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Posted: 8/3/2009 11:20:35 AM EDT
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I have an older (almost virgin) Bulgarian SA-93 that I have decided to configure like a real AK. I have read all the threads concerning butt stocks and the lack of lower tang and they have all been very helpful. My questions are more along the line of "historical accuracy."
At this point I have decided to go with the Ironwood single tang stock set but have a few questions for the AK gurus out there. Since I will be selling my Romy SAR-1 to fund the project, the Bulgarian will by my only AK and thus I want to do it right. My questions: 1) What type of wood should I use to be as close as accurate to a Bulgarian wood stocked (or early Russian) AK-47? I have always liked the Laminate stocks, but am not sure that these were normally found on Bulgarian rifles or milled AKs. 2) What color stain should I use on the wood? 3) Since the thumbhole stock does not have a butt plate and the Ironwood stocks do not come with them, is there a source for Bulgarian trap-door buttplates or will just any buttplate do? Would the "texured" buttplate be correct or should it be flat? 4) Who makes a good quality US made fire control system and hammer to use in the milled Bulgarian receiver (K-Var)? 5) Is a wood or plastic pistol grip "more" correct (I'm guessing wood but I perfer plastic). |
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1) Ironwood recommends Beech, Maple, or birch for blondes. Each wood is going to have its own characteristics when shellaced blonde.
2) If you want the most accurate reproduction you would use amber shellac. For added protection (because shellac flakes easily) coat it in polyurethane. I have the same plan for an AK74 stock set on my SSR85 to reproduce that deep, rich red-orange color. Its because your actually looking through amber colored glasses (shellac) that gives it that characteristic. Just remember to use de-waxed shellac. The easiest way is to order the flakes online(cheap) and mix it with denatured alcohol (still cheap). Not complicated at all. 3)For a buttplate check out AA-ok and use the flat buttplate. The textured plate was put on AK74's 4) The tapco G2 is hard to peat for the price. I'm pretty sure they work in milled receivers but I could be wrong. 5) Ask ironwood for one of the "fat milled pistol grips" it has checkering and comes with a little bolster plate to cap the top of the grip that would be found on a milled true AK47 (not akm or '74) |
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i've been thinking of doing this to my SA-93. it has SLR-95 furniture on it now, which is ok, but i dont like the thumb hole stock.
im not concerned with historical accuracy. all i'll have to do is order the kit from ironwood and finish it, right? how does staining a stock look compared to the shellac? |
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Thanks for the info!
Since I do not have the pre-cut recess for the tang, I'm now 100% certain I'm going the Ironwood route. I too am curious about what the difference between staining the wood and shellac would be? A am assuming that shellac is the more historically accurate. From Kokolis's article on the Bulgarian AKs, it seems to me that their "Classic" version is the one for me to try and copy. It looks as though blond wood is the way to go. At what point did laminate stocks start being used on AKs, or did they only start being used with the AKM? Lastly, it looks as though I will need to replace not only the front sight base, but also the gas block as the original one does not have the attachment for the cleaning rod or bayonet lug. I am guessing that I will need a hydraulic press for this (or I will need to send it to someone to do this)? |
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Quoted:
Thanks for the info! Since I do not have the pre-cut recess for the tang, I'm now 100% certain I'm going the Ironwood route. I too am curious about what the difference between staining the wood and shellac would be? A am assuming that shellac is the more historically accurate. From Kokolis's article on the Bulgarian AKs, it seems to me that their "Classic" version is the one for me to try and copy. It looks as though blond wood is the way to go. At what point did laminate stocks start being used on AKs, or did they only start being used with the AKM? Lastly, it looks as though I will need to replace not only the front sight base, but also the gas block as the original one does not have the attachment for the cleaning rod or bayonet lug. I am guessing that I will need a hydraulic press for this (or I will need to send it to someone to do this)? If you ever look at an old Mosin Nagant you'll often see flakes where the shellac has flaked off from contact with the armory crate during shipping. Underneath you will find what appears to be white wood, while the rest of the rifle looks blood-red. Historically it is correct for pretty much almost all Russian weapons, including much of the eastern bloc. Laminate stocks may have shown up on TypeIII milled AK47's, I'm not sure. But for the most part laminate stocks are associated with the AKM. It was a watered down, easy to produce model and alot of corners were cut. All the type III's I have seen exclusively had hardwood furniture. Lastly, is the barrel heavy like other milled AK's? If so, you might consider getting a front sight base from Polytechparts and leaving the gasblock alone. On milled AK's the bayonet was held in place by two fangs around the relief cut for the cleaning rod. I have an SSR85 with a heavy barrel and I fitted the FSB to the barrel after cutting the old one off with a dremel. I chucked a sanding drum from the dremel into my drill press and worked the inner diameter of the FSB until it was just enough resistance to pound it in place with a plastic hammer. Then I just drilled and reamed for the retainer pins. After that, degrease with non-chlorinated brake cleaner, spray with flat black hi-temp paint from an auto parts store, and finish off with a flat clear coat to protect the finish. Looks good as new. Edit: it is heavy barreled so this FSB is what you need to use a bayonet. Be aware though that AKM bayonets that attach to a lug on the gas block will not work with your type of rifle unless you modify it past what is historically accurate. You need a true AK47 bayonet like this one. |
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For a trigger unit I'd go with the Tapco G2 double hook.
