ak74 pistol

[villabroza]

so the end is nigh with these stupid gun bans (sign the referenda please) and I am looking to get one last thing before the end of the year. The title says it all I want to build an ak74 pistol or buy one, but no luck can be had. So how would i go about this?

[beanz2]

Going to be hard to find in 5.45. Most companies refrained from making one to avoid the reclassification of the milsurp 7n6 into "armor penetrating handgun cartridge" which Obama's ATF ended up banning anyway. There was a handful made after 7n6 was banned, but with the short time period between 7n6 ban, the SSE1 ban in CA, not many ever made it to CA.

Homemade ones with proper engravings can be transferred if already stateside, but that's going to take some dilligent searching. I gave up on looking.

The only real option is to build one compliant with SSE2, but that's rife with legal concerns too regarding the semi-auto conversion part. Just look at the AR pistol threads.

Good luck in your quest. Hope you'll do better than me.

[Swagman00]

To continue from above, a build which has been known to use Sumoi magazines utilizes the 2XTM flat from AK-builder and a 9mm barrel in the AK platform. Getting the parts isn't too hard, but I had to really scrounge for the build plans. I'm certain I have them at home still and will try to reload them if needed.

[SandHill]

I have fantasized about a 5.45 pistol as well. With the new RAW legislation, it does seem like the window is closing in CA.

One path to a 5.45 pistol that I have wondered about is taking an AK pistol chambered in 5.56 and just rebarrelling it. Many of these were brought into CA under SSE so they are not that hard to find. I know rebarrelling an AK is a lot harder than an AR, but its not THAT hard.

A lot of the AK pistols in 5.56 used magwell adapters, sometimes made of plastic, that have been roundly criticized but should be easy to remove and restore the original configuration AK magwell.

Am I missing something? Would you need to do anything else to turn a AK 5.56 pistol into a 5.45 other than new barrel and magwell adaptation?

Once the pistol is registered as a RAW, you can still change calibers, right? So as long as you picked up 5.56 pistol prior to Dec. 31, you could always do a barrel swap later, right?

[villabroza]

So basically forget about it, cuz sourcing barrels and getting an ak pistol parts kit would take a long time. I wish I lived in a free state

[SandHill]

So basically forget about it, cuz sourcing barrels and getting an ak pistol parts kit would take a long time. I wish I lived in a free state

I was saying I think you could get an AK pistol in 5.56 prior to Dec. 31, and swap out the barrel either before or after Dec. 31, whenever you got around to it.

[villabroza]

I was saying I think you could get an AK pistol in 5.56 prior to Dec. 31, and swap out the barrel either before or after Dec. 31, whenever you got around to it.

Oh beans, I haven't thought of that, hhmmmm sounds like a great idea

[dvs762]

you could...BUT it has to have never been a semi auto as i understand it..I met a guy who made one with a virgin barrel with no gas port drilled...I think Atlantic had some like that as well..straight pull..

[SandHill]

you could...BUT it has to have never been a semi auto as i understand it..I met a guy who made one with a virgin barrel with no gas port drilled...I think Atlantic had some like that as well..straight pull..

No, there are a ton of AK 5.56 pistols already in CA and already legally in semi auto mode. Most came in during SSE. You can buy these in CA until Dec. 31 via PPT. Then you can do a caliber change either before Dec. 31 or after assuming you register it as an RAW.

Two caveats:

1. I am assuming caliber changes will be allowed on RAW's. This seems to be the consensus, but nobody really knows.

2. I have never tried a caliber change on a AK pistol and don't know it will work - I just don't see why it wouldn't. Changing barrels on an AK is not just tightening down a nut. I would think you would need to drill our the rivets in the front trunnion, probably need a new front trunnion because the journal size on the 5.45 barrel is likely to be different from the 5.56 barrel, then need to press the 5.45 barrel into the new front trunnion, then rivet the new front trunnion into the receiver.

[dvs762]

He said build..not buy.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

[SandHill]

He said build..not buy.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

Au contraire, he said "The title says it all I want to build an ak74 pistol or buy one...."

[beanz2]

I have fantasized about a 5.45 pistol as well.

Says the guy with 545 posts!!!

One path to a 5.45 pistol that I have wondered about is taking an AK pistol chambered in 5.56 and just rebarrelling it. Many of these were brought into CA under SSE so they are not that hard to find. I know rebarrelling an AK is a lot harder than an AR, but its not THAT hard.

