I just picked up my first AK this spring. It was a Romy G under-folder that was already built by someone, but I don't know who.

I really love everything about it except that I can't seem to get it to shoot very straight. I'd like to take a systematic approach to improving it so that I address the most critical things that could be causing issues, without breaking the bank. I also want to learn to do a lot of this stuff myself, so I don't want to just drop it off at a gunsmith and say "can you make this better?"

The "cons"
1. Loose lower handguard - fixed
2. Slightly canted front sight - fixed (?)
3. Screw build - I consider this a con since it seems that screws can come loose and cause the rifle to become less accurate and eventually unsafe. I've put locktite on the screws and plan to continually ensure that they are tight when I fire it.

I guess I'm asking the experts here what they would check first and how to do it. I don't have time to go shoot it every weekend, but I'd like to do what I can between opportunities to shoot. Are there things I can do during the down-time that might help? Do I need to replace the screws with rivets or can I manage the screws?

What advice would you experts offer up?

Thanks

I'm not an expert, but have a few thoughts. When you say you can't get it to shoot straight, how bad is it exactly? Can you get a decent 3 shot group at say 50 yds? I have a WASR and can tell you, these rifles are not all that accurate to begin with, especially once the barrel gets hot. Have you put it into a lead sled and weighed it down good and take a few careful shoots? That should give you an idea if the problem is you or the rifle..

I'm not sure what you're asking. I've tried to take some careful shots from the prone position and am having difficulty getting a group on paper that I can work with. However, I haven't given much thought to whether the barrel is hot or cold. How many rounds can I put down the barrel before it's considered "hot"? I try to do 5-shot groups.

I've tried shooting a group, adjusting the front sight accordingly, and shooting another group. It seems that things don't get much better after a while, but maybe its because my barrel is too hot. I don't know. I guess that's why I think I  need to approach this more systematically. I'm not looking for "tack-driver" accuracy, but would like to at least know that I've done what I can to get my sights to line up with my barrel and stay that way. ;-)

What size groups are you shooting and at what range are you shooting them?

Are you shooting from a rest? If not, try that when trying to zero the rifle.

A lead sled will hold the rifle steady. You adjust the sled and not the rifle to get it on target.

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/caldwell-lead-sled-solo?a=606353

Takes a few factors out of the equation. My barrel is pretty dang hot once I shoot 20-40 rounds thru it in about 20 min.

Do you have the front sight adjustment tool? Are you able to use the ak sights properly? Google ak47 zero procedure.  Using a sandbag or something off a table or the deck to keep it stable? That said i have 2 and one is really really accurate, like ar accurate. Super easy to hit small things to 100 yards. And the other meh... Not so much. So its possible the barrel isnt a shooter, but theres plenty to check out before you decide for sure.