rob-cubed

The ATF study was THE driver of $1K asking prices and the main reason they are still $600+ pretty much everywhere. In the short term, demand is up and the Red Jacket show is helping sustain it. Imports will dry up like they always do in a couple of months and prices will creep back up into the $700+ range. The Russians know these are hot items and have raised their asking cost, plus the dollar continues to be devalued. Both of which mean a slow and steady increase in price over the long term. They will never be cheap like they used to be, but are still a good value for what you get.

Dude, that sucks. Sounds like the postmaster isn't very gun friendly. My FFL is open odd hours (part-time job) and we have a 7-day state "cooling off period" on anything fun, so I feel your pain. When I internet order it's usually 2 weeks plus shipping time before I can get it to the range...

I like mine, it fits tight with no wiggle whatsoever and no fitting was needed. I haven't run the gun real hot since installing it, but like most of K-VARs line it is well made and should hold up to heat.

If all you need is a new receiver and you have the skills and equipment, it can definitely be done from scratch. And yes it's satisfying to roll your own! The main issue with home-built receivers IMO is the lack of proper heat treating. The spot-treated axis holes holes hold up fine and the rails do add a good deal of stiffness. I haven't had more than maybe 2K rounds through my first receiver build, I have no reason to believe it will fail anytime soon but it's always bothered me that the receiver is still "soft".

There are so many things different about the 12 that you'd have a hard time replicating the receiver it without making it from scratch. Rails are different, receiver is heavier, magwell is different as well as the position of certain rivets. The center support and magwell latch are unique, not like an AK, so hopefully that's included in the kit.

Any buttstocks left for $40 each? Thanks for the PM, I'll take the remaining one please.

If you have your heart set on a wire stock, the 5.45 will be more comfortable to shoot. I have been shooting a lot of 5.45, it's dirt cheap and has a slight edge in accuracy partly due to the ballistics and partly to the thicker barrel walls. Very easy to keep on target too. They will take down small game just fine, guys hunt with 5.56 and this is a similar round but it tumbles rather than fragments. The heavier 7.62 round definitely as a lot of punch isn't always the better performer depending on intended task.

Not to beat a dead horse, because you or he seems dedicated to just repairing the current FCG--but the benefits of doing a conversion extend beyond the longevity of parts. The trigger pull will be much nicer with a real FCG and pistol grip in place, and the balance is improved. The stock rifle's transfer bar to the hammer makes the pull much heavier and it breaks poorly. My practical accuracy is definitely better with the proper FCG in place, plus even the cheapest Tapco parts here will last a long time. I have a sneaking suspicion you will be replacing that transfer bar again, sooner or l

Sandblasting is the way to go and it won't take much to get the paint off. Though frankly just paint stripper or denat alcohol will remove the paint pretty effectively as well. I would strongly recommend parkerizing and then painting, the park is a great base.

He is "Colonel" Sanders after all. Not surprised he had a secret military career. Wait, I wonder if aliens taste JUST LIKE CHICKEN?!!? FFFUUUU....

Bulgarian kits are generally very good, however: - You are buying a milled kit. A milled receiver will be much more expensive than stamped (just sayin' in case you weren't aware). Also this kit has definitely seen some use, it will build up into a shooter but newer or demilled arsenal kits will be in better condition. - The mags it comes with are crap, they work but are basically Tapco grade. Not mil-spec. All plastic. - The reason the disclaimer on furniture and accessories is there is that these parts will be a mix of whatever. Sometimes the furniture matches, sometimes it doesn't. All th

A few states do have their own rules restricting folding stocks, but this is in addition to any Federal rules. As Beefcake said you are good to go living in PA, folder or no folder doesn't affect compliance.

Mike D claims that his new AK74 mags will have the steel reinforcement, and that the mags will be priced reasonable. My trigger fingers are both crossed! I am saving my pennies for an affordable quad stack just like the rest of us Why compete with a flood of surplus double-stacks if you can come out with something for which there is ample demand but no supplier outside of very expensive Russian samples? I can see Mike's investment eventually bleeding over into a domestic 30-rounder eventually but figure this is a ways out after the quads.

