Gunsmithing

This article is not a 100% step-by-step guide to building a semi-auto RPD. It’s an overview of the process intended to give you an idea of what is required to build one.

It is quite possible to build an AK from an 80% receiver without a lot of equipment. It does not require a whole lot of special skills to do either. Hopefully, this will inspire some of you would-be AK builders to give it a shot.

The lack of BM59 receivers currently available doesn’t leave much choice if you want to build one. If you have a milling machine and the knowledge to use it, you will find this to be a challenging and rewarding project.

Whether you are at the range or afield, all of the components of your firearm must work together properly in order to precisely engage a target. Downrange precision begins with rifle selection, extending into optic selection, and mounting hardware.

With everyone stuck at home, and the supply channels short of ammunition, a lot of folks are turning to reloading.

The Mil-Dot system is exceptionally versatile – if you know how to use it. If you shoot a rifle, you can use mil-dot to hold the correct amount over a distant target. There’s a lot of fancy math behind the whole mil-dot thing, but we’re going to ignore most of that here and explain the concept, and more importantly, how you can use it, in plain English. There won’t even be a quiz at the end, I promise.

Some of you out there reading articles on building firearms are thinking “This is all well and good, but I don’t have a machine shop in my garage.” If that’s the case, I had you in mind when I decided on this build.

The Romanian PSL is a rather unique rifle. Beyond just being a piece of Cold War history, they’re still in widespread usage today. If you like the idea of a “long-range” AK and building it yourself, take a look at building a PSL.

Once you have completed assembling and test firing your first homebuild, you’re often left with a little bit of a dilemma. With a lot of builds, you’re left with the whole firearm with exposed bare steel or at least bare in places.