AK Wood handguard question

[Prince Yamato]

I normally am pretty well versed in AK stuff, but this question is driving me nuts:

I want to add a forward vertical grip to my AK, but I want to retain the wood handguards. I don't want the Romanian wood vertical foregrip because it looks funny. What I'd like to do is get a flat wood fore-end and screw a rail into it and then add one of those 3/4 grips to the gun.

I was once told by a dealer that if I did that, I'd snap the wood. On the other hand, I know that the PLO used to screw FAL grips into the drainage hole on Maadi foregrips.

Is the bottom wood foregrip strong enough to handle a rail?

 

[PTK]

Yes, of course. Just make certain you screw the rail in properly and in more than one place. Also, make certain to pre-drill holes so you're not splitting the wood.

 

[briansmithwins]

You mean like #4 here: http://www.sksman.com/acces/AK47 stocks 2.php
?

I suspect that just screwing a grip into a standard handguard will fail. Foregrips get knocked around and there just isn't a lot of material there to take the stress. Now Hungarian metal foregrip assy would work...

BSW

 

[Prince Yamato]

Part of me believes the gun dealer who said that it would crack the wood, then the other part of me goes, "the heck it would... the AK foregrip is pretty darn strong."

I can't be the only person who's thought of this...

 

[Max C.]

Drilling the wood and using bolts, nuts, and (if necessary) washers will prevent the wood from cracking.

 

[ThrottleJockey72]

Drilling the wood and using bolts, nuts, and (if necessary) washers will prevent the wood from cracking.

+1 you may have to counter sink the nuts and washers some though.

 

[halfacop]

But make sure you plan ahead and mount it in the right place....

VG can make loading an AK abit hard (damn near impossible) if its in the wrong place. I know some high end AK guys mounted one on an AK but they did it at an angle to allow for tilting of the mag when loading.....

 

[Prince Yamato]

Drilling the wood and using bolts, nuts, and (if necessary) washers will prevent the wood from cracking.

Something that I wasn't taking into account: the cleaning rod hole that runs through the grip. Granted, I won't be able to use the cleaning rod, but will drilling two hole through it severely wealen the front handguard?