How to Build an AK-47
Part Two of our series on US AK47 builders
- Matt's home shop AK47 building method

Update 2/22/06
From: http://rtccom.net/~mattb/ak_build.html

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The receiver arrived!!! I've currently got two front trunion holes drilled in the receiver. The first one was off rather badly, so it's pretty egg-shaped now to fit. :/ But the second one was dead-on. I went with a drill bit slightly larger than the one I used for drilling the trunions themselves, so the hole in the receiver is actually barely big enough for the bolt to go through. But it lines up beautifully! Now if I can just repeat these results on the other four..........

To transfer the hole pattern, I ended up placing a thin piece of paper (printer paper, actually) over the trunion, lining up two of its edgs with the front of the trunion, and the top of the trunion at the begging of the small channel that the top lip of the recevier slides into. I then punched through the paper at the trunion holes with a pencil, then swirled the pencil around to shape and size the hole in the paper according to the trunion hole. Then I placed the paper over the receiver (lining up the top and front edges), and ran the pencil over the receiver where the holes in the paper were. Since the receiver is parkerized, this provided a nice solid mark for drilling. I'll try to get some pics of this stuff later.

Overall I'd have to say I'm fairly impressed with the Global Trades/Armory USA receiver. They drilled and cut everything except the trunion holes. I mounted the trigger guard into the pre-drilled holes. With the front trunion slammed up against the rails as far as it will go, not only does the front of the trunion come flush almost perfectly with the front edge of the receiver, magazines lock up nicely with not too much play. I really only have two issues with this receiver. First, the back was bent in a bit at the top corners. It isn't too terribly bad, it goes away once the rear trunion is set in place (though it does make placing the rear trunion a bit of a pain). Secondly, it looks like the center support may have been ever so slightly too small, and when they rivitted it in, the sides of the receiver were drawn together just a bit. The effect is barely noticeable visually, but it's there. The bolt carrier binds a bit as it nears this center area, so I will have to grind down the rails a bit. Tis a shame, because I'm guessing it would have been a near-perfect fit if the receiver sides weren't pulled in like they are. OTOH, perhaps this minor imperfection is normal and I'm just way too demanding. :)

Since I don't have much skills in the way of gun metal refinishing, I went ahead and opted for Global Trades' parkerized finish on the receiver. I'm pleased with the finish, it pretty well matches the original Romanian finish on the rest of the parts. I guess the Romanian manufacturers parkerize their AK's?

Anyway, I couldn't resist throwing the parts together for some "test fitting". :) After spending 20 minutes or so snapping pics, handling the gun, and grinning like a little kid with a new toy, I came to several conclusions:

1. I really like the feel of the AK, much more cool than conventional rifles. I'm sure for long distance precision shooting, a conventional rifle would be preferable, but for general all-around handling, the AK design is awesome. It's fun just to pick up and shoulder. :)

2. This thing is handy. This is due partly to its small size and light weight, but also to the general design of the rifle (see previous point). I can see one reason it's so well suited to so many different situations, it would be handy to just carry around and then quickly shoulder when needed. Also, you can hang onto it with one hand (your trigger hand) by the pistol grip, with the buttstock up against the inside of your elbow and the gun pointed more or less upwards (for safety, and portability), then lower it and let the front of the rifle drop into your other hand and be quickly at the ready.

3. The buttstock is actually not as short as I thought it would be. It does feel a bit short when I shoulder the rifle, but it's quite usable. I probably won't add any kind of extension (like a recoil pad) to it, at least not for now. I will lose about an inch or so, however, once I fit the buttstock and get it to fully seat into the receiver.

4. The foregrip stays. It's cool.

I went ahead and installed the hammer, trigger, and associated parts. I was surprised at how simple this mechanism is. Several times throughout the build I've occasionally glanced at my box of parts and thought "is that all there is? Am I missing something?" I also like the fact that the safety mechanism consists of a single part. Seriously, look at this parts list:

1. Trigger

2. Disconnector

3. Disconnector spring

4. Hammer

5. Hammer spring

6. Safety selector

7. Trigger bushing (this isn't even necessary to the design...it's part of the US-made Tapco G2 trigger group I got with the kit, makes assembly/disassembly easier)

8. Mount pin and retaining clip for the trigger/disconnector assembly

9. Mount pin and retaining clip for the hammer

That is EVERYTHING needed to make the trigger and hammer work. Well, plus the receiver itself, obviously.

I'm off work today (and tomorrow!) so I should be able to finish the gun by tomorrow, maybe even tonight. Hopefully I can shoot it next week some time.

Just a few pics this time. Here's the receiver, with the trigger guard installed and the rear trunion in place (sorta). I didn't get any pics of the receiver in its original form, too impatient I guess. :)

And here's a sneak preview of the gun loosely thrown together for "test fitting". :)

Another one

Note the buttstock is only partially installed, it will need some sanding/fitting to go in properly.

Yeah, expect the next update pretty quick. :)

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