From my limited understanding of the production process, duplicating a fully reinforced poly mag would put a domestic version well out of the range of reason in terms of cost. Foreign governments subsidized their arms industry and didn't need to worry about profitability when investing in new equipment and dies/molds. I'm happy we get to benefit from "cheap" surplus military grade magazines and figure I can easily and swap out two parts if I need the compliance.

Yep, find a willing FFL with decent prices first. They'll need to provide a copy of their license to the seller before the gun ships. I just have an electronic copy of my guy's license and let him know whenever a new one is on the way--but we're got a pretty good relationship. As mentioned, each FFL has their own idea of what level of service they want to provide and at what cost. Some don't want to be bothered with transfers at all.

Kick ass, awesome link. I love the Paki gun market... even if half of their stuff looks questionable to shoot you gotta give them props for trying something new.

Yes, rarity. They get snuck in the country from time to time but are not common.

While a chrome-lined bore may resist corrosive ammo for a while, deposits will also end up in your gas block and tube, brake, and front part of the receiver around the bore. Not all the areas are chrome lined and in a humid area they will flash rust pretty quickly. The best advice has already been given; use very hot water (so it evaporates faster) with or without a little soap as a surfactant. Or add some Ballistol/water mix, which also acts as a surfactant and will leave a thin coating of oil after the water evaporates. Blow it out or clean immediately. Don't leave moisture of any s

Good old carb cleaner from your local automotive shop will do the trick as well as any gun-related product. Man you have some buildup in there. Looks like you have a pretty big nick on the inside of the brake, but unless the barrel was threaded poorly the bullet is already off-course by the time it hits the brake. Make sure you clean up the muzzle really good. Sucks that you can't remove the brake to clean properly and test shoot... is it blind pinned or welded on? After you get the brake clean, if there is bare metal hit it with a black Sharpie. If the bullet is still nicking the brak

Get a dedicated cleaner, I swear by WipeOut. CLP is better as a wipe-down IMO, has great rust protection qualities but isn't as good as a solvent. Tipton/Dewey rods are great. You can skip the bore guide unless you really feel the need. Just get the right size patch for your caliber. I hardly ever use a brush, a jag plus a patch will get anything out.

Several smiths have warned that Grandad's WD-40 cleaning regimen will build up into an awful lacquer but this is the first time I've heard CLP will do the same. Which is a shame, it's always done me good as a rust inhibitor and "bore treatment" before storage. But it makes complete sense that Teflon will not shoot out like oil and can be baked into the barrel. Never again. OP, before you give up hope I'd continue to shoot her a bit more. If the difference in accuracy went from great to keyhole city overnight, and buildup on the bore is the issue, then we're talking about just a tiny fracti

Man, that sucks. I gotta say I'm kind of stumped if all you did was switch out receiver components. Stupid question--but are you sure it wasn't keyholing to begin with? Are you shooting at the same distances you were before? One thing about those small light rounds is they sometimes take a short distance to stabilize fully. If the barrel or the ammo is a bit out of spec it might show up at short distances but chances are at 100 yards you won't see keyholing anymore. Also, re-reading your first description it doesn't sound like all of your rounds keyholed, just a couple, which is promising.

I would use a shepherd's crook rather than the cotter pins, not because they are prone to failure but just because. All it takes is a bit of wire to keep them from backing out. Everything else is drag and drop. The G2 has a unique sleeve that makes installation easy as a unit. Usually you will need to add the disco spring, it's unclear if yours already has one installed? Whether you re-install the BHO depends on whether the hammer has had the right side ground down for clearance. If it does, add it back in. The hardest part is re-installing the BHO spring, run a piece of dental floss u

I've visited the islands a couple times (wife is Filipino). Official gun laws over there are definitely pretty strict but people seem to find a way to own whatever they want anyway. It's definitely a gun culture, maybe even more than the US. I have yet to go to one of the black markets but hear they are amazing. We probably will be retiring there, for the reasons you stated. The dollar goes a lot further, and it's warm and beautiful most of the year. It'll kill me to have to liquidate my collection and start over but... that's the price of paradise!

Nicks to the crown or flaking chrome... anything that looks out of the ordinary and would potentially cause the bullet's path to deviate. Do you have a brake on it? That would be most likely to cause keyholing if the bullet is nicking it on the way out. I don't see how anything you may have done to the FCG or guide rod would affect the bullet's path.