The Tapco has a very good reputation, and the double hook would be "correct" for the milled Bulgarian. The wood would all be solid birch, no laminate even on the upper handguard. The original wood upper and lower on the SA-93 would be pretty "correct". The lower hand guard would be the flat sided type. Finish would depend, since it varied, even on Russian rifles. Many of the early Bulgarians had a darker brownish color later a blond or dark blond. The dark blond seemed to be more an AK-74 feature. K-Var is out of stock on the genuine Bulgarian stock sets, but the pictures will give a good idea of what was used: http://www.k-var.com/shop/home.php?cat=251 The blond color has a slight yellow cast, which is a result of the shellac surface finish. I think you'd want the amber shellac. You can get the same general result by using a VERY light blond stain and a poly coating. You might try a LEATHER DYE. I often used Tandy water-based leather dyes for wood. Using a Yellow dye, WELL thinned with alcohol would give that light blond color. Be sure to test on scrap wood so you don't go to dark. When you get to the Russian Red colored wood, you can use any one of a good many methods of staining the wood, followed by poly. Here's my Bulgarian AK-74 with the original factory dark blond wood. It appeared to be some kind of a stain-finish, similar to the type of Red stain-finish the Russians used for their Russian Red wood. That was reported as being some kind of lacquer mixed with a red stain, and doesn't penetrate the wood. It was just a surface finish with white birch under it. 
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Thanks for all the help and info guys! You have really helped me to know what to get.
I found a buyer for my Romy SAR-1 so I am now cleared to spend the money on the stock, trigger, and other parts needed to bring my Bulgarian up to speed and make it a real nice rifle. One more question. The K-VAR front sight base you showed me does not have the threads for a muzzle brake. Is this something that was found on early AKs or did they have threaded barrels? What would be the correct way for me to go about putting a slant muzzle break on the rifle? Thanks for all the help again. I will keep you posted on my progress. |
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On the earlier AK's the barrel was threaded. On the later AK-74 types, the front sight assembly has a threaded front.
Here's what you need. First, determine if your front sight assembly has a spring loaded plunger sticking out forward just above the muzzle, OR has a hole in the front of the sight assembly for a pin. This plunger locks the muzzle attachment in place. If the plunger or hole is there, things are simpler. To thread the muzzle, rent or buy a 14.1 LEFT HAND threading kit. This contains the 14.1 LH metric die, a die handle, and a Thread Alignment Tool (TAT). All you'll need extra is tapping fluid. Thread the muzzle, then you can screw on any standard Soviet block muzzle attachment that's threaded for the 14.1 LH thread. If there's a hole in the sight base but no plunger, you can buy or even make a set and install them. If there's no hole at all, you either have to drill one or install a new front sight base that has one. To get a threading set there have been people on the gun forums who rent them out. You can buy sets from Brownell's that include the die, the TAT, and a handle. http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=5735/Product/AK_MUZZLE_BRAKE Here's simple instruction on how to thread a muzzle. Its really easy if you pay attention. http://preciseinnovationsllc.com/threadinginstructions.htm |
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Thanks,
I just ordered the front sight base you suggested (that has the little nub for the cleaning rod to lock into). It has the hole for the plunger so I just need to get the plunger parts. I'll try to replace the FSB on my own and do the threading myself (I just don't want to screw up the barrel). All my parts are ordered, now it is just a matter of waiting for the stock and putting everything together. I'm real excited about this project. I never did like the Romanian AK and this Bulgarian has sentimental attachment (it was my Father's). Plus, it is an infinitely better quality rifle than the Romy was. As far as compliance goes I will have the following US parts: Trigger Group + Stock Set + Muzzle Brake (8) which should make me good to go right? |
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