NOT SURE WHAT TO DO. MAK-90

[jasonsromer]

before pics mak-90

A BUDDY OF MINE HAS COME ACROSS A MAK-90 AND I HAVE CONSIDERED BUYING IT. IT LOOKS PRETTY ROUGH BUT SEEMS LIKE A REALLY SOLID FIREARM, BUT IT DOES HAVE QUIT A BIT OF SURFACE RUST. HE ONLY WANTS A $130. SOUNDS GOOD BUT IT LOOKS LIKE IM GONNA END UP WITH QUIT A BIT OF CASH AND TIME INVOLVED BEFORE IM DONE. ANY SUGGESTIONS?

 

[pudly]

Excellent deal if you want to invest the time/effort.

Edit: If you do purchase, take pictures of the fix process. Would make for great before/after pictures that you could post later.

 

[Colt556]

Is the bore ok? The outside can be easily painted if the bbl is passable. Wood can be refinished easily. $130 for an AK is a steal IMO.

 

[tv1217]

Eh, It'll work with the rust. Just look at some of the pictures of the Somali pirates with their AKs, looks like they're holding rusty scrap metal.

 

[paddling_man]

Heck, if you don't want it "I'll take it" as a project. Just let me know. Even if it doesn't come out right, it would be fun trying.

Seriously.

(Wait a minute... just so this is clear, I say this in the spirit of "direct me towards the deal" rather than "let me make my way around the purchase from a member with only one post who can't use the exchange yet." After I posted this, I could see where this might be a gray area. Hmmm... confused. How about this? If I buy a $130 rusted up Mak90 from somewhere the OP directs me to, I'll BUY his $10 site supporter membership?)

 

[Colt556]

If you're local I can help you refinish/clean it up if you want. you can paint the metal and replace the stock pretty cheaply.

 

[INMIline]

Clay on here had a mak 90 stock for $20. Take Colt 556's help and have an AK for less than $150. That will be one of the best deals posted on Ingo in a long time

 

[INMIline]

in short, buy it

 

[Goodcat]

yes buy it, or give it to me

 

[Gunaria]

You can't even get a complete AK parts kit for that anymore. Steel wool is still pretty cheap. Put in some elbow grease and clean it up.

 

[ruger7722]

buy it,two hours later it would look good.easy project.

 

[jasonsromer]

WELL YOU ALL TALKED ME INTO IT, GONNA HAVE TIS BABY HOME BY THE WEEKEND. THANKS ALOT FOR THE HELP. ILL POST SOME BEFOR AND AFTER PICS ALSO. OH ONE MORE THING, STAY WITH THE WOOD OR GO SYNTHETIC?

 

[Dwight D]

You might see what you can do with the wood allready on the rifle. It would be cheaper and could turn out quite nicely. BTW congrats on a good deal, I think you did the smart thing.

 

[indykid]

Welcome to the group, turn off the caps lock, and buy that puppy!!!!

If I ever ran across a MAK-90 for that cheap, as long as the barrel wasn't destroyed, I wouldn't be able to pull out the money fast enough. I love project rifles of the AK variety as they are so easy to work with (other than barrel swaps) that starting with a true diamond in the rough would really be a lot of fun.

My personal feeling is AKs need wood. That said, the Chinese used a thicker receiver than the europeans, so if you don't get wood or any furniture for Chinese receivers, you will have to do a lot of fitting to get them on the rifle.

Also, some MAK-90s had the rear of the receiver cut at an odd angle as a way to keep honest people from turning them into "evil weapons" per George Bush the First. While you can modify a stock to hide the slant cut, Ironwood Designs makes stock sets specifically for those versions.

Good luck with what sounds like a great buy on a fun project!!!

Yes, and pictures would really be nice, thanks!

 

[762Mike]

Buy it, stick with wood. Remember to clean it every time if you are shooting corrosive ammo.

 

[vitamink]

Once you purchase it, remove the thumb/butthole stock as they are stupid and uncomfortable. Next check and see if you have a "slant cut" receiver. If not you can buy any AK furniture and go with it. If so, then you'll have to buy specifically designed stocks for slant cuts.
these are from iron wood...notice the rear is at an angle.

You can also buy buffer tube style stocks as well as ace folders with an internal block. I believe ace made or is making a block that fills the gap left from the slant cut, though i've seen people run a standard internal block with no issues except a small gap from the slant.

 

[PatriotPride]

.

That is a fantastic color! Do you have any information on it?

 

[vitamink]

Wish i did man. I recently saw a rit dye job (red and wine) that looked very similar and came out beautifully. I Doubt this guy purchased an iron wood stock and rit dyed it though. I found these on the net just for illustration purposes. I agree...that color is neato

 

[Tombs]

Relicing is pretty popular in many other hobbies, surprised it isn't with guns!

Just kill that rust with some good degreaser, and keep it oiled down.


If done right it can look pretty sweet, but of course that's just my opinion.

 

[jdhaines]

A guy at work just finished ironwood designs and on a MAK and it came out just like that picture. He read about it on another forum where the guy rubbed in red food coloring like stain and then used lots of coats and sanding of polyurethane.