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Posted: 6/8/2010 7:13:17 PM EDT
| Just Scored a Bulgarian SA-93. I would like to ditch the thumb-hole stock in favor of a more traditional look. I was thinking about ironwood designs. Is anyone familiar with this company, and just how hard is this conversion. Thanks guys!! |
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As Mak said, you need 4 compliance parts without a threaded barrel. If you thread the barrel you can just use a US made muzzle device, or you could select another US part to get your total up to 5. There are many options of how to go about it. The most common are probably using a US made FCG, furniture, gas piston, muzzle device, or some combination of some of these items depending on how you choose to go about it.
I think THIS is an easy way to keep up with your parts count and plan which parts you want or need to replace. |
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With a threaded muzzle and a milled receiver you will need a US muzzle device, a US 3 piece stockset and 1 additional US part such as the gas piston or US followers in every magazine to be used in the rifle. A double hooked US fire control group is the least expensive choice that allows you to use any magazine. A double hook Tapco G2 was available recently for $20.00-$30.00. The gas piston is what most milled rifles like SLR-100Hs used.
5 US parts for a milled rifle with a threaded barrel with muzzle device. Take your buttstock off and check to see if it is relieved for a lower stock tang. If it is not you will be most likely stuck using an IWD stock with a through the stock mounting rod. If the receiver is relieved for a tang I believe you have to drill one additional hole in the receiver and then rivet the tang in with two rivets. Then any milled receiver stock can be used. If the receiver is not relieved for the lower tang then install is going to be harder. Is the front sight block and gas block intact on an SA-93? Pictures? If not then you remove the crosspins and press them off and replace them. I used a 12 ton press to remove them on many rifles that they would not come off of. If they still have the cleaning rod retainers you can likely skip this. Threading the barrel Buy or rent the threading tools I bought the sets twice when I had several to do and just sold the sets on the EE when done. You need the die, thread alignment tool (TAT) and die stock (handle) for the round 1 1/2 die if you don't have one. To just install the IWD stock with the through the stock support rod and installing the US fire control group it is easy. Threading the barrel is a bit harder but can be done if you take your time to do it correctly. You will need to install a retainer pin and spring if your rifle doesn't have one on the FSB. You will also have to measure your muzzle part of the barrel to see if diameter is correct for threading. I don't know if they ever milled down the SA-93's. Diameter should be 0.551" to 0.571" o.d. barrel for 14x1LH thread. |
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I put a stock set on a SA93. The problem with the SA93 is the receiver is not cut for the lower tang (at least mine wasn't). Cutting the lower tang is extremely difficult so I went with an Iron Wood set where the stock uses the bolt though the stock. Its kind of looks funny under the cover, but on the outside no one can tell.
If I knew of a gunsmith that was experienced with installing the lower tang I'd send it off and have it done correct, but even a good gunsmith will have problems making it look like a factory cut. I think Gunplumber said he cut one with hand files and he wouldn't really wan't to do it again. I'd like to know if anyone has tig welded the lower tang and if it held. |
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Quoted:
Im gonna ask a noob question. What is tang? Also explain in detail how I will know if my will require more work or not to get standard milled stock set on it. Thanks milled receiver, single tang. See that thing at the rear that holds the stock on? That is a tang. 
See the second receiver down on this list. It is a milled receiver that has the lower tang required for normal milled receiver stocks instead of thumbhole type stocks. 
I mentioned before that you need to take the stock off and check for the slot for the lower tang on the lower rear inside of the receiver. If you didn't do that, there isn't much sense in describing how to go about installing the tang. The method has been described before in the Bulgarian forum. here Your rifle has also had the Front sight block and gas block milled down. To get it back to a proper configuration you need a new Bulgarian FSB and gas block installed. You remove the crosspins and press the parts off, then reinstall the new ones in reverse of removal. 
You would be further ahead selling that rifle for $700.00 since you paid $550.00 for it and buying the rifle you want. After all the parts and work you put into it you are going to be at a higher price than just buying one with all the correct parts. |
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I'll add one more thing just in case you are unaware; avoid the temptation to just intall a standard milled receiver stock on the rifle with just the top tang. Yeah, it'll fit and work, but due to the way the stock "plugs" into the rear of the receiver it won't be strong enough. The right type of blow will eventually bend or break the upper tang. Either install a lower tang or use an IWD stock with the through bolt.
The stamped receiver rifle stocks have a tenon that fits into the receiver and have sufficient strength that they only need the upper tang, the milled don't fit the same way and need both tangs for the strength. |
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No. If you look at the stocks on IWD's site you'll see the through-bolt arrangement he uses to attach the stock to the rear of the receiver. It is probably stronger than the original two tang set-up, but at least plenty strong enough.
