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Posted: 12/20/2007 4:20:40 AM EDT
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So I posted a WTB ad up in the wonderful WTB forum under the EE requesting a AK-74, preferably close buy for FTF. I receive a few offers, and one from a fellow member who lived close buy. We made arrangements and I met him for a FTF, all in all a very positive transaction, and I got to meet a fellow AK enthusiast to boot! The AK-74 in question was a Intrac MKII, which from what I gather was one of the earlier AK-74s imported into the country. This one had various mods done to it that I have questions about, and hope some of you might be able to shed light on. First I need to say that this is got to be one of the nicest AKs I've handled, its a sweet little gun, everything moves like a well oiled machine! First, here's a picture of the gun:   As you can see it's been shorten, the brake has been pinned, and the overall barrel length is right at 16.25. With the folder on it, it makes for a very compact package. My questions concern some of the parts used on the gun, the first being the rear site. The previous owner and I both felt it could have been a Krebs rear site, but after looking around on Krebs site it doesn't appear to match his current generation, any ideas?  The second is the safety. It has a tab spot welded in place that allows for manipulation via the trigger finger, once again, much like the Kreb's system, but the way it is built is different from what he sells now. I also must say that this the 74 has the sweetest safety I've ever used on an AK, including my Saiga-12. It requires little effort to get it off safe, or back on, its actually quite amazing! So any ideas on where it might have come from?  Next is the brake, see the two pictures below. Any thoughts on it's origins? I can say I'm not much of an expert on these!   Last, is a question about the FCG in the gun. Each piece of the HTS is marked KV. I did a quick search, and found this site: KV HTS It appears it's made in California, but that doesn't help me too much. Who made it? I have to say the pull is excellent, and it was good to fine that the parts are indeed US components! Compared to the G2 I was planning on installing, I would say that these pieces are finely machine, compared to the cast nature of G2 parts. I haven't got it out to shoot yet, that will come Friday morning I hope, but from looking it over, I'm sure it will shoot great! If my 2 G-series AKs that I built run as well as they do, I can only imagine how this guy will do! |
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First off, as a fellow MkII owner, I can attest to their quality; they beat the pants off the SAR and especially the WASR series rifles. I really like mine. Whoever modded yours appears to have done a good job; that's a neat looking little carbine. Second, the rear sight and selector lever both look like homebrew modifications. Notice the serial number on the selector (4440)? It should match the last part of the S/N on the rifle, indicating this is the original part and not a replacement (MkIIs and CUR-2s appear to be unique in this regard; I don't know that I've seen another AK variant with a serialed selector lever). Finally, the brake is a commercial 74-style device that features forward-facing ports instead of slots or zigzag cuts like the real deal, and does not have any ports in the side. My MkII came with an identical brake welded onto the FSB. It appears to be more decorative than functional; my MkII definitely has more felt recoil than my Bulgarian -74 or SLR-106 with real -74 comps on them. Is the pin hole on yours welded over? If it isn't, it certainly should be, per BATF requirements. As to the "KV" fire control parts... the link you provided didn't work for me. "KV" sure sounds like an early K-VAR marking (I had a set from them that had "KV" electro-penciled on the parts), but the California location would be wrong, as they've been in NV for as long as I can remember. HTH! |
| Thanks for the response, I thought the same on the KV marking, SKSman has them listed on their site, I'm betting your right and they are K-Var. The pin on the FSB is welded over on one side, which I suppose would make it impossible to removing without drill it out, so I believe it would ok per BATF. I agree the quality is excellent, and I'm betting your right, it was home brewed in regards to the rear site and the selector, it does match as you mentioned, and I must say that whoever did them did an excellent job on finishing the parts, it looks like they were built that way from the factory. |
| My MK II has a differnt 4 digit # on the safety, the serial # on the trunion matches a fewe parts, the safety and another part have differnt numbers, all MKII I ever saw were that way. Shooter 2 we gotta get to New Castle and fire a few rounds down range...in the spring!!! Post this in ak-47 net romanian and akforums romanian sections for more info, or else I will link it tomorrow for you at work! |
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