converting single stack to double stack on wasr_10?

[mrdej51]

i have a chance to get a single stack wasr 10 for a good price. i would like to change it to a double stack mag. i see century arms dose this on imports, can i do this at home with hand tools (dremal and files) or dose it have to go to a gunsmith. would i be better off looking for double stack gun.

[deth502]

yes, it can be done at home. but, if im not mistaken, in its single stack form its importable as a foreign weapon, but with a double stack, it is not an importable weapon, meaning, you will have to make it a "domestic" weapon by making sure it has no more than 10 of the counted foreign parts.

of the 20 counted parts there are 16 on the standard stamped ak. this means that 6 of the counted imported parts will have to be removed. fcg caunts as 3. i us made furniture set counts as 3 (butt, grip, and foreend) muzzle device is one, as is the gas piston. those are the easy ones to get and replace. the mags count as 3 as well, but then you can only legally insert a us made mag if you go that route.

depending on how much of a "good price" it is, dont forget to count in the price of your us parts that you will need to make it legal into the final price of the rifle.

[deth502]

oh, and :welcome:

[imanaknut]

Welcome to the group !!! :welcome:

You can open the mag well with files and a dremel but make sure you do it very slowly. If you can find an AK variant with a standard mag opening, make a template off of that, then using that template, make one just a bit smaller. That way as you cut, you can make sure you don't cut too big. Use a standard metal AK mag to verify the opening as you go along.

Take a little bit off at a time, and keep checking with the mag for it fitting. Remember you can always remove metal, but adding some if you remove too much is not an option.

Make sure you center the template on your rifle, and as you remove metal, make sure you keep measuring to make sure you keep the mag centered.

It is a lot of work, and sometimes the work involved doesn't make up for the difference in cost between some of the single stack WASRs and ones already opened up by Century or a distributer.

[mrdej51]

thanks for the info,i"ll have to check on parts and see if this is the way i want two go or just buy a differnt gun. thanks for the welcome!

[MR. Polytech]

When I am doing a magwell conversion such as this I use a template & a scribe to show where to make the cuts. Leave an extra 1/32 of an inch inside the lines where the correct magwell cuts will be made w/ another set of lines, so that you have a little material left where you make the cuts; to smooth out burs w/ a mini drum sander on your dremel & allow for any minor mistakes made when doing the cutting. Use a dremel with a thin 1" metal cutting disc to make the cuts along the inside line.. It actually moves pretty fast, to recut a single stack magwell to double stack usually takes me about 20 minutes; the first time it took me around 35 minutes just because I had never done it before and I wanted to make sure there were no mistakes. Go slow & easy. The metal cutting discs cut at a good rate of speed. Wear a face shield for this process as the discs can and do break from time to time as they are pretty thin. You will probably go through 4 or so discs w/ this operation, but that's O.K. as they are pretty cheap to buy. Finish smoothing out small irregularities w/ a fine mill bastard file and then by by de-burring and sanding the rest of the way out to the outside template line...

You can check fit as you go w/ a mag so you get a nice fit in there. This method has always worked well for me and produces nice straight lines, unlike the results you may get when using a die grinder to open up the whole thing, or a rotary grinding stone chucked in your dremel. Take your time and recheck your measurements before doing the actual cutting and you should end up w/ a nice job! Well worth the effort and about an hour of your time altogether; for the hundred bucks or so you will save!

Also, by using this method you will end up w/ a rifle that does not have any mag wobble to speak of (unlike many of the Century guns.)

[O.S.O.K.]

Didn't we used to have templates available on the old board? A template file sticky would be very helpful. Don't know if that would go here or the build forum...?

[Infidel]

Hi,
I purchased a Zastava PAP a month or so ago. It too was a single stack. I worked slowly and have a rifle that the mag fits in like a glove. It still works great with the single stacks but, I can't get my doubles to feed. I think the problem is, the bottom of the bolt face is only as wide as the lips on the single stack mag. On several other ak's I noticed the pickup area is flared out as wide as the double stack mag. Are the bolt faces on ak's interchangeable? That is the last hurdle to clear. I was surprised that even though the mag well is widened, the singles are still quite firmly locked in place and do not wobble.

[imanaknut]

Welcome to the group, Infidel !!! :welcome:

You are correct, as you found out some of the single stack AKM receivers also have single stack bolts. As far as I know you should have no problem with installing a standard AKM bolt, just be sure to check headspace.

[dukecity]

infidel, I just came here to ask the same question. I too have a PAP that I converted to a double stack and ran into the same feeding issues.
To the veterans of the board where is the best place to purchase the AKM bolt and what is a good price to pay for one, any chance in buying one made in the US??

Thanks,
dukecity

[deth502]

look like legion arms has yugo bolts in stock

http://www.legionarms.com/products/Yugoslavian-AK47-Bolt.html

not sure what a good price to pay is (hes asking $45), but ive dealt with patric before, hes a stand-up guy and i would not hesitate to do business with him.

[greeenie]

look like legion arms has yugo bolts in stock

http://www.legionarms.com/products/Yugoslavian-AK47-Bolt.html

not sure what a good price to pay is (hes asking $45), but ive dealt with patric before, hes a stand-up guy and i would not hesitate to do business with him.


just a quick question to clarify, this bolt is compaitble with the EAA PAP akm correct? i emailed them and they claimed to not know what it is.... if this is the case id really like to buy this bolt and do my double stack conversion. and yes, i realize this is an old thread, sorry for the old bump

[Full Otto]

just a quick question to clarify, this bolt is compaitble with the EAA PAP akm correct? i emailed them and they claimed to not know what it is.... if this is the case id really like to buy this bolt and do my double stack conversion. and yes, i realize this is an old thread, sorry for the old bump

You might want to pm Highpower
http://www.gunsnet.net/showthread.php?13105-Working-on-my-PAP

He may tell you where he got his

[greeenie]

thanks man, greatly appreciated

[Infidel]

Sorry I haven't checked back on here for a while. I got my bolt at Apex. It was $35.
I have a new question though. I ran into an AK74 Romanian. It seems to be a single to make it importable. Do I need to get another bolt for it to convert it or does it just need opened up? Thanks.

[Infidel]

Of course, I realize that I must change those evil imported parts to make all the birdies sing!

[imanaknut]

Honestly, I have never seen a single stack 5,45x39, but believe some of the very early Romanians were imported that way. If it is one of the early ones, like a Romak 1, CUR or one that my tired brain can't remember, I seriously doubt they went as far as using a narrow bolt, but I have been wrong before... once maybe :smiley31:

[WB!]

I read that the PAP needed the front trunion opened up a little, to feed from a double stack. This also cut into a rivit, which also needed to be replaced.

[Randell Flagg]

Hello i am new to the forum and i have a question on this subject.I also own a single stack ak and was thinking about converting it myself.I was wondering if anyone on here has done this then shot the gun afterwards and had no problems?Also wondering if this works with the slide fire stock as well?Any answers will be helpful thank you!

[imanaknut]

Welcome to the group !!! :welcome:

Opening up the mag well has been done successfully several thousand times without problems. It is only if you aren't careful and open the mag well too far can you get into problems, or if you accidentally take metal off the front trunion when you don't have to you can also get into problems with mags not locking into place.

As for the slide-fire stock, I have no idea. I am still waiting for a lawyer willing to take on the unconstitutional laws banning me from keeping and bearing a firearm that isn't infringed.

[Randell Flagg]

Thanks for the reply i picked this gun up cheap at a show just dont want to waste it.Seen that a bunch have done this also.Do you have to change the bolt when doing this i have seen a couple diff answers?Thanks for your help