A lot of the AK pistols in 5.56 used magwell adapters, sometimes made of plastic, that have been roundly criticized but should be easy to remove and restore the original configuration AK magwell.

Am I missing something? Would you need to do anything else to turn a AK 5.56 pistol into a 5.45 other than new barrel and magwell adaptation?

No sure about 5.56 AK pistols, but some 5.56 guns are dimensionally based on the 7.62 guns with wider magazine wells rather than 5.45 guns. I'm guessing one of the most commonly sold 5.56 pistols, the M85, is based on the 7.62 as Yugoslavian guns are mostly 7.62x39. But you can keep the 5.56 mags and magwells, just jam 5.45 rounds into P-mags.

Another option is to have a custom 5.45 barrel turned to fit the 5.56 front trunnion.

Good luck, guys!

[SandHill]

I have fantasized about a 5.45 pistol as well. With the new RAW legislation, it does seem like the window is closing in CA.

Says the guy with 545 posts!!!

I didn't even notice that! So now I have to never post again so my number of posts will always be 545. Hey........wait a minute....oh, well

Good point about 5.56 AK's on 7.62 receivers. I wonder if a 5.45 barrel swap would work on a 7.62 AK pistol? There are probably a lot more of them in CA already than 5.56 AK pistols. Not sure if it would work because the 7.62 bolt face is so much bigger.

Another alternative on the barrel would be to buy a Krink barrel online, from Green Mountian or someone, and have it pressed into a front tunnion by a specialized AK gunsmith out of state. Then when you get it, you only have to drill out the front trunnion on your AK pistol and rivet in the new one.

That will help keep the job more manageable as a DIY project. Remember, after Jan. 1, 2017 and registering your AK pistol as a RAW, if you have a gunsmith do the work you either need to stay with the firearm while the work is being done or find a RAW licensed gunsmith.

[beanz2]

I didn't even notice that! So now I have to never post again so my number of posts will always be 545. Hey........wait a minute....oh, well

It's easy, delete a few of your old posts and your post count drops

Good point about 5.56 AK's on 7.62 receivers. I wonder if a 5.45 barrel swap would work on a 7.62 AK pistol? There are probably a lot more of them in CA already than 5.56 AK pistols. Not sure if it would work because the 7.62 bolt face is so much bigger.

Not sure. This is clearly a case of:

That will help keep the job more manageable as a DIY project. Remember, after Jan. 1, 2017 and registering your AK pistol as a RAW, if you have a gunsmith do the work you either need to stay with the firearm while the work is being done or find a RAW licensed gunsmith.

I'm guessing that CA RAW regulations only applies within CA. If that is the case, you may be able to leave it at a non-CA gunsmith. The only tricky part is that it may not be shipped to and from a CA address because it may not leave your hands while in the state. So you may drive it over to Las Vegas, drop it off at Rifle Dynamics, then come back a few months later and pick it up in person. I'm hoping a legal eagle can chime in on this aspect.

[IVC]

Going to be hard to find in 5.45. Most companies refrained from making one to avoid the reclassification of the milsurp 7n6 into "armor penetrating handgun cartridge" which Obama's ATF ended up banning anyway. There was a handful made after 7n6 was banned, but with the short time period between 7n6 ban, the SSE1 ban in CA, not many ever made it to CA.

Homemade ones with proper engravings can be transferred if already stateside, but that's going to take some dilligent searching. I gave up on looking.

The only real option is to build one compliant with SSE2, but that's rife with legal concerns too regarding the semi-auto conversion part. Just look at the AR pistol threads.

Good luck in your quest. Hope you'll do better than me.

Great to see first response be right on the money with the historical nitty gritty of why it used to be "The first rule of AK-74 pistol is one doesn't talk about AK-74 pistol."

I would just add one missing part about SSE-2. Franklin Armory not only has an "SSE-2 compliant" AR pistol, but they intentionally put it on the roster so it's not even considered an SSE-2. The trick is that the magwell is solid so to make it into a semi-auto requires milling it. Their first attempt of creating bolt action with standard magwell resulted in DOJ telling them that it's a semi-auto anyway (even though it clearly wasn't).

If there is enough interest, the same mechanism can be used to create a 5.45 version. The only problem is that past 2017 and absent registration conversion to semi-auto will be considered an AW manufacture, so the time is running out.