a yugo version called the M53 is the parts kit im goin to use,(its the same gun made in a yugoslavian factory) it has very little wear on the top cover and no visible marks on the bolt. this is a serial # matching kit to boot!! pretty rare to get one of those now days!
the only part that didnt serial number was the barrel. no surprise here, as good of shape as this kits in someone grabbed that baby quick and replaced it with a barrel that looks new on the outside and is not worth a (Try a different word.) on the inside.. so i'll be getting another barrel. minor set back, since everything else is serialed and in excellent shape.
only other part with any trouble is the rear stock... has a chip out of it, but since its a number match im gonna use it and just strip it down and refinish it. if it hadnt been a serial match would have bought a replacement one.
this is what you start out with:
next is to decide how much work your going to do yourself. this sounds easy to say: hell im gonna do it all myself.
not the case!! many of these builds require a machine shop or a machinist to do the conversions to keep the goberment happy. the average guy just cant whip this (Try a different word.) out.
on some builds i do my own machine work in the garage, on others i get help from some of the best guys in the biz!! trust me on this one folks these guys are some of the most skilled machinists out there who like to stay in the shadows and share their knowledge. most people who can do this work are out to skin you alive.
im very very lucky to have guys like Pirate,John Mcguire,Sherman,Musibike, Jestism,Tommerr and Dan diesel to give me real technical advice and machine work.
each man has his own special weapons skill. ive worked from all of these guys on various builds.
without them and a host of other people id still be trying to get my first ak47 together. im forever thankful for their help and proud to say they are people ive associated with.
this build is a Pirate machined fire control group and bolt conversion as he is one of the most trusted and precise guys in the country on this type of gun.
here is a picture of his grip and bolt conversions:
Pirate converts the bolt over to meet the regulations for a fee that is very reasonable. he can do several stages for the various skills you may have. since this is a very very expensive gun i had him go all out on the bolt and FCG for me.
the fire control group is made up of FAL parts (the Israeli combat gun) and he reworks the bolt with his own special set up.
(im not gonna go into anymore details and give away Pirates hard work.. he has a lot of time and money tied up in this and needs to get his parts sold.)
then you need this part from WLA:
after that its pretty much paint by numbers if you follow Pirates tutorials at:
http://www.projectguns.com/mg42.html
after some basic welding, grinding, cutting & a hole lot of cursing.... you wind up with this:
a rather nice table topper!! (and a pissed off wife)
i chose to use the classic blued look instead of one of the fancy blue jobs and i dont have the park set up or place to do it....
its the same instant bluing that ive had great luck with on all of my "military looking" guns.. looks old and a bit worn as soon as its done, and thats the way it should look!! it IS old.
is it as good as brand new factory blue? probably not. but its good enough for me.
lots of comments on instant bluing out there.... its just like anything else, you learn what works for you and stick with it. ive not found anything we build that doesnt "take" to this type of application. ive got a mini tutorial on this already posted.
__________________
---bil
SUPER Job! to say its easy to complete one of these is relative to ones experience. Nice to see it can be done. I take a step back at every weld, email the ever helpful Pirate and inch closer. The machine shop guys look at me with puzzled looks as I explain the next cut/weld I need. What was the cold blue you used I missed that?
