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Posted: 5/11/2013 6:44:45 PM EDT
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Kind of new to AK's but I bought an Hungarian FEG SA 85 a few years ago. It has an 20 or 23" RPK barrel on it (haven't measured it) but I've decided I want to take that off and put on a 16" barrel to give it more of a classic AK look. I was looking at Green Mountain recently and I saw that there is a 1970 type and a 1975 type in regards to the barrel. Just from looking at the item descriptions I didn't see an immediate difference.
My question is how do I know which or what I need for my particular rifle? Is there anything specifically I need to know when undertaking a barrel swap? Thanks in advance. |
| In my opinion, you're going to be way better off trading that rifle for one that's already in the configuration you want. An AK barrel swap isn't super difficult, but it's a LOT more involved than swapping an AR barrel and there's a reasonably extensive tool list required. Adding in the refinishing and you'll be upside down in that rifle's value pretty quickly, someone may want that exact setup and pay a premium for it (longer barreled AKs are not exactly real common right now). |
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Quoted:
Kind of new to AK's but I bought an Hungarian FEG SA 85 a few years ago. It has an 20 or 23" RPK barrel on it (haven't measured it) but I've decided I want to take that off and put on a 16" barrel to give it more of a classic AK look. I was looking at Green Mountain recently and I saw that there is a 1970 type and a 1975 type in regards to the barrel. Just from looking at the item descriptions I didn't see an immediate difference. My question is how do I know which or what I need for my particular rifle? Is there anything specifically I need to know when undertaking a barrel swap? Thanks in advance. UWTS Dimitri |
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I don't think it was a kit build, it had cosmoline on and it it when I got it. It also has Arsenal import marks, did they or do they import just receivers? Thank you guys for the barrel cutting suggestion. I would rather do that than get rid of the rifle, I wasn't sure it was practical.
Yeah, what does UWTS mean? |
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Okay, here we go.
I've only been looking at this thread every other day or so because I didn't expect it to spawn so many questions. I've been thinking about it in terms of my original question or I would have remembered to say something sooner. This is a preban rifle, I guess that would have made things a little more clear. Could have sworn there was a way to rotate images within drop box but I'll be damned if I can find it now. Pictures are oriented correctly everywhere else. I had to use cornstarch to highlight the import marks. SA 85 |
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Quoted:
Okay, here we go. I've only been looking at this thread every other day or so because I didn't expect it to spawn so many questions. I've been thinking about it in terms of my original question or I would have remembered to say something sooner. This is a preban rifle, I guess that would have made things a little more clear. Could have sworn there was a way to rotate images within drop box but I'll be damned if I can find it now. Pictures are oriented correctly everywhere else. I had to use cornstarch to highlight the import marks. SA 85 Your SA85 is not a preban rifle, is not a rifle that was imported complete, it appears to be a frankengun with unknown parts. Arsenal USA did not exist in 1989 so the rifle could not be a preban. They started importing parts around 1995. Arsenal USA of Texas used an imported receiver to assemble your rifle, maybe. They were a now defunct company that assembled rifles, developed their own receiver and imported rifles from Bulgarian company ISD designed around their receiver for awhile. The wood appears to be Bulgarian. The one rivet hole in this picture looks f*&ked. 
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| For a while, Arsenal TX was importing Hi cap receivers & assembling them on various parts kits. I have a mint Polish milled AK kit built on that same SA85M receiver. Great gun. The later low cap receivers used were labeled FEG SA2000. Their quality is great. In the case of the OP's gun, you might have to look at the marks on the trunnion to figure out where the parts came from. Either way, I'd keep the gun & have the barrel shortened. It does not have to be pulled. GARY |
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