absolutely outstanding "Bulgarian" AK made right here in the USA!
Price isn't always a true judge of quality, but most of these quality AK's are going to run at least $750. The old phrase, "You get what you pay for" runs true here. You cannot cut corners and have a first class firearm. However, fear not, you can get a quality AK at reasonable prices. There are many Romanian AK's out there that are certainly worth owning for around $400-$500. Fit and finish on these may not be the absolute best, but they are complete and functional AK's that will serve you well. You would be cautioned to make a close check of the front sight tower (FST) if you decide to go this route. We have seen many FST's on Romanian and Yugoslav AK's that are not properly aligned (canted left or right) and need to be set straight before you can have a successful shooting adventure. If you special order one sight unseen, you may have to resort to having a gunsmith perform this service for you if it comes in canted.
Furniture
The decision to buy an AK comes with several choices, one being "furniture." Furniture is the firearms term for the buttstock, pistol grip, and handguards. However odd it may sound, it is the accepted term to refer to the exterior parts of the rifle other than the barrel and receiver. Furniture is divided into two major groups: wood and synthetic. Both are equally good.
Wood Furniture
The Soviet AK started with wood furniture. This would be the way to go if you want a traditional AK-47. There are a variety of woods to choose from as well as laminated woods. The laminated wood is probably the best choice for overall durability. You can go with original Soviet bloc wood or go with one of the many US made stock sets. If you buy an AK and want to change-out the furniture for any reason, that is easily done. You may buy a synthetic furniture AK and want to go wood, or vice versa. Or, you may have a blond Hungarian stock set and want to change to walnut. It's easy to do. These sets are available prefinished and ready to install or ready to apply the finish you desire. One very popular fad is to duplicate the red toned Russian finish with a gloss topcoat. Looks very nice on any AK.
Synthetic Furniture
Synthetic AK furniture came along sometime in the late 60's or early 70's. East Germany may have been the first to use a plastic furniture set. This is known as the "pebble finish" and was medium brown in color. This is not the most robust choice of furniture as it appears to be more of a PVC plastic as opposed to the later, tougher, glass filled nylon, but you may like the look. Later came the black synthetic furniture by the Bulgarians. Some people like the all black AK look the best. Easily accomplished if you want to change to that look. Synthetic furniture sets are now available in OD green, Plum, and black to name a few. You may even find them in various camouflaged patterns. Stencils for doing your own multi-color camo paint job are available as well. Also, you may buy your AK with standard AK length buttstock or in the longer "US" version, which adds about 1-1/4 inch to the overall length, which is more comfortable for most US shooters.
Folding Stocks
AK's offer several buttstock options other than fixed position. You can find an under folder, a right side folder, or a left side folder. These are now legal to own since the sunset of the Clinton 1994 - 2004 gun ban. If you want to leave tradition behind, you can also buy an AK with an AR-15 style collapsible buttstock. The under folder is perhaps the most recognizable version, but the side folders have certainly been around for a while. Side folders come in either the triangular shape which approximates the basic shape of the wooden buttstock, or, you can find what is called a "wire stock" which is a single rod extending from the rear trunion to the terminus at the buttplate. This is also called a "crutch" folder since it resembles the end of the crutch that goes under the armpit. All are good, just depends on what blows your skirt up. The beauty of the side folders is that they can be retrofitted to a conventional buttstock AK with little work. The underfolder is an underfolder for life.
Barrel Length
You will find that the majority of the AK's out there have barrels that are 16.1 inches long. This is true to the original concept and has held constant since introduced. Of course, like all military weapons, there is always a use for shorter and longer barrel versions. Short barrel AK rifles fall into the NFA area and are restricted from private ownership without the BATFE tax stamp and NFA paperwork. Legal ownership is not insurmountable, but most guys don't want to go through the process. One alternative is to get a Krinkov AK-47 (AKSU) which was designed with a 10 inch barrel, and that has been modified by adding a fake "can" or suppressor that is permanently attached. You can have the best of both worlds; short barrel rifle and legal. As long as the barrel and attachment have an overall length of 16 inches, you are good to go. Keep in mind, barrel length is measured from the bolt face in the ready-to-fire position to the very end of the barrel or permanently attached device. Most manufacturers go an extra 1/4 to 1/2 inch just to be sure they are not short by a fraction.
Long barrel AK's usually fall into the sniper category such as the Soviet SVD "Dragunov" and the like. The Chinese made several long barrel AK's as well as many other Soviet bloc countries. These are great, but be warned, Soviet and Chinese SVD's are VERY expensive, usually a minimum of $2500 up to $4000, depending on condition and accessories provided. These are more for the serious collector as opposed to the first AK buyer. But, if you have deep pockets, don't be afraid of getting one. One more thing about the long barrel AK's. Don't assume that the long barrel is a guarantee of tack driver accuracy. Soviet bloc accuracy is considered hitting a human in the vital parts at extended range. Anywhere in the chest area or head is considered a good shot. While, in the West, we like to think in terms of a sniper rifle being able to shoot sub-minute-of-angle (MOA). I would expect the SVD to shoot 1 to 1.5 MOA at best. Of course, for the purists who may be reading, the SVD is not technically an AK-47. But it is close enough to include in this discussion.
Muzzle Attachments
The bore-end of virtually all AK barrels are threaded to accept some type of muzzle attachment. This thread pattern is 14 x 1mm, left hand. The most common attachment is the slant brake. The idea behind the slant brake is that the escaping gases will work to push the rifle down and to the left to compensate for the tendency for the recoil to push the rifle up and to the right. Sometimes a plain muzzle nut is installed just to protect the threads. There are many other muzzle attachments for the AK. If you like the AR-15 style flash hider, you can find one threaded to work. The AK-74 style flash hider or muzzle brake is also popular to install on the AK-47.
US Made Parts
If you buy a US made AK comprised of import parts kits, they must conform to the 922r guidelines (The Imported Parts Law, 1990). This is a code that was developed by the BATFE to set a standard for the manufacture of an AK style rifle (actually any semi-auto rifle on the ban list) from parts kits. The imported parts count cannot exceed 10 parts. And, this is not just any 10 parts on the rifle, but 10 parts from a possible list of 20 parts that must be complied with. For the AK-47 clones, this list includes 16 parts that apply. So, you must be sure that the AK you purchase has at least 6 US made parts substituted in the build. The most common US made parts that are used in the builds are the hammer, trigger, disconnector, gas piston, buttstock, pistol grip, upper and lower handguards (both count as one part), slant brake or plain muzzle nut, mag follower, and mag floor plate.. It only takes 6 of these, so it is up to the manufacturer how they want to work the build. Also, if using the mag parts as US made parts, you must always use the mags with these parts when firing the rifle or it would be an illegal configuration. As mentioned earlier, there are several US made magazines available that would give 3 US made parts to the build (the mag body also counts), but most manufacturers do not setup the build this way as it would preclude the use of genuine issue AK mags, which in all likelihood, will be what is used by the purchaser. You can reasonably expect an AK from a reputable manufacturer to be in proper 922r compliance. Most US made AK's will also have a certificate stating that the rifle has been found to be in full 922r compliance by the BATFE. This is your best guarantee of being legal. The above discussion is for stamped receiver AK's. Milled receiver AK's only require 5 US made parts since the front and rear trunions are integral to the milled receiver and are not counted as applicable 922r parts.
