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AK-47 rivet question???

storm6490
Hello!

I was wondering what to do about my GP1975 romanian G rifle. She is surprisingly accurate but has a little problem.

I have a little play between the barrel and receiver. The rivets closest to the magazine well are in but not really crimped down well. They wiggle around just a little.

Should I drill them out and put screws in there, or should I just crimp them down again or maybe just leave it?

I see they sell a modified bolt cutter here for 40 bucks. Is there any other ways?

I appreciate your help and expert advice. Have a great day!

Nick
Montana
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Comments

10 comments

Date Votes
  • tsr1965
    You don't need a fancy tool to tighten rivets. You need an anvil on a large vise, and a large like 2 lb ball peen hammer....maybe a punch.

    Best
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  • drobs
    I used a bolt cutter rivet tool I bought off of a member on AR15.com Equipment Exchange board to compress the front trunion rivets on my 4 builds. You could buy that tool ($20 to $30) and give them another squeeze.

    Or clamp the receive to your vice anvil and hit the inside magwell heads with a hammer and punch to deform the heads a little more. You want to make sure you protect the finish on the receiver with some tape or a couple rags.

    Personally I wouldn't worry about it. If it shoots fine.

    Edit: Damn tsr1965 is fast! [8D]
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  • mr_floppy
    Is there a chance of contacting the manufacturer and seeing if they will repair their defective work? Or was this someone's old build?

    There's 2 types of AK builds Rivet and screw.
    You should replace the bad rivets and not just attempt to "repress" existing rivets. If the wiggle has been going on for a while I'd want to check holes for egg shape or the rivet shafts may be weakened. You say they are on the magazine side and not the barrel rivets, you should be able to get them without having to pull the barrel.

    But I would suspect the barrel rivets might be borked up a bit also if you say you feel play between the barrel and receiver.

    There is such a thing as a "Screw build" but its fairly undesirable and the barrel is also pulled to thread the holes.
    Examples of both types can be found here.
    http://howtobuildanaktyperifle.com/index.htm

    I say hit a couple of AK boards and look around for some local people near your area that might be doing a build and may perhaps already have the tools at hand to do the repair.
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  • Bill DeShivs
    You don't use a 2 lb. hammer to peen rivets.
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  • storm6490
    quote:Originally posted by mr_floppy
    Is there a chance of contacting the manufacturer and seeing if they will repair their defective work? Or was this someone's old build?


    I purchased this last year from CIA. Not sure if I want to send it back to them with the new grips, rail, stock, trigger, springs and so on. I doubt they would honor the warranty with all the legal modifications to this rifle. It's a shooter that I use every week so im not afraid to experiment.

    The wobble is very minor but I'm a stickler when it comes to tolerances. I did notice that I was able to roate the rivets slightly to make them tight so that egg shape hole makes some sence or maybe its the rivet.
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  • tsr1965
    quote:Originally posted by Bill DeShivs
    You don't use a 2 lb. hammer to peen rivets.


    These are something that you don't want to be tapping away at...especially when using a punch to access them. I have tightened up a couple CAI recievers using this method. I'll be damned if I am going to pay $20.00-30.00 for a special hacked up tool, when I have the KNOW HOW to do it with the tools I have. Yes a 2Lb Ball Peen will move the metal now, with one or two blows...not later after the head of the rivit is beat up, and you can't get a grip on it with a punch. I am not saying a full withdrawn blow from the hammer is needed either. I will use what experience has shown is best for me. You should do likewise if you have a better option.

    Best
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  • v35
    you may not have enough left in the rivet heads to properly expand into the receiver holes. Tightening the heads against the receiver probably wont be enough.
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  • tsr1965
    quote:Originally posted by v35
    you may not have enough left in the rivet heads to properly expand into the receiver holes. Tightening the heads against the receiver probably wont be enough.


    I use an elongated center punch that I made and hardened in the tool room, just for this type of task. It expands the heads out from the center and downward to the shank
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  • don.b
    I've used small ball bearings, and vises, and occasionally hammers to successfully re-cinch both hollow-headed rivets, as well as full pin rivets. Better to make a recess-ended punch, from tool steel, to head it up right.
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  • drobs
    That bolt cutter rivot tool I use is the easiest / cheapest way to get the front trunion rivots formed.

    I would love an AK Builder Rivot tool but I'm pretty well done building and those are damn pricey at $250.

    http://ak-builder.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=16

    For my rear trunion rivots I drilled a couple dimples into my Chinese made Harbor Breight bench vice anvil. I put the factory formed heads of the rivets into the dimple and then formed the other end with a hammer and punch.

    Depending on your vice, (Haven't found a drill bit that will dimple a US made vice at least not at home. [;)]) you could also do that. Still a bitch to get the right angle into the magwell to get those lower rivets.

    If I were back in the states, I'd ship you my bolt cutter tool to you to borrow. Unfortunately I'm not and a friend of mine has borrowed it back home.


    Edit, looks like the guy I bought my tool from is no longer selling him.

    http://home.comcast.net/~restoreit1/
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