AK103-page

We always want something else, something new. It's the nature of the airsofter. There are just too many versions of the AK and the collector inside me just ached for something different than the standard Tokyo Mariu AK47. Nothing wrong with this particular model; Not a thing. I just wanted something to coincide with some of the more modern impressions I enjoy and something that wouldn't break the bank to build.

The AK 103 seemed like an appropriate variant. I liked the fact that I could keep the smooth type dust cover and use the 7.62X39 caliber magazines already in my kit. The most noticeable features of the 103 are quite simple... what looks like a modern 74M style solid side-folding buttstock and 74 style black synthetic pistol grip and handguards. A 74 style flash hider also takes its place on the end of the barrel. These are the things I concentrated on for this conversion.

I would have planned a late type 74 but at the time, STAR AK74 mags were brand new and I was wary of anything other than Marui mags. I would have also had to buy a ribbed dust cover. These were difficult to obtain and when I found them online, they were very expensive. Besides, I planned an AK74S (early) as seen in Afghanistan and included would be a grenade launcher for the battery. Figured I'd save that one as the money-eater!

At left is a photo of the realsteel 103. I knew I wouldn't be able to hit each detail on the nose but I figured I could get close.

I started with a standard Tokyo Marui AK47 and a set of furniture made by Arsenal. The AK was purchased from Long Island Airsoft and the the polymer parts were picked up at a local gun store. You can get these parts from K-var. I got the "Nato" length buttstock which is just a tad longer (inch or so) than the "Warsaw" length. I wasn't too particular at the time which i started with and I suppose the "Warsaw" length would have been more appropriate. All I really cared about was that telltale fingergrip, or "bloodline" as I like to call it, in the stock and the vented type handguards with thumbswell.

While not the most difficult conversion, a few tools were needed to properly work the realsteel parts onto this rifle. I recommend a good moto-tool and plenty of sandpaper. A belt sander, disc sander, grinding wheel, and handheld detail sander were all used as well as varying grits of sandpaper and fine #000 steel wool. Basic hand tools and hobby tools were also a big help.

My workbench never looked so clean!

This was probably the most difficult part of the conversion and I felt as though it might be something I would have to abandon due to weakness in the joint. Basically, I chopped and used the rear portion of the realsteel butt and mated it with the front portion of the Marui butt. The Marui buttstock has machine-threaded nuts that make for a fairly secure attachment point for the butt so I thought that if I could cut the 2 parts at the right angle and mate them properly, I would get the detail of the rear of the realstel butt and have the secure attachment of the Marui parts. It would also allow for that sleek, swept-back asthetic that makes this rifle look so streamlined. After I cut the parts, I test fitted to see how much I would have to putty and join. The results were pretty good and I proceeded to join the 2 pieces in a way that would secure them well, but hindered battery placement.

I cut down a piece of wood just big enough to stuff into the rear of the semi-hollow butt. Then I added some "Quicksteel" putty to the crossmember of the marui part. Once dry (about 10 minutes) the Quicksteel was strong enough to allow me to tap a hole into it large enough to get a 7 inch gutter screw through and bite into the wood block at the opposite end. After using some "Goop" adhesive to tack the 2 halves together, I slowly turned the gutter screw with a screwgun and allowed it to fasten itself and the 2 parts were very secure. I then added more putty to the inside to further bond the 2 halves.

The next step was to start applying Quicksteel to the outer portions of the stock. This would not only make the 2 parts to look like 1 but also add yet more strength. It became very important to me that this stock hold up under high-stress situations. If it didn't, I'd use the break as an excuse to buy a skeletal stock. You gotta be flexible with airsoft rifles. Anyway, I applied the Quicksteel over the mate area and feathered it out as much as possible. Quicksteel dries fast - hence the name. I let it cure fully for 24 hrs. and once fully dried, it's extremely hard. Again, the name applies. It is very sandable and the Black And Decker sander helped speed up the sanding process. I used some super-fine grit sandpaper by hand later. Tamiya makes a superb sandpaper for hobby applications and was perfect for this project. For final polishing, #000 steel wool was used.

These 2 photos show in-progress details of the AK103 with various parts still unfinished.I kept working on the other parts in between - as portions of this needed drying time I concentrated on the handguards as well as other details. The 74 style muzzle brake was buffed on the buffing wheel and screwed on. The Tokyo Marui AK takes the 14/1 LHT (Left Hand Thread) screw-on attachment parts and the old style plunger is included on the for-end of the front sight. The brake used was purchased from Global/Arsenal.