Finishes
AK's are available with a number of metal finishes. The most common is the Parkerized finish. This is a durable and traditional finish for a military firearm. All it needs is an occasional oiling. The Egyptian MAADI uses a paint finish which isn't as durable as the park job, but that's the way they did it. Some US manufacturers use a combination of parkerizing to "prime" the bare metal followed by a high-tech paint finish over that. To go really high tech, but gaudy, there is silver nitride. Also, there is the traditional blue finish as used on Polish and original Yugoslavian AKs as imported by Mitchell Arms in the late 80's. These are perhaps the nicest finished AK-47's out there. Of course, finish is something that can be changed later if the mood suits you.
Wood finish on the AK is usually a tung-oil type but can be linseed oil or polyurethane. Not much more to say about that.
Synthetic furniture needs no additional finish.
1994 - 2004 Ban Models
You may find some remnants from the 1994 - 2004 Clinton Gun ban for sale. These are referred to as "post-ban" models. Post-ban AK's could be found either new or used. Basically, these are AK's that have had the bayonet lugs ground off, muzzle attachment (no flash suppressors were allowed) welded or silver soldered to the barrel, either absent a folding stock or the folding stock welded or fixed in the open position, or possibly with a thumbhole buttstock. These can be fine shooters at more reasonable prices since most AK seekers want all the whistles and bells of the pre-ban AK-47's. It is legal to modify these to "no-ban" configuration as long as you remember to comply with the 922r regulation.
Most likely, post-ban rifles still in possession of the factory or distributor were sent back through a re-assembly or upgrade process and were brought up to no-ban status effective September 14, 2004. There may be one or two minor features that were not brought up to date on no-ban rifles such as leaving the muzzle attachment permanently attached as it would not be time and dollar-wise to try to remove it. Also the same logic for the bayonet lugs. These are rather small issues as neither affect the operation of the AK as far as live fire. These fall under the heading of aesthetics. Editor's Comment: Could be a chance to save some $$$ on a nice AK.
Shooting your new AK
This is the best part. The only drag in the last couple of years is the higher cost of all ammo. In years past, AK ammo was as little as 9 cents around. Hard to believe, but true. In any case, ammo is plentiful and still fairly inexpensive due to the sheer bulk available. Steel cased ammo is perfectly fine in the AK as that is what it was designed around. Some ranges will not permit any steel jacketed ammo, so keep that in mind.
Before you leave home, carefully inspect the bore for any grease that may be in the barrel. US made firearms rarely have it, but it may be there just the same. Light oil is not usually a problem and will be burnt out after the first round or two. In either case, go ahead and run some patches down the bore to see what you have. When they come out clean, go to the range.
Once out to the range, get it sighted in. You will need to have purchased a sight adjustment tool before hand as nothing else will work for you there. Keng's Firearms Specialties has some of the Polytech armory-grade models for around $35. This is the one to get! It is built like a tank. Other after market adjustment tools will likely break the first time you try to move that front sight for elevation. I won't go into the actual sighting process as you can do that I am sure. Just remember that when correcting the windage, move the front sight away from the desired direction, or, toward the wayward grouping, which is the opposite for the standard western style firearm with adjustable rear sight. So, if your group is to the right of the bull's-eye (or whatever you like to aim at), you must push the front sight to the right to get on target. Also, the rear tangent sight has a setting at the very rear which is called the "battle setting." At this setting, and after properly sighting in at 100 yards or meters, by aiming at center of body mass, you will hit an enemy between the shoulders and hips at ranges from zero to 300 meters or yards. Of course, you have the traditional ranges also listed from 100 to 700 or 800 meters or yards. For general use, sight-in at 100 meters or yards.
Feeding Problems
The beauty of the AK is that it eats just about any ammo you feed it with ease. That's just the way it was designed. Of course, you may encounter problems as with any firearm. Any new rifle may need a break in period, so don't be alarmed if you have a few failures feeding or extracting. Be sure it is properly lubed and oiled before you shoot and that may curb any problems before they manifest. Some AK's such as the Yugo's have a three- position gas setting which should be in the middle position. The other two are for very dirty rifles (more gas) and very hot loads (less gas). Be sure to check here if you have short stroking problems. In rare cases, you may have a bad magazine follower. Bent magazine bodies are more likely and this is easy to spot once you suspect a problem. If the rifle fails to run the bolt carrier to the rear AT ALL, then you have a block in the gas orifice between the bore and the gas tube. This may shut your shooting down for that session since it is going to require getting a probe in there to clean out whatever is blocking the orifice. Pretty rare, but possible.
Cleaning
This is going to involve some disassembly of your new AK. Not a problem. Just pop the dust cover off and proceed to take it down. Instructions are furnished with all AK's these days and plenty are available online. The best policy for cleaning is to assume that your ammo is made with corrosive primers, especially if it came from overseas. This means if you don't clean it after shooting, the bore will rust as well as the bolt face and breech areas. It's a really ugly mess, but will not actually affect the operation of your AK unless it is an extreme case and you let the situation go without ever stopping the rust. However, why take a chance on ruining the value of you rifle? Hoppe's No 9 cleaner is the best to use to clean up after corrosive primers. Use liberally and you will sleep well at night. Even if the primers are not corrosive, it is still a good policy to properly clean (from the rear of the bore) after a firing session. Lightly oil after cleaning and reassemble your AK.
Accessories
Not much is needed for the AK-47 except a sling. However, if you think you may want to add a scope, then you want to make sure your rifle comes with a scope mount. These can be added later, but the problem is finding someone to mount it accurately. It's just easier to get it on the rifle from the start. Something to consider, especially if you are getting near the "50" mark where the old eyes start losing a bit of their sharpness.
A bit of information on the mount. The traditional AK-47 scope mount is on the left side of the rifle, which is different from most modern rifles. It is a matter of necessity since there is not a solid mounting point to mount the scope on the top rear of the rifle. Dust cover mounts are available, but will not hold a steady zero. That method is OK for iron sights as on the Galil, but just not practical for a scope. The side mount does provide a nice feature in that it provides easy removal and replacement without losing "zero."
Other scope mounting options are available, now that the accessory market has greatly expanded. Picatinny rail handguards are available that replace the front handguards. On the Picatinny rails you can mount your favorite scope or aiming device. The potential problem here is the fair amount of heat generated from firing is quickly transferred to the sighting devices. Also, the picatinny rails are usually made of aluminumm which is pretty hot on the hands even if no scopes are attached. Of course, mounting a scope that far forward usually requires a long eye relief model or just a zero magnification aim point or red dot sight. If this method of sight attachment appeals to you, then you are covered.
There are many AK scopes to pick from. Since the traditional scope mount for the AK is on the left side, you need to either get a scope with integral mount such as a Russian PSO-1 or similar, or buy a left-side mount and add your favorite scope. The PSO-1 style scopes are good and are made to the military spec and configuration of the original Soviet model. In fact, you can still get one made in the Belarus military factory. Keep in mind, as with the accuracy of the AK, Russian scopes are not quite as good as we are used to here in the West. They get the job done, however. Sighting in a Russian scope is a bit different in that the windage and elevation knobs operate a bit different for the sighting- in process. Also, the reticle does not stay centered as on a Western scope. There are instructions online (AK-47.net) on how to sight-in a Russian-style scope. If you go with the side scope mount by itself, you can add just about any scope you like, including one you may have sitting unused. Such a deal. To the AK purist, mounting anything other than an AK style scope on an AK-47 is not kosher; just doesn't look quite right. But, each to his own.
