Greetings,

Thinking about picking up a transferrable full-auto "AK-47" type rifle.  As I
don't plan to spring for one of the (few) true Vietnam-era bringbacks, I realize I'm
going to be getting a semi-auto that was converted before the '86 ban.

So...  anything I need to look for?  Any particular Mfg that did really good / really
bad conversions?  Any preferred caliber (e.g., .223 vs 7.62 vs 5.45)?

A few I can find on the market right now... comments welcome--



Thanks for your input,

SD

A lot really depends upon what you want to do with it and what type of AK you want.

When I went shopping for an AK I wanted a "traditional" AK47.

To me this mean 7.62x39, full size barrel, and full wood stock so that is what I went with.  I have a DLO AK that has never missed a beat.  

If you plan to chop it up into a AK74SU (i.e.  Krink it) than it doesn't really matter what you start with as pretty much any AK receiver can be turned into a Krink variant.

The only guns to really stay away from in my opinion are the Fleming registered/married sear guns.  For starters these guns have registered sears that can never be replaced. So if the sear has an issue it cant be replaced like a normal registered receiver AK. Same goes for the receiver as well so you have multiple parts you now cant replaced.  These guns are also a bit of a gray area when it comes to registration as the sears should have never been registered and the ATF made an exception for ones installed/sold prior to telling Fleming to stop the conversions.  With the  Nolo vs.ATF new machinegun lawsuit looking to throw any questionable or gray area transferable registrations under the bus in the attempt at an equal protection angle for his lawsuit, I would stay far clear of anything that comes close to gray area in terms of registration/pedigree.

The next guns I would shy away from are guns where the right rail was chopped vs. slotted to make room for the sear.  This can be fixed but factor in that expense to repair the host properly if the conversion was done this way.

I would also probably pass on a caliber conversion gun (traditionally .223 to 7.62)  unless the owner can prove they run and the conversion was done by a reputable smith.  Without proof of a proper caliber conversion gun running properly, I would take that cost factor to fix into the pricing equation.

I would also mention that unless you have experience with the underfolder stock setup and personally like it, I would try and find a full stock gun.

Of the three guns I would take Ruben Maddi first as it could most easily be change back to a normal 7.62 fixed stock AK.  (Why somebody took a perfectly good Maadi AK and turned it into a Hugarian AMD65 clone is beyond me.)  The right rail is also appears to be intact.  This would also be my pick if you plan an AK74SU conversion.

Somewhat of a toss up between the next two. However if forced to pick

Second choice would NFA sales Wilson Arms gun.  Wilson has a reputation of doing decent work and its NIB However, it is an .223 underfolder....

Last gun I would take would be the GB .223 underfolder.  Its used and SWD did the conversion. Not that SWD did a poor job but without pictures of the internals on how its done it hard to say.

Hope this helps

Personally I would pass on all three and try to find an original 7.62 fixed stock gun.

I can't speak for all makers, but I can tell you the two SWD guns I bought were complete hack jobs.  They were both hosts for Ted Marshall builds, so it's no biggie for me, but if you want to enjoy it as is and are looking at an SWD, I'd look at the barrel to trunnion area, selector markings, how the rail is cut for the auto sear, and the exact location of the 3rd pin hole.

I'd sell whatever I had to, including my other mgs, if I could find a true Russian type III bring back.  Milled receiver, 7.62, full barrel and stock, etc.  I pine for that gun

Slightly OT, but were there ever any transferable AK-74s?

Maybe some dealer samples, but the '68 import ban probably put a damper on things.

I concur that as well.
I personally had a SWD conversion 223 gun, and that gun needed a major work to run it right.
Since you're going to spend a chunk of money, why not pay a little more and buy something that's already ready to go such as one that's listed by Ruben.

My Dave's Gun Room conversion of a full stock Polytech gun was another hatchet job. Mario at POHF fixed all the problems in the Krink conversion.

The original gun had a chopped rail, dremelled barrel, messed up rivets.

Caliber: get what you want. In my case it started as 5.56 and its 5.45 now.

It's easier to convert a full stock gun to a side folder than an underfolder to side folder, less welding needed at the rear.

