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Posted: 6/7/2016 6:16:12 PM EDT
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I decided to rescue an Arsenal SLR-95 off of Armslist. The prior owner had an AK "gunsmith" attach a Magpul Zhukov folding rear stock, a custom gray rattle can spray finish and an added scope rail.
The scope rail was actually leveled up pretty decent but someone used screws to attach the rail. These will be replaced by proper rivets in the near future. The Magpul stock is cut for a stamped receiver and the SLR-95 is a milled receiver that is angle cut. To attach the Zhukov stock I am assuming the gunsmith stick it in the rear milled receiver and needed something to fill in the gap. They used acraglas and JBWeld in the void. One added surprise was a screw hole and drywall screw thru the bottom of the receiver. The screw came out but the Magpul stock was essentially glued in place SOLID. I figured this was a good time to see what punishment the Magpul stock could take. I swung it like a bat against a solid object numerous times to try to get the acraglas and epoxy broken loose. After about a dozen HARD swings the epoxy started to give way and the stock came out. The stock still looks new and other than popping the locking latch a few times you can not tell what was going on. I should have left it in the freezer overnight...... Anyway once removed I stripped the gun down into pieces. I turned the barrel to accept AK74 parts ( GB & FSB ) and getting reading to press them on. I turned a plug and TIG welded the screw hole in the receiver. Once the lower tang is added and riveted in place the hole is nothing but a bad memory. Custom paint........not. 
Soon to be replaced~ 
Ouch, someone should have their drill taken away. 
Much better now~ 
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Progress and ready to rivet~
I was skeptical over the supplied rivets with the tang so I cut down some trunnion rivets. (Tang, not just an old astronaut drink) The supplied rivets look like turned bar stock and I was concerned with them cracking and not flowing into the the chamfers on the tang. Need to get a good way to hold it and under the press it goes. Important note~ If using an AK74 comp on a 7.62 build make sure to open up the hole in the comp before firing. 
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Putting the optic rail on correctly with rivets.
As received the prior owner had the optic rail drilled and tapped onto the receiver. Screw always get loose at some point and never tighter and rivets done correctly are the way to do it once and never look back. I opened up the tapped holes to rivet diameter + a few thousandths. I made a rivet buck from a Starrett screw jack. A screw jack is simply an adjustable support. I modded it by shortening ( facing off in a lathe ) the base and putting a dimple head radius on the screw part to support the rivet head that is inside the receiver. I put the rivet thru the receiver from the inside, put the screw jack over the rivet head and screw it open (expand) it until snug / firm. I then put the scope rail over the rivet and drop a rivet in the other hole/s to center it and use my press to crush the rivet into the optic rail counterbore. I run the press up to 4000 PSI at the punch which forms a flat rivet. I like to do the center rivet first then move the screw jack to the next hole and repeat. Screw jack and rivet~ 
Rivet head supported / bucked~ 
Ready to press~ 
Done~ 
My Russian PSO scope has a stop pin that made contact with the ramp on the rear of the optics rail. Its not in an ideal place for repeatability so I milled the ramp section into a flat surface for the stop pin to make positive contact. Before~ 
After~ 
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A few more small tweaks then into the blasting cabinet. Test fit and bore sighted my PSO scope. Its nice when things line up correctly.Using my Leupold bore sight tool the windage and elevation were damn near center perfect which is kind of scary. The one thing I need to tweak is the scope position on the rail. I milled a flat for a positive stop for the pin on the scope base. Unfortunately the position of the bottom clamp is partially off the rail from the scope being too far forward. If I did not mill the flat on the scope rail it would have been better but still off. Simple fix and better now before its refinished. Pinned the front sight in place and pressed the pins in. 
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Finally declaring victory on this re-build and pleased with where I started and ended up.
The final pieces were a windage adjustable rear sight blade. I liked the one on my VEPR so I now have another one. I know my front sight base is close to center using a laser bore tool so I centered the post and will adjust the windage rear blade to zero. I like a centered front sight post. The stock is standard AK length and myself being 6' 2" I can get by with it using iron sights but the scope REALLY made the standard length uncomfortable. I was trying to push the stock away from me ( longer ) while pulling back my head for eye relief. The solution was one of those cheap rubber stock extenders for $8. It works and it may not be stylish I can at least fire the gun comfortably. Its a simple attachment using the two existing butt plate screws. I used the AK74 gas block and sight base which fit the AK74 cleaning rod that is smaller diameter. I turned down and shortened the standard AK rod so it fit. More cosmetic but the gun looks nekkid with it missing. The adjustable rear sight was a little rough but some time stoning it got it working smoothly. Lefty~ 
Righty~ 
I like this optic a lot~ 
I like these~ 
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Great job
Which appliance epoxy did you use? I see rustoleum recommends by many but I can never find anything but gloss black. I usually use Duplicolor DE1634 1200f engine epoxy but it takes forever to fully cure even when baked but is tough as nails once it does. I think that is a UTG side rail. they are nice quality but I have no idea why the stop surface of the rail is sloped vs. flat. no other side rail is made like that. |
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Rustoleum appliance epoxy but to knock the shine down it needs baked......
http://akfiles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=256787 |
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