The bottom line on accessories is that you can "pitch to the wind," in other words, you can "pimp out" your AK to your heart's desire! Keep in mind that the more equipment you apply, the less handy and rugged your AK becomes. It was designed as a rough and tough weapon and many believe it should be kept that way; the simpler the better.
That is the high points on buying a new AK-47. Of course, the complete history of the AK is not included here. That has been beat nigh-unto-death. You may check that out on many web sites if you desire.
So you are thinking of buying an AK-47
Click here to read more.
This article is intended to help the first time AK buyer get the needed information to make an informed purchase of an AK-47 or AK-74 rifle.
This is not for the current AK owner and collector, and as such, you may feel unchallenged by this information. That's OK. We still love to have you here. Feel free to read along with us anyway.
Of course, we are only talking about purchasing the semi-automatic version of the "Automatic Kalashnikov Model 47" or AK-47, which can go by many trade names and designations, but is still a rose by any other name.
Today's semi-automatic AK market is flooded with Kalashnikovs ranging from marginal to excellent quality. You may find that the deciding factor is your "hip-pocket national bank" (your wallet). We can work with you as well as the guy with deep pockets who is ready to buy but just needs a push in the right direction. Let's begin.
Some Basics
The AK-47 and AK-74 rifles are by far the most produced modern small arms in the world. Some estimates are as high as 100 million copies. In addition, they are quite the "bad-boy" of the firearms world. There is good reason for this. The AK has earned the reputation by many armies for being an extremely reliable weapon under all possible conditions. This is a good thing. Since it is such a good weapon, and the full auto version is relatively cheap on the international black market, many find it to be their weapon of choice, especially gangs and drug traffickers, not to mention terrorists in all parts of the world. Also, the US military has faced the AK-47 in just about every conflict from Vietnam to the present day. Thus, the "bad-boy" reputation. You should have already gotten over the "not invented here" syndrome or you would not be thinking about buying one to start with. Believe it or not, and much to their loss, many suffer from this malady.
To keep a mental tab on how long the AK has been in service, the AK-47 was introduced in 1947 and the AK-74 in 1974. Pretty easy to remember, huh? Actually, this method of model numbering is common to the European world where the rifle is simply named after the year it was designed or introduced.
The 7.62x39mm round has good stopping power and can be favorably compared to the .30-30 cartridge. 7.62x39mm is plentiful in that countless ship loads of ammo have been brought into the US over the last 20 years, to the extent it is virtually a universal cartridge. The AK-74 5.45x39mm round is a bit less well known. It is essentially the Soviet answer to the 5.56 NATO round. It is available, but not to the extent of the 7.62x39mm. For this reason, it may be best not to consider the AK-74 in this caliber. The same rifle is available in 5.56 NATO for those who would find that convenient. Editor's Comment: The best bet for your first AK is the original .30 caliber (7.62x39mm) AK-47.
Magazines have been brought in over the years to the tune of millions, undoubtedly. The basic AK-47 mag is the steel, 30 round "banana clip." While these have gone up in price over the years, used surplus and unissued condition magazines are still available for under $20. The great thing about AK mags is the demand is so high they are being made new right here in the US! These are mostly the synthetic variety and most are of high quality and very usable. However, the very best synthetics are from places like Bulgaria which produces the "waffle mag" with the "Circle 10" arsenal mark at the bottom. Highly recommended if you go synthetic. Of course, all the synthetic mags are impervious to rust (not including the springs) and are very robust. East German and Polish steel mags are about the best. There is a whole world of information in identifying AK mags as they all are similar. Perhaps we will also add that information in the future. Editor's Comment: The number one recommendation is the military surplus, 30 round, steel, banana magazine.
Rifles are available in two major receiver groups: milled and stamped. This is where you must decide if you want to go high or low dollar. Just about any milled AK is going to be on the pricey side. That's just the way the market is. Not to say that some of the stamped receivers are going to be cheap either. But, generally speaking, the milled variety is going to cost you more. To explain the difference between the two, the milled receiver starts life as a solid chunk of quality steel and is put through numerous machining stages until there is a finished monobloc receiver. That's the primary reason for the greater cost; all the machine work. The stamped receivers are, just as the term implies, stamped out of a flat sheet of steel and then formed in a series of bending operations until the final box-shaped receiver is completed. Of course, there are added operations for the stamped receiver such as adding the front and rear trunions, spot welding the bolt carrier rails to the inside, and installing a number of heavy rivets that are the trademark of the stamped AK receiver. A fairly recent improvement to the stamped AK is the development of the heavy 1.6mm steel receiver. This produces a receiver that is almost as rigid as the milled but without all the intricate milling operations. This is probably the one to buy if you are considering the stamped variety. However, there is something aesthetically pleasing about the solid chunk of steel on the milled receiver. Let your pocket book be your guide. Editor's comment. For your first AK-47, go with the stamped steel receiver, either the 1mm or the improved 1.6mm. It is every bit as serviceable as the milled and will more than likely cost you a bunch less. Look at one of the Romanian models (1mm receiver) for around $400-$500. Be sure it accepts the standard double stack hi-capacity magazine, however.
Manufacture
Let's face it; the days of importing a complete, functioning AK-47 into the US are over. This basically ended in March 14, 1989 when President G. H.W. Bush created an Executive Order banning the import of 43 different semi-automatic rifles. This is where the term "pre-ban" started and is still in use almost 20 years later. If you want one of these pre-ban rifles, by all means get one. The thing to keep in mind is they cost-a-plenty. We are talking in the realm of $1K to $2K or better. That's great if you have the money. You can be assured of getting a quality rifle if you buy a Norinco, Polytech, Valmet, Maadi, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Yugoslavian, or any other such available, pre-ban, imported AK- 47. You may find yourself owning something so nice that you will be afraid to shoot it! Especially one that is still new in box (NIB). Don't be afraid to shoot it unless you just want to keep it for posterity's sake or as an investment. But, that is not what this article is focusing on. We are looking at buying a shooter.
US manufacturers are producing their AK's from imported "parts kits." These are complete, fully functioning, select fire, AK-47 rifles that were demilled in the country of origin (or possibly the US importer) to conform to BATFE specs. This means cutting and removing the receiver between the front and rear trunions and carefully removing all the small parts to be shipped forward for import. Recently, the BATFE has even restricted the import of barrels from these kits. That's just another part that has to be replaced with a US-made unit which in turn ratchets-up the cost of the finished rifle. These import restrictions have been successfully overcome by many AK makers as the demand is there to justify doing all the work of producing the receivers and barrels here in the US. As a matter of fact, there is one company that produces an absolutely outstanding "Bulgarian" AK made right here in the USA!
