Having "built" an FN and an AR, it's time to do an AK.

With some good "book smarts" in metallurgy, I have mucked around with bending and heat treating a couple of receiver flats, which was something of an expensive lesson. (A bit like my first ever BBQ -- let's just say the spaghetti was excellent.) So, now possessed of an OOW receiver (looks WAY better than my tries), I am shopping for parts kits.

I am also pretty unfamiliar with the AK in general, and have ordered the U.S. Army Dept. of Intelligence maintenance manual and a "how to" video.

My previous rifles are "serious", with the AR a precision piece. I want the AK to be a scrappy-looking, fun machine, so I've settled on an AMD65. I was looking at a pile of parts at a local gun show, and can't figure out what I'm seeing around the handguard.

SO HERE'S THE QUESTION... What is the long rod with the threaded end that is attached under the front sight?

OK, you can all stop laughing your a**es off now -- have mercy and tell me what I'm looking at. Is this feature different from the other AK variants?

Thanks

the cleaning rod?

Really?? G****mn, I feel stupid (or is it stoopid).

Gotta tell ya, as somebody who's been involved w/ manufacturing over the years, it stuns me how ingenious this rifle is every time I learn something about it. Everything about it is built around "manufacturability" in a sparse environment. Even the way a cleaning rod is carried with the weapon -- earlier rifles had a multi-piece rod in a separate kit or a gun-drilled hole in the stock, all of which took precuious extra mfg time or tooling.

Can't wait to learn more as I dig through the pieces of a parts kit, which I'll buy this W.E. (and I promise I'll learn more before I post again).

Thanks!

The SKS carries it's cleaning rod the same way.  You gotta give credit to the Russian school of engineering.  It's the opposite of Western technology based over engineering.  The Russians made them simple to make and simple to use.

If you are thinking of an AMD-65 you may want to get a kit soon... the supply seems to be drying up!  Tapco and Centerfire both have them for now but you may not be able to get them soon!

As an aside, I just ordered and received an IO Romanian AKM kit and for about $120 it is a nice looking kit.  It wasn't numbers matching but still a nice looking kit for the money.

I point this out as I had a few of the Global Trades PMKMs kits and I had sold a couple of them to finance my FAL builds with the assumption I would get more kits later... now, the PMKMS kits are out of supply and prices of the ones out there have climbed quite a bit!

I think tapcos out cant find any on the website anymore

I got my Amd65 kit from Centerfire yesterday and it looks  like new.

Elvis

CTD has them still though they're not the nice package with the compliance parts included
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/ctd/findresults.asp?mscssid=2RTGJXHX8SGR9HULD5P12WP3LUGEF1C7

And here too http://www.tickbitesupply.com/partskit.html

But why do they all have big nasty warnings like thes:
As always with any kits, these are for replacement parts of existing guns only. Parts sold as replacement parts for existing firearms or to build a non firing replica. The barrels in this set may not be used to assemble new firearms that would be prohibited from importation Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 925 (d)(3).
Assembly to make a prohibited weapon or use of the barrel on any other weapon would be a violation of Federal Law, see 18 USC 925d, all NFA rules apply to these parts, sold for display or educational purposes only!
The barrels in this kit may not be used to assemble new firearms that would be prohibited from importation pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 925 (d) (3).

WTF?  Is that all just to tell you to use the US complaince parts?  Then they could have just said so without threatening the law stuff.  

Thanks, P38.  (This is probably a stupid question, so sorry in advance, but how can you view older messages?  I can only choose a setting for the past month.)

Thanks again!

Quoted: Thanks, P38.  (This is probably a stupid question, so sorry in advance, but how can you view older messages?  I can only choose a setting for the past month.) Thanks again!

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