No box, but supposedly unfired. It definitely doesn't appear to have been fired much if at all, just handled and possibly dry fired.  The guy I got it from had just got a hell of a deal on it as I didn't know it was for sale.  He paid $300.00 and didn't know what he got.  I spent about two weeks making him offers until he accepted $425.00 for it.

This is one of the nicest stamped rifles I have ever purchased. It has a better finish than my Arsenal SLR-105R.  For a neutered rifle it is not bad.  Even the thumbhole stock isn't bad.  I don't care for the short gas system which may cause a problem with my plan to de-ban it as I may have a hard time finding the correct gas block.  Anyone have an idea where I can obtain the correct one?

I also expected the rifle to have a side rail which it doesn't.  I'm used to European rifles that do.

I had planned on contacting Matt Shuster for a Hungarian pattern IWD stockset and using some Hungarian 20 round mags I have with FSE baseplates and orange US followers I obtained from member kfranz a few years back.  I could also put an extra US K-VAR NATO length OD green stockset on it instead but the purists here wouldn't approve.

How about one of my refinished laminated stocksets?  I would need to use a TAPCO single hook G2 fire control group then though and I wasn't planning on purchasing much more for this rifle.   I'll have to dig around in my parts boxes and find out what I have available.

Here are some pictures:

Very Nice MAK!

I might still have one of these stocksets I could use.  Won't be correct but they are not bad.




Unless someone has an SA-85 stock and pistol grip they want to part with

Nice rifle, Mak!

The furniture sets you have there look great, authentic or otherwise.

I have a rifle on an FEG receiver. I think it's a global trades build, but I really don't know. Regular AK wood, but blonde like that and it does have a regular length gas system.

As far as the gas system goes if I am not mistaken it is the same as on a AMD65, so that should make it a bit easier. When the Postban SA85s were first important it was a real pain to dela with if you got one with the short gas system, but now that there are lots of AMDs in country it should give you some more options.

Quoted: Purists would replace the Gas Block as well, in order to gain a bayo lug. It's likely you will want to add a US trigger group and piston - 922R now kicks in. Finally - stocks - the US trigger & piston give you FOUR parts... get a US clone brake (conventional or '74 style...)  That gets you to FIVE.  You'll need SIX - so even if you find a nice blond Hungarian set?  You'll need a US grip. I would consider making all this easier... IronWood now advertises US made Hungarian Beech sets - that would get you THREE parts, and the right wood.  This, and a US trigger group?  Your 922R Golden :)

I've got enough US parts available now to do the conversion to pistol grip, if I use the FSE mag baseplates and followers I have.

The only reason I see to change out the gasblock is to have the cleaning rod held on correctly with the retainer/guide on the gasblock.  Gasblock would be back to far to mount a bayonet, which I would never mount on the rifle anyway.

If I can find a pistol grip nut in my parts box I may change the setup tonight temporarily to get an idea of what I want.  If I could pick up a blonde stock and Hungarian pistol grip then I would be done after changing out the FSB and threading the barrel.  (Should have never sold the threading kit)  

Member WJM who used to rent the kits said he would send me one previously for free if I needed one but I doubt he still has them as he has kind of dropped off the boards after getting ripped off.

I'm leaning toward the IWD stockset for a permanent stockset.  I like wood but I have the safe so full right now that wood stocks get scratched up easier than the polymer when I stuff everything in.

About time to sell some stuff on the Equipment Exchange I guess.

Quoted: How about one of my refinished laminated stocksets? That AK deserves Blonde wood! Nice find.

So what kind of wood is on it now?  Is it beech or elm?

I contacted Matt and he is out of the sets for 2-3 weeks.  I checked and he will sell just a buttstock and pistol grip if that is what I need.  For the price I may just go with the full set and sell the ones with the thumbhole stock to recoup some of the cost.

Have a pistol grip nut coming (used all the ones I had on conversions) and an FSE FCG.  For some reason I have two US hammers in my parts box but no other US FCG parts(?).   As soon as I get the pistol grip nut I will put some other stockset on this rifle until I can get the beech set from IWD.

Where can I get a metal cap part for the Hungarian grip?  I remember someone making these up at one time.  Also, are the IWD Hungarian grips inletted for the metal cap?

Might not be what the purist would do but I got the rest of the needed compliance parts today and figured I would change the thumbhole stockset out with a set I had.  I will need to work on sanding, staining and refinishing the lower handguard due to the amount modification it took to fit the odd setup on this SA-85M.  

When Matt @ IWD gets some Hungarian pattern buttstocks in stock I may still get one if I decide to keep this rifle.  The shortening of the lower handguard I used will ruin it for any other rifle now I think.

I installed a FSE fire control group and outfitted 8 mags with US followers and FSE baseplates for the metal mags and grasshopper's baseplates for the Bulgarian waffle mags.  So the rifle is compliant with 922(r).