Price isn't always a true judge of quality, but most of these quality AK's are going to run at least $750. The old phrase, "You get what you pay for" runs true here. You cannot cut corners and have a first class firearm. However, fear not, you can get a quality AK at reasonable prices. There are many Romanian AK's out there that are certainly worth owning for around $400-$500. Fit and finish on these may not be the absolute best, but they are complete and functional AK's that will serve you well. You would be cautioned to make a close check of the front sight tower (FST) if you decide to go this route. We have seen many FST's on Romanian and Yugoslav AK's that are not properly aligned (canted left or right) and need to be set straight before you can have a successful shooting adventure. If you special order one sight unseen, you may have to resort to having a gunsmith perform this service for you if it comes in canted.
Furniture
The decision to buy an AK comes with several choices, one being "furniture." Furniture is the firearms term for the buttstock, pistol grip, and handguards. However odd it may sound, it is the accepted term to refer to the exterior parts of the rifle other than the barrel and receiver. Furniture is divided into two major groups: wood and synthetic. Both are equally good.
Wood Furniture
The Soviet AK started with wood furniture. This would be the way to go if you want a traditional AK-47. There are a variety of woods to choose from as well as laminated woods. The laminated wood is probably the best choice for overall durability. You can go with original Soviet bloc wood or go with one of the many US made stock sets. If you buy an AK and want to change-out the furniture for any reason, that is easily done. You may buy a synthetic furniture AK and want to go wood, or vice versa. Or, you may have a blond Hungarian stock set and want to change to walnut. It's easy to do. These sets are available prefinished and ready to install or ready to apply the finish you desire. One very popular fad is to duplicate the red toned Russian finish with a gloss topcoat. Looks very nice on any AK.
Synthetic Furniture
Synthetic AK furniture came along sometime in the late 60's or early 70's. East Germany may have been the first to use a plastic furniture set. This is known as the "pebble finish" and was medium brown in color. This is not the most robust choice of furniture as it appears to be more of a PVC plastic as opposed to the later, tougher, glass filled nylon, but you may like the look. Later came the black synthetic furniture by the Bulgarians. Some people like the all black AK look the best. Easily accomplished if you want to change to that look. Synthetic furniture sets are now available in OD green, Plum, and black to name a few. You may even find them in various camouflaged patterns. Stencils for doing your own multi-color camo paint job are available as well. Also, you may buy your AK with standard AK length buttstock or in the longer "US" version, which adds about 1-1/4 inch to the overall length, which is more comfortable for most US shooters.
Folding Stocks
AK's offer several buttstock options other than fixed position. You can find an under folder, a right side folder, or a left side folder. These are now legal to own since the sunset of the Clinton 1994 - 2004 gun ban. If you want to leave tradition behind, you can also buy an AK with an AR-15 style collapsible buttstock. The under folder is perhaps the most recognizable version, but the side folders have certainly been around for a while. Side folders come in either the triangular shape which approximates the basic shape of the wooden buttstock, or, you can find what is called a "wire stock" which is a single rod extending from the rear trunion to the terminus at the buttplate. This is also called a "crutch" folder since it resembles the end of the crutch that goes under the armpit. All are good, just depends on what blows your skirt up. The beauty of the side folders is that they can be retrofitted to a conventional buttstock AK with little work. The underfolder is an underfolder for life.
Barrel Length
You will find that the majority of the AK's out there have barrels that are 16.1 inches long. This is true to the original concept and has held constant since introduced. Of course, like all military weapons, there is always a use for shorter and longer barrel versions. Short barrel AK rifles fall into the NFA area and are restricted from private ownership without the BATFE tax stamp and NFA paperwork. Legal ownership is not insurmountable, but most guys don't want to go through the process. One alternative is to get a Krinkov AK-47 (AKSU) which was designed with a 10 inch barrel, and that has been modified by adding a fake "can" or suppressor that is permanently attached. You can have the best of both worlds; short barrel rifle and legal. As long as the barrel and attachment have an overall length of 16 inches, you are good to go. Keep in mind, barrel length is measured from the bolt face in the ready-to-fire position to the very end of the barrel or permanently attached device. Most manufacturers go an extra 1/4 to 1/2 inch just to be sure they are not short by a fraction.
Long barrel AK's usually fall into the sniper category such as the Soviet SVD "Dragunov" and the like. The Chinese made several long barrel AK's as well as many other Soviet bloc countries. These are great, but be warned, Soviet and Chinese SVD's are VERY expensive, usually a minimum of $2500 up to $4000, depending on condition and accessories provided. These are more for the serious collector as opposed to the first AK buyer. But, if you have deep pockets, don't be afraid of getting one. One more thing about the long barrel AK's. Don't assume that the long barrel is a guarantee of tack driver accuracy. Soviet bloc accuracy is considered hitting a human in the vital parts at extended range. Anywhere in the chest area or head is considered a good shot. While, in the West, we like to think in terms of a sniper rifle being able to shoot sub-minute-of-angle (MOA). I would expect the SVD to shoot 1 to 1.5 MOA at best. Of course, for the purists who may be reading, the SVD is not technically an AK-47. But it is close enough to include in this discussion.
Muzzle Attachments
The bore-end of virtually all AK barrels are threaded to accept some type of muzzle attachment. This thread pattern is 14 x 1mm, left hand. The most common attachment is the slant brake. The idea behind the slant brake is that the escaping gases will work to push the rifle down and to the left to compensate for the tendency for the recoil to push the rifle up and to the right. Sometimes a plain muzzle nut is installed just to protect the threads. There are many other muzzle attachments for the AK. If you like the AR-15 style flash hider, you can find one threaded to work. The AK-74 style flash hider or muzzle brake is also popular to install on the AK-47.
US Made Parts
If you buy a US made AK comprised of import parts kits, they must conform to the 922r guidelines (The Imported Parts Law, 1990). This is a code that was developed by the BATFE to set a standard for the manufacture of an AK style rifle (actually any semi-auto rifle on the ban list) from parts kits. The imported parts count cannot exceed 10 parts. And, this is not just any 10 parts on the rifle, but 10 parts from a possible list of 20 parts that must be complied with. For the AK-47 clones, this list includes 16 parts that apply. So, you must be sure that the AK you purchase has at least 6 US made parts substituted in the build. The most common US made parts that are used in the builds are the hammer, trigger, disconnector, gas piston, buttstock, pistol grip, upper and lower handguards (both count as one part), slant brake or plain muzzle nut, mag follower, and mag floor plate.. It only takes 6 of these, so it is up to the manufacturer how they want to work the build. Also, if using the mag parts as US made parts, you must always use the mags with these parts when firing the rifle or it would be an illegal configuration. As mentioned earlier, there are several US made magazines available that would give 3 US made parts to the build (the mag body also counts), but most manufacturers do not setup the build this way as it would preclude the use of genuine issue AK mags, which in all likelihood, will be what is used by the purchaser. You can reasonably expect an AK from a reputable manufacturer to be in proper 922r compliance. Most US made AK's will also have a certificate stating that the rifle has been found to be in full 922r compliance by the BATFE. This is your best guarantee of being legal. The above discussion is for stamped receiver AK's. Milled receiver AK's only require 5 US made parts since the front and rear trunions are integral to the milled receiver and are not counted as applicable 922r parts.
