Guys, I thought I would start a thread since Aloharovers .308 conversion deserves a thread of it own and I kind of injected my build into his thread.
SORRY ABOUT THAT ROVER! So over the next couple of days I will be moving my posts form there to here.:thumbup1:
My Update;
Found a couple of issues today. Looks like the barrel will need RPK accessories if I follow the VEPR II as a guide. THe chamber area extends farther than the M70. Here is a pic of my bolt opened up for the .243 shell, and a Bulgy RPK trunion loaned to me by stickerman, opened up to accept the Galil mag. I also moded the bolt to have a spring loaded firing pin.
Got back to it today with a little help from the Master at Ak-Builder. We cut the magwell for the Galil .308 12 rd mag. A little work to both the trunion and the mag lip was required to make it match up. Next step will be the rails. I may have e-machine shop make a couple of sets, and Curtis is going to draw up a set of plans like his Yugo set, describing this build. He may also offer a set of rails for the scratch builders. This will be a future project and is way down on the priority list right now. Here are a couple of pics for you. Enjoy.
Dave
The galil mag has about the same dimensions as the molot VEPR II mags. The bolt In the VEPR is exactly the same dimensions as my Tantal bolt and carrier. The only difference is a spring loaded firing pin and a longer gas piston. I only went with the Yugo kit because that is what I started with. It seems my build will end up mostly Bulgarian sans the required US parts. The only yugo part will be the bolt and carrier. The reciever length on the VEPR is the same as the M70 reciever length. The difference in the reciever is obviously the ejector is back from the x39 reciever.
I haven't mic'ed the recoil spring yet to see if it is lighter.
gotcha, I figured the hammer must have the ability to reach forward somehow.
Now if somebody would just send you some PSL furniture you would have one cool rifle!
I am getting a A&B .243 blank from Midwayusa.com. Retail is about $70. Barrel length will mimick the original PSL, but using Bulgarian RPK contours and parts ala K-mart.
A slight amount was removed from under the front tang on the mag, and the trunion was opened up slightly to accept the wider front of the mag. Here is a pic of the mag front.
1. Why .243? I'm not a big caliber junkie so I'm not too keen on all the different applications of calibers unless it is military in nature. That's a pretty small round, so I would assume it has a long distance application like antelope hunting or varmint hunting?
2. Can you give some details on what you had to do to open the bolt for the new cartridge?
Any extractor modifications?
How long is it - do you plan to relocate the ejector?
I have been wondering about the 243 thing as well. It does seem like an unusual choice for a rifle capable of burning lots of ammo. Dont get me wrong, I like the 243. It is a handy open country cartridge. I own a couple, including an extra upper my AR10. I am just curious as to what your reasoning is?
The only thing I dont like about the 243 is that it killed the 250-3000, which is a very balanced round that would have made an excellent military cartridge.
OK everyone has their nich. I don't care much for spraying as much lead as possible. My interest is simplicity and accuracy. .243 was chosen to kill Coyotes. The Kalashnikov design is a simple design. The Galil mags were chosen because of the minimal modification to make usable and 12 rd mag is low profile. I had originally thought of an M70 planform but a Bulgarian RPK trunion changed that idea. High speed accurate light bullet 70 grains tops.
I am using my VEPR II .308 as a guide. Barrel length will be 24".
Ah! Coyotes. Got it. I'm not knocking it, just curious is all. As far as I'm concerned, we need an AK in *every* caliber I'm doing a Wildcat as we speak. Slowly, surely, its coming together.
What about the bolt? Did you need to mod it, or does the .243 match to the 7.62x39 bolt head already?
I thought maybe it was coyotes. Imagine the look on your hunting buddies faces when they see your new coyote gun. Imagine the look on the coyote's face. :wow:
Since you said "Get Wood", I did! Note the space between the back of the receiver and the cut out in the stock. I will have to modify the rear trunion slightly to fill this void. The reinforcement plates will cover it.
That space all looks like it is in the back - does the stock have a space between the pistol grip and trigger guard? Seems like you could fix this by trimming some on the rear of the receiver. Normally, the rear part of the TG should be mated flush into the front of the PG. If you pulled that forward, I'll bet it would clean up a bit more. Maybe about 3/16" or so?
She is all the way forward. I should have crescent cut the lower part of the receiver. Too late now. IMPROVISE< ADAPT<OVERCOME!
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