red308 54 Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 I bought a maadi kit from atlantic a couple weeks ago and finished it last friday. this was my first attempt at a kit build and i didnt have much in the way of tools.I meant to take pictures of riveting but when i got to that i didnt stop until i was finished with the whole rifle.the hardest part for me was drilling all the holes in the blank and welding in the rails.everything was done with hand tools.someone will call me on my mistake i'm sure 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bulldog_shotgun 47 Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 what flat did you use? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
red308 54 Posted October 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 I used a 80% polish blank Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mancat 2,368 Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 Did you heat treat the rails and pin holes? What tools did you use to press the barrel? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
red308 54 Posted October 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 (edited) I heat treated the entire receiver,rails,pin holes and I used a dead blow hammer to install the barrel.I know allot of people will be against this method but it worked great I just used a spare barrel nut to protect the barrel and threads and started with a rubber mallet and once that quit making progress i switched to a dead blow and everything worked out fine.I took it out Saturday and put 140 rounds through it and it performed flawlessly. Edited October 9, 2012 by red308 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DrThunder88 912 Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 Nice! I've got to get to work on my Maadi kit. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gunfun 3,931 Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 That looks alright on the gun. It must be pretty satisfying to know you made a gun almost from scratch. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dayofruin 425 Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 Great job! Did you use a press for any of it? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
red308 54 Posted October 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 all i used was hand drill,torch,hammers,modified bolt cutters,hand file,dremal,sand paper,high temp engine paint. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Agent Lemon 157 Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 how did you heat treat the whole thing? torch? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
red308 54 Posted October 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 I used a torch and heated the receiver in sections till it was cherry red then I dipped it in oil i did that whole process twice.I don't know how well that treated it but that's all i had access to. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sim_Player 1,939 Posted October 21, 2012 Report Share Posted October 21, 2012 (edited) No one called ya out, so I won't either. That's a nice looking kit. Does that particular stock just bolt onto the rear tang? After converting two Saigas, I'm looking at a bunch of Bulgarian 5.45 parts in a box, a Polish 80% receiver, a two ton hydraulic jack (Walmart), a pair of 24" bolt-cutters (also Walmart) and a hand-drill. I should be able to fab a simple spot welder from parts of an old microwave oven (YouTube) and also fab a $50 hydraulic press using 1" all-thread and angle-iron (YouTube). A hammer and mallet are Option #2. How did the riveting go? Did you heat the rivets. I've heard that they smash pretty easy when red hot. I don't have a shop or even a garage, just a good vise, a good size kitchen to work in, and an understanding wife . Making it all come together should be satisfying (Hmm, I wonder if I should build the 7.62 receiver that I accidentally ordered... ;P Did you headspace it or just cross your fingers? Inspect it carefully after each outting. Nice gun! Good job! Edited October 21, 2012 by Sim_Player Quote Link to post Share on other sites
red308 54 Posted October 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2012 (edited) the head-spacing was done with three different brands of ammo and just tapped the barrel and kept checking it turned out fine.I did not heat the rivets just cold pressed them with a pair of modified bolt cutters they smashed easy.the stock attaches just like a wood stock does. Edited October 25, 2012 by red308 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
saltydecimator 482 Posted September 1, 2013 Report Share Posted September 1, 2013 old thread but some kits are poppin up again, what was the original kit price? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
red308 54 Posted September 7, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2013 219$ i believe from atlantic Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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