The AK-47: Spare Parts, Springs, and Pins

The AK-47/74 is a robust animal. I don’t own one personally, but most of my friends have several(Read as: half a platoon’s worth). If you have a couple AK’s and several thousand rounds of ammo, you just may need to replace a few parts, contrary to popular belief. The AK is like any other mechanical device; It will need some “TLC” from time to time. You can also upgrade your rifle during these periods of increased ammo prices. The following is several hundred dollars worth of upgrades and parts you need to have, or should have, or may want to consider. I like the “Extra Power Recoil Spring”. If you have an AK that’s been sitting for 30 years or so, or a parts kit AK of dubious origin, you might consider replacing the main springs, and smaller springs with an American made copy. If you are a practiced student of the AK, you will notice a difference with the extra power spring.

The quality is there and the parts are worth the peace of mind. For the price of a couple boxes of 9mm, a tank of gas, and a cheap trip to the grocery store you can really take your AK to the next level. Not a bad deal…

Remember, a clean, well oiled weapon works better. Always. And the parts last longer. Plus, whenever you disassemble your weapon, you are also inspecting it for proper wear, foreign debris, and loose parts. 

THESE LINKS ARE FOR AK-47 (FOUR SEVEN) NOT AK-74 (SEVEN FOUR)

 
Front Sight Tool: https://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-custom-ak-front-sight-adjustment-tool.html
Check your make and model in the description for the rear night sight linked below. 
Night Sight Front Sight: https://www.brownells.com/rifle-parts/sights/front-sights/ak-47-post-24-7-front-stripe-prod22093.aspx?avs%7cMake_3=AK-47
Kensight MFG Windage Adjustable Night Sight: https://www.brownells.com/rifle-parts/sights/rear-sights/ak-47-rear-night-sight-prod23174.aspx?avs%7cMake_3=AK-47
I enjoy this Krebs Safety. It works nicely and is well made. Necessary? No. But it’s quite nice! This is the best of all the enhanced AK safeties I have seen. It’s a solid piece of stamped and riveted steel.
Krebs Enhanced Safety: https://www.brownells.com/rifle-parts/safety-parts/safeties/ak-47-74-enhanced-safety-prod54766.aspx?avs%7cMake_3=AK-47&avs%7cSpecial-Filters_1=In%2bStock
I have shot a couple AK’s with 15% extra power springs. They have a nice, smooth recoil. Never seen a malfunction. Picks up that first round after a mag change real nice! Locks up real well! Make sure you select the Xtra Powerspring and not the regular one. There are two listed.
15% Extra Power Recoil Spring:https://www.brownells.com/rifle-parts/receiver-parts/recoil-parts/recoil-springs/ak-47-recoil-springs-prod24714.aspx?avs%7cMake_3=AK-47
Extended Magazine release: https://www.brownells.com/rifle-parts/receiver-parts/magazine-parts/magazine-releases/ak-47-speed-catch-magazine-release-prod27515.aspx?avs%7cMake_3=AK-47
Below is the basic fixed stock Magpul Set. You will want to pick up a Magpul check riser, I would get
the 3/4 inch riser listed below. This stock set easily takes a pound off the rifle. You are hard pressed to find a better way to lose a pound off your AK rifle, or any rifle.
Magpul Stock Set: https://www.brownells.com/rifle-parts/stock-parts/furniture-sets/ak-47-moe-stock-set-m-lok-polymer-prod81025.aspx?avs%7cMake_3=AK-47
3/4 Inch Cheek Riser: https://www.brownells.com/rifle-parts/stock-parts/stock-hardware/cheek-pieces/ak-47-3-4-cheek-riser-prod75043.aspx?avs%7cMake_3=AK-47
A nice little spring kit: https://palmettostatearmory.com/neverwear-ak47-spring-kit.html
N.C. Scout’s Recommended The “Pin Keeper” (Out of Stock: Hit Notify): https://palmettostatearmory.com/psak-47-pin-keeper.html
 

Don’t forget to regularly clean, oil, and inspect your weapons.