Finishes
AK's are available with a number of metal finishes. The most common is the Parkerized finish. This is a durable and traditional finish for a military firearm. All it needs is an occasional oiling. The Egyptian MAADI uses a paint finish which isn't as durable as the park job, but that's the way they did it. Some US manufacturers use a combination of parkerizing to "prime" the bare metal followed by a high-tech paint finish over that. To go really high tech, but gaudy, there is silver nitride. Also, there is the traditional blue finish as used on Polish and original Yugoslavian AKs as imported by Mitchell Arms in the late 80's. These are perhaps the nicest finished AK-47's out there. Of course, finish is something that can be changed later if the mood suits you.
Wood finish on the AK is usually a tung-oil type but can be linseed oil or polyurethane. Not much more to say about that.
Synthetic furniture needs no additional finish.
1994 - 2004 Ban Models
You may find some remnants from the 1994 - 2004 Clinton Gun ban for sale. These are referred to as "post-ban" models. Post-ban AK's could be found either new or used. Basically, these are AK's that have had the bayonet lugs ground off, muzzle attachment (no flash suppressors were allowed) welded or silver soldered to the barrel, either absent a folding stock or the folding stock welded or fixed in the open position, or possibly with a thumbhole buttstock. These can be fine shooters at more reasonable prices since most AK seekers want all the whistles and bells of the pre-ban AK-47's. It is legal to modify these to "no-ban" configuration as long as you remember to comply with the 922r regulation.
Most likely, post-ban rifles still in possession of the factory or distributor were sent back through a re-assembly or upgrade process and were brought up to no-ban status effective September 14, 2004. There may be one or two minor features that were not brought up to date on no-ban rifles such as leaving the muzzle attachment permanently attached as it would not be time and dollar-wise to try to remove it. Also the same logic for the bayonet lugs. These are rather small issues as neither affect the operation of the AK as far as live fire. These fall under the heading of aesthetics. Editor's Comment: Could be a chance to save some $$$ on a nice AK.
Shooting your new AK
This is the best part. The only drag in the last couple of years is the higher cost of all ammo. In years past, AK ammo was as little as 9 cents around. Hard to believe, but true. In any case, ammo is plentiful and still fairly inexpensive due to the sheer bulk available. Steel cased ammo is perfectly fine in the AK as that is what it was designed around. Some ranges will not permit any steel jacketed ammo, so keep that in mind.
Before you leave home, carefully inspect the bore for any grease that may be in the barrel. US made firearms rarely have it, but it may be there just the same. Light oil is not usually a problem and will be burnt out after the first round or two. In either case, go ahead and run some patches down the bore to see what you have. When they come out clean, go to the range.
Once out to the range, get it sighted in. You will need to have purchased a sight adjustment tool before hand as nothing else will work for you there. Keng's Firearms Specialties has some of the Polytech armory-grade models for around $35. This is the one to get! It is built like a tank. Other after market adjustment tools will likely break the first time you try to move that front sight for elevation. I won't go into the actual sighting process as you can do that I am sure. Just remember that when correcting the windage, move the front sight away from the desired direction, or, toward the wayward grouping, which is the opposite for the standard western style firearm with adjustable rear sight. So, if your group is to the right of the bull's-eye (or whatever you like to aim at), you must push the front sight to the right to get on target. Also, the rear tangent sight has a setting at the very rear which is called the "battle setting." At this setting, and after properly sighting in at 100 yards or meters, by aiming at center of body mass, you will hit an enemy between the shoulders and hips at ranges from zero to 300 meters or yards. Of course, you have the traditional ranges also listed from 100 to 700 or 800 meters or yards. For general use, sight-in at 100 meters or yards.
Feeding Problems
The beauty of the AK is that it eats just about any ammo you feed it with ease. That's just the way it was designed. Of course, you may encounter problems as with any firearm. Any new rifle may need a break in period, so don't be alarmed if you have a few failures feeding or extracting. Be sure it is properly lubed and oiled before you shoot and that may curb any problems before they manifest. Some AK's such as the Yugo's have a three- position gas setting which should be in the middle position. The other two are for very dirty rifles (more gas) and very hot loads (less gas). Be sure to check here if you have short stroking problems. In rare cases, you may have a bad magazine follower. Bent magazine bodies are more likely and this is easy to spot once you suspect a problem. If the rifle fails to run the bolt carrier to the rear AT ALL, then you have a block in the gas orifice between the bore and the gas tube. This may shut your shooting down for that session since it is going to require getting a probe in there to clean out whatever is blocking the orifice. Pretty rare, but possible.
Cleaning
This is going to involve some disassembly of your new AK. Not a problem. Just pop the dust cover off and proceed to take it down. Instructions are furnished with all AK's these days and plenty are available online. The best policy for cleaning is to assume that your ammo is made with corrosive primers, especially if it came from overseas. This means if you don't clean it after shooting, the bore will rust as well as the bolt face and breech areas. It's a really ugly mess, but will not actually affect the operation of your AK unless it is an extreme case and you let the situation go without ever stopping the rust. However, why take a chance on ruining the value of you rifle? Hoppe's No 9 cleaner is the best to use to clean up after corrosive primers. Use liberally and you will sleep well at night. Even if the primers are not corrosive, it is still a good policy to properly clean (from the rear of the bore) after a firing session. Lightly oil after cleaning and reassemble your AK.
Accessories
Not much is needed for the AK-47 except a sling. However, if you think you may want to add a scope, then you want to make sure your rifle comes with a scope mount. These can be added later, but the problem is finding someone to mount it accurately. It's just easier to get it on the rifle from the start. Something to consider, especially if you are getting near the "50" mark where the old eyes start losing a bit of their sharpness.
A bit of information on the mount. The traditional AK-47 scope mount is on the left side of the rifle, which is different from most modern rifles. It is a matter of necessity since there is not a solid mounting point to mount the scope on the top rear of the rifle. Dust cover mounts are available, but will not hold a steady zero. That method is OK for iron sights as on the Galil, but just not practical for a scope. The side mount does provide a nice feature in that it provides easy removal and replacement without losing "zero."
Other scope mounting options are available, now that the accessory market has greatly expanded. Picatinny rail handguards are available that replace the front handguards. On the Picatinny rails you can mount your favorite scope or aiming device. The potential problem here is the fair amount of heat generated from firing is quickly transferred to the sighting devices. Also, the picatinny rails are usually made of aluminumm which is pretty hot on the hands even if no scopes are attached. Of course, mounting a scope that far forward usually requires a long eye relief model or just a zero magnification aim point or red dot sight. If this method of sight attachment appeals to you, then you are covered.
There are many AK scopes to pick from. Since the traditional scope mount for the AK is on the left side, you need to either get a scope with integral mount such as a Russian PSO-1 or similar, or buy a left-side mount and add your favorite scope. The PSO-1 style scopes are good and are made to the military spec and configuration of the original Soviet model. In fact, you can still get one made in the Belarus military factory. Keep in mind, as with the accuracy of the AK, Russian scopes are not quite as good as we are used to here in the West. They get the job done, however. Sighting in a Russian scope is a bit different in that the windage and elevation knobs operate a bit different for the sighting- in process. Also, the reticle does not stay centered as on a Western scope. There are instructions online (AK-47.net) on how to sight-in a Russian-style scope. If you go with the side scope mount by itself, you can add just about any scope you like, including one you may have sitting unused. Such a deal. To the AK purist, mounting anything other than an AK style scope on an AK-47 is not kosher; just doesn't look quite right. But, each to his own.
