USA made, or atleast new AK trunnions/carriers?

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jason41987

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hey everyone.. besides an AR15 project ive been ironing out for this fall, im also thinking of putting together an AK from all USA made parts if possible, if not, then atleast new parts, never used or installed... probably be a 7.62 AKM stamped rifle and it seems i can find all the parts new accept the carrier and front trunnion.. any suggestions on where i can find these?
 
No, I don't think so. Century did something like that with their Centurion rifle, but that's milled, and I don't think we'd say it was a rousing success.

On the other hand, I'd sure like to build an AR-15 out of Russian and Chinese parts. Just a weird itch I have, so I guess I understand the "why."
 
A 100% USA-made stamped AKM is impossible.

There are some parts that U.S. manufacturers do not manufacture at all and require a parts kit.

These parts are:

magazine catch and assembly
trigger guard
gas block
rear-sight base
front sight base
front trunnion
bolt
bolt carrier
recoil assembly
trigger hammer spring
plunger pin spring
and other various internal parts...
 
well, thats unfortunate, it would be nice to actually have a new AK rifle... and not something made from old military parts often of questionable quality control
 
well, thats unfortunate, it would be nice to actually have a new AK rifle... and not something made from old military parts often of questionable quality control
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Buy an Arsenal. All parts are 100% new, no surplus, and they have excellent quality control compared to other U.S. mass builders who only use surplus parts.

Or if you are a do-it-yourself kind of person like you seem to be buy a Saiga and convert it.
 
The converted Saigas (like Arsenal is putting out) are new AK and about as close to what you're asking for as you can get.
 
are the parts on the saiga the same as those as on other AKs?.. what i mean is, which trunnion designs do they actually use? are they those of the russian AKM or are they something unique to the saiga, and which parts would be interchangable with an AKM or similar AK of different calibers?
 
The guy building the saiga grabs his parts from the same bin as the guy building the AKM (more or less)
 
are the parts on the saiga the same as those as on other AKs?.. what i mean is, which trunnion designs do they actually use? are they those of the russian AKM or are they something unique to the saiga, and which parts would be interchangable with an AKM or similar AK of different calibers?
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The differences are almost entirely cosmetic. If you look at the full conversions done by companies like Arsenal, you'll be pretty hard pressed to tell the difference.
 
i think ill probably just spend extra and get a really good condition military AK parts kit, perhaps unissued.. probably russian, egyptian, or polish.. any opinions on the yugos?
 
i think in light of all of this ill find a good condition polish AK, purchase for it a new barrel, and better parts where possible... i do believe i might get a different rear trunnion though as im not sure i really want to go with an underfolder since theyll cause problems with coupled magazines, casket mags, and certain forearms.. and ill go as new as i can with the polish parts

that being said.. perhaps i should just find a matching carrier/front trunnion and purchase everything else seperately since i know i can get the rest new
 
i think in light of all of this ill find a good condition polish AK, purchase for it a new barrel, and better parts where possible... i do believe i might get a different rear trunnion though as im not sure i really want to go with an underfolder since theyll cause problems with coupled magazines, casket mags, and certain forearms.. and ill go as new as i can with the polish parts
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You're making this way too complicated. By the time you buy that Polish rifle and swap parts around to achieve whatever goal you have in mind you might as well have bought an Arsenal SGL-21. The SGL will have been made from brand new, matching parts and will have a warranty and actual resale value. Plus, it is the closest thing you will get to a brand new AK 100 series rifle without joining the Russian military.
 
I'm not sure if the AK Lightning Bolt carrier made by Colorado Shooting Sports is truly US-made or just a retrofit. I do know they will refit your existing bolt carrier, though. That's a modification that gives you a left-side charging handle. Not something I would ever do, but some people like it.

US Palm is currently developing a takedown AK. I'm pretty sure everything in it is US-made, as it has to be custom-built.
 
im going to look into the US palm AK for curiosity, but ultimately ill end up probably just going with a polish kit for matching parts, and rebuild it with as many newer, better condition parts as i go along
 
i think ill probably just spend extra and get a really good condition military AK parts kit, perhaps unissued.. probably russian, egyptian, or polish.. any opinions on the yugos?
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Bulgarian and Russian are generally considered the two top AK makers in the world. Good luck finding a parts kit from the latter. Luckily Bulgarian are readily available.

However, if you want the highest quality and most authentic AK available then Arsenal is the ONLY way to go. Both their Russian and Bulgarian guns have the exact same receivers, trunions, bolts, carriers, barrels, etc as the military AK's of those countries. All said parts are brand spanking new. They are also put together by the same people in the same plant that the military guns come out of. The are imported in a configuration that facilitates addition of the final necessary american which is just furniture and trigger.

Converting a Saiga is fine and dandy however to get it to true AK configuration will almost certainly cost far more than just buying an arsenal out right.
 
I really think Arsenal is overhyped. Get an AK from any reputable company, and it will work just fine. If you want a specific nationality, go for it - otherwise choose the type of stock you want (standard fixed, Yugo fixed, underfolder, AK-100 sidefolder, or wire sidefolder) and then find a rifle that comes with it.

I've built a couple Romanian kits with home-bent receivers, and my first one looks like a terrible hack job that you would never consider buying. It has two spot welds that burned through the receiver, deformed and poorly shaped rivets, and crudely cut guide rails for the bolt carrier. And yet it works just fine.

Buying an AK is like buying a Glock: find one, pay for it, burn up ammo. No need to stress out overthinking it.
 
You're making this way too complicated.
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I'll second that notion.

If you want an AK with all new parts, buy a Saiga and convert it yourself or buy one that's already been converted by a converted by a company like Arsenal. Saigas are built in the same factory and on the same production lines as the AK-74M's which are currently the standard issue rifle for the Russian military. They are brand new rifles made for export rifles, none of the parts are surplus or used.

Arsenal is the most popular company out there for conversions because they take the new in box Saigas and convert them back to AK-100 series standards using new American made parts to meet 922r compliance. They have very good build quality, a warranty, and a decent resale value. There's no need to re-invent the wheel here to get a good quality AK.
 
yeah i have... but i had to sell it for financial reasons so im looking for another one after my upcoming AR15 build.. and i want something rather high quality.. thats why i was curious as to how close to the russian AKs the bulgarians are

the AK is a bit of a difficult rifle to build.. moreso than for example, an AR15 which is why i built one to begin with.. to get more in depth in rifle design by building something a bit more complicated to put together.. pressing out rivets, removing the barrel, reinstalling trunnion, reinstalling barrel, checking the headspacing, finishing the metal.. but in all it was a fun project, so i have no problems building another... but im only looking to have one AK in my collection.. so i want to be sure this is a rather high quality model
 
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