 

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About the Author: Johnny Paratrooper

Born and Raised in Baltimore City, Maryland. History Degree. 8 Years Airborne Infantry and Scouts Platoon. Iraq Veteran. 4-5 Years as a doorman, bar back, and bouncer in Baltimore. Worked in Construction, Heavy Equipment Demolition, Corporate Security, Sales, Forest Service contractor, and the Hospitality Industry. Raised Catholic. Hobbies are race cars and sport bikes. Side projects are HAM radio credentials and long range shooting. MY EMAIL IS [email protected]. Founder of Green Dragon Academy https://www.patreon.com/GreenDragonAcademy

38 Comments

  1. Anonymous February 25, 2021 at 18:29

    5

  2. Luke February 25, 2021 at 18:38

    Johnny P or NC can you give me some direction here? Last night I got my bracket that has rails to mount a red dot. It fits nice and tight but it is at least an inch over the breach. So when putting on the red dot it sits really high on the perch. The red dot sits way above the rear site. I adjusted it but you can see how far elevated to a downward it leans which tells me it can’t be too accurate over distance. I have a laser bore sighter bullet but it won’t go in the barrel and send out a beam. I learned how to jimmy the chamber to stay open. All my other bore sight lasers snug tight with the bolt closed.
    What is an effective way to get a red dot on wasr 10? I can zero it without the laser. Thanks in advance

    • Johnny Paratrooper February 25, 2021 at 19:13

      I personally don’t care for bore sights; But they do work and are a proven tool.
      Link the exact items you have and I’ll walk you through this.
      It sounds to me like you are trying to use the red dot as a rear sight to line up on your front sight.
      The red dot sight is an independent optical sight. You don’t need to line it up with anything but the target.
      Red Dots are like scopes.
      I am a little confused. Link the products you purchased. In the mean time, return your RDS to the “Center”. To do this, adjust the RDS Left and Down as far as it can be adjusted, be careful not to over adjust, then count the number of turns it takes to move the dot to the far right and up. Divid the number of turns for each total adjustment in half, and move the RDS back to center. Or, you can sight down the center of the RDS and just move the red dot to as close to center as possible eyeballing it to “near enough”. That will be good enough before you hit the range and get a proper zero.

      • Luke February 26, 2021 at 10:16

        Really I had no idea. Thought red dots were essentially to replace the front sight and needed to be lined up with the rear sight. My AR should be dead ass accurate as the red dot lines up with the rear site and is right on the bore site laser at 50yds. I have not been able to fire it since I did that. Sounds like the only thing I can do with the AK is zero in the red dot at the range. I can use the rear sight as a gauge to make sure I am on the correct y axis. Thanks JP

        • NC Scout February 26, 2021 at 10:32

          No, no and no.
          The Dot, when zeroed, is your point of impact. This is completely different than the sight picture you see with irons. The reason the dot lines up with the rear iron is the placement of your eye.
          You have to zero the two independent of one another.

          • Luke February 26, 2021 at 11:53

            Yea that’s what the guy was telling me for my vortex viper on my FN 9mm. I am pretty good on the y axis but I keep shooting way low. It seems like you would need a way to line it up. I’m gonna watch some videos lol. Thank god I got the KSG stuffed with about 22 mini buck rounds. Even I can’t fuck that up haha.

          • NC Scout February 26, 2021 at 12:14

            You zero the dot to the point of impact. If you’re shooting below your point of aim, lower the dot.

        • Johnny Paratrooper February 26, 2021 at 10:43

          The Iron Sights and Red Dot Sight are two separate, independent systems. If you raise your rear sight up, and can see your rear sight through the Red Dot Sight, this is called “Co-Witness”. When using a Co-Witness, you can use the Iron Sights on the 300-400-500 meter setting(Maybe More) to shoot at medium and long range. However, when Co-witnessing Iron sights you IGNORE the Red Dot Sight completely. Use only one, or the other, not both simultaneously. I cover this in my AK: Zero article. There are dozens of videos on youtube breaking this down. If you go to a public shooting range, there will be certified firearms safety officers and instructors available to help you with this. Most of them are Marine Corps and Army marksmen. Follow their directions to the letter. Those guys, in their 50-60-70’s, helped me get my M1A squared away and I shot a 5 inch group at 200 meters thanks to them. They are there to help you.
          https://www.americanpartisan.org/2021/02/ak-47-targets-trajectory-and-testing-known-distance-knowledge/

    • wwes February 26, 2021 at 08:00

      When you say you got a bracket with rails, do you mean a side mount? If so, I know Midwest Industries makes two different ones- there is the standard one for a generic AKM style receiver, and there is a different one for Yugo AK’s. Supposedly the Yugo model is taller to clear the top cover on the Yugo guns and will make your red dot sit way high on a standard AKM.
      Also, if your red dot has a riser or a tall mount, you probably won’t want to use that on a side rail mount with an AK. My WASR with a Midwest side rail mount gives me a lower 1/3 co-witness with NO riser, just a red dot directly on the rail.

