wood vs. injection molded

Mike Mizz

Just curious. I am refinshing the furniture on a 1997 Romanian MKII, which is and oddball thumbhole stock gun which i replaced with a nice, blond laminated wood set. My question is this: Forget going in the jungle or beating the crap out of it, this is for going to the range and farting around with. Now, would you rather see a unique wood pattern done in a tasteful stain with 3 coats of polyurethane, or the Black stocks, the plum stocks, they are nice, they do have a purpose, but what is the THING, that attracts you to a military rifle such as the AK, is it the different manufacturing countries, the different looks? Is it the wood, with it's zebra stripes, and a nicely done refinsh. I am just curious.
Thank you all. Mike Mizz

RCrosby

Mike,
I'm probably not (no, definately not) the best person to be responding here, but maybe we can get the ball rolling.
My bias is to blued steel and pretty wood with lots of nice grain and subdued, non-gloss type finish.
I'd vote for letting what wood grain there is show. You can always paint it later if you change your mind.
As to where the appeal lies in such things, I'll have to let others comment as my rifles are mostly bolt actions and single shots.
Have fun.

Jorge

Refinishing an AK is well worth the trouble.

Here's my Bulgarian Arsenal milled SLR 101S with polyurethane stocks refurbished in Ironwood's maple furniture; before and after pictures.

Mike Mizz

Well I am in the middle of refinishing a 2003 made SAR-2, in which they use the older SAR heavy duty pieces from the old days pre ban, of course they torch the receiver ( which to me is comparable to burning books, oh ya, now they burn up the hammer forged hand made Steyr Bulgarian barrels too.....shame.
anyway, this has Mahoghany everything, and is going to be sanded down, step by step, and stained with Minwax's red mahoghany. How many coats, i don't know, but it will be getting several coats of ployurethane so it has the deep look.
But I also like to resurrect a beaten old AK-74 into something someone would be proud to own, with the black polyimide front upperand lower handguards, the pistol grip and stock, or in plum is nice too. Put a picatinny rail on the tri-rail handle, a reflex type sight, flashlight, and maybe even a laser pointer.And if done right so it looks correct, instead of a bunch of crap piled on top of each other, that alos is a nice piece. I will try to show pictures if there is any interest, otherwise I'll save the film.
All take care, and keep your guns!! DON'T GIVE THEM AWAY TO THESE SO-CALLED "TOWN POLICE "BUY BACK GUN DAY" Where they give you $100 for whatever gun you have, and they give you a $100 certificate to buy groceries., NO alcohol, and NO cigarettes can be bought with these.
Anyway I am refinishing these guns as I seefit, some are just beautiful stock with the stoick refinished.
Tak4e care and enjoy your guns responsibly.

mateomasfeo

I don't really like plastic on AK's and I don't like having wood on my AR15's. They are what they are.

I, like PP above, did the switch from plastic to wood. My Bulgarian Arsenal was particularly hideous as it had a plastic thumbhole stock. I had to replace a few parts to make it U.S. legal, but it was worth it.

I ordered my wood from Irownwood Designs and finished it to taste.

Here are my before and after shots. You decide.