I've always wanted to have a 5.56 AK-74m lookalike. So I got my wallet out and started ordering the parts I'd need, intending to do the SAR-3 de-neutering thing, but with a WASR-3.

Well, this project has been a mess from the start. I found out that the barrel OD for the WASR-3 is different than that used on the old SAR-3s, so the new FSB won't fit. On top of this, UPS lost my package from K-var, which had my new stockset and all the pins and springs I needed for my new FSB.

I currently have the WASR-3 and the Romy FSB.

The WASR-3 barrel has an OD (at the end of the bbl where the FSB is) of 14mm- the same as an AKM. The Romanians seem to have taken to turning down the barrels on WASR-3s to 14mm and just using AKM FSBs instead of going 13mm and cutting the threads off of the the AK-74 FSBs like they used to do with the SAR-3s.

My question is this: since there are no longer any gunsmiths in my area (old Jim died last year), what should I do about the problem with the threaded FSB not fitting? I'm thinking about just trying to find a machine shop somewhere and having them ream out the ID of the FSB to 14mm.

And to think, I started this project to give myself a hobbie and relieve some stress...

P.S. My WASR-3's chamber has a lot of ring-shaped tool marks in the chamber. Is this going to be a problem? (I'd think the chamber should be very smooth.)

you need some 220 sand paper
a 1/4 wood dowl (or anythang close a inkpen) and some ducttape

rip off 4 inchs of tape and 2x8 of sandpaper
chuck the 1/4 wood in your drill
put tape on sand side of sandpaper with 2in  hanging off
wrap around wood counter clockwise starting with tape end

now just open the hole
you want it about .003 smaller than barrel

Thank you sir!

That's everything I needed to know.

Now, any tips on how to light a fire under UPSs' ass and find my lost package?

nope if you get loud sometimes they hit stupid mode just to mess with you
let them know you expect them to find it but KISS THERE ASS

Got it.

Thanks again!

Well, I've tried using some 150 grit aluminum oxide sand paper as well as some 240 grit sand paper. The abrasive just gets worn off of the paper. I spent the last 2.5 hours doing this and it hasn't opened up the FSB ID even .001.

Any suggestions for tougher sandpaper or an alternate method? What am I doing wrong?

humm
try a longer piece of sandpaper so it fits tight inside the hole
i know it works cause ive done it befor :)

Maybe the difference is in what that 220 grit SP abrasive is made of... Maybe I need to actually try that exactly. Anything special that you remember about the sp you used?

Thanks for all your help man!

na it was metal sp tho
and it did tear it up fairly quick but it also opened the hole quickly

Use a fine grade emery cloth and not your normal sandpaper. Most people understand sandpaper as wood type paper but you need to use the emery as it's specifically designed for removeing or polishing metal.Madtechcool

Doh! Of course, forgot all about emery cloth!

I'll try that. Thanks guys.

Do you mind telling how much material you removed and how long it took? I just spent an hour and about four pieces of 120 grit plumbers-type sanding cloth and have succeeded only in melting duct tape and removing a couple thousandths. The aluminum oxide abrasive just grinds right off the cloth- I find a pile of under the part. The FSB also got hot enough to burn my hand after I took it out of the vice and let it sit a couple minutes.

I guess I'll try and pick up some real emery cloth next...

P.S. got my stockset and FSB parts finally. I actually re-ordered them from K-var to be delivered 3-day, with the understanding the originally ordered parts would be returned as soon as UPS found them. Well, I get a package last Thursday, and its my parts. Hmm, that was only two days, that's cool. Friday I get a package shaped exactly the same with a 3-day sticker on it...

Ok, I've got the sand cloth figured out, but heres a new problem: Now the front and back ends are belled out. i.e. the ends are now .550" and the middle inside is about .528". (the barrel OD is .548" and the FSB ID started out as .508"))

Suggestions?

Okay, got that problem worked out. Now I have another that I'm working on.

Someone might want to know that the WASR-3 barrels are roughly 0.547" from the muzzle to the front edge of the FSB, but step up to 0.573" under the FSB! The annoying thing is that this "step" is hidden about 1/8" back under the front edge of the FSB.

I now have to have two different IDs for the inside of my modified Romanian threaded FSB. 0.545" from the front of the threads back to the front pin hole and 0.570" from there to the back end of the FSB.

Woohoo! Got the FSB on! Man what a PITA!

Since I had to make the rear half of the FSB a bigger ID than the front half, I took my cleaning rod section, compared it to the outside of the FSB so I knew up to what point I wanted to enlarge the ID, marked the rod, and just put my tape/sand cloth combo on the rod behid that mark. I then used a piece of sand cloth duct taped to the muzzle end of the FSB to keep me from over-inserting the cloth.

Again, the ID tapered inwards from about .575" at the mouth to about .565" as deep as my calipers would go (almost to the end of where I wanted to enlarge). I decided enough was enough since the thinner right half of the FSB had worn through in a tiny spot where the indension for the drill hole was made.

I slid the FSB on, and ended up using a 5lb mallet to pund the thing on. I tried to use a piece of wood to keep from beating up the muzzle end of the FSB, but it wasn't moving at all. The wood was just absorbing too much of the impact. I was able to get it on by pounding it with the bare mallet.

The muzzle end of the FSB was beaten up pretty badly, and so was cleaned up with a dremel tool and the sand cloth.

It isn't pretty, but it's on and it's definately solid.

Now I just have to drill the holes and figure out what to use for pins... I have some bulgarian FSB pins, but they're metric and smaller than the 1/8" drill bit I'd planned to use. I don't think I could mash them into a hole from the next smallest bit size either...

I thought about maybe using the 1/8" drill bit and then using the shank from an old 1/8" bit for the pins and mashing the ends to keep them in. Think that'd work?

Finished. Ended up using an inch-measure bit just smaller than the Bulgarian pins I had. Wallowed out the holes and hammered the pins in.

Those AK74 brakes are awesome!

Thanks for the help guys.