well as the title suggest,.. any of you guys build your own ?

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I do, or rather, I am in the process of tooling up and getting stuff together.

I haven't built anything yet, but i'm gonna try to install the proper FSB on my SLR-105r.If taht doesn't piss me off I want to build an AMD65.

I'm working on a bunch.  Haven't completed any yet.  Just got the flat bending jig.

I'm in the planning / parts collecting stage right now.

Been waiting for four receivers from Global for many, many months that should be at my local gun store as of yesterday. I will pick them up staurday. Already have a couple of Krink kits as well as a couple of other style AK kits that I can't seem to recall right now. I need to figure out what US parts I need to start buying to complete the kits. I know I will be building one of the Krinks into a pistol so there's no problem there.

Unfortunately, I have a few AR15 & FAL guns to build first as well as a Volquartzen 10/22 receiver that's in need of building. Just never seem to have the time to get caught up on the projects. I know that putting the parts away now is the best thing as opposed to trying to find/buy the same parts a year from now when they will be more $ and possibly not available.

Yes, I build my own, wouldn't have it any other way.  A lot more work than "assembling" an AR15.  But hey, it keeps me off the streets at night.

Here are a few of my builds...

AMD-63


AK-74


AMD-65


AMD-65


Romanian "G"

Hammer nice 63,. and i really dig that 65..where did you find /get that scope mount?
how did you refinish yours?

i built a AKS-74 at a build party last year down in Quakertown,.shown here



i know i suck at taking pictures,..this one has the US plum from K-VAR,..it is very nice to shoot,.. i cant wait until i can get my Krink built

as soon as i get my refund i am probally going to pick up a fixed stock AK-74 kit,.. ive got a Romanian RPK-47 in the works and i should have the last of the tooling by next week to get it built

i've got a few more kits but they all require a SBR stamp before i can work on them.

cruzie27...
I like your AKS-74, I was going to get into building more 5.45x39 rifles but decided against it.  When I built my AK-74 (Bulgarian w/Russian Plum Furniture) ammo was hard to get and now it's impossible.  That ammo was always hard to get.  So I felt that one AK-74 was enough and focused more on the 7.62x39 rifles.

I was going to get a Romanian RPK but while visiting in S. Dakota I found a NHM-91 (in really good condition) at Cabela's for $280.00.  While not a true RPK it was close enough and I replaced the thumbhole stock with the K-VAR Russian Plum RPK stock set.



When you get your RPK finished, please post pictures, I think that they are very cool.

The scope mount is called an AKSMS, it was manufactured by ACE Ltd.  A while back I purchased all the remaining mounts that they had and sold them to forum members.  IIRC all 30 sold in 3 days, I used two of them and kept a 3rd for a later build.  It replaces the rear sight but uses the M16A2 rear windage sight for a BUIS.  It not only looks moosemeat, it functions well also.





The finish I use is GunKote "Matte", I like the solvent resistance that GunKote provides.  I have tried AlumaHyde II and many others but they don't withstand the cleaning solvents at all.  I would paint a small test piece let dry and see how it handled solvents.  If it could withstand Birchwood - Casey "Gun Scrubber" I would use it.  The only finish I found to handle that was the GunKote.

I know what you mean by taking pictures, some of mine turn out okay but others, well lets say some of them need help.

a NHM-91 for under 300,...  why cant i ever find deals like that? im at around 550-600 in parts for my RPK and it is not even done yet! that plum does look very nice though,.. i may have to get a set and change a few things to US made to be up on the parts,..

yeah i love that sight,.. i might have to print that picture and take it down to my gunsmith/ machinest,. it would be nice on my AK-104 once it is built,..it would give a slightly longer sight radius too.

the ammo for 5.45 is always touch and go,.. it reminds me of when i was a kid playing 1,.2,..3,.. redlight,.. im going to get on a back order for 3K of 5.45 once i get my tax return back,. i may skip the fixed stock 74, and go straight into a AK-105 build. i would love to get a RPK-74 but i think that would break me.

so do you bake your gunkote? let it cure for a few weeks? what did you do for surface prep?

and where in PA are you? i am in the wonderfull Schuylkill co.

