Lots of people seem to really like the milled AK's. I don't. Primarily due to the weight. If someone made a milled aluminum AK receiver set up for screw in or pinned barrells would anyone even care? I sure would. While we are at it I wouldn;t mind an aluminum piston or even bolt carrier.

tsh77769

I don't know about the Aluminum receiver, but I will bet you that your Aluminum bolt carrier and gas piston would live short lives.

Um, no.

Only reason plastic and aluminum guns work is because all the working parts like the bolt, bolt locking system, etc are made of steel..

ETA-

The aluminum receiver was already tried in the FAL, and they were dangerous.

maybe a lighter steel alloy,...but i dont know what that would do to durability or safty

if a milled reciver rifle weighs to much,.... you need do do some push ups or something,...there only a pound or two heavier than a stamped reciver.

not tryin to be ignorent,.. but the diffrence is not that profound.

Quoted: The aluminum receiver was already tried in the FAL, and they were dangerous.

FAL receiver is a stressed part, locking mechanism for the breech relies on the strength of the receiver.  

Kaboominum would not be something I would want to try in an AK receiver. An AR can get away with it because none of the kaboominum parts are overstressed during the firing of the weapon.

I don't think it would work.

For one thing, milled receiver AKs do not have seperate barrel trunnions. If they did, you could make the aluminum reciever with a steel barrel trunnion and not have to worry about blowing the gun up. But if you're thinking of the bolt locking into the aluminum receiver and the barrel being pinned or screwed into it, you're asking for trouble. Aluminum locking lugs the same size as the steel ones on an AK would be a HUGE no-no.

Secondly, ARs get away with the bolt carrier riding inside an aluminum receiver because they have much more surface contact between the bolt carrier and the receiver. This greatly increases the wear life of the aluminum reciever. If a steel bolt carrier were riding on small AK rails made of aluminum, they wouldn't last very long.

Thirdly, the AR design is less stressful on the carrier and reciever do to the spring buffer in the stock and the light weight of it's moving parts. An AK built with an aluminum receiver, even a milled one, would likely overstress the reciever.

Lastly, a milled aluminum receiver would not likely be as rigid as a stamped steel one. The wall thickness of a milled receiver isn't much greater than a stamped one once the lightening cuts are done. If you 'downgrade' the milled receiver to a softer/weaker metal, you lose the benefits the milled receiver had in the first place.

As others have said, I see very little difference in the weight of a milled AK and a stamped AK. The difference between a loaded 7.62 rifle and a 5.45 rifle is much greater. Stamped AKs were brought around because they could be made more quickly and cheaply than a milled receiver, not because they were lighter.

Well, it was just a thought.

tsh77769

i would swear that i have seen alum. receivers made before.  i wanna say that they were bent AKM receivers.  with a steel reinforcement for the trigger pins.  i could be wrong but i remember something like that.

I wouldn't doubt that you could make a milled Aluminum receiver if you added steel reinforcement plates where needed.  But no way in hell on the Aluminum gas piston and bolt carrier.

Bulgarians did make an Alloy reciever on some of the SLR series, very few- I did however own one and compaired to a regular Milled Bulgarian reciever it was about 1/3rd lighter.

Quoted: Quoted: The aluminum receiver was already tried in the FAL, and they were dangerous. FAL receiver is a stressed part, locking mechanism for the breech relies on the strength of the receiver.

So does a milled AK receiver. The locking lugs are in the receiver, not the barrel.

Quoted: maybe a lighter steel alloy,...but i dont know what that would do to durability or safty if a milled reciver rifle weighs to much,.... you need do do some push ups or something,...there only a pound or two heavier than a stamped reciver. not tryin to be ignorent,.. but the diffrence is not that profound.

 +1

It might work if it was built like a stamped/riveted AKM, ie use a steel trunnion for the barrel/bolt lock up.  Steel inserts for bolt rails, etc.  Make the receiver shell quite a bit thicker.  

Titanium would make more sense but that gets away from the proletarian appeal of the AK.  

I dont think the upper rails would hold up on a aluminum receiver , once the hard coat anodizing would wear off , the soft aluminum underneath would wear very quickly and your carrier would pop out

Quoted: not tryin to be ignorent,.. but the diffrence is not that profound.

There is a lot of irony in that there sentence.

Riff.............titainium is a badass idea, when i become rich im goning to build one. custom that is.

I would love to see a slowed video of an aluminun AK on full auto. i bet it would look like my weiner while i shake it after i go peepee. all rubbery and stuff

thanks for that image....

It would be easy enough to do.  Stamped receivers use a steel trunnion.  Milled have screw in barrels.  The answer would be to use a trunnion in your Aluminum receiver.  Same as a barrel extension on the AR15.  Then you've got steel to steel taking the stress.  For stiffness sake, you could thicken the receiver walls.  I don't see it as being cost effective, but it could be done.

Oh yeah.  No aluminum bolt carrier, etc.  If I was going to do something like that however, I'd go a step further.  Make up some AK/Sig type upper and lower receivers that are hinged like the Sig and uses an AK barrel, AK bolt/bolt carrier/gas piston, magazines & FCG.  Take the opportunity to change the safety/selector to a left side rotating thumb safety.  Such a project made more sense when barrels could be imported, but with the ATF ruling, that makes it more expensive and not so viable.