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Posted: 4/30/2004 2:46:37 PM EDT
[#1]
if you can mig/tig, you can easily weld together an akm. lot's of fellas have used this 'alternative' (like screws) assempbly method. hesse also weld batches of production rifles together.
after a nice puddle weld and grind job, it's hard to spot the welds and the structural integrity is better than rivets or screws. |
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Posted: 4/30/2004 3:31:18 PM EDT
[#2]
good deal, and did they just weld some puddles where the rivets went, or did they do more? I'm leaning towards doing 3 or 4 spots per side on the front trunnion just for the cya factor.
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Posted: 4/30/2004 4:27:46 PM EDT
[#3]
Hesse/Vulcan puddle weld where the rivets go and nothing else... You can tell their rifles suck, too.
I did see one AK74 on a Hesse receiver at my local gunshop which was smooth and showed no visible welds. Probably not built by hesse or vulcan. There's nothing wrong with welding, though. It's just very quick and easy to do, and virtually no room left to screw up. |
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Posted: 4/30/2004 5:07:35 PM EDT
[#4]
I ground my front trunion so I could get a clean bead on the trunion sides and the receiver. The trunion holes were also welded "in" and the beads were ground smooth. Same with the rear. I've had no problems with over 10k rounds in a shooter.l
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Posted: 5/1/2004 3:48:44 AM EDT
[#5]
wellco also did some ak's up that were welded...including some posties.
i have read that one fellow opened up the rivet holes in the receiver to 1/4" in order to give the weld more area to bite into on the receiver. |
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Posted: 5/1/2004 7:40:18 AM EDT
[#6]
I welded my first AMD65. Actually the machine shop welded it, by MIG welding, and the welds broke after 25-30 rds. Then took it to a friend who TIG welded it, and the welds are still holding after 1,000 rds. I opened up the trunnion holes on the shell to get better bite of the weld. It is the fastest way to get out on the range.
OJF |
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Posted: 5/1/2004 8:59:20 AM EDT
[#7]
You need to make sure the receiver is being welded to the trunion. I have found that you need to make sure that you aren't just welding to the old rivets. The weld doesn't like to stick to the rivets, probably due to the metal it is made from. If your welds only bite onto the rivets, more then likely the weld will pop loose.
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Posted: 5/9/2004 7:13:24 AM EDT
[#8]
Since I have the rivets completely gone on my polish kit can I back the holes with copper to avoid spatter and such inside the trunion and fill the rivet holes up and out to the receiver sheetmetal ? or should I fill the holes up beforehand some how prior to welding the receiver/trunion together ?
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Posted: 5/9/2004 9:06:57 AM EDT
[#9]
If HESSIE welded them together you know it can't be a good way to build one.
If you can't or don't want to rivit it together, then screw it together. 
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Posted: 5/9/2004 6:49:44 PM EDT
[#10]
They were meant to be riveted...... to me that means there is no other alternative. You might get lucky with the welds but I sure wouldn't want it near my face when it fails....
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Posted: 5/10/2004 5:43:35 AM EDT
[#11]
My 63 build is welded, but I did not do it. Trust the guy who did and it runs fine for several hundred rounds. Takes more skill than rivits, but if welding equip is what you have...
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Posted: 5/13/2004 2:09:44 PM EDT
[#12]
Riveting is usually done b/c it allows for faster/more automated assembly for large quantities of rifles, just like using stamped receivers instead of milled ones. It's not necessarily better. Riveting does allow a little more "flex" in the receiver when it gets hot from sustained fire. Welding is rigid and doesn't allow some of the "flex" you get from rivets. If you have the time and talent to do a good weld job, it does give a much cleaner look than riveting everything together.
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