With the stock now looking more like one piece, I noticed that my sanded area was far more smooth than the rest of the stock. I wanted something that would help unify the entire thing making it more visually uniform. I decided on some fleck-stone spray from a local art supply store. This comes in many colors but I bought the black/dark grey colored type in case my planned semi-flat black enamel finish chipped and scratched. I took it outside to spray it and allowed a full 24 hrs for it to dry. It stays very tacky for many hours so if you use this product in this manner, don't go sanding it till it's fully dry. I chose to sand it by hand rather than use the power sander. The results were pretty nice. It gave the stock a very convincing "factory" look and although this type of pebble finish is not present on the real steel version, it still has a convincing look to it and the texture compliments the rifle really well. When I showed Jay (Long Island Airsoft) he commented immediately that he'd love this applied to his AUG - which would probably sport this finish even better than the AK. I sprayed it with a semi-flat black enamel spray paint. Again, I took it outdoors for this. The buttplate was sanded down for a worn finish and screwed it back into position. At this stage the Buttstock was basically done.

The easiest part of this conversion is adding the upper handguard, I will admit here that I shaved off a bit too much of the upper and had to add back a bit using a slice of the marui part. The only reason I shaved off too much was because when I test fitted the part, I didn't "snug" it down to the metal parts that hold it in place. Make sure you test fit the pieces properly before making cuts. Again, the Marui part saved the day and I was able to cut a thin portion off and adhere it to the realsteel end with some Goop adhesive. The Arsenal part needs only a few millimeters sanded off of both ends and it will fit without any problem. You might be tempted to simply paint the marui upper hand guard black and that would look just fine. I just wanted the finish of both the upper and lower handguards to match as both have a very fine sand-like texture not present on the marui part.

The lower handguard was where I probably went overboard. As it needs only some patience and alteration to fit, I felt it necessary to permanently bond it to the outer barrel. If you intend to add a metal front end, don't take this approach. Some steel flatstock would have been better; cut and tacked in place at the back end of the lower handguard, I could have made it removable for future modifications. Nonetheless, it's now mounted in place using a combination of adhesives. PC-7 was used first, followed by Tamiya polyester putty. The front portion was sanded in order to get rid of the metal prongs that stick out and a small part of the Marui part was used to beef up the area in the front end. I had to tap out the hole where the cleaning rod slides through. Make sure that you align the two handguards so that they are evenly spaced (area circled). A wood screw was used to tack the bottom to a plastic re-enforcement for greater stability. I added more PC-7 in the space where the screw sat within the lower handguard. The excess of the screw was then cut and sanded down. The slight depression left from the dremel cut-off wheel was filled with putty, sanded, and painted black.

I used a combination of putty and a section of the marui lower handguard to add yet more strength to the front end of the lower. I sawed off the small piece and stuck it in the front where the metal tab sits on the realsteal part. There were previously metal prongs attached here on either side of the lower so I took the part over to the grinding wheel for removal. The peice was inserted and once the putty dried, I cut re-cut the hole for the cleaning rod.

Since the realsteel hand grip is considerably thinner, it seemed pretty impossible to modify. So I started making one from both the latter and the marui grip. I put my cut off wheel in the dremel moto tool and started cutting off the checkered parts from the rs grip. I then roughed up the mariu grip with some dremel gouges and a pass of course sandpaper. The checkered parts were sanded down on the belt sander and glued to the marui grip. I used the clamp method shown in the pics to secure the parts. As the parts dried, an online friend named Matt from Texas told me that he was making these parts himself. Cast in durable resin, he made the hand grip with nice detail. He was kind enough to send me one and I have since lost his email address. Matt, if you're reading this, please contact me! Anyway, it didn't take much to fit his grip. However I noticed that it did not sit flush with the grip plate on the reciever so I used some plastic rod with putty to fit the gap. I added it to the grip and painted it black. A screw and lockwasher from the local hardware store were added to the mix and it was a done deal! At the time of this writing, Tascabe from Nortia Enterprises frequently gets even nicer, more detailed versions of this grip that fit even better. Contact him thru his website for info.

Well, this little project was full of surprises and I can honestly say that I'm very pleased with the results. While I like the overall appearance, I must admit that the correct reciever would look much better than the Tokyo Marui standard AK47 type. Also, having added the NATO length buttstock, I knew in advance that the 9.6volt 1700mah battery would never fit in the stock again. I started the build of a fake night vision scope which would hold the battery and give the rifle a very modern, hi-tech look. While building the night vision scope, I received a black buttstock from a Tokyo Marui Beta Spetsnaz AEG from Jay at Long Island Airsoft which I tossed on immediately. This allowed me to skirmish right away with my favorite battery. I battled one day previously with a handful of 8.4V 600mah batteries and let me tell you that I NEVER want to change batteries that often ever again! Now with the spets buttstock, I see the need to mod it with the addition of the bloodline down the middle. I like the idea of the night vision device - but having the battery in either spot makes for really nice choices!

