Hi

I tried a search and could not find this.

I have two AMD65 Kits, and two Ohior Ordnance Receivers (and the tapco extensions)>   One I will build as a folder, the other I want to replace the front hand grip and the folder.  Where can I find parts that will fit with the least hassle?  Any suggestions on the rear trunion?

thank you

richard

For stock tangs (there is no such thing as a rear trunnion), check out www.k-var.com.  They have a really good selection of parts.  They also have sales about every month on various items.  If you join their discussion forum (free) and order online, they will shave 7% of the cost off your orders.  K-Var also has various stock sets, if you don't already have one.  You should also check out these sites for stock sets (and other parts):

www.globaltrades.com
www.sksman.com/

There are a few others, but I can't think of them right now...

For the stock tang, there are basically 2 styles:  The shorter AK-47 and the longer one for the AK-74.  Either will work nicely.  The AK-74 length is required for installation of most scope rails.  The scope rails have clearance cuts for the hammer and trigger pivot pins.  If some rails are used with the AK-47 length tang, the clearance notches will not line up properly with the pivot pins.  This is easily fixed with a file or Dremel.  There are scope rails made to work with the AK-47 length tang.  If you're considering a scope rail, just call and ask which one will work with the stock tang before ordering.  The difference between them is that the front rivet hole on the 74 tang is about 1/4" farther forward.

AK-47 length:
www.k-var.com/product.asp?0=216&1=250&3=340

AK-74 length:
www.k-var.com/product.asp?0=216&1=250&3=339

With the AMD-65, any standard lower handguard will work, but you need to do a little trimming to clear the short pins in the handguard retainer on the barrrel.  These can be removed from the retainer if you don't want to trim the lower handguard.

To use a standard upper handguard on the AMD-65 there are a couple options:

1.  Track down the short gas tube from the Hungarian SA-85.  This is a Hungarian AK with a gas tube the same length as the AMD-65.  These parts aren't common, but can be found on some of the "Classified Ads" sections of AK discussion boards.  The short SA-85 gas tube will fit right onto the AMD-65 without modification.  It will also accept all standard upper handguards.

2.  Shorten a standard length AK gas tube to fit your AMD-65.  Basically you would cut a standard gas tube to the same length as the AMD-65 gas tube.  Then you need to reshape the end of the tube to fit the gas block.  A lot of these conversions have been done using a 3/8" socket extension.  Drop the extension into the front of the gas tube and hit it with a hammer or squeeze it in a vise.  The 3/8" extension has a nice flare that will reshape the star pattern of the cut tube back to a round shape.  You may need to work the end of the tube with a hammer and a round form to get it perfect.  I used a socket as a form.  I just found one that was the right size and worked the end of the tube until it was a good fit on the gas block.  I left my tube a little long and filed it to the proper length after flaring the end.

3.  You can also cut and weld gas tube sections together, but that is a lot of work.  If you're equipped for the welding, it should be no problem.