Project: Building an AK-47 Short-Barreled Rifle Clone

In this article you will meet a brand new Romanian Cugir WS1-63SB chambered in 7.62×39 mm. The rifle is available for just a little short of 900 Euro or roughly 1 000 US Dollars in Germany.

Step by step it will transform, like Dracula, into an AK47 Short Barrel Rifle clone.

Cugir Arms Factory is a Romanian state-owned defense company that is one of the oldest defense companies of Romania, and probably in the World.

Cugir Arms Factory’s history can be traced all the way back to the year 1799 during the Austro-Hungarian Empire. That’s soon 220 years ago. The steel manufacturing workshops were founded in Cugir, Romania which is one of the first metallurgical factories in Transylvania.

For more information about their history check out Cugir’s homepage.

There are some really nice photos, descriptions, and suggestions which parts to chose if you’re interested in a similar build. I have inserted links to the company or directly to the product for your convenience – you’re welcome!

Below: Here you see the muzzle end of the gun. The Magpul Zhukov-U handguard fits perfectly and helps keeping my hands away from all hot parts. I added a Magpul KeyMod handstop, a picatinny rail and an Arisaka Gunworks fingerstop as well as two QD sling attachment points (on the other side of the handguard). And as a finishing touch I replaced the Tapco birdcage flash hider with a .30cal Nightbrake from Manticore Arms. I ordered several different muzzle devices and that’s the one I like best so far.

The Zhukov-U can be found here at Magpul, with the M-LOK handstop. This is a shorter version of the original Zhukov handguard. The finger stop is a nice detail, find it here. The Manticore Nightbrake is yours here. AK M16 Style Flash Hider from Tapco.

This a detailed view of inside of the receiver. You can see the top of the ALG trigger and if you know your way around an AK you’ll notice that I replaced the traditional braided main spring with a non-braided high energy main spring also made by ALG. Keeping everything in place is a trigger pin retaining plate from Power Custom – I simply can’t stand the flimsy original retaining spring.

This shows the LAW Tactical folding stock adapter at work. What I like with this solution over the Magpul Zhukov stock I had installed before is that the stock folds to the left of the AK where it doesn’t interfere with my grip on the gun and the operation of the safety and the bolt handle.

The steeper grip angle of the Magpul MOE SL pistol grip fits like a glove for the shorter LOP I prefer in my rifles.

So here you have it – Shromo’s take on the AK47 SBR. The only part I’m still searching for is the Venom Tactical gas block / front sight combo. The factory gas block is slightly canted to the left, a fact I cannot accept. But those Venom gas blocks are next to impossible to get over here in Germany.

The Venom Tactical AK47 / AK-74 Gas Block can be found in this link but seems hard to get in Europe. I find too often that build like this, or even less complicated builds, get to a standstill due to difficulties sourcing parts, in this case, a 99 USD gas block.

What do you think of Shrombo’ s take on the AK47 SBR? Is it to your liking? Would you have built the same or used other parts?