AK Build Update #3

Finally some parts for my AK build have arrived! Pictured you see the hand grip, the forearm and the receiver blank. I also received the folding stock, but unfortunately that will have to go back to the vendor because they sent me a green one instead of a black one to match the other parts they sent. All of these parts were ordered from Cope's Distributing. The prices for these items were excellent, but the customer service left quite a bit to be desired. The company was not very responsive to inquiries. They immediately charged my credit card, but shipping did not occur until a week later. Then there's the issue of the mismatched stock. Every review I'd read about Cope's sang their praises. So perhaps my experience is the exception to the rule. I will say that the quality of the items is exactly what I had expected. The receiver flat holes are excellently fitted. The trigger guard and hand grip holes are precisely aligned and the magazine well opening is a beautiful fit. The furniture is standard Tapco furniture just like I'd handled a million times before at gun shops and shows. I intend to contact Cope's by telephone tomorrow and we'll see whether they do right by me or not in regards to the green stock. Future orders on my part from Cope's certainly depends on how they act toward making their error right. So stay tuned here for updates!

We're moving into the weekend here so I'll have a few projects to work on. First off I just found out that there is a metal scrap yard just around the corner from where I work that I was unaware of. I'll be heading that way to secure some metal to fabricate a bending jig. I was just lamenting missing my friendly scrap yard from Montana. So needless to say, I was glad to find one in such a handy location.

So here's my plans for folding the receiver. To begin with, I'll toss the receiver into my bending brake to fold the top edges of the receiver over. Then I'll fabricate a bending jig to fold the bottom corners.

Here's what I'm thinking for the folding jig. There will be two substantial steel slabs both milled to a nominal 1.25 inches width to match the width of the trunnions. These will be longer than the AK blank so that two large, long bolts can be passed through the ends. I will mill out indentations in the side of the top bar to accommodate the magazine well dimples. An additional milled area will be made on the bottom of this slab to provide clearance for the dimple on the receiver in front of the magazine well. Then I will fabricate a hefty box with interior dimensions large enough allow the passage of the upper two slabs and the sides of the receiver. Two plates will be welded to the bottom of the box. These will be drilled to allow the large bolts from the upper portion of the jig pass though. The blank will be aligned and secured between the two upper slabs. the bolts will be passed through the plates welded onto the box portion and then nuts will be twisted on. I will slowly tighten each of these nuts to pull the two upper slabs and the captured blank down into the box section thereby folding the bottom of the blank.