I'll pick up a 20 ton press tomorrow and a set of bolt-cutters to make a rivet tool from. Today, I made a jig for setting the trigger guard rivets. My receivers are now complete except for the trunion holes, but I think I can make a tape-on template from the trunions to drill them. I should have two trunioned receivers complete by the weekend. Should I blast them and parkerize them or just paint them? I also have little information about head-spacing them; is this done after pressing the barrels in? I think I will strip the wood and bleach it before finishing. I guess an AK isn't supposed to be a pretty weapon but then again, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.
To hit the trunnion holes use some band metal and punch one rivet sized hole in it then use and over sized punch to dimple the metal so it will rest in the trunnion hole like this do-dad: This is your build order: Rivet Trigger Guard Set Front Trunnion with a mag (slide in trunnion, and lock a mag in place and make reference marks) THEN install the barrel Grab top cover, Slide rear trunnion into rear of receiver and install top cover so that it locks nice and tight between the lip on the rear sight/gas block and the rear trunnion. If the rifle is all matching headspace should be good to go, if not, then yes it is checked after the barrel is installed before the barrel pin is set. This site has lots of pics: http://www.gunsgutsandgod.com/SBS tutorial.htm
Park them You can get your rear trunion holes by -flattening out the piece of the old reciever that has trunion holes in it. -Just clamp it to the new reciever and drill in the holes... -(Use the rear, top L shaped corner (directly below the now flattened 'ears' that held the trunion on) As your mark... As to head spacing.. This is done with the Barrel pin. Also there is that 'bump' in the front trunion ~ where the barrel will be fully inserted (On the side away from the ejection port) if there is a couple milimeter gap between this and the barrel... it is headspaced. That's how you can tell at a glance.
I got both barrels out tonight and the trigger guards mounted and riveted. I used my drill press table as a rivet template; I just had to widen the slot where the magazine release goes and drilled a set of dimples into the table for the rivet heads. One rear trunion was a breeze but I screwed the second one up, probably beyond repair. There is a gun show here this weekend so I can probably pick up another rear trunion; Maybe for an unfolder? Will that work? I should be ready to parkerize the rifles by the weekend, then I'll press the barrels in and put them together.
GOt both receivers ready for the parkerizing tank! I'll try to park them tomorrow night and press the barrels in Sunday. Should be test-firing by SUnday afternoon, unless I goof off at the gun show in Biloxi all day.
Yea; not to mention that there is also a show here in Mobile tomorrow too. Biloxi is only 40 miles from here so dealers will be split between them. Hey, I found an easy way to press the barrels back into the trunions; I put a piece of threaded rod through the barrel with a stack of washers to catch the trunion. Removed the muzzle brake and put a pair of washers and a nut on that end and just tightened the barrel right in, easy as you please.
im still trying to get me barrel out! i dont have a blasted press and i BROKE a vice trying the BFH method, its about half way out. any ideas?
I took several pennies and put them against the barrel then used a deep-well socket to drive the barrels out with a 3lbs. hammer. I just rested the barrel in between my vise jaws with the trunion lips resting on top of the jaws. Both barrels came right out that way with no trouble.
OH, ahh, what the sam hill? "screwing the barrel out" "drive the barrels out" All this time, I've been operating under the assumption the barrels are drive fits in the front trunnion. HELP!! Sort me out on this one, it's a Romy.
Phew!! At least all that beating and pulling didn't screw up any threads. Thanx for reassuring me. (I can see that getting it back in will be a thrill, lining it up to get the pin in --)
I got a piece of stainless 1/4" threaded rod and put through the barrel. I made a retainer out of a small piece of 1/4" plate, basically just a stop-washer with a pair of backing nuts. I removed the muzzle-brake and put a couple washers before the nut and just tightened down. Used a little case-lube and made sure the rivets were seated deep enough by brushing them with the Dremel tool before barreling. To get the barrels out, I put several pennies in the breech then took a 12mm deep-well socket and a 3lbs. hammer. I just laid the barrel in a vise with some cardboard shims and let the trunion jaws meet solid metal. Both my barrels came out pretty easy that way. BTW, I made a rivet tool out of a pair of cheap bolt cutters that works pretty good but you need three hands...LOL. I also talked to another builder that heats his rivets cherry red and uses the barrel as a bucking plate so he's all done in one fell swoop (he uses his vise to press the trunion onto the barrel). I screwed up getting the rivets out on one of my rear trunions. I finally gave up and welded it into place;now I wish I had welded the whole damned rifle.
I'm thinking seriously about doing a screw build to start, figuring I can always replace the screws with rivets later if it doesn't work well enough. Welding the screws could also be done easily, comes push to shove. Since I have neither the means nor methods here, it's going to wait until after the move when I can set up a bench. This business of working with a vise on my knees has just stopped.
Yeah the 'screw' it out was apparently with the flywheel puller shown in his post where it would grab the turron and by screwing the rod in (toward the barrel, probably with some pennies to cushion it) and it drives the barrel out with the torx on the puller rather than haveing to drive it. Basicly the same principal as the way Seacowboys put them in just reversed.
Just hit my first problem; the US made compliant fire-control parts (trigger) is too short to reach the safety by a hair. I don't know if I can bend the safety forward a little or not; looks pretty brittle. I put the first one together and have been cycling the action to loosen it up for the past hour. The original trigger is long enough for the safety to engage it properly. Hey Mag, you wanna show me where that third hole goes?
Sorry for the confusion, I meant screwing or turning the bolt/screw in the puller which in turn would pull the barrel out.
I enjoyed that build so much that I just bought 10 receiver flats, a bending jig, a shop press, 10 rivet sets, five Romy kits, and a Yugo under-folder.
