THE MODERN AK-47: BOLT ON UPGRADES

by:  Jake Weaver Ada, OK.

This project was begun with the intent to make a more functional AK-47 than what you get in a “stock” AK-47. Some people think you should just leave the rifle alone, but I’m not one of them.

I went with an SGL-21. Below is a description of each pic:

The is the AK-47 as it was delivered.

This is  the weight in it’s stock form. 7lbs. 5oz

I then weighed it against my AR with just iron sights.

The weight of the AR. 6lbs. 11.6oz

What was installed on the AK-47.

A pic of the AK with just the ultimak.

The weight of the AK with just the ultimak. 7lbs 4.6oz (less than stock form)

The AK with all the accessories.

The weight of the AK with all the accessories. 7lbs 9.2oz

As you can see, all of the accessories added about 4.2 oz of overall weight and is almost 1lb heavier than my AR. The AK is not heavy by any means, although it seems that most of the weight is on the front end. This should be fixed some when I do the barrel work. I will still have to replace the lower handguard with a similar one that is black. I’m doing this to sell the OD set as a complete set. On another note, the AK stock is 4” tall and the AR stock is 5.5” tall, which I prefer the extra real estate of the AR stock. Also, the AK stocks length of pull is ~9.25” and where I prefer to set the AR stock at is ~8.75”, a difference of .5”. It’s not a lot I know, but it does feel very comfortable where it is at 8.75”, which is the second notch. And my wife prefers it fully collapsed which is 8”, a 1.25” difference. I’ll update this thread when the barrel work is done. Thanks. BTW, the Krebs enhanced safety is amazing. Probably my favorite upgrade.

Okay, so I received my rifle back from the gunsmith and the rifle is in it’s final form (minus paint). I decided to go with a muzzle device that would allow me to run my suppressor if I wanted to. And since I’m cutting the barrel anyhow, I can have it threaded for whatever. However, I ran into a snag. The barrel does not have a wide enough diameter to run a 5/8×24 brake/hider and it is next to impossible to find a 1/2×28 AAC mount with a 30 cal bore. So I decided to take a 1/2×28 556 brake and have the gun smith bore it to a 30 cal. This should solve the problem.

I have to say that I am very happy with the overall weight and handling of this rifle. I went into this project wanting to add only parts that I thought would improve the rifles performance/function. Some might agree with the parts chosen and some might not. Can’t please everybody. However, I feel that I did exactly what I set out to achieve. Every addition to this rifle has made the rifle better in my opinion.

I ended up adding a solar tactical MFER while I was waiting on a slot to open at the gunsmith. This thing flat out works. Greatly improves reloading. Thanks for the vid mrSGL21.

The weight ended up being 7lbs 6.8 oz (w/MFER and no optic or mag) which is a 1.8 oz gain over stock form. Not bad considering. The weight difference before going to the gunsmith and after is a 4 oz savings, and all 4oz is in the front end and you can definitely tell a difference. Like I said in my post before this one, I ended up having to bore out a 5.56 1/2×28 brake to work on this AK as the 30 cal brake was too wide for the narrow barrel. Not a big deal as it works great and I can mount my suppressor should I choose to. Here are some pics before I give it a rattle can job. Thanks for all the recommendations as this has been a learning experience for me throughout.

On another note, I’ve been considering getting rid of the lower handguard and ultimak rail and replacing it with a Midwest Industries extended rail setup. I’d like to extend my front off hand grip and I’m not sure how else to do it. However, this would negate the weight that I saved by cutting it down… We’ll see after I get some more range time in with this setup.

1. With no optic
2. Weight with no optic
3. With optic and how it will be ran. (probably will add a flash light at some point)

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So I finally found a flashlight setup I like and changed the optic mount setup. This option still keeps the front end nice and light. I actually think I’m starting to like this AK more than my AR. I love how it turned out and the ergonomics are fantastic. This gun just flat out rocks.

Flashlight and mount: Haley Strategic SBR mount with an Inforce 6VX

 

Optic and mount: Aimpoint T1 on RS AKML mount