The Cabela's was in Mitchell, SD.  I was on my way to Sheridan Wy, where I own property.  I was very surprised to find the NHM-91 on the used rifle rack, they wanted $400 for it but I dickered them down to $325.00 and they gave me $45.00 in coupons so that dropped the price to $280.00.  I really don't think that they thought that they could sell it out there, as most people have hunting rifles and really aren't interested in AK's.

The K-VAR RPK stock set comes with a U.S. made pistol grip so I changed the FCG, gas piston and muzzle break to get the 6 compliant parts.

Gun Kote requires baking, my surface prep was to lightly sand the parts to get a surface that the paint will adhere to.  Not as good as bead blasting but it does work.  

I have been working on my blasting cabinet and it should be good to go soon.  While not any thing like a commercial blaster I was able to remove the finish off a magazine preping it for phosphating.  The HF cabinet leaked all over so I had to clean it out and seal all the joints, I also added extra foam so that the top would seal better.  I have to change the air connections so that I get as much flow as possible.  Right now I'm using quick disconnects on all the air hoses and I think that the restrictions are causing a reduced flow of air.

My air compressor isn't large enough for continuous blasting so I blast a little, let the air tank fill and then blast some more.  It does take some time but then I'm not in any rush to get things done.

I live in Montgomery Co., close to the Lehigh/Bucks/Berks Co. line.

Originally Posted By Hammer in PA: I have been working on my blasting cabinet and it should be good to go soon.  While not any thing like a commercial blaster I was able to remove the finish off a magazine preping it for phosphating.  The HF cabinet leaked all over so I had to clean it out and seal all the joints, I also added extra foam so that the top would seal better.  I have to change the air connections so that I get as much flow as possible.  Right now I'm using quick disconnects on all the air hoses and I think that the restrictions are causing a reduced flow of air.

so would i be better off welding my own together out of sheet metal?

Depends on how much time/money you want to spend.  

The one problem that I have noticed is that the HF blast cabinet (it was $99.00 minus the 20% coupon, OTD $80.00) (it's the red one with the light) is that it doesn't have a center media catch/holding area.  I mean the cabinet has a flat bottom so when blasting, the media doesn't fall near the siphon tube (I have to push the media over the tube).  It would be better if it had tapered sides that allowed the media to drain back to the siphon tube.  HF had one that fit the bill how ever the CFM requirements required a "BIG" compressor and I'm not ready to spead a lot of money just yet.

For me the $99.00 blast cabinet is okay for small jobs (a barreled AK won't fit in it).  To do the barreled AK, I intend to cut a hole in the side of the cabinet and install a 3" or 4" PVC pipe extension to allow the barrel to be slid into the pipe, blast the receiver, then switch ends so that the reveiver is in the pipe and finish blasting, crude but effective.

basically a metal box with airhose conections ,.. viewing glass/ pannel,. and the arm / glove things huh? i think ill take a crack at makeing one if i can find the components seperately

what size compressor do you use?

I have a small 4HP (peak) compressor and it only has a 10 gallon tank but the nice thing is that it's not an oil-less model, the compressor section takes about 25oz. of oil for lubrication.  For real bead blasting a 9-12 HP, two stage, 80 gallon tank would work well.  I only paid $130.00 for mine and the one I want is around $1500.00.   So until I can afford the bigger compressor I'll just have to do with what I have.  Remember it's not the PSI so much (all compressors run around 115 - 145 PSI) but the CFM that the compressor can produce.

Yes, a bead blast cabinet is is simple in theory but making one can get expensive.  Mounting the glass in weather stripping mounting the gloves and the rest of the things needed can be expensive.  You might want to estimate your actual cost comparied to a ready made version.  Buying a flow gun that you adapt different nozzles to suit you blasting needs can be hard to find or costly.

Keep me posted of your intensions as I'm curious in what you plan to do.