[hotchkissmtrifle]

I got a question for you AK builders. I enjoyed building an AK and recomended it to a friend for his first rifle build. However, dumbie me didn't warn him to buy a stamped receiver kit and of course he bought a milled one. Is there any reason why one couldn't mill off the front receiver stub and make it into a trunion block and drill it for revits? Might have to get a rear stock tang because I don't think there is enough there for that end but I don't know why the front wouldn't work. Has anyone else thought about-done this? I really don't want to be obligated to buy his kit and his idea of letting me use my mill to make a reciever out of a solid billet makes me wonder how many days, weeks, months......that could go on. Thanks, Hotch

 

[Tom Kelly]

email me off list my son is looking for a nice threaded barrel and may have a pinned type to trade - Tom

 

[hotchkissmtrifle]

Well, I will have to talk to Matt first, he is the one that bought it. I really already told him this would work and was hoping someone out there could verify it so I didn't look like a dummie, again that is. Hotch

 

[HottAK47]

The stub can be used as a trunnion. I used to have a tutorial on how its done. I'll try to find it and send it to you, good luck, Dutch

 

[Luke]

Why not just sell it and buy an excellent matched Romanian kit (still for around $100). It is far easier and a surefire way to build it into a great AK?

 

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

Check with Arsenal here in Vegas to see about buying a milled receiver. I believe they still make them. Otherwise a receiver wouldn't be too much work to mill out,depending on what kind of mill that you have. I am thinking of just a partial receiver that gets welded to the front / rear sections that are left.

 

[hotchkissmtrifle]

Thanks guys, I just talked to him and he is determined to build it one way or the other. The guy he bought it from gave the old "this is the best of the best, you can never do any better than this one" story. Oh well, maybe I can work some new tooling for the mill out of this Hotch

 

[BobNPrc]

This isn't much help becuase I can't remember the name, but some outfit was selling AK trunnions for stamped receivers that were threaded for barrels from milled parts set. Allowed you to rivet the trunnion in a stamped receiver then screw in a barrel from a milled parts set (or, essentially, build a weapon without having to get a milled receiver). They had them for Chinese and Russian milled kits about 18 months ago when Centerfire had the mint, unused chinese parts kits w/ threaded barrels for cheap.

 

[Nosegunner]

Why not buy a milled receiver? Firing Line has them:
http://www.angelfire.com/ok3/firingline/page2.html

Is this one of the Russian kits? It would be a shame to trash a 1950s Type 3 kit by using a cheap stamped receiver. Not to mention the resale value of a Russian milled receiver AK47 from the 50s, or any milled receiver AK.

I'm in the process of building a Type 2 Russian AK47, dated 1951, using an unmarked receiver from Rapid Fire (they only have the T2 milled receivers). Steve Sawyer replicated the original markings from the original front receiver stub. There's a world of difference between the feel of a stamped and milled receiver. Just a thought. Good luck.

 

[patm41]

Ill have to agree... dont ruin a good milled Russian kit.. buy a proper
reciever.. and preserve a piece of history

This is my Type III i built on a Firingline reciever a couple years ago..

 

[blkbd]

If you go to one of the AK forums like Gunco do a search for screw build or milled stub and you should be able to find it. If it were me I would build it on a milled receiver. But the other thing O whant to do is using a milled kit turn it into a pistol doing a screw build and having extra barrels and stocks so I can change them at will.
Warning! I wont get into the nitty gritty but if you go this route you must build the pistol first and I would have it marked as a pistol so others cant say other wise.

 

[patm41]

Keep in mind that on a milled AK you must headspace by screwing the barrel in or out and machine as needed.. its not like you can just unscrew it and screw in another barrel and go shooting..

 

[hotchkissmtrifle]

Well PatM42, you got some nice stuff there. This gives me an idea. I am not sure if I can buy the kit myself but if I can I have the back half of a downfolder receiver just like yours I purchased from Paragon years ago. I got a friend who took one of Tapco's 80% FAL receivers, cut off the front and welded it on to his stub still on the barrel, finnished the castings and has shot it for a couple years. Why not just machine a center section, semi of course, and weld between the ends??? AKs are not exactly as envolved as a BAR receiver. After looking at it I think the parts kit is a demilled Polytech. He also got a demilled Winchester 92 wich I bought for $40 minus barrel. This could be a fun winter project. Hotch