Has anyone had work done on their AK by Chris at AK USA?

Excellent work..and your going to pay for it...but you get what you pay for....EXCELLENT work

Great work but super expensive.  I honestly don't see why people spend so much money to have a barrel pulled, install a few rivets and reinstall a barrel unless you want some difficult custom work done.  I had Chris Butler build me a couple before Socandyman taught me how to build and I only wish I learned how to build sooner!

They are the Tiffany's of AK builders. Overpriced but the blue box can't be found anywhere else.

My Ex's uncle has an AK-104 Chris built and its finish is far nicer than the AK-103 done by the fairly competent hobby level builder who did mine.  If you have the green, his work is worth it.

Everyone says they are expensive....how much is expensive?

Quoted: Everyone says they are expensive....how much is expensive?

He quoted a friend of mine $1100 to do an AK-74M sidefolder buildup from a kit. And that's with all parts being supplied!  

I contacted him about a possible krink built where I provide the kit and receiver.  He quoted me $1100 just for the labor for the build and refinishing.  It seems others can do it for about half of that.  Does anyone here think the quality of their work is worth double the price?  Will one be able to tell the difference?  I'm honestly asking for opinions here not just spouting off, because I've never had a custom build done before.  Thanks.

I can only speak for his Saiga conversions and they are very nice.  Can be had cheaper though.

Chris Butler's work is second to none from what I have seen. His work is just mind blowing, but it is expensive. What you need to ask is: what purpose do I want this rifle to serve? If you want a shooter that looks really nice, but you don't care about it being 100% perfect, than other builders can do it.... for instance, Duke Nukem has had some really nice builds lately for much less than AKUSA. However, if you want a collector's item rifle, and you're willing to shell out the dough for a masterpiece, than Chris Butler is the man to talk to. He is a great guy to work with as well, and that matters a bunch to me. Just figure out what you want; spend the money on Chris if having the best REALLY is important to you...otherwise take a look at some of the other guys, many of which are also very, very good.

Chris does all of my work. He has built numerous AK's for me and I have not had any issues about quality or function.  When I shell out the money to buy poly sidefolders and orignal Russian parts for a 74M build; I do not want to trust these expensive parts to no one else but Chris. There are some other good builders, but AK-USA is the best.

Quoted: Quoted: Everyone says they are expensive....how much is expensive? He quoted a friend of mine $1100 to do an AK-74M sidefolder buildup from a kit. And that's with all parts being supplied!

This is where it starts to get a little insane.  For the price of the build you mentioned plus parts, you're getting close to the lower end cost of what a pre-ban Galil or Valmet would cost.  If I were having a side folder built, I'd probably have an experienced smith do the cutouts for the sidefolder but do the rest myself.  Building a near perfect standand stock AKM is not that difficult with a little practice and patience.  I was not overly impressed with the first AK that I had Chris build for me 2 years ago.  It was a fixed stock AK74.  The finish he put on the rifle was partially undersprayed on the left side of the dust cover and it was fairly visable. As far as the rivet work he did, yes it was good but I can do the same job myself pretty easily.  Also, the highlighted serial numbers on the bolt carrier and the rear of the dustcover of this AK74 rubbed off after the first cleaning with Hoppes #9  although, this didn't happen with the second build I had him do.  IMO, one of the best things about his builds is that they tend to hold their value better than others simple based upon his reputation whether it's truly deserved or not.

Quoted: Chris does all of my work. He has built numerous AK's for me and I have not had any issues about quality or function.  When I shell out the money to buy poly sidefolders and orignal Russian parts for a 74M build; I do not want to trust these expensive parts to no one else but Chris. There are some other good builders, but AK-USA is the best.

I think Ted Marshall is often considered the "best" as far as authentic builds is concerned.  He's is also super expensive (more so than AK-USA) and I don't  think he's taking any work at the moment or in the near future.

Some of us don't really have the time nor the interest in building our own.
Chris has built 4 rifles for me and the most recent build was the most expensive of the 4.
The quality of his work and attention to detail alone are worth the extra expense in my book.
His Cerakote finish is IMO the best I have seen...ask JNEWT how tough it is.

The best thing to do is to figure out how much you want to spend and then find a smith who can meet your needs.  

Arsenal SLR-105R converted to an AK-105 by AK-USA.

Quoted: Some of us don't really have the time nor the interest in building our own. Chris has built 4 rifles for me and the most recent build was the most expensive of the 4. The quality of his work and attention to detail alone are worth the extra expense in my book. His Cerakote finish is IMO the best I have seen...ask JNEWT how tough it is. The best thing to do is to figure out how much you want to spend and then find a smith who can meet your needs.   Arsenal SLR-105R converted to an AK-105 by AK-USA. www.hunt101.com/img/356112.jpg www.hunt101.com/img/356119.jpg www.hunt101.com/img/355072.jpg www.hunt101.com/img/355069.jpg

Can you show close up of the latch cut?

Quoted: Some of us don't really have the time nor the interest in building our own. Chris has built 4 rifles for me and the most recent build was the most expensive of the 4. The quality of his work and attention to detail alone are worth the extra expense in my book. His Cerakote finish is IMO the best I have seen...ask JNEWT how tough it is. The best thing to do is to figure out how much you want to spend and then find a smith who can meet your needs.   Arsenal SLR-105R converted to an AK-105 by AK-USA. www.hunt101.com/img/356112.jpg www.hunt101.com/img/356119.jpg www.hunt101.com/img/355072.jpg www.hunt101.com/img/355069.jpg

Nice rifle - I had Chris build it's bigger brother in 7.62.  Runs like a champ but I have an issue with the extended comp - I blew the finish off of it after 100 rounds!  Chris and I are working on getting it fixed...

Spooky

If you can't run with BIG DOG, stay home and sit on the porch, YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.