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  • hchon3

    Active Member
    Aug 8, 2017
    133
    Any ak builders out there? I have a few questions about a Bulgarian 5.45 I am building.
     

    hchon3

    Active Member
    Aug 8, 2017
    133
    Awesome, I have a few questions regarding my first build and hopefully you can help me. Question 1, What is the best way to accurately measure all the barrel components and journals? Question 2, if I am 5 thou to big on my rear sight block how can I close that distance with out a lathe?
     

    grimnar15

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 21, 2019
    1,645
    I am also looking for a builder. Have all the parts to build an AK47 Pistol, but none of the tools.
     

    Tomcat

    Formerly Known As HITWTOM
    May 7, 2012
    5,568
    St.Mary's County
    Any ak builders out there? I have a few questions about a Bulgarian 5.45 I am building.

    I am also looking for a builder. Have all the parts to build an AK47 Pistol, but none of the tools.

    I am in the same boat

    Try a search ak+build there's about 500 pages of results. There used to be a member in SOMD (got banned for something) who had build get together's in his garage. Good luck
     

    ST19AG_WGreymon

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 16, 2009
    2,405
    Odenton
    Awesome, I have a few questions regarding my first build and hopefully you can help me. Question 1, What is the best way to accurately measure all the barrel components and journals? Question 2, if I am 5 thou to big on my rear sight block how can I close that distance with out a lathe?

    A good set of digital calipers would be your best bet for measuring.

    Are you saying your barrel is slightly undersized for the rear sight block? You can send your barrel off to have that portion knurled.
     

    hchon3

    Active Member
    Aug 8, 2017
    133
    If yall need to borrow some of the tools I have all the ones you need, let me know.
     

    hchon3

    Active Member
    Aug 8, 2017
    133
    I have a decent set of calipers but i am worried i am not getting accurate measurements using them. From the measurements I got all the journals on the barrel are a bit to big. The gas block is 7 thou to small when I measured it. I dont have a lathe, so how should I go about closing that gap? Also what are you doing for the final finish on the rifle? I was thinking about doing a cold black oxide but i read it is not that durable. Might try to do a home phosphate job.
     

    Buster Brown

    Active Member
    Aug 11, 2019
    311
    Southern MD
    I have a decent set of calipers but i am worried i am not getting accurate measurements using them. From the measurements I got all the journals on the barrel are a bit to big. The gas block is 7 thou to small when I measured it. I dont have a lathe, so how should I go about closing that gap? Also what are you doing for the final finish on the rifle? I was thinking about doing a cold black oxide but i read it is not that durable. Might try to do a home phosphate job.

    I have some experience building AKs using very little specialty tools. If you have a drill press, chuck the barrel up and use some sand paper. You can do it by hand but it'll take a while. Start aggressive on the grit and work it down from there. You want an interference fit of .0005-.001. If you overdue it and the journal is too small, you'll have to peen the journal. To do that use a hammer and a punch sharpened to a point. Go around the barrel evenly peening it all over.
    Another tactic for oversized journals is to use a small brake cylinder hone on the parts. I tend to work the barrel instead of the parts in case you want to rebarrel it down the road and your parts are oversized.
    *if your barrel is nitrided you'll have a hell of a time sanding it down. Ive never tried but judging by how hard it was to drill just to pin a brake, it would be a nightmare.
     

    Buster Brown

    Active Member
    Aug 11, 2019
    311
    Southern MD
    Btw dont waist your time with cold blue unless you're going for the battlefield pickup look. It won't look good or hold up. On the cheap, i use rust-oluem high heat bbq paint. Thats a close match to alot of original finishes. Ive also tried duracoat HK black and that turned out good and had decent wear resistance but took a month to fully cure. Whatever you use, prep is the most important. Use something like acetone to prep it and blast the metal with aluminum oxide. Forgot the grit, maybe 180? Dont use sand, its way too aggressive. Harbor freight sells cheap blasters as long as you have an air compressor.
     

    Hoons

    Active Member
    May 15, 2019
    151
    Instead of digital caliper, a micrometer would be more accurate. Try to shoot for .0005-.001" like OP said.

    Knurling is one option if your journal is too small

    Are you building 5.45 or 5.56?
     

    hchon3

    Active Member
    Aug 8, 2017
    133
    I haven't run into the parts being oversized yet, just undersized when compared to the barrel journals. For example the front sight block measured at .570 and the barrel measured at .575, and for that I just sanded both the fsb and barrel to get it to where it was only a .004 diffrence. In your opinion is that still to big?
    As far as prepping/blasting goes I have a few concern. I used some permatex antiseize to lube up the parts as I pressed them on. I know if i dont get rid of all of that it will mess up the park solution. How can I get all the antiseize off without pressing off all the parts? I know you recommend aluminum oxide but will black diamond medium grit coal slag work and if not where can I find aluminium oxide locally?
     

    hchon3

    Active Member
    Aug 8, 2017
    133
    I am building a two 5.45's. I got the parts pressed in on one of them and the second kit I still have to demil. I still have to drill the pin hole which I am nervous about. Any advice?
     

    hchon3

    Active Member
    Aug 8, 2017
    133
    I have all the right size flat end mills, but I am nervous because I am using a cheap $80 drill press.
     

    Longeze60

    Member
    Jun 8, 2020
    9
    MA.
    I just finished building a Bulgarian AK-74 and I built a Romanian AK-74 also for question one if you purchased a part kit from one of the part kit suppliers you should be good all of the components will fit a new barrel. I take it you are not a AK builder, the front trunnion , sight block, gas block, and front sight block will have a number 1, 2 on it meaning it is 1st. or 2nd. sized over. If it has no number it is nominal size and a standard barrel will work. if it is oversized you have to get a oversized barrel to fit because you do not have machining tools. To correct the aft sight block being over sized pot the sight block in the position that it needs to be, mark the area where the sight block is covering the barrel. Remove the sight block and take a pin punch and hammer and make pin punch mark around the area the sight block with set this is called knurling. The pin punches on the barrel raises the metal making a snug fit, the sight is pinned anyway so it does not have to fit very tightly. You can use a vernier caliper to measure the barrel components and journals. You don't need a expensive caliper a cheap Harbor Freight $18 caliper works just fine. If you need parts AKbuilder.com is great they ship as soon as you order and I use Recreater Blanks.com for all my receivers they do an outstanding job.
     

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