The bottom line on accessories is that you can "pitch to the wind," in other words, you can "pimp out" your AK to your heart's desire! Keep in mind that the more equipment you apply, the less handy and rugged your AK becomes. It was designed as a rough and tough weapon and many believe it should be kept that way; the simpler the better.
That is the high points on buying a new AK-47. Of course, the complete history of the AK is not included here. That has been beat nigh-unto-death. You may check that out on many web sites if you desire.
This article is intended to help the first time AK buyer get the needed information to make an informed purchase of an AK-47 or AK-74 rifle.
This is not for the current AK owner and collector, and as such, you may feel unchallenged by this information. That's OK. We still love to have you here. Feel free to read along with us anyway.
Of course, we are only talking about purchasing the semi-automatic version of the "Automatic Kalashnikov Model 47" or AK-47, which can go by many trade names and designations, but is still a rose by any other name.
Today's semi-automatic AK market is flooded with Kalashnikovs ranging from marginal to excellent quality. You may find that the deciding factor is your "hip-pocket national bank" (your wallet). We can work with you as well as the guy with deep pockets who is ready to buy but just needs a push in the right direction. Let's begin.
Some Basics
The AK-47 and AK-74 rifles are by far the most produced modern small arms in the world. Some estimates are as high as 100 million copies. In addition, they are quite the "bad-boy" of the firearms world. There is good reason for this. The AK has earned the reputation by many armies for being an extremely reliable weapon under all possible conditions. This is a good thing. Since it is such a good weapon, and the full auto version is relatively cheap on the international black market, many find it to be their weapon of choice, especially gangs and drug traffickers, not to mention terrorists in all parts of the world. Also, the US military has faced the AK-47 in just about every conflict from Vietnam to the present day. Thus, the "bad-boy" reputation. You should have already gotten over the "not invented here" syndrome or you would not be thinking about buying one to start with. Believe it or not, and much to their loss, many suffer from this malady.
To keep a mental tab on how long the AK has been in service, the AK-47 was introduced in 1947 and the AK-74 in 1974. Pretty easy to remember, huh? Actually, this method of model numbering is common to the European world where the rifle is simply named after the year it was designed or introduced.
The 7.62x39mm round has good stopping power and can be favorably compared to the .30-30 cartridge. 7.62x39mm is plentiful in that countless ship loads of ammo have been brought into the US over the last 20 years, to the extent it is virtually a universal cartridge. The AK-74 5.45x39mm round is a bit less well known. It is essentially the Soviet answer to the 5.56 NATO round. It is available, but not to the extent of the 7.62x39mm. For this reason, it may be best not to consider the AK-74 in this caliber. The same rifle is available in 5.56 NATO for those who would find that convenient. Editor's Comment: The best bet for your first AK is the original .30 caliber (7.62x39mm) AK-47.
Magazines have been brought in over the years to the tune of millions, undoubtedly. The basic AK-47 mag is the steel, 30 round "banana clip." While these have gone up in price over the years, used surplus and unissued condition magazines are still available for under $20. The great thing about AK mags is the demand is so high they are being made new right here in the US! These are mostly the synthetic variety and most are of high quality and very usable. However, the very best synthetics are from places like Bulgaria which produces the "waffle mag" with the "Circle 10" arsenal mark at the bottom. Highly recommended if you go synthetic. Of course, all the synthetic mags are impervious to rust (not including the springs) and are very robust. East German and Polish steel mags are about the best. There is a whole world of information in identifying AK mags as they all are similar. Perhaps we will also add that information in the future. Editor's Comment: The number one recommendation is the military surplus, 30 round, steel, banana magazine.
Rifles are available in two major receiver groups: milled and stamped. This is where you must decide if you want to go high or low dollar. Just about any milled AK is going to be on the pricey side. That's just the way the market is. Not to say that some of the stamped receivers are going to be cheap either. But, generally speaking, the milled variety is going to cost you more. To explain the difference between the two, the milled receiver starts life as a solid chunk of quality steel and is put through numerous machining stages until there is a finished monobloc receiver. That's the primary reason for the greater cost; all the machine work. The stamped receivers are, just as the term implies, stamped out of a flat sheet of steel and then formed in a series of bending operations until the final box-shaped receiver is completed. Of course, there are added operations for the stamped receiver such as adding the front and rear trunions, spot welding the bolt carrier rails to the inside, and installing a number of heavy rivets that are the trademark of the stamped AK receiver. A fairly recent improvement to the stamped AK is the development of the heavy 1.6mm steel receiver. This produces a receiver that is almost as rigid as the milled but without all the intricate milling operations. This is probably the one to buy if you are considering the stamped variety. However, there is something aesthetically pleasing about the solid chunk of steel on the milled receiver. Let your pocket book be your guide. Editor's comment. For your first AK-47, go with the stamped steel receiver, either the 1mm or the improved 1.6mm. It is every bit as serviceable as the milled and will more than likely cost you a bunch less. Look at one of the Romanian models (1mm receiver) for around $400-$500. Be sure it accepts the standard double stack hi-capacity magazine, however.
Manufacture
Let's face it; the days of importing a complete, functioning AK-47 into the US are over. This basically ended in March 14, 1989 when President G. H.W. Bush created an Executive Order banning the import of 43 different semi-automatic rifles. This is where the term "pre-ban" started and is still in use almost 20 years later. If you want one of these pre-ban rifles, by all means get one. The thing to keep in mind is they cost-a-plenty. We are talking in the realm of $1K to $2K or better. That's great if you have the money. You can be assured of getting a quality rifle if you buy a Norinco, Polytech, Valmet, Maadi, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Yugoslavian, or any other such available, pre-ban, imported AK- 47. You may find yourself owning something so nice that you will be afraid to shoot it! Especially one that is still new in box (NIB). Don't be afraid to shoot it unless you just want to keep it for posterity's sake or as an investment. But, that is not what this article is focusing on. We are looking at buying a shooter.
US manufacturers are producing their AK's from imported "parts kits." These are complete, fully functioning, select fire, AK-47 rifles that were demilled in the country of origin (or possibly the US importer) to conform to BATFE specs. This means cutting and removing the receiver between the front and rear trunions and carefully removing all the small parts to be shipped forward for import. Recently, the BATFE has even restricted the import of barrels from these kits. That's just another part that has to be replaced with a US-made unit which in turn ratchets-up the cost of the finished rifle. These import restrictions have been successfully overcome by many AK makers as the demand is there to justify doing all the work of producing the receivers and barrels here in the US. As a matter of fact, there is one company that produces an absolutely outstanding "Bulgarian" AK made right here in the USA!
Price isn't always a true judge of quality, but most of these quality AK's are going to run at least $750. The old phrase, "You get what you pay for" runs true here. You cannot cut corners and have a first class firearm. However, fear not, you can get a quality AK at reasonable prices. There are many Romanian AK's out there that are certainly worth owning for around $400-$500. Fit and finish on these may not be the absolute best, but they are complete and functional AK's that will serve you well. You would be cautioned to make a close check of the front sight tower (FST) if you decide to go this route. We have seen many FST's on Romanian and Yugoslav AK's that are not properly aligned (canted left or right) and need to be set straight before you can have a successful shooting adventure. If you special order one sight unseen, you may have to resort to having a gunsmith perform this service for you if it comes in canted.
