AK parts kits gone for good?

[utahjeepr]

I know, it's an AR forum, but we cross pollinate. AK parts kits have been all over the map in the last 10 years. I know with eastern Europe worries about Russian ambition and various M.E. and African spiciness complete weapons are up in price. Not to mention stocks of surplus AKs are being depleted. I worry that reasonably priced kits are not coming back. Yes, many Chicken Littles have been wrong about this before. I don't know. Cugir was putting out decent new production PM90 kits last year at a fair price point. There are new production kits out of Croatia now, but they are $500 and I hear they are junk.

I'm wondering if it's a day that has passed,

[SteyrAUG]

Made in the "good old days of communism" parts and guns that can be broken down into parts are pretty much gone. The barrel ban was the final nail in the AK "golden age" of cheap rifles and parts kits.

It's now to the point where you can buy a SLR cheaper than you can roll your own, assuming SLRs were actually in stock.

[Bret]

I have a pretty large stash of AK parts kits that I bought when they were inexpensive. Now the market value of some is beyond where I think it makes sense. I sold a Bulgarian AK74 kit several months ago for over $1,000. I had no intention on ever selling it, but when I can sell a kit and buy a perfectly functioning high quality rifle to replace it and I already have several AK74's, it's a no brainer. A few weeks ago I sold another for $1,800 that included a numbers matching receiver. Same situation. I wasn't looking to sell, but someone posted a want to buy. The selling price was below what they've been going for on GunBroker, plus no wait for the receiver. I used that money to buy a Kalasknikov USA KR-9 SBR. To answer your question, I do think that most of the parts kits are gone for good. That's why the market price has gone up so much on them.

[Circle_10]

Even during my first go-round as an AK fan in the early 2000s I didn’t really get into buying parts kits. I remember home builds were popular too back then, and there was no way I was going to try my hand at that.
But maybe around 2007 or 2008, I did buy one on a whim out of Sportsman’s Guide, a Romanian “G” kit (including the original barrel) but never did anything with it, by this point I was starting to get out of AKs in favor of ARs.
As I got back into AKs over the last six months or so I started thinking about getting the kit built into a complete rifle. Where I also have a spare “100 series” style polymer stock (albeit a 4.5mm one) I decided to order a “Khyber pass” style receiver. I figure at some point here I’ll get the rear trunnion parts and hopefully find someone competent to put the whole thing together. I’m thinking I want a shortened 14”ish gun with a pinned muzzle device and a combo gas block/FSB.

I debated selling the G kit at one point too but I wasn’t sure how much I’d actually get for it, and I also have a complete Vector Arms underfolder AK I’m probably going to try a unload when I think the market is right. I like fixed stock AKs, I like sidefolders, but I don’t really like underfolders for much other than the badass aesthetic.

[utahjeepr]

You can easily get 850 or so out of that Romy G right now. Maybe more. That doesn't include the extra stock or the reciever.

I hear you on underfolders. Can you imagine having to go to war with one of those? AKs are through the roof right now so no better time to sell them. I sold an IO AK for a grand. I told people to google them in my add cause I didn't want any boobing later. Sold in a day. At least mine was the older built in US with new Polish parts version but still.

I almost bought a dozen of those new PM90 kits with barrels at 325 ea. I could have held them for a year and made a grand on each one.

We will see. New production quality kits like the Cugirs at a good price point would be awesome and sustainable unless Joe Shitzizpantz gets his way.

[Bret]

Where I also have a spare “100 series” style polymer stock (albeit a 4.5mm one) I decided to order a “Khyber pass” style receiver. I figure at some point here I’ll get the rear trunnion parts and hopefully find someone competent to put the whole thing together. I’m thinking I want a shortened 14”ish gun with a pinned muzzle device and a combo gas block/FSB.

Like this?

Before: US receiver, US trigger group, US buttstock, US handguards, US pistol grip, Bulgarian barrel assembly, Hungarian bolt, Hungarian bolt carrier, Yugo front trunnion, Bulgarian rear side folding assembly.


After:

[Circle_10]

Like this?

Before: US receiver, US trigger group, US buttstock, US handguards, US pistol grip, Bulgarian barrel assembly, Hungarian bolt, Hungarian bolt carrier, Yugo front trunnion, Bulgarian rear side folding assembly.


After:

Nice. Yeah pretty much, just with an ultimak and side rail, and probably a US Palm grip.

Did you do your own build or did you send it to someone?

[Bret]

I trust myself to build kits that come with their original barrels. If a build involves drilling through a new barrel and trunnion to set the headspace, then I'll send it to an expert. This one was done by Two Rivers Arms. Here's an interesting note. The Bulgarian barrel was designed for a milled receiver. Its rear sight block is too wide to fit between the ears of a standard AKM front trunnion. However, a Yugo M92 front trunnion has ears the same distance apart as those found on milled receivers. Hence, I had to find and go with the M92 front trunnion. Also, I had the serial number custom matched to the one that was already on the bolt and carrier, so everything appears that it was supposed to go together from the start. It obviously don't make a functional difference, but I think that serial numbers that all match take a build to the next level.

[Circle_10]

I trust myself to build kits that come with their original barrels. If a build involves drilling through a new barrel and trunnion to set the headspace, then I'll send it to an expert. This one was done by Two Rivers Arms. Here's an interesting note. The Bulgarian barrel was designed for a milled receiver. Its rear sight block is too wide to fit between the ears of a standard AKM front trunnion. However, a Yugo M92 front trunnion has ears the same distance apart as those found on milled receivers. Hence, I had to find and go with the M92 front trunnion. Also, I had the serial number custom matched to the one that was already on the bolt and carrier, so everything appears that it was supposed to go together from the start. It obviously don't make a functional difference, but I think that serial numbers that all match take a build to the next level.

That’s interesting. Once Vector Arms got over their brief rocky start building AKs they were well known for using very nice Polish kits in their builds. Eventually they started running out of these though and the Vector underfolder that I have is one of their later “parts bin” builds with components from like four different countries. It’s a stamped gun but the whole barrel assembly is from a milled AK, Russian, based on the barrel proof marks, from what I was told on AK Forum years ago.
Plus a Romanian front trunnion, Yugo folding stock, US receiver (obviously) and I forget what else....

[SteyrAUG]

That’s interesting. Once Vector Arms got over their brief rocky start building AKs they were well known for using very nice Polish kits in their builds. Eventually they started running out of these though and the Vector underfolder that I have is one of their later “parts bin” builds with components from like four different countries. It’s a stamped gun but the whole barrel assembly is from a milled AK, Russian, based on the barrel proof marks, from what I was told on AK Forum years ago.
Plus a Romanian front trunnion, Yugo folding stock, US receiver (obviously) and I forget what else....

I had a couple Vectors way back when, don't remember what the problems were with them, but I don't own them anymore. I think only the Ohio Ordnance AKs were worse, assuming we don't count all the JoeKen garbage that existed. Once Nodaks started making receivers, there was no reason to go with anything else.