Blast from the past!

[David Hoback]

I love this! I was searching something completely unrelated & fell onto some old posts from a long forgotten forum! I’m so glad because I no longer had these photos, lost many years ago. These were the first AKs I built. The very FIRST in fact was the Romanian & second a Hungarian SA-85; (the only firearm I truly regret parting with.)


I learned about home building ones own AK’s & AR’s in mid-late 2005 and started researching & buying parts kits & accessories as I could afford them. They were both built in the first part of 2006 & posted online months later, in fall of the same year. I purchased two of the Hungarian kits at the same time. Remember when the parts kits CAME WITH the BARREL as well?? Instead of cutting it up! How many perfectly good, useable Hammer-Forged, Chrome Lined Barrels ya think the folks at the atf make importers destroy? These kits in early 2006 were $175ea and in pristine condition. Gotta love the beginnings of them Interweb pics aeh! LOL, Classic!


BTW, these pictures were taken in our apartment in Tucson, Az. when my wife & I lived there. It was the “Greens” Condominiums in the foot hills, (Ventana Canyon), right off of Kolb Rd. & Sunrise Ave. (for anyone familiar.) BEAUTIFUL place! We had 14ft ceilings, 2 pools, a Gym! UHG, I miss that place. It was truly the kind of Apartments that made you NOT want to buy a house. Although we could, & SHOULD have purchased it when we moved out, instead of renting! We could have bought it for just $90K in ‘04 when we relocated out there. When we moved back to Pa. in ‘08, our 3-bedroom(we moved to Ventana Vista, next door…sane street!), was selling for between $295,000- $330,000! Hindsight Anyway…


Now, this SA-85 I built was really, really nice. I did this one using a 1.6mm Receiver I came across at the time, instead of the standard 1mm. Also found a special Milled trigger set online at the time which was much nicer than the Cast G2 triggers we were using. And even back then I was Modding/setting up triggers in firearms. I polished the sear/trigger flats, shimmed it for less take up & reset. For my trouble it really was a decent AK trigger. I also modded up this nice little Ghost ring sight as the rear sight. It was the best shooting AK I’ve had my hands on. I do miss it.


And YES… I know how GOOFY that Muzzle Brake looks! I was a young man then. Ok.. I did figure it out quick though. This picture was taken before the picture next to the Romanian. And you can see I DID go back to the Slant Brake. Which actually worked better as well as looking better!

Although I startled dabbling-working on firearms & modding triggers in the late 90’s, it was actually these two builds that were the very start of my Home/DIY Rifle & Pistol building. A passion that to this day has seen many AKs, even MORE AR’s, (A LOT MORE!), several 1911’s, bench rifles & even my Striker Fire carry gun. God bless the 2nd Amendment of our Constitution for ever!

 

[rdnktrkr]

Looks nice, I have some SKSs and ammo but no AK so I've been eyeing the one from Palmetto State. I've never heard of building an AK from a kit, is that still done?

 

[bannockburn]

David Hoback

Nice work, especially with the Hungarian model! When I got my SA85M I was really impressed by the quality parts and overall fit and finish from the factory. Yours look every bit the equal of those made at the FEG factory!

 

[BigBlue 94]

Looks nice, I have some SKSs and ammo but no AK so I've been eyeing the one from Palmetto State. I've never heard of building an AK from a kit, is that still done?

Yes it is but its not for a hobbyist. The receiver is usually cut into 3 chunks with a torch. You need a jig for riveting it together and a good bit of skill.

 

[David Hoback]

Well, that’s all I was… a hobbyist. But I was already very familiar with firearms at the time. Like I said, I had already been working on guns for years.. just little things, but it was the familiarity.

You do need access to a decent press. To press the barrel & cray the pins. Also need a drill press to drill the the new barrel for the pin. (Sets headspace) So yeah, more involved than an AR15, for sure. But not as involved as building a 1911, or machining an 80% Lower.,

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

Nice rifles.

 

[David Hoback]

Thanks.. I still do miss that SA-85. But it’s been more than a decade & a half! And I have gone on to bigger & better things. Still. I’ve never stopped thinking about that one. Anybody ever come across a fixed stock SA-85 with a 1.6mm receiver & a homemade Ghost Ring rear sight…. That’s the one I built! I bet it still shoots darn good!

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Those looked great Dave!
Only Euro AK I ever had was one of the early Century Yugo M70B1s. It used a Green Mountain barrel and, IIRC, they had contracted a shop in Texas to make the receivers and they were excellent. The radium inserts had been removed from the flip-up night sights, but it still had the grenade launcher sight/gas valve. Stupid, stupid, stupid, I let go of it- though Ive had several Norincos and a Maadi since.

I was never brave enough to try building my own when the kits were cheap, does no one sell a domestically made receiver blank any more?