I aquired an SA93. After reading about them on some other forums I have decided to deban/build it. Being local in Vegas, I contracted Rifle Dynamics. They were wonderfully fast getting back to me, however with their backlog of work they are only doing upgrade packages. Can yall recomend a good smith? Also, how far do I go. Would it be a mistake adding some custom features that deviate drom a classic AK? This is just a fun gun for me and my GF. Thanks for reading.
- Chris

Two Rivers.Oklahoma.
Have heard all good on them

please don't do anything besides the regular de-ban.  There are no more ever coming into the country IMO 

Rodney busby of R&J performance coatings in Lubbock, Texas is doing mine

Will check them out. Please keep the recommendations coming

JBI Armory In Denton TX

Two Rivers did my SA93 twins. full de-ban and hot blue...beautiful!!


Also highly recommend JBI Armory

JBI wanted to charge me $200 to press some 6 Steel rivets. No other work to be done. Just to Simply press 6 Steel rivets.

Troy Sellars at InRange did my SA93 conversion, looks great and very reasonably priced.

Just DON'T use Jayson Cotter dba Investment Grade Firearms (IGF).

He completely ruined my SA 93, butchering the rear tang cutout with what must've been a die grinder. A stock wouldn't even fit at first, and the slot/tang/rivets had to be re-done. He incorrectly installed the new KVAR barrel I purchased, so that the extractor cut was significantly out of alignment and had to be extended. He removed the factory riveted feed ramp, then re-installed it by WELDING it in. He drilled a 90* gas port hole in the barrel, then installing the 45* AK-47 gas block over it. Yes, thanks to IGF my milled Type 3 AK-47 had a "duplex" gas port angle, like a Romanian SAR-2. He cut the lower handguard retainer slot too far forward, so the handguard could be "pump-shotgunned" back and forth. To top off this "Masterpiece", he did a shitty job "hot bluing" it.

I ended up sending it to Troy Sellars to have as much of this hackery fixed as possible, then ended up selling the rifle at about a $500 loss. Troy does great work, but this rifle was just too far gone, thanks to IGF. I have since come to think of "IGF" as an acronym for I Got Fu¢k€d.

I guess you shouldn't send an AK build to an H&K "gunsmith". However, this happened many years ago, when there weren't as many great AK builders, as there are today. Before the IGF debacle, my SA 93 was a "victim" of the infamous "Informer" AK builder. I sent payment and my SA 93 (less wood) to Informer, only to receive back, many months later, a stripped barreled receiver from the Kansas Attorney General, after Informer decided to become a Scumbag. This required me to purchase a Bulgarian AK-47 parts kit from Federal Arms, which luckily were very affordable back then.

All in all, it was a real adventure...

Mike Friend from the firing line

He do work on 3 of my AKS

One was an SLR 95.  He added the bottom rear stud for the stock

If it was me, I would just put a pistol grip, & butt stock on it. I wouldn'y consider threading the barrel, or getting a bayo lug, since the OP said it's "just a fun gun". Then you don't have to send it to anybody. Just order the furniture. GARY

couldn't agree more.  why pay money to make your gun worth less?  Especially don't pay rifle dynamics $1200 to wait 6 months to have them chop your barrel off, pand put that goofy venom gas block on.  i cringe when i see rifles like the  sgl ruined by shops like RD.

Get some nice wooden furniture, save some money, keep your rifles value, and make your life easier.

I would send it to Arizona Response systems. Mark Graham is an excellent AK smith- and a perfectionist. Never any drama with him about when it will get done etc....He's built 3-4 guns for me now and every one was delivered on time, as promised for the amount I agreed to pay. In fact, he actually did EXTRA work on one of my guns and did not charge me for it...."Because it needed to be done...." Can't speak highly enough about him.

I'll second Firing Line, good people and good work.

My SA-93 came with the lower rear tang slot cut into the receiver.

It was a Sentinal Arms import.

Simple enough to convert.

I converted myself.  KVar stock kit,  trigger replacement,  Elzetta light mount,  Ultimak top cover rail for my Docter Optic dot sight.  It's my primary weapon out at the farm for when things go bump in the night.

Well that's unfortunate, but Jason at IGF did a Bulgarian Krink build for me and it turned out really nice.  I would recommend him, but he's only doing HK work now.  Arizona Response (Mark Graham) is another great builder, but he's only accepting FAL work these days.  Mario at Piece of History is back in the game and he did three really nice builds early this year for me.  All three have done great work for me.