Furniture
The decision to buy an AK comes with several choices, one being "furniture." Furniture is the firearms term for the buttstock, pistol grip, and handguards. However odd it may sound, it is the accepted term to refer to the exterior parts of the rifle other than the barrel and receiver. Furniture is divided into two major groups: wood and synthetic. Both are equally good.
Wood Furniture
The Soviet AK started with wood furniture. This would be the way to go if you want a traditional AK-47. There are a variety of woods to choose from as well as laminated woods. The laminated wood is probably the best choice for overall durability. You can go with original Soviet bloc wood or go with one of the many US made stock sets. If you buy an AK and want to change-out the furniture for any reason, that is easily done. You may buy a synthetic furniture AK and want to go wood, or vice versa. Or, you may have a blond Hungarian stock set and want to change to walnut. It's easy to do. These sets are available prefinished and ready to install or ready to apply the finish you desire. One very popular fad is to duplicate the red toned Russian finish with a gloss topcoat. Looks very nice on any AK.
Synthetic Furniture
Synthetic AK furniture came along sometime in the late 60's or early 70's. East Germany may have been the first to use a plastic furniture set. This is known as the "pebble finish" and was medium brown in color. This is not the most robust choice of furniture as it appears to be more of a PVC plastic as opposed to the later, tougher, glass filled nylon, but you may like the look. Later came the black synthetic furniture by the Bulgarians. Some people like the all black AK look the best. Easily accomplished if you want to change to that look. Synthetic furniture sets are now available in OD green, Plum, and black to name a few. You may even find them in various camouflaged patterns. Stencils for doing your own multi-color camo paint job are available as well. Also, you may buy your AK with standard AK length buttstock or in the longer "US" version, which adds about 1-1/4 inch to the overall length, which is more comfortable for most US shooters.
Folding Stocks
AK's offer several buttstock options other than fixed position. You can find an under folder, a right side folder, or a left side folder. These are now legal to own since the sunset of the Clinton 1994 - 2004 gun ban. If you want to leave tradition behind, you can also buy an AK with an AR-15 style collapsible buttstock. The under folder is perhaps the most recognizable version, but the side folders have certainly been around for a while. Side folders come in either the triangular shape which approximates the basic shape of the wooden buttstock, or, you can find what is called a "wire stock" which is a single rod extending from the rear trunion to the terminus at the buttplate. This is also called a "crutch" folder since it resembles the end of the crutch that goes under the armpit. All are good, just depends on what blows your skirt up. The beauty of the side folders is that they can be retrofitted to a conventional buttstock AK with little work. The underfolder is an underfolder for life.
Barrel Length
You will find that the majority of the AK's out there have barrels that are 16.1 inches long. This is true to the original concept and has held constant since introduced. Of course, like all military weapons, there is always a use for shorter and longer barrel versions. Short barrel AK rifles fall into the NFA area and are restricted from private ownership without the BATFE tax stamp and NFA paperwork. Legal ownership is not insurmountable, but most guys don't want to go through the process. One alternative is to get a Krinkov AK-47 (AKSU) which was designed with a 10 inch barrel, and that has been modified by adding a fake "can" or suppressor that is permanently attached. You can have the best of both worlds; short barrel rifle and legal. As long as the barrel and attachment have an overall length of 16 inches, you are good to go. Keep in mind, barrel length is measured from the bolt face in the ready-to-fire position to the very end of the barrel or permanently attached device. Most manufacturers go an extra 1/4 to 1/2 inch just to be sure they are not short by a fraction.
Long barrel AK's usually fall into the sniper category such as the Soviet SVD "Dragunov" and the like. The Chinese made several long barrel AK's as well as many other Soviet bloc countries. These are great, but be warned, Soviet and Chinese SVD's are VERY expensive, usually a minimum of $2500 up to $4000, depending on condition and accessories provided. These are more for the serious collector as opposed to the first AK buyer. But, if you have deep pockets, don't be afraid of getting one. One more thing about the long barrel AK's. Don't assume that the long barrel is a guarantee of tack driver accuracy. Soviet bloc accuracy is considered hitting a human in the vital parts at extended range. Anywhere in the chest area or head is considered a good shot. While, in the West, we like to think in terms of a sniper rifle being able to shoot sub-minute-of-angle (MOA). I would expect the SVD to shoot 1 to 1.5 MOA at best. Of course, for the purists who may be reading, the SVD is not technically an AK-47. But it is close enough to include in this discussion.
Muzzle Attachments
The bore-end of virtually all AK barrels are threaded to accept some type of muzzle attachment. This thread pattern is 14 x 1mm, left hand. The most common attachment is the slant brake. The idea behind the slant brake is that the escaping gases will work to push the rifle down and to the left to compensate for the tendency for the recoil to push the rifle up and to the right. Sometimes a plain muzzle nut is installed just to protect the threads. There are many other muzzle attachments for the AK. If you like the AR-15 style flash hider, you can find one threaded to work. The AK-74 style flash hider or muzzle brake is also popular to install on the AK-47.
US Made Parts
If you buy a US made AK comprised of import parts kits, they must conform to the 922r guidelines (The Imported Parts Law, 1990). This is a code that was developed by the BATFE to set a standard for the manufacture of an AK style rifle (actually any semi-auto rifle on the ban list) from parts kits. The imported parts count cannot exceed 10 parts. And, this is not just any 10 parts on the rifle, but 10 parts from a possible list of 20 parts that must be complied with. For the AK-47 clones, this list includes 16 parts that apply. So, you must be sure that the AK you purchase has at least 6 US made parts substituted in the build. The most common US made parts that are used in the builds are the hammer, trigger, disconnector, gas piston, buttstock, pistol grip, upper and lower handguards (both count as one part), slant brake or plain muzzle nut, mag follower, and mag floor plate.. It only takes 6 of these, so it is up to the manufacturer how they want to work the build. Also, if using the mag parts as US made parts, you must always use the mags with these parts when firing the rifle or it would be an illegal configuration. As mentioned earlier, there are several US made magazines available that would give 3 US made parts to the build (the mag body also counts), but most manufacturers do not setup the build this way as it would preclude the use of genuine issue AK mags, which in all likelihood, will be what is used by the purchaser. You can reasonably expect an AK from a reputable manufacturer to be in proper 922r compliance. Most US made AK's will also have a certificate stating that the rifle has been found to be in full 922r compliance by the BATFE. This is your best guarantee of being legal. The above discussion is for stamped receiver AK's. Milled receiver AK's only require 5 US made parts since the front and rear trunions are integral to the milled receiver and are not counted as applicable 922r parts.
Finishes
AK's are available with a number of metal finishes. The most common is the Parkerized finish. This is a durable and traditional finish for a military firearm. All it needs is an occasional oiling. The Egyptian MAADI uses a paint finish which isn't as durable as the park job, but that's the way they did it. Some US manufacturers use a combination of parkerizing to "prime" the bare metal followed by a high-tech paint finish over that. To go really high tech, but gaudy, there is silver nitride. Also, there is the traditional blue finish as used on Polish and original Yugoslavian AKs as imported by Mitchell Arms in the late 80's. These are perhaps the nicest finished AK-47's out there. Of course, finish is something that can be changed later if the mood suits you.
