They're not quite finished but close.
I started off with 2 "rusty" Romanian AIM "Garda" parts kits from DPH Arms, 2 Global Trades/Armory USA 1.6mm receivers, a couple of handfuls of "compliance" parts from DPH Arms & some Romanian 30 round mags I picked up at 5280 Armory. Now I have two semi-auto AK's that are ready for test firing & after that comes final finishing (just a few minor odds & ends, mainly aesthetic stuff including coating the metal).
Both have Tapco double hook trigger groups (trigger, disconnecter & hammer), one has a Tapco SAW style pistol grip (black), the other a Tapco plain grip (brown). The rest of the compliance parts are - well I'm not quite sure how the final configuration of each should be & this is where you come in.
If you'd be so kind look over the pics & tell me what you think the best configurations for the two AK's would be. Just keep in mind I stripped the metal down & haven't refinished it yet - I'm mainly trying to decide on stock set up - but the metal will be a nice matte black. As usual click on the pics for a larger view & feel free to elaborate (anonymously if you wish) on why you'd opt for a particular set up. Or anything else. You're welcome to leave a comment here or e-mail me at publicola_mu AT yahoo DOT com.
& yes; you know you're a gun nut when you get involved in a discussion about which is the "prettiest" Ak. :)
The other compliance parts are a u.S. made birdcage style flash hider on AK2, a Galil style upper & lower handguard & a side folding stock (the latter 2 from Tapco). The flash hider I plan on replacing; even though I think it looks kinda cool it won't accommodate a bayonet. But finding a u.S. made slant brake isn't too tricky (or pricey).
The naming convention I used was fairly simple - AK1 has the SAW grip (black) & AK2 has the Tapco plain grip (brown) "S" stands for straight stock, "F" for folding, "1p" refers to 1 pistol grip whereas "2p" refers to 2 pistol grips (front & rear). For example "AK1 F1p" has the SAW grip (black) with the folding stock & Galil style handguards. It was the easiest way I could think of to label them since I never got around to taking that Smith & Wesson "naming conventions from hell" course I was saving up for.
There are only 2 pics of AK1 S2p because of the parts count; if I had inserted a foreign magazine into it set up that way I'd have been committing a felony (but u.S. made mags are okay for it). That's how easy it is to get on the prohibited persons list - not that I think it's freakin' nonsensical or anything. :) & no - there would have been no way to prove it was felonious from a pic, but I felt obliged to use it as an excuse to highlight how asinine the "assault weapons" import ban is, since that would have been the only illegal configuration (if foreign mags were used).
Ak1 F2p
Ak1 S2p
Ak2 F1p
Ak2 S1p
This is how I have them set up at the moment:
Ak2 S2p
Ak1 F1p
Well, I've always thought the Galil-style handguards looked way better than any of the crappy com-bloc wood on the fore-end. As far as the buttstock goes, well, how do you feel about cheek weld? Yeah, the folding stock looks cool.
If I were building one, I'd be looking at a foreward top rail from Ultimak, so I could put either a long eye-relief scope or some sort of reflex or red-dot optic on it.
As far as the receiver goes, doesn't dura-coat have some nice pastel shades?
Posted by: jed at April 26, 2007 07:05 PMI was thinking of a mauve actually, but decided to stick with basic black to ease any accesorizing woes. Besides, I couldn't afford to buy a new wardrobe for every new gun & one simply must color coordinate the outfit to the firearm, musn't one?
Seriously the cheek weld is a bit better on the wood, but the length of pull is a bit short for me. The folder is better for that though not as solid. Still it's an AK. I'm not going to rig up a receiver sight & use one a high power match...yet. ;) (actually if I can get sub 3 inch groups I might try it at the BRC match - it's 200 yards max anyway so the AK might do alright).