      • Luke February 26, 2021 at 10:19

        Hey there….yes it is a side rail. Was just telling JP didn’t know they didn’t have to line up with the rear site. I can use the rear site to gauge the y axis tho. I should be able to zero it the old fashioned way.

  3. KOBK February 25, 2021 at 21:37

    highly recommend this safety:
    https://ivantactical.com/shop/weapon-accessories/weapon-rails-and-tuning/rails-and-accessories/armacon-ak-enhanced-index-finger-safety-selector/
    It’s out of Russia so takes awhile to get, company were totally pro to deal with. I prefer the feel of it over the Krebs & similar.
    I use a higher power recoil spring as well, ALG in mine. Can’t go wrong with Lone Wolf, good gear. No problems so far with more powers.
    Lately have been running the KNS mid-sized front post. Helps me aim a little lighter.
    Agree with you JP on tossing the little rubber buffer from the parts kit. However, for awhile I’ve been trying the AMD65 Tech rubber buffer block. It’s a lot bigger than the typical buffer. Normally I don’t care about buffers at all but was intrigued by this thing and gotta say it makes the x39 feel like a .223. That wasn’t my goal or anything just checking it out. Not issues so far.
    http://www.amd65tech.com
    And for those wanting to run red-dots NC Scout’s tried and true recommendation of the Ultimak railed gas tube along with a Holosun 403r or 503r is really hard to beat. Super solid cost effective upgrade. Almost must have IMO. Currently have 6x 503r’s on various rifles. Love the “Eotech” reticle in them.
    If your AK doesn’t have a side rail and that’s the route you want to go the AK Master Mount rail in conjunction with the RS Regulate mount are both as good as it gets for AK side mounting.
    Don’t forget the flash hider, must have modification as has been stated on here many times. Currently I’m running a Smith Enterprise Vortex but giving some thought to a Griffin Armament Taper Mount flash higher since it’s about an inch shorter. Works well on my short bolt action .308 so might work well on AK, have to confirm.
    Want to try an ALG trigger if I can ever get ahold of one but a must do mod on AK trigger IMO is a good simple polish job. Some decent youtubes detailing process. I’m always amazed how good a stock AK trigger can be. Never really expected that in the AK platform.
    Grip is also a must change IMO. Tango Down or Magpul are both excellent. I find stock AK grips way too small.
    I love that you really don’t have to do too much to an AK to make it rock. But as JP is recommending here…. gotta have spare parts on hand.
    Thanks for the article.

    • NC Scout February 25, 2021 at 21:56

      Couldn’t agree more!

    • KOBK February 25, 2021 at 22:38

      Forgot to ad …
      I’m currently running the Circle10AK rear sight, open top circle/U shape. One could maybe argue it’s not quite as accurate at distance but it’s a lot faster. Like it a lot actually. Probably because I dig M1a sights. Different of course but more similar than the stock setup.
      Like many I’m sure, I find the stock AK rear sight slow. Recently I modded one with a triangle file to open it up a bit and the triangle shape works really well. There’s a simple good youtube video on doing this if you’re also having trouble with the small slot. I’d recommend the triangle shape any day over just making the slot wider. And you don’t have to make it triangle all the way down, I didn’t. Just go slow, a little at a time and check your work.
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=297IIjinDC0
      The only “weird” thing I did on mine was removable cheek riser. I much prefer absolute co-witness vs 1/3 lower but obviously that’s impossible on an AK. So… to solve the problem: my stock gives perfect height for irons. I made a clean solid cheek riser out of mouse pad, velcro and flat OD Green gaff tape on top. If I have to ditch the red-dot for some reason I slide off the RS Regulate mount and pull the riser and my cheek weld stays consistent between the two heights which is important IMO.
      Might move red-dot back to the Ultimak though but for the difference in side mount height vs inions this work around turned out perfect and it’s fast to go between the two.

    • SOG February 26, 2021 at 19:55
  4. Paraclete February 26, 2021 at 18:30

    The AK-V emergency parts kit only works with
    the PSAK 9 mm carbine…not the PSAK-47.

    • Johnny Paratrooper February 26, 2021 at 18:51

      Damn. Good eyes. I’m going to correct this right now.

  5. Bulleit March 2, 2021 at 08:55

    Great reminder, I went ahead and picked up 2 additional complete AK rifles in the last week. If spare parts are good, whole extra rifles are even better. I know this isn’t cost effective or possible for everyone and the top priority should be spare parts to keep what you have running but if you can….

