AMD-65 Build Diary

[cal_warrior]

I'm a newbie AK builder. A guy at work has an AK mug that started a conversation about building AK's and I had to build one, at least one. So far I've done very little and am ready to push out the barrel pin, etc. Been reading and watching as many videos as possible about how to build one.

Purchased a "complete" AMD-65 kit with the following:
- wood grips (nice)
- cut barrel with halves still mounted with original parts
- new US made barrel; no kerfs for locating parts
- Tapco muzzle extender
- Tapco flat receiver plate
- Tapco dual hook G2 trigger group

Plans to complete the gun:
- fold my own receiver from an AK-Builder flat
- buy, borrow, make tools as I can manage, or buy the more pricey ones to ease the pain and sell them later (or not)

What I've done so far:
- de-miled receiver pieces from front and rear trunnions (easy)
- removed trigger guard (easy)
- punched pins out of gas block and front sight (not too bad)

Next:
- remove barrel pin; we have a big shop press at wort that I can use, but I need to figure out the tooling for pushing the pin out. Press has a 2" shaft on it. Thought I'd try a dowel pin somehow stabilized in the shaft (thinking)
- press out barrel
- de-mil trunnions; the pins in the rear trunnion are freakin' cold welded in there. They do not budge.
- trying to remove the front sight from the barrel and it is also on there solid; heated it and tried to hammer it off, but it will not budge. Next thing to try is a gear puller unless someone can guide me.

So far so good. I'm enjoying the heck out of the project. You guys are great.

[_Z_]

Hi Cal, I'm glad to see we have a new builder...

If possible, and you don't want the front half of the barrel stub that goes into the trunnion can you send it my way? I will call dibs on it if you decide you don't want it.

For pressing out the barrel,
Check out this stuff

http://ak-builder.com/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=29978

You can make or find most of the stuff laying around the shop. You need the bolt with brass nut shaped to match the grooves also.

The barrel pin to press out you need some type of metal rod but make sure you support the trunnion

[Ryan in SD]

Need a cheap flat bending punch/dye set?

yes?

[cal_warrior]

Great ideas...

Thanks for the input, guys. I'll keep you posted.
Cal

[Robidouxs]

Use a 1/8 inch carbide bit to cut through the rear trunnion rivets. This is the best way to remove this rivet since when it was originally crushed it conformed to the interior hole in the rear trunnion. This is why it will not move.

Just finished demilling another rear trunnion today!

[Wyseguy]

I'm in the eastern end of Ventura County, but if you want to make a trip, I'll help you with almost anything you need. My AMD65 has been my favorite build so far. It was also the easiest. Mine had the original barrel, though.

[cal_warrior]

Rear trunnion de-miled

Found a 12 speed bench size drill press with two holding vises for $35! So I was able to drill out the rear trunnion pins and that's DONE. Feels good. It's much easier if you drill only a bit from each side and leave a solid pin chunk that you can wail on with a punch.

I'm having a problem with getting the front sight and gas block off of the short barrel stub. I doused the part in Liquid Wrench overnight and heated the heck out of the front sight to almost dull gray and then put it on my vise and whacked it good with a soft-faced mallet: nothing. Didn't budge at all. I tried heating the front sight and holding the barrel in a vise and rotating the sight; but that was a waste of time, and I chingered up the gas block post a little. So what next? More hammer-whacking? Use the ram press somehow.

Also fitting a 2"sleeve, a 2" dia. steel round with a 1/4" pin to drive out the barrel pin. Also sorting out the barrel press parts. Will probably buy one of the steel holding fixtures for $20 or whatever. Some tools are necessary to do a good job.

It's more work than I imagined but satisfying work and definitely low-tech. Working with metal: primitive.

[CSACANNONEER]

I am close to Santa Clarita and will probably host another build party sometime in April. If you want to wait until then, you can do everything including demilling, making a receiver, assembling the parts, sandblasting, parkerizing and even test firing in one weekend. If you are in a hurry, either take Wyseguy up on his offer or you're welcome to come by some weekend and we can at least get it assembled and working. Sandblasting and parkerizing might have to wait until the BP though.

[cal_warrior]

Non original barrel

Hey Canoneer, I might take up Wyseguy's offer if I get antsy. (A very nice offer, indeed; and right up the road from me.) And I might wait to visit him when I get really stuck on something. (like now?) I like the idea of a Build Party because I imagine there's a lot of good learning going on. But my gun has a fresh barrel and it's going to take some fiddling to get the head-spacing correct and I've got to machine the kerfs in the barrel for all of the attachments. Got a machine shop at work and some excellent machinists. I've been buttering them up with lunches and stories about my AK build to get them interested!

[CSACANNONEER]

Datdarkness has come up to my place for a few hours of the last two weekends to build a virgin barrel 74. Last Sunday, we set the headspace and drilled the barrel pin hole. We ran into some fitting issues so, it took a while for him to sand the barrel down enough for the gas block to fit but, we finally got it in place just as he had to leave. Anyway, it's my first virgin barrel build (I did help and watch livesinthedirt do two of them though) but, all you need is headspace gauges (we made some from unfired ammo), a press, 7mm reamer, 1/4" end mill, a couple metric twist drills (for the small pins) and a drill press to completely assemble the front end. If you want help doing your barrel assembly, I can help you do that too.

Wyseguy and I are about the same distance from you. We both have bending jigs and spot welders. I think he has better rivit jigs than I do and I have everthing needed to put your barrel assembly together. Whatever you do, DO NOT rivit your front trunion into your receiver until AFTER you have set the headspacing and drilled and reamed your barrel pin hole.

[Z ME FLY]

Hey just wanna make sure you know you gotta punch the pins out from the fsb, gb and rsb before you are able to press them off the barrel. Not sure if you did that or not because if you didn't it would be really really hard to move.

[CSACANNONEER]

I just noticed that you have a Tapco flat. I doubt that you are going to want to use that to build a AMD65. The holes are wrong for the rear trunion and you'ld need to nocth it for the stock too. Do yourself a favor and get an AK Builder AMD65 flat instead. You'll thank me later. If you insist on using the Tapco flat and the top rails are not prebent, I do have an old school bending jig that you can use at my place or, I can get it to Wyseguy. My office is only a few miles from his home.

[Z ME FLY]

or at least get an AK builder flat with no holes and you can drill all the correct holes and make the notch for the side folder. Remember the holes on the bottom for the button.

Did you get a 16 inch new barrel too? If so, I would think about getting a fake can or something so you can keep the folding stock.

[Ryan in SD]

Ive got a spare amd65 flat laying around. $40 shipped with rivet set (no center support)

[8bitnintendo]

Ive got a spare amd65 flat laying around. $40 shipped with rivet set (no center support)

If he doesn't want them, I'll take them... I've got an AMD-65 kit coming. Both your flat and rivets are from AK-Builder?