Docv400 Posted October 1, 2010 Report Share Posted October 1, 2010 Decided a while ago that I fancied an RPK for my Cold War load-out/kit (for Gunman/GASS events). After getting a lovely CA AK from my local site manager, I decided to use my little AK Beta as the basis for a conversion. I got this in a trade years ago, it's mostly Marui, with an Element (I think) metal receiver, and various other bit and pieces. I've used it as a sort of 'test-bed' for trying things out, like my hop unit tracer mod, and the trigger contact mod using a PCB 'tactile' microswitch. Anyway, first thing to do was make the receiver a bit more RPK-like. I've added a couple of 'reinforcing plates', and a handful of rivets, and filled the milled recesses at the front... It's not perfect, but with a bit more tweaking, and some 'wear and tear' I think it will be close enough. Next was the stock. A couple of bits of 18mm ply, with the internal recesses milled out, then glued together... Some of you will notice that the proportions are a bit out, the rear section should be a bit longer, with a shorter 'neck'. I'll probably make another one, as I want to put a sling mount on it, and the area it goes in is too thin on this one, as I machined out a bit too much at the bottom. I cut down the original stock tangs, and machined the front of the stock (before gluing the two halves together) to mate up with it. There's an Alloy plate embedded in the top at the front, with a threaded hole in it, and a 6mm screw goes up through the neck from the remaining lower stock tang. I made the butt-plate from 4mm Alloy plate. It's held in place by a thin 'bungee' cord attached to the inside of the stock, it has two plastic 'bullets' fixed to the inner side, which locate in holes in the back face of the stock, which keep it aligned. I lined the plate with thin foam... Next installment, the barrel... Link to post Share on other sites
Murdoc Posted October 1, 2010 Report Share Posted October 1, 2010 Is shaping well... Theocratically did RPK ever exist with milled receiver(in military service, not at US home builders)??? Link to post Share on other sites
Docv400 Posted October 1, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2010 Not sure. There are so many small variations from what I've found searching for pictures. Link to post Share on other sites
Schultz98 Posted October 1, 2010 Report Share Posted October 1, 2010 so far lookin pretty good for a custom RPK Link to post Share on other sites
Docv400 Posted October 1, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2010 Thank you. Barrel... I picked up an Inokatsu/Guarder AK74 barrel, front sight and gas block a while ago. Obviously the barrel was way too short, so I extended it with a section at the front, and another just forward of the receiver... This is the rear extension section, just a piece of Alloy bar machined to press-fit to the cut and machined sections of the barrel. The front section is done in a similar way, but just fits to the end of the barrel instead of being an insert piece. The barrel also wouldn't simply slot into the original Marui receiver block, so I machined up a block to fit in the front of the receiver to accept the barrel mounting... I drilled three new mounting holes to secure the block in the receiver base, and filled the original two forward ones. The front gas block and pipe is a part from another AK, came with a pile of parts in a trade. The '74 gas block is wrong for the RPK. I also had to make a cleaning/unjamming rod support ring... I chopped the rear gas/sight block off the old Marui block, and strengthened it with thin Alloy sheets and epoxy, then fixed it to the barrel with a 4mm screw through the front. I'll probably add another at the rear, into the mounting block, although it's pretty solid at the moment, supported as it is by the receiver. Next, I machined a piece of brass rod and an Alloy piece, to add to the AK rear sight, to replicate the RPK rear sight's windage adjustment fitting... Next, Doc gets more wood... Link to post Share on other sites
counterassasin Posted October 1, 2010 Report Share Posted October 1, 2010 Impressive work so far, kudos for even making the specific RPK-style rear sight Link to post Share on other sites
Docv400 Posted October 1, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2010 Thanks.I'm trying to get it as close as possible, looks-wise. Some parts will have to be a bit of a compromise, for financial or practical reasons. Link to post Share on other sites
heavri Posted October 1, 2010 Report Share Posted October 1, 2010 Now this is real project! Love your Monty Python thing BTW. Link to post Share on other sites
Docv400 Posted October 1, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2010 Now this is real project!... There are lots of good projects on here at the moment though Link to post Share on other sites
Horsem4n Posted October 1, 2010 Report Share Posted October 1, 2010 damn you and your access to machines! does anyone else find it funny that he is building the longest form of the AK out of the shortest form? Link to post Share on other sites
renegadecow Posted October 2, 2010 Report Share Posted October 2, 2010 ^ Not really, with Doc it comes to no surprise. The task would be no easier for him if the AK was made of those spongy dinosaur bits that grow ten times in size after a good soaking. Although I did used to think anything to do with a mill is short of "god mode", but now I come to realize the task is made just as hard from the skill required to operate such machinery. Link to post Share on other sites
Docv400 Posted October 2, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2010 ... if the AK was made of those spongy dinosaur bits that grow ten times in size after a good soaking... Your mind is a strange scary place RC And it's not quite the shortest, I used to have one with no stock on it at all Link to post Share on other sites
