Choosing your Receiver and Parts Kit

As a Californian, I'm not very familiar with the majority of receiver brands - only the ones we can have in California. Anyone with extra knowledge in this area is welcome to contribute it. Wherever possible, I'll post links to vendors stocking the brands in question.

AK Receivers

• Ewbanks Manufacturing, which I understand orders from Joeken. The Joeken details apply to this, if they're using the exact same receiver as I've heard.
• Global Trades - stamped receivers, no prices posted.
• Joeken Firearms, manufacturer of Ewbanks receivers. Numerous folks recommend buying through distributors due to backorder/stocking issues. Note: extensive filing needed on mag shelf, on the one I worked on! But, good tight FCG holes; almost don't need e-clips. It's also been said that, due to the excess material in the receivers, these receivers are actually capable of being built into AK-74's.
• NDS/DCI produces stamped AK and RPK recevers. They are fully heat-treated.
• Ohio Ordnance Works - they produce stamped AK-47 and AK-74 receivers. Californians, OOW is on the ban list, but their receivers are stamped 'ITM-MK99', which isn't explicitly listed. The mk99 front and rear trunions do not have pre-drilled rivet holes, which can make these builds a pain. They are also only spot-heat-treated at the FCG hole points, which means the rest of the receiver is soft metal and bends very easily.
• Ohio Rapid Fire, which has a house brand and also sells other receivers.
• The Firing Line produces milled receivers.
• Vulcan - I refuse to even dig up a link to this company. I've seen (and have the demilled remains of) one receiver with the rails so off-spec that the bolt carrier couldn't be inserted. Furthermore, I've heard multiple reports of the Vulcan receivers even showing up with crooked bends, requiring manual straightening. Avoid at all costs.

AK Parts Kit Compatibility

Origin	Model	Cal	Stock	Type	Sources
Bulgaria	RPK-74	5.45x39	Fixed	Stamped	NDS-8
Bulgaria	AKS-74	5.45x39	Side	Unknown
Bulgaria	AK-74	5.45x39	Fixed	Stamped	NDS-2?
Bulgaria	AK-74	5.45x39	Side	Stamped
Bulgaria	SLR-105	5.45x39	Fixed	Stamped	NDS-2
E. German	AKM47	7.62x39	Side	Stamped	NDS-3, ITM-MK99
Hungaria	AMD-63	7.62x39	Fixed	Stamped
Hungaria	AMD-65	7.62x39	Side	Stamped	NDS-65
Hungaria	SA-85	7.62x39	Fixed	Stamped	NDS-3, ITM-MK99
Hungaria	PKM	7.62x54r	Fixed	Stamped
Poland	PKM	7.62x39		Milled	Firing Line
Poland	PMKMS	7.62x39	Under		NDS-1P?
Poland	AK74	5.45x39	Side	Stamped
Poland	AKMS	7.62x39	Under	Stamped	NDS-1P
Romania	AKM	7.62x39	Fixed	Stamped	NDS-3, ITM-MK99, Vulcan
Romania	MD-63	7.62x39	Under	Stamped	NDS-1ROM
Romania	RPK	7.62x39	Fixed	Stamped	NDS-7
Romania	PKM	7.62x54r	Fixed	Stamped
Russia	AKM-47	7.62x39	Fixed	Milled
Russia	RPK	7.62x39	Fixed	Stamped	NDS-7
Yugo	M70AB2	7.62x39	Under	Stamped	NDS-4
Yugo	M70AB1	7.62x39	Fixed	Stamped	NDS-5
Yugo	M72 RPK	7.62x39	Fixed	Stamped	NDS-9
Yugo	M72B2	7.62x39	Under	Stamped
Yugo	M92	7.62x39	Under	Stamped

Additional Receiver Compatibility Information

• Purportedly, Ewbanks AKM receivers can be trimmed to fit AK-74 kits by grinding the rails a little.
• Many of these are considered "standard AK's", however one never knows what really IS standard... that's what this chart is here to answer (eventually).
• OOW / ITM MK-99 receivers do NOT have pre-drilled trunion holes. Bear this in mind if you aren't comfortable drilling holes in your receiver.

AK Parts Kit Vendors

I'm listing only parts kits which I know can be built using the receivers from the vendors above. It would be futile to list all of the parts kits at each of the vendors. At present, I am familiar only with the NDS series of receivers; if I knew about receiver compatibility from the other vendors, I'd be happy to include those links as well. I've done my best to list all the different parts sets I've seen while shopping around above; hopefully folks with compatibility information will fill that in.

This page will, of course, also require updates over time. Note: UF is Under Folder, FS is Fixed Stock, SF is Side Folder. Romy is Romanian, Yugo is Yugoslavian, Hung is Hungarian.

Name	Website	Kits of interest
AK Parts	http://www.akparts.com/	Romy AK (FS+SF), Yugo AK (UF)
Akron's Armory	http://www.akronarmory.com/	Polish (SF+UF)
Centerfire Systems	http://www.centerfiresystems.com/	Out of stock on all AK kits, but have Galil
Cheaper Than Dirt	http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/	Romy AK (FS)
Copes' Distributing	http://www.copesdist.com/	Romy AK (FS), Yugo AK (UF)
Marsh Hawk Arms	http://marshhawkarms.com/	Romy AK (FS)
DPH Arms	http://www.dpharms.com/	Romy AK (FS)
FAC Supply	http://www.facsupply.com/	Romy AK, Yugo AK (UF), RPK (Russian?), Galil
Florida Gun Works	http://www.floridagunworks.com/	Bulg AK-74, Pol AK-74, Hung AMD-65, Yugo UF, Romy AK, Yugo RPK
FTF Industries	http://www.ftfindustries.com/	Romy AK (FS), Yugo AK (UF), Galil
Gunthings.com	http://www.gunthings.com/	Romy AK (FS), Polish AK (UF)
Ohio Rapid Fire	http://www.ohiorapidfire.com/	Bulgarian RPK-74, Yugo AK (UF), Bulg AK-74
Military Gun Supply	http://www.militarygunsupply.com/	Polish AK (UF)

Chart Last Updated 10/16/06

Additional build tools

• A number of tools and jigs for use in building AK receivers are for sale at http://ak-builder.com/
• Maas Guns stocks pre-modified bolt cutters.
• DPH Arms also carries a jig for bending flats.

-- SeanNewton - 10 Apr 2006