  6. Anonymous March 2, 2021 at 09:04

    4

  7. Berglander March 2, 2021 at 09:44

    Seriously gize…you’re making me want to part with muh $hekels and get another Kalashnikov. It’s been years.
    There was an RPK at the local gun shop two years ago for $800. Came with a 75-rd drum, two 40-rd mags, and eight 30-rd mags, plus that 4X siderail optic.
    Shoulda bought it

    • NC Scout March 2, 2021 at 10:16

      Get one. You know you want to.

    • Johnny Paratrooper March 2, 2021 at 10:32

      My friend’s RPK clone almost shoots 30/30 on a 10 inch steel plate @ 500 meters with iron sights.
      Only a couple misses from few bad cartridges(Fliers)
      It’s really incredible. We got bored with it after a while and switched our training style to rapid left and right extreme engagements to practice adjusting our position.
      He added a 4×12 30mm objective lens scope. It’s basically ridiculous now.

  8. James March 2, 2021 at 10:43

    I will say again a excellent write up on parts,( a lot out of order it seems.I will also say adm65 under going a site change so need to contact direct.
    A friend was looking for a ACE skeleton stock and mentioned having a hard time finding one in stock,I looked for him as a bit better on net searches and was surprised it was such a search to find him one(did it though).
    I say get what you can spare parts wise and this goes for more then just rifles,have gotten a few spare pairs of boots/pants/tools and parts kits for lanterns and such,feel the spare parts thing on s all products going to be a harder/more pricey slog moving forward.

    • Johnny Paratrooper March 2, 2021 at 10:45

      Spare everything is required. If a war breaks out, we will all be back to food rations and empty shelves again. It’ll be like COVID-19 times ten.

  9. BRUTHA JOHN March 2, 2021 at 11:08

    In this country any war will be counted from the highways and those 19704 airports. Here in North Carolina there are 481 airports and 227,000 lane miles of roads. I suspect every surface paved is called a road. Project Remote Dot Com got me thinking. This couple goes out and finds out how close or far you are from a paved road. So far Wyoming has the remotest spot. About 21 miles in any direction from a paved road. And in Ohio 1.2 miles in any direction to a paved road. Meaning a howitzer brought in by a helicopter does not need to land in the county you are in. Ground teams with laser designators can make life rough for the unsuspecting. And when i read articles on precision guided munitions. Learning how to spot the ground teams or spotters, what ever you want to call should be on the training short list. Same thing goes for K-9 teams. Specially if the dogs are trained not to bark. I found a Cartel dog handlers who had Pits that did not bark. He was walking around in the AM when he got lit up by 1000 lumens. He thought he was alone. He was not a happy camper. Here in 2021 the so called spotters can be found in your local Human Resources Dept. And there is the ever so lovely MIZZ Daisey with binoculars. Or Camcorder with Optical Zoom. Some people get the police called on them on the regular and may not even know it. Depends on where you live and where you work at. In this country of 3143 counties, 477 according to Big Tech went to Biden. That leaves 2666 counties for President and Commander In Chief Donald J. Trump. Those 2666 counties need to tighten up on who counts the votes. Who gets to volunteer to work in those voting places. And where there are blank ballots found or preprinted ballots are found, folks need to go to jail. (Preprinted ballots should not exist) Neither should voting machines that don’t spit out blank ballots. Blank ballots get assigned to registered voters who did not vote. If you have illegal aliens who are down as registered you have a problem. Like in the state of Virginia where according to some 10 percent of the registered voters are illegals. We need to take care of the county we live in and of course our state Capitals. Have a place to go to when home isn’t home anymore. Get out of debt, get other sources of income. Never know when HR gives you that call at home. A lot of HR people can work from home now. Pick the rifle you want as your got, same for the other things that go bang. Lose some pounds, learn to look beyond 100 yards. Know who is who in your neck of the woods. Smart meters probably have grid coordinates built in. The Google map thing? Right now we can still take care of the opposition at the local and state level. But the 100 million households that favor Trump need to step up. Stop spending money with these Fortune 500 types that don’t respect or fear us. Remember Amazon does not pay Federal income tax. Look up the number of Fortune 500 companies that do not pay Federal income tax. But yet have a negative view of the 100 million households that keep this country together. Its not just the truckers, its also the state certified electricians that drive a Prius with their pole climbing equipment in the back. Enough for now.

  10. Gator March 2, 2021 at 11:37

    I have an IO that keeps eating those spring buffers. Over gassed I’m guessing. Anything you can suggest with that? It’s not my ‘go to’ rifle by any means, more of a range toy, but it’s still irritating because that rifle has never been reliable.