Wood finish on the AK is usually a tung-oil type but can be linseed oil or polyurethane. Not much more to say about that.
Synthetic furniture needs no additional finish.
1994 - 2004 Ban Models
You may find some remnants from the 1994 - 2004 Clinton Gun ban for sale. These are referred to as "post-ban" models. Post-ban AK's could be found either new or used. Basically, these are AK's that have had the bayonet lugs ground off, muzzle attachment (no flash suppressors were allowed) welded or silver soldered to the barrel, either absent a folding stock or the folding stock welded or fixed in the open position, or possibly with a thumbhole buttstock. These can be fine shooters at more reasonable prices since most AK seekers want all the whistles and bells of the pre-ban AK-47's. It is legal to modify these to "no-ban" configuration as long as you remember to comply with the 922r regulation.
Most likely, post-ban rifles still in possession of the factory or distributor were sent back through a re-assembly or upgrade process and were brought up to no-ban status effective September 14, 2004. There may be one or two minor features that were not brought up to date on no-ban rifles such as leaving the muzzle attachment permanently attached as it would not be time and dollar-wise to try to remove it. Also the same logic for the bayonet lugs. These are rather small issues as neither affect the operation of the AK as far as live fire. These fall under the heading of aesthetics. Editor's Comment: Could be a chance to save some $$$ on a nice AK.
Shooting your new AK
This is the best part. The only drag in the last couple of years is the higher cost of all ammo. In years past, AK ammo was as little as 9 cents around. Hard to believe, but true. In any case, ammo is plentiful and still fairly inexpensive due to the sheer bulk available. Steel cased ammo is perfectly fine in the AK as that is what it was designed around. Some ranges will not permit any steel jacketed ammo, so keep that in mind.
Before you leave home, carefully inspect the bore for any grease that may be in the barrel. US made firearms rarely have it, but it may be there just the same. Light oil is not usually a problem and will be burnt out after the first round or two. In either case, go ahead and run some patches down the bore to see what you have. When they come out clean, go to the range.
Once out to the range, get it sighted in. You will need to have purchased a sight adjustment tool before hand as nothing else will work for you there. Keng's Firearms Specialties has some of the Polytech armory-grade models for around $35. This is the one to get! It is built like a tank. Other after market adjustment tools will likely break the first time you try to move that front sight for elevation. I won't go into the actual sighting process as you can do that I am sure. Just remember that when correcting the windage, move the front sight away from the desired direction, or, toward the wayward grouping, which is the opposite for the standard western style firearm with adjustable rear sight. So, if your group is to the right of the bull's-eye (or whatever you like to aim at), you must push the front sight to the right to get on target. Also, the rear tangent sight has a setting at the very rear which is called the "battle setting." At this setting, and after properly sighting in at 100 yards or meters, by aiming at center of body mass, you will hit an enemy between the shoulders and hips at ranges from zero to 300 meters or yards. Of course, you have the traditional ranges also listed from 100 to 700 or 800 meters or yards. For general use, sight-in at 100 meters or yards.
Feeding Problems
The beauty of the AK is that it eats just about any ammo you feed it with ease. That's just the way it was designed. Of course, you may encounter problems as with any firearm. Any new rifle may need a break in period, so don't be alarmed if you have a few failures feeding or extracting. Be sure it is properly lubed and oiled before you shoot and that may curb any problems before they manifest. Some AK's such as the Yugo's have a three- position gas setting which should be in the middle position. The other two are for very dirty rifles (more gas) and very hot loads (less gas). Be sure to check here if you have short stroking problems. In rare cases, you may have a bad magazine follower. Bent magazine bodies are more likely and this is easy to spot once you suspect a problem. If the rifle fails to run the bolt carrier to the rear AT ALL, then you have a block in the gas orifice between the bore and the gas tube. This may shut your shooting down for that session since it is going to require getting a probe in there to clean out whatever is blocking the orifice. Pretty rare, but possible.
Cleaning
This is going to involve some disassembly of your new AK. Not a problem. Just pop the dust cover off and proceed to take it down. Instructions are furnished with all AK's these days and plenty are available online. The best policy for cleaning is to assume that your ammo is made with corrosive primers, especially if it came from overseas. This means if you don't clean it after shooting, the bore will rust as well as the bolt face and breech areas. It's a really ugly mess, but will not actually affect the operation of your AK unless it is an extreme case and you let the situation go without ever stopping the rust. However, why take a chance on ruining the value of you rifle? Hoppe's No 9 cleaner is the best to use to clean up after corrosive primers. Use liberally and you will sleep well at night. Even if the primers are not corrosive, it is still a good policy to properly clean (from the rear of the bore) after a firing session. Lightly oil after cleaning and reassemble your AK.
Accessories
Not much is needed for the AK-47 except a sling. However, if you think you may want to add a scope, then you want to make sure your rifle comes with a scope mount. These can be added later, but the problem is finding someone to mount it accurately. It's just easier to get it on the rifle from the start. Something to consider, especially if you are getting near the "50" mark where the old eyes start losing a bit of their sharpness.
A bit of information on the mount. The traditional AK-47 scope mount is on the left side of the rifle, which is different from most modern rifles. It is a matter of necessity since there is not a solid mounting point to mount the scope on the top rear of the rifle. Dust cover mounts are available, but will not hold a steady zero. That method is OK for iron sights as on the Galil, but just not practical for a scope. The side mount does provide a nice feature in that it provides easy removal and replacement without losing "zero."
Other scope mounting options are available, now that the accessory market has greatly expanded. Picatinny rail handguards are available that replace the front handguards. On the Picatinny rails you can mount your favorite scope or aiming device. The potential problem here is the fair amount of heat generated from firing is quickly transferred to the sighting devices. Also, the picatinny rails are usually made of aluminumm which is pretty hot on the hands even if no scopes are attached. Of course, mounting a scope that far forward usually requires a long eye relief model or just a zero magnification aim point or red dot sight. If this method of sight attachment appeals to you, then you are covered.
There are many AK scopes to pick from. Since the traditional scope mount for the AK is on the left side, you need to either get a scope with integral mount such as a Russian PSO-1 or similar, or buy a left-side mount and add your favorite scope. The PSO-1 style scopes are good and are made to the military spec and configuration of the original Soviet model. In fact, you can still get one made in the Belarus military factory. Keep in mind, as with the accuracy of the AK, Russian scopes are not quite as good as we are used to here in the West. They get the job done, however. Sighting in a Russian scope is a bit different in that the windage and elevation knobs operate a bit different for the sighting- in process. Also, the reticle does not stay centered as on a Western scope. There are instructions online (AK-47.net) on how to sight-in a Russian-style scope. If you go with the side scope mount by itself, you can add just about any scope you like, including one you may have sitting unused. Such a deal. To the AK purist, mounting anything other than an AK style scope on an AK-47 is not kosher; just doesn't look quite right. But, each to his own.
The bottom line on accessories is that you can "pitch to the wind," in other words, you can "pimp out" your AK to your heart's desire! Keep in mind that the more equipment you apply, the less handy and rugged your AK becomes. It was designed as a rough and tough weapon and many believe it should be kept that way; the simpler the better.
That is the high points on buying a new AK-47. Of course, the complete history of the AK is not included here. That has been beat nigh-unto-death. You may check that out on many web sites if you desire.
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