heavri Posted October 2, 2010 Report Share Posted October 2, 2010 There are lots of good projects on here at the moment though Renegade finished his project and we have no info about the bolt action grenade rifle so no. Link to post Share on other sites
Docv400 Posted October 2, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2010 OK then, here's another little 'fix' for you On to the handguards... Lower one is straightforward enough, just cut two pieces of the same ply the stock's made from, then glue together, machine out the inner for barrel space, and do the final shaping... The upper was a bit more involved. I bought four sheets of 1.8mm Marine Ply (300mm x 165mm, eBay, £4.45 delivered), and cut out four pieces a bit larger than needed. I steamed them by putting a baking tray on the hob with a grill on top, ply on the grill, then another tray over the top. Approx 7-8 minutes of steaming, and they were flexible enough to fold into the simple former I'd made. It's just a piece of 18mm thick wooden board, with a couple of lengths of 3" x 2" wood screwed to it. Once the four pieces were in the former, it was left to dry out... Next, they needed to be glued up. I used ordinary wood glue (external type), just smeared onto each ply by finger. Once they were all glued and in position in the former, I used a length of rectangular Alloy bar to clamp them in place. This squeezed out any excess glue, and also forced the plies into the correct radius for the top of the hand-guard... Again, it was left to dry out. I don't know if it was because the glue I used was a bit old, or the ply wasn't fully dry, but when I took it out of the former (the next day), it hadn't fully gone off. I put it back in the former, and put the whole thing in the oven (70°C, 20 minutes), then left it for another few hours. That did the trick. Now when I removed it from the former it was solid. I could lay it on the floor, on it's side, and stand on it. I'm around 77kg, and the sides only flexed a couple of mm! Then it was trimmed to size, and the ends shaped for the retainers. I made a couple of pieces from the parts that were trimmed off, and glued them across the top on the inside, then epoxied the hexagonal bar (that I'd extended earlier) into it... I've used the lower forward retainer from my CA AK for now, if anyone has a spare they're selling... That's where I'm up to so far... I've ordered a length of square alloy bar for the bi-pod, so that's the next job... Link to post Share on other sites
renegadecow Posted October 2, 2010 Report Share Posted October 2, 2010 Now, steam forming the gas tube cover yourself is too much! Since you're into details, you might want to attack the handguard with a plainer for a bit. They're slightly tapered a few mm narrower to the front as evidenced by the photo link below; you can see the pattern of the plywood change. http://northridgeinc.com/productImages/resizedItemImages/_DSC00082__300.jpg Link to post Share on other sites
Docv400 Posted October 2, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2010 Again, there are so many different styles out there, you have to pick one and go for that. Admittedly, I do like the look when ply is shaped and the different plies form a pattern, so I might do a bit more on that one. I may even add a sheet of the 1.8mm to each side, as it's a little thin I think. Link to post Share on other sites
heavri Posted October 2, 2010 Report Share Posted October 2, 2010 Looks killer, good work. Link to post Share on other sites
DarkLite Posted October 2, 2010 Report Share Posted October 2, 2010 Hardcore forming on that grip! Link to post Share on other sites
Docv400 Posted October 2, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2010 Thanks I'd be interested to know how the real ones are made, I suspect there are a few different materials and methods used though, depending on model, maker, country of origin, etc. Link to post Share on other sites
Murdoc Posted October 2, 2010 Report Share Posted October 2, 2010 You're workin' fast... I would get a side foldable AK 'stamped' body... battery could stay in the stock with loose wire... I think still nobody made RPKS... Link to post Share on other sites
Schultz98 Posted October 2, 2010 Report Share Posted October 2, 2010 well the RPKS doesnt use the normal ak folding style receiver, it would't look right with a stock aks receiver Link to post Share on other sites
Murdoc Posted October 2, 2010 Report Share Posted October 2, 2010 Yes, but it's a minor difference... if he starts with steel body from RSOV+any kind of steel foldable stock... it can be welded and easily machined, than spiater(spiater can't be welded as I know). Link to post Share on other sites
Docv400 Posted October 3, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2010 I'm fine with a fixed stock thanks If I was going for a 'folder' it'd be the RPK74S... Link to post Share on other sites
renegadecow Posted October 3, 2010 Report Share Posted October 3, 2010 I'd be interested to know how the real ones are made, I suspect there are a few different materials and methods used though, depending on model, maker, country of origin, etc. There are solid ones and those made of formed plywood (the one you made, which is harder). As you've mentioned, just about everyone made these so it's near impossible to tell just where one part came from. Also, old guns are refurbished with newer manufactured parts later on so an old manufactured gun need not retain all it's parts to be authentic. Link to post Share on other sites
Docv400 Posted October 3, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2010 That's what's so nice about AKs/RPKs and all the other variants, there are just so many to start with. When you add 60+ years of hard use/abuse, damage, repairs and parts made in just about every little backstreet workshop or corner of the known world, you can't really go wrong Explain this to me though... Link to post Share on other sites
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