    • Johnny Paratrooper March 2, 2021 at 11:40

      Don’t use rubber buffers. They are a joke. And if you fire enough rounds they break into pieces, induce malfucntions, and jam your weapon. You should consider the Wolf 15% extra power spring I linked. Double check the link, and order the right one because they offer a standard and extra power spring. I’m sure someone bought the standard spring by accident.
      Every weapon I ever installed an after market recoil reducing “buffer” in became less reliable, or increased in felt recoil impulse.

      • Gator March 2, 2021 at 15:00

        JP – for some reason the reply button wouldn’t work so I’m posting down here. It came with that buffer, I didn’t add it in. Without that buffer, the bolt will come far enough back to come out of the tracks. As you described, it eventually came apart into a couple pieces and completely locked the gun up and was a pain in the ass to get apart. I am far from an expert on these things, I can load and unload it and field strip it to clean, that’s about it. From my understanding of the platform, if it doesn’t come with a buffer, don’t add one. But if it does come with one from the factory, you need one. Like I said, without the buffer it doesn’t function, bolt comes loose. Is there one made out of a better material I should try? Maybe the extra power recoil spring will prevent it from slamming back as hard and not tear that thing up so I’ll definitely try that.
        I bought this thing back when rifled and ammo were plentiful and relatively cheap, mainly just because it is so fun to shoot, but it’s far from my go to rifle. I’m an AR platform guy. But, it’s pointless having a rifle in my safe that doesn’t work, even if it’s just an occasional range toy at this point. And I do have a bunch of ammo for it. Any other suggestions greatfully accepted. I already had to take this thing back to the factory twice when it was new, luckily they were built like 30 minutes from where I was living when I bought it so it’s always been a problem child for me.

        • Johnny Paratrooper March 2, 2021 at 15:34

          See if you can find a factory OEM buffer for it and the extra power spring I linked. OEM is “Original Equipment Manufacturer”. I guess you’ll need some extras. Keep track of the round count before it breaks.

          • SemperFi, 0321 March 2, 2021 at 18:30

            IO had a very shady reputation for crap guns, ie, Century. I doubt they would back up their products anyway.
            They ripped me off for a doz. FAL mags about 15+ yrs ago, bunch of thieves they are. One of the brothers went to prison I believe.

  11. SemperFi, 0321 March 2, 2021 at 11:46

    AK’s work just fine in their original military condition. Wanting to hot rod everything is an American disorder.to spend money on non-existent problems. It makes you feel special.
    If it’s not broken don’t mess with it or, perhaps, KISS.
    I’m going to venture that any AK that quit running was already messed with by Bubba.

    • Johnny Paratrooper March 2, 2021 at 12:02

      Some of the AK’s made on Combloc parts kits are worn out or out of spec

      • SemperFi, 0321 March 2, 2021 at 13:16

        I got lucky, all mine were like new. I also have a NIB Polish armorers kit, everything you can imagine from pins, handguards to cleaning rods,
        But like you said, goobering on junk doesn’t help, look at all those SKS mag conversions that don’t work, you were better off leaving the stock 10 rd on it. It worked, even if it wasn’t as tacticool as a 40 round RPK mag.

        • Johnny Paratrooper March 2, 2021 at 13:32

          The SKS magazines work fine in my experience. I have never had any trouble with them. Nor have any of my friends.

        • Sanders March 2, 2021 at 16:17

          I was fortunate, as well. All the kits I ever got were brand new, as in never fired condition. What I need to find is a decent trigger kit for, of all things, a WASR-10 that the monkeys at Century Arms put together. I inherited it from my little brother and he used to rave about how much he loved that AK. I went out to shoot it and couldn’t get through a full mag because the trigger slap was so bad. Numbed the tip of my trigger finger for a week.

          • NC Scout March 2, 2021 at 16:41

            ALG trigger brother. ALG.

    • Johnny Paratrooper March 2, 2021 at 12:06

      The “Hot Rod” disorder is a real phenomenon. I have friends who have AR’s that are a ridiculous mess of parts. Some of them have $2,000 in parts and a $50 red dot. No ammo. Barrel isn’t even broken in correctly.

  12. TheBohunk March 3, 2021 at 12:39

    I’ve don’t care for those those pin keepers. They go in alright but every single one I’ve ever taken out had to be bent and mangled in order to be removed. It’s hard to explain but the safety interferes with it.
    I’ve had far better luck with E clips found in any hardware store for pennies. Only trouble is you need needle nose pliers or a pick to remove them. Not always expedient in the field.

    • Johnny Paratrooper March 3, 2021 at 12:45

      ACE hardware and other dollar stores have excellent lightweight steel picks in a four pack. I would refrain from Level 2 maintenance in the field. For the reasons you mentioned.

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