USC 922R: Rules to Build your own AK47:

Wow! - And I thought that we had weird, and nonsensical bits in our New Zealand Firearms Law.

Joe Green of National Police Headquarters - with an MSSA.

In America (only in?) shooters need to pay attention to Chapter 44 Section 922 of 'Title 18 United States Code'  - which seems to be generally referred-to as "922R" or 922(r) .

Until recently when I started to research deeper into AK47s I was wholly innocent of US Import Regulations  - but a little aware that their export rules sometimes restricted what I was allowed to buy from there.

Section 922 Paragraph R states:

It shall be unlawful for any person to assemble from imported parts any semiautomatic rifle or any  shotgun which is identical to any rifle or shotgun prohibited from importation under Section 925(d)(3) of this chapter not being particularly suitable for or readily adaptable to sporting purposes except that this subsection shall not apply to--

Then it lists exceptions of licensed manufacturers blah blah.

-Of course (Yawn)- this leads everybody into the meaning or definition of "Sporting Purposes" and rather - what are the naughty bits that make a gun "unsporting ?"

Chapter 27  Code of Federal Regulations Section 478.11 defines these SAWs - and this is where you "should sit-up-straight-and-pay-attention-class" - it lists some familiar 'no-no's   as HIGH CAPACITY MAGAZINES - PISTOL GRIP ATTACHMENTS - FOLDING BUTTSTOCK - MUZZLE DEVICE ATTACHMENT - BAYONET LUGS.

Any such feature or device means the firearm is no longer suitable for sporting purposes - Do I hear a "Aaaagh -that's where it comes from"  echo around the hills, alps, and shooting ranges of New Zealand?

Next the shooters of USA need to comply with Title 27 Chapter1 Section 178.39 that says you can't use more than TEN PARTS of a naughty banned gun and lists 20 parts that are countable under the law.

So, - what had happened is that the defiant importers of the banned guns got them cut-up into parts-kits and imported the bags of bits so that American shooters could still get an AK47 from a commie or ex-commie country.

AK47 KIT as imported.

You bought your wrecked rifle parts and then either a ready made US built receiver or a flat  which is a piece of steel cut and drilled to become a receiver when folded into shape on a press. You as the legal owner have to do this yourself and then rivet it all together but using enough American manufactured components such as trigger assy. - guards, grips, etc.  to comply with no more than ten component parts from "naughty-land".

U.S. RECEIVER FLAT

 

Then you built your very own AK

 

 

I (or you) would need a book to follow and plenty of help - but you'd end-up with a cheap rifle that you really knew your way around. One good starting-point book: 'Gun Digest Book of the AK & SKS' by Patrick Sweeney.

And you will have fitted lots of custom bling for show-and-tell with your mates. And the rifle, complete with a few crates of cheap 7.62x39mm ammunition would only cost loose change - so like many others - you might stack your garage or spare-room to the ceiling with crates and cartons of nearly AK47s in the chosen calibre and from the country of your preference. - Bulgerian sounds good to me!

I can hear Dire Straits singing MONEY FOR NOTHING ( - that's the way to do it !)

There do seem to be ways to circumvent stupidity if you can be bothered eh.

"Rock'N'Roll"

Marty K