Valmet (Ak-ish) with an AR magwell and other musings on conversions

crazycrocket said:
Honestly I would love to just find some wood furniture that would fit for now so I could keep the original stuff I have in good condition. I'm tempted to order some RPK stuff because I want a really nice red finish. Not having a gas block on my M78 would mean I need to have a custom piece made or make a filler piece and mod AK stuff to fit. Took off the factory stuff to look and valmet did some really weird stuff with furniture that no other AK variant has. Buttstock has a weird nub it sits on (certain AK models could be chopped and notched), the pistol grip would need to be drilled with a tap installed and a custom trigger guard piece of metal bent. The front hand guards are the worst having no gas block and a totally different shape to the retaining pieces.

Would be nice to know its possible to get an extra bolt carrier in the future sometime as you cannot just replace the valmet bolt with an AK one, apparently the entire bolt carrier, piston, and bolt need to be replaced together. AK extractors are different and firing pins from what I have read. The only reason I even care is because the guns never going to be produced again and I have no intentions of ever selling it.


Also apparently all trigger parts and hammer is interchangeable with most other AK variants but some minor fitting may be required.


If someone starts the valmet super thread I have a bunch of photos of the furniture and how it mounts that I will add to it.


FYI the aluminum rail is awesome, worth every penny of $600 if that's what a guy wants to do! The ones for the swiss arms are about $200 more than that and I seriously consider ordering one every day....
Click to expand...

^^^^^
Serious work is involved to make an AK handguard/front end work on an M78. Definitely not a drop in part replacement.

The valmet and AK are "similar" yet some parts work and lots don't with out of course some smithing.

I too have a ton of photos too of both my m78's stripped.

I had a great nutter 3d print me a black plastic m71 repro stock i put on my m71 conversion and now the all black furniture gives it a really nice appeal.

I too will post lots of pics.
 
I am going to contact a company and see if I can get some partially complete pieces for the front handguard or at least rough cuts that are oversized if I order a pistol grip and buttstock. The other stuff is easy to mod. Problem is I am really good with metal and fiberglass from doing car stuff. Not so great with wood, mainly because I have never had to work with it.
 
I've got the valmet m78 wood stuff. I have wood stock, fore grip and then I have plastic pistol grip and plastic fore grip. Thanks for letting me know though.

I want to rig up some RPK stuff to put on the valmet. I really want something that has the more square profile fore grip like the RPK and have a matching pistol grip in wood (mine being the black plastic). Also debating putting a folding RPK buttstock and I really want to do the RPK wood furniture in a nice red finish. I don't want to do any permanent mods to the M78 but I want something that's a little custom and really stands out.
 
I too have thought about the same thing but the handguard might be a bit more tricky then you think.

Pistol grip and stock I'm sure can be rigged up with little effort
 
I find that galil parts provide for better replacement. The bolt carrier is the same for all aks - ak-galil-valmet, but the piston is only interchangeable with the galil.

The furniture is not interchangeable with the ak at all - this is because of how the rear sight block is done on the ak. But there are enough galil handguards available to suit the most discerning tastes I think ;)

If you are set on a wooden handguard, would a laser cutter help make one?
 
If you could cut a set of handguards in Walnut to the exact couture of the black plastic ones, i would buy a set off you.

I already have an original wood handguard but I'm not a huge fan of the loon of it.
 
I'll keep you posted with what I come up with, if I can even find anything.

I should really figure out how to use 3d modelling programs (been years since I learned at school) and find someone who does CNC woodwork. Throw into cam program, pay them to set up the tool path and done.
 
Progress report. I got the required parts assembled and now am ready to get this off to be converted. Some pictures and observations on part interchangeability:

x3cqki.jpg


a 7.62 mag fits right into a 223 magwell - no mods necessary (unlike with a 308)

2ciciae.jpg


a 7.62 bolt _would not_ fit without a modification being done to either the receiver or the bolt. Observe the profile of the cut in the bolt face:

2cyph7n.jpg


it is trapezoidal on a Valmet bolt and rectangular on an AK bolt. I'm hoping the cut can be deepened on the bolt since I do not want to modify the receiver.

This extrusion (?) on the rails is what fits into the cut on the bolt and is getting the AK bolt caught up.

1zbc6qu.jpg


29mok1l.jpg


Otherwise the bolts are the same measurements and fit in the bolt carrier in the same way.

55miqr.jpg


Now some observations on part interchangeability (this is a different 308 receiver that's destined to become a galil sniper clone) - the AK trigger fits right in... but the Saiga trigger guard is a poor fit - I had to modify it extensively (with a file :p) (don't mind the bolts holding it in place - that's temporary until I get proper ones as well as good washers to put on them made).

25oxiiw.jpg


I suspect I'll need to make my own trigger guard based on this design before I'm happy with it. More autocad work...

As an aside... I really think I prefer the regular A2 grip to the magpul one - it feels short and the angle is not as nice for my wrist...

The AK guide and spring fit right in. The receiver cover is from a Valmet M76 so no worries there.

mwpm5w.jpg


Thoughts and comments are welcome (unless you are sunray :p).
 
Something made by R&R targets for a Saiga.

Like I said, I would not recommend it for a Valmet because the attachment points and the trigger cutout do not line up - I'm going to make my own (with blackjack and... proper fit for a Valmet). Otherwise it's a pretty neat idea... And the pistol grip is from Magpul, which, I'm very surprisingly, do not like :/
 
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