The only real disadvantage is that the through-bolt occupies the space that normally is used for the buttstock cleaning kit storage compartment, so you do lose the ability to store the standard AK cleaning kit in the stock. Not a huge deal to me, I guess, given the options, but it might be to some. |
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Thanks Imaposer2 for your helpful post. Does anyone have any pics of the IWD stocks on their rifles? Plenty have been posted before, probably down in the Bulgarian and Chinese forums. IWD has hosted plenty of pictures on their site. http://ironwooddesigns.com/IWDsite/IWDgallery.html |
| It's not that hard to put in the lower tang. I did one a few months ago, took about 45 minutes. Just take out most of the material with a dremel and square up the groove with a file. I used a hammer and a punch to set the rivets (could use machine screws) and put on the stock. Kvar has the lower tang for $10. |
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It's not that hard to put in the lower tang. Some people are incapable of working on their own guns. I get a gun and start modifications as soon as I get it home. Yeah, I often tend to be the same way. But I do realize that this isn't the norm, and probably for the best since I have seen quite a few Bubba'd up guns in my day. Some people shouldn't, some people can't, and some people just don't feel comfortable enough. Luckily there IWD exists for people like that and situations like this. Not speaking of the people in this thread, just in general. I've done quite a bit of mods to various guns over the years but there is still some things I wouldn't even attempt myself. |
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Quoted:
I'll add one more thing just in case you are unaware; avoid the temptation to just intall a standard milled receiver stock on the rifle with just the top tang. Yeah, it'll fit and work, but due to the way the stock "plugs" into the rear of the receiver it won't be strong enough. The right type of blow will eventually bend or break the upper tang. Either install a lower tang or use an IWD stock with the through bolt. The stamped receiver rifle stocks have a tenon that fits into the receiver and have sufficient strength that they only need the upper tang, the milled don't fit the same way and need both tangs for the strength. Well then I'm guilty of this. I put on the buttstock 8 years ago & all has been fine. No problems. Has been perfect, & very solid. I'm not telling anyone to do this, I'm just saying I did this & haven't had any problems, & I'd do it again. And if the tang breaks off, it's time for an Ace folder, but the tang's not going anywhere. GARY N4KVE |
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Quoted:
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I'll add one more thing just in case you are unaware; avoid the temptation to just intall a standard milled receiver stock on the rifle with just the top tang. Yeah, it'll fit and work, but due to the way the stock "plugs" into the rear of the receiver it won't be strong enough. The right type of blow will eventually bend or break the upper tang. Either install a lower tang or use an IWD stock with the through bolt. The stamped receiver rifle stocks have a tenon that fits into the receiver and have sufficient strength that they only need the upper tang, the milled don't fit the same way and need both tangs for the strength. Well then I'm guilty of this. I put on the buttstock 8 years ago & all has been fine. No problems. Has been perfect, & very solid. I'm not telling anyone to do this, I'm just saying I did this & haven't had any problems, & I'd do it again. And if the tang breaks off, it's time for an Ace folder, but the tang's not going anywhere. GARY N4KVE Well, I did say that it would fit and work. Maybe I overstated the risk a bit, but I did want to pass along the warning since it is possibility that he should be aware of. It probably would be fine for normal everyday range use but if the rifle was to be dropped on the butt it could cause damage. If the owner's intended use of the rifle included it being a potential "serious" rifle and not just a range toy it is something he definitely should think about. The milled rifles were designed to use two buttstock tangs for a reason, and Matt at IWD designs his stocks with the through bolt for the same reason. I'm entirely comfortable with the decision you made for your rifle, just not sure I'd be comfortable with it on mine. |
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Quoted:
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Quoted:
I'll add one more thing just in case you are unaware; avoid the temptation to just intall a standard milled receiver stock on the rifle with just the top tang. Yeah, it'll fit and work, but due to the way the stock "plugs" into the rear of the receiver it won't be strong enough. The right type of blow will eventually bend or break the upper tang. Either install a lower tang or use an IWD stock with the through bolt. The stamped receiver rifle stocks have a tenon that fits into the receiver and have sufficient strength that they only need the upper tang, the milled don't fit the same way and need both tangs for the strength. Well then I'm guilty of this. I put on the buttstock 8 years ago & all has been fine. No problems. Has been perfect, & very solid. I'm not telling anyone to do this, I'm just saying I did this & haven't had any problems, & I'd do it again. And if the tang breaks off, it's time for an Ace folder, but the tang's not going anywhere. GARY N4KVE Well, I did say that it would fit and work. Maybe I overstated the risk a bit, but I did want to pass along the warning since it is possibility that he should be aware of. It probably would be fine for normal everyday range use but if the rifle was to be dropped on the butt it could cause damage. If the owner's intended use of the rifle included it being a potential "serious" rifle and not just a range toy it is something he definitely should think about. The milled rifles were designed to use two buttstock tangs for a reason, and Matt at IWD designs his stocks with the through bolt for the same reason. I'm entirely comfortable with the decision you made for your rifle, just not sure I'd be comfortable with it on mine. This is cool. I just wanted to state what my results were. As a matter of fact, in my case I got real Bulgy plastic furniture from Global Trades back in 02, & the buttstock was a real tight fit, so I remember having to smash my SA 93 into my carpeted floor buttstock end first to force it on about 15 times. It finally fit flush, but my point is it took 15 good whacks to get it in, & nothing broke. Still fine today. I did buy the tang to install, but my receiver wasn't cut for it so I installed the buttstock without it. Funny, I still have the tang. Hey, we're all adults & we do what we're comfortable with, but does anybody know someone who broke the tang doing what I did?  GARY N4KVE
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