Whether this is common rifle knowledge or ak47 related or a little of both ... How can i tell the difference between a milled or stamped ak47 that i just bought from my friend ... he says he thinks its stamped but he has no clue really ... any help on this ? also personal opinions on which is better for a bonus topic ? Thanks Guys !

http://www.ak-47.us/AK-47Receivers.php




milled or stamped both will do just fine......but Stamped I feel is better....its lighter, and doesnt retain heat as much....milled were first AKs to be produced then rifles were switched to stamp for those reasons...its also cheaper to produce

thanks a lot man ... appreciate it !

Good link  

"The first AK-47s were stamped receivers. They were strong and easy to build. But in an attempt to improve their strength the Russians turned to a milled receiver for many years. The labor and material required to make a milled receiver were too much and the stamped receiver was again adopted. There is some debate over which is stronger or better, and both have advantages and weaknesses.

Milled Receivers are strong, will not twist, should last for many years of shooting. They also cost more, and are heavy. They have fewer stock options and few parts kits are available for the milled receivers.

Stamped Receivers are much more common. Are easy to build on and make yourself. Can be very strong. They can twist and warp with stress. Rivets, welds and screws can work loose."

I decided on a milled for my next rifle.  I like the idea of having a milled receiver, they just sound tougher to me and not as common.  I'm not really that concerned about the added weight.  Be aware though that you are looking at 3-7 TIMES the cost for the receiver.  The other option is to send it off to a gentlemen, "turbothis" who will take your torched kit receiver and repair it with steel plates.  The end results look exactly like a new receiver, plus you be able to keep a lot of the original markings.  If you can find a decent parts kit cheap, he will re-weld and build your rifle for about the same price as buying a WASR 10!  Maybe a touch more.  If you want to look more into it, do a search for "reweld / re-weld".  He was recommended to me from others on this site, and I'm glad that they pointed me in his direction.

The first Soviet AK's did have stamped receivers, but due to manufacturing difficulties they switched to milled receivers from 1949 until 1958.  The stamped receiver Soviet AKM began production in 1959, and supplanted the earlier milled receiver rifles across their military.

The two main advantages the Soviets saw for a stamped receiver rifle over a milled one are less waste of material and (much) faster production.

Top ak with wood furniture - milled receiver

Bottom ak, poly furniture - stamped receiver


Browning Hi Power - just plain awesome



Stamped vs. Milled, which is better? In my humble opinion, either way you win. But ain't the milled one pretty?

Milled receiver AKs are stiffer/heavier and do not flex as much as the stamped receiver ones. This makes Milled receiver AKs a bit more accurate but at the cost of weight and expense to produce.  From a collector or "Pride of ownership" perspective, the milled receiver AKs are the way to go. I have a Milled Polytech Legend that is simply the best all around AK from a shooters as well as collectors perspective IMHO of course  The SA-M7 Milled receiver varients from Arsenal are a close seconed.

How about a third option. I have a Vepr and I believe it has a heavy stamped squad reciever. I also believe that there is another ak being made now that has a heavy  1.6 reciever.I feel better with the extra strength. I also have a milled Arsenal.

that's yugo's right?

The chinese are 1.5 mm?

Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Good info. I have a WASR with stamped receiver. I apparently got lucky, the rifle is awesome. Accurate, no problems at all with it. I'm looking for a milled receiver AK as my rifle, but didn't know that whether or milled is better was debatable. Looking into an Arsenal or a Polytech.

Do the recoil buffers help keep stamped receivers from "twisting"?

Lighter by only a few ounces or so and the heat thing probably isn't true. Milled or stamped it dosen't make too much differnce for the shooter as you won't be using it in combat. I like milled more though because they look nicer. The first AKs were actually stamped not milled.

  100% right on the spot...... WarDawg

Never say never, we might use them in combat if their is a revolution or insurgent zombies ever attack.

'Round here, that kind of talk can get a man killed...