The rivet holes and mag well needed to be welded up to convert to Krink.

Having tried an underfolder in semi-auto and not liking it, I stayed away from that.

I like the side folder, or full stock guns.

Edit: My POHF conversion, with Tula kit, and Bluejack chrome lined 1:6" barrel:

Ted did a build for me, it is so damn nice I don't want to shoot it!

Semi guns were converted vai different methods. The less desirable method was cutting the right rail when they used a mill to make the relief for the auto sear. You can see it in this picture circled in red. The proper way would not cut the rail the bolt runs on. The gun may work perfectly fine but it can also occasionally cause a malfunction.

I missed it when I posted last night, but Reuben actually has another Transferrable AK currently listed--

http://dealernfa.com/shop/ak47-7-62-x-39mm-swd-folder-excellent/

...an SWD conversion and based on what people have said I *think* the right rail is cut (?)


I've seen at least one of your AK videos, and I was thinking about having mine converted to 5.45 (if it's not
already in that caliber when I buy it).  I have read that the gun is *much* more controllable in the smaller
caliber (vs. 7.62 x 39mm).

Would you share some of the details, e.g., cost, specific mods made, etc.?  Is there anything that can't be
fixed?  (e.g., by way of comparison, similar to how you can't remove the blocking bar on an UZI, even if it's
a registered FA gun)

Thanks for all the input so far.

You need to find out where the serial number is on the gun if you plan on having it converted. Some are on the trunion which is not good if you are planning a switch between 7.62 and 5.45.





Looking at Ruden's pictures I would say that is not a good candidate for caliber switch and it looks like they hacked on the rail real bad.



The Maadi he has is the better gun all around.



http://dealernfa.com/shop/maddi-egyptian-arm-ak47-7-62-x-39mm-excellent-s000965/





 

 
THIS


I was courting Doug to get one of his last AKs in 2012?


Every 6 months I would call the guns jumped 12k, 14k, and 16k. And I could not stomach that current price.


I finally scrapped the dollars to get the last one, and JB beat me to the punch, lol.


I ended up with a Valmet AK, its a 223. with a Married sear. Not my first choice, but I like it and it was cheaper.



The under is mice to look at and to store. but the wood is for shooting.

This little ol' thing? ;)







Cost for parts and labor after buying gun? Around $4500
Modeled to be AKMSU clone
Anything can be fixed by the right gunsmith
Most like mine have numbered trunnions so that's the one part you can replace, but again, anything can be fixed.

Enjoy the hunt!

You need to shoot it! AKs can be shot and still look new after thousands of rounds with proper care. Go enjoy her!!

I once had a DLO full stock in 7.62 and it was tolerable with ammo at 79/case.  If I were to get one today, I would go 5.45.  The 7.62 is loud, choppy, and the handguards are always smoking or catching on fire.  The 5.45 is much more smoother and you can shoot all day without needing gloves or a fire extinguisher.

I have been burned many times by the front hand guard retainer on my 5.45x39 Krink. By the 3rd mag dump, it's pretty hot. I wear a glove and warn my friends to beware!

If you are shooting enough to light your hand guards on fire often you are shooting a LOT! lol.

Here's another AK just posted today by Ruben--

http://www.sturmgewehr.com/forums/index.php?/topic/2019-ak47-762-x-39mm-swd-under-folder-excellent/

Don't have a link or pics, but I've also found a genuine "bringback" available for $40K.
Not very interested in that gun as that IMO would be a lot of money just for a
shooter...

And another...

http://www.sturmgewehr.com/forums/index.php?/topic/2110-wts-urbach-krink-25k-and-m11-sabre-upper-2550/

May not matter, but is Urbach even in business any more...?

I think Urbach retired a few years ago.

OK.  

According to this link, his FFL was revoked a couple of years ago--

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/nation/guns/revoked-denied-gun-dealer-licenses/

Probably doesn't matter if the build's OK, but I also found stories on the 'net
of him keeping firearms he was supposedly working on for 7+ years--

http://www.hkpro.com/forum/hk-talk/73454-murray-urbach.html

He is not in business anymore.  Cool guy to go visit.  He's local to me.

Cool!  That AK is on the front page of a magazine cover from 1999.