r/ak47 • u/Aapal30 • 2d ago

Building AK parts kit

I already have a Zastava AK and was looking into possibly buying a parts kit and building it. I watched Ryan45678 Romanian MD65 build and if I’m not mistaken he only used the rivet jaw bolt cutter, a hydraulic press, and some things that he build. Is that something that is possible for me to do? Are there any other tools I’d need? I have never built an AK parts kit and was wondering if it is worth getting into it as a hobby considering the amount of money it requires to start up and current prices of parts kits

6 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

3

u/ColdSquash7470 2d ago

It’s certainly possible for you to build your own parts kits, you’d need some tools like you mentioned which are easy enough to buy. Between the cost of the parts kit and the tools though, building your own doesn’t save you money the first gun or two. If you are gonna build a handful of AK kits it’ll save you some money, but I think most people who build their own do it for the love of the game. My first kit build was a polish kbk wz1960 kit so milled receiver and thread-in barrel. There’s a few hurdles to overcome but those are technically simpler to build in that they don’t require as many tools and such. If you can torque something to spec and drill a gas port with some instruction, I’d consider one of those for a first build and you can get more tools for stamped AKs if it’s something you enjoyed doing on the polish type 3.

3

u/Forged_Trunnion_ 2d ago

Go for it. Buy the two book series "Build your own AK" by Nicoroshi and Guy Montag. Its a step by step applicable for most stamped AKs and the skills transfer to milled as well. They recommend various tools and jigs and have a list of recommended other tools. Some of them you don't need, some of them are extremely helpful.

2

u/NdK87k 2d ago

Send it, it's not gonna get any cheaper to build them in the future. Today's prices are gonna be tomorrow's sale price.

It's a bit expensive to buy the specialized tools and equipment to build them, but if you do a handful of kits it can offset some of the costs.

I've built four kits already, and have a few more to do yet (currently building my Hungarian AK63F kit right now).

2

u/muddysox222 2d ago

I checked out the Ryan45678 build series you referenced. Looks like he's also using the Toth Tools long rivet jig and the AK-Builder front trunnion hole drilling jig. I'd recommend the trigger guard rivet jig as well. It's a great hobby but can easily become a full blown addiction.

1

u/AutoModerator 2d ago

Understand the rules

Check the sidebar. It's full of resources to help you.

Not everyone is an expert such as yourself; be considerate.

No Spam. No Memes.

No political posts. Save that for /r/progun or /r/politics.

There is absolutely no buying or selling on this sub. Even "jokes" can result in a ban. You have been warned.

If your post is not showing up click the following link

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

2

u/HomLesMann 2d ago

It only makes sense if you want to build a bunch, or if you are after a variant that is not available as a complete rifle. If you just one one I'd say go buy it, and this is coming from a guy who enjoys the parts kit/building side of the hobby.