It just wouldn't be right to build this page without the mention of Ronin. Long Island Airsoft is lucky to have such a master gunsmith. Ronin, aka Paul, is a brilliant weapons builder and upgrade specialist and I always trust his talented hands to do all the work needed for upgrades in my rifles. Long before they had their store, the business was run out of Bigpop's basement. Bigpop, founder of Long Island Airsoft, was quite shrewd in partnering up with Ronin and my AK47, AK103, and SVD have all been turbo charged by these guys and Ronin will aways be my first choice for any under-the-hood work.

These photos were taken while hanging out in the former workspace. Ronin was sporting an ever so sexy mohawk and he had some fun testing out the new AK. It felt very good to get the thumbs up on my work from him and it felt even better seeing my rifle shoot harder and faster. Thanks Paul... fucking outstanding!

Ok, so here's the story as it is now. After I met Tascabe from Nortia Enterprises, and through some trading with him, I found myself in posession of some Star AK74 mags. While I did not intend on this weapon being a representation of a 74, I really liked how the mags looked in the rifle. Add onto that the fact that Long Island Airsoft now carries a wide range of Guarder products - including ribbed AK74 top covers, it was impossible not to head in this direction.

With that said, I sort of let this rifle drift itself downstream and into the mouth of the 5.45 caliber rifle, the AK74. With the help of Jay from long island airsoft, I was able to get a Marui beta spetsnaz black buttstock and get right into skirmishing. With my faux nightvision scope/battery holder unfinished, I was unable to field the rifle since I had no place to mount the battery. Now with the beta stock in place, I could at least shoot heavy with my 9.6V 1700mah batteries. Nice!

Yes, I know... the reciever is still incorrect, the buttstock lacks the bloodline, the bolt is chrome - yes, yes I know. I am now planning the addition of the bloodline to the buttstock and a few other details will be tended to. At the time of this writing, ICS is working on the release of thier own version of this weapon and I am anxious to see if they make as solid a weapon as Tokyo Marui. If the internals are good, I might go for one and make myself a folding stock variant; the AK74S. Till then, I'll keep plugging away on my own little creation here.

Many people wonder why I put numbers on the sides of my buttstocks and if they have any meaning. My AK47 has "720" on the side and this represents my son's date of birth; july 20th. This weapon sports "959" which is the hour of his birth; 9:59 am.

I like these as they make the rifle look more "issue" and I have marked my mags, gun cases, and quite a bit of my gear with these numbers. While at the battle pictured on the right, I was approached by a fella who asked, "Did you lose an AK mag?" to which I replied, "Any numbers on it?" Turned out it wasn't mine. Guess the numbers actually serve a purpose too!

Yeah, I know... "paint the damn bolt already!"

I'm working on it!

No, not by a long shot. I still have to keep working this thing to give it a better asthetic overall and finish it's details to make it look even more like the 74.

I will, however, keep going with the original AK103 concept in a completely seperate article. The magazine pictured at left represents a 7.62X39 caliber type that is slab sided and looks more like the modern mags used for the 103.

I shot many photos of this conversion as well and it will be a companion article for this one. Anyone looking to mod one of these or even a brown bakelite mag will find this upcoming article quite helpful.

I will also update this page with more photos as I continue to modify this rifle.

*** Something to keep in mind is that this article was not written as the absolute ultimate conversion step-by-step for anyone looking to modify an AK47. I did quite a few unorthodox things as I went along and looking back, I feel some of these mods, while looking fairly decent, could have been done a bit better and smarter. The brave gun modding airsofter needs to have a good plan, adequate tools, and above all else, a healthy carefree attitude when attempmting this type of conversion. This article is really just intended on sharing my experience with you, the Russian airsoft enthusiast. Nothing more. Hope you enjoyed it thus far. I'm not sure which was more difficult - modding the AK or shooting the pics as I did each step. I tip my hat to the guys who make this look easy. It surely wasn't!

Just want to add that while this was really fun, I was extra careful to protect my eyes while grinding and sanding. Shooting glasses were worn but in some cases a drop-down facemask might have been even better. There were a few bits that hit my cheek and nose. Not the worst thing... at least my eyes were safe!

When I sprayed parts with paint, I took everything outside and still wore a mask to protect my lungs. Can't be too careful!