Is your current AK sans dimples? Like this?
Then yes, you've got yourself a WASR. In my opinion, a fine, utilitarian example from the Kalashnikov world.
To get started on building today, you're a few years late and likely a few hundred dollars short of the "good ol' days" some of the baby boomers like to remind us about. It's not impossible whatsoever to get into the hobby, but nowadays you might have better luck on the secondhand market with regards to procuring kits. As with complete guns, combloc trumps US-made when it comes to the AK. Romanian (which is your WASR's birthplace), Bulgarian, Polish, Hungarian ... pick your poison and get started. Yugo kits can also be very nice, but note some of the parts such as furniture are not fully compatible and interchangeable with other combloc nations. You can also find some Russian, PLO, and East German kits, but you're going to spend a ton of money to do things right. I'd stay away from mutants and bastardized American kits such as Century's AMD kits, and pay attention to provenance and condition of the individual parts if you're looking at cobbled together kits with mismatched serial numbers. I have a few numbers-matching Romanian "Romy G" builds with the original barrels, and they are among my favorite AKs - these kits used to be a dime a dozen, and they are still pretty easy to find in the private marketplace.
Also, note that unless you're planning to go with an original Russian Type milled receiver kit, i.e. an AK-47, you're going to be assembling an AKM on a stamped receiver.
Besides Gunbroker, Armslist, the AK Files Marketplace, and the AR15 parts exchange, some decent retail sites include AOA (
https://www.armsofamerica.com/partskits-2.aspx), Apex (
https://www.apexgunparts.com/rifles/ak-47/ak47-parts-kits.html), What a Country (
https://whatacountry.com/parts-kits.aspx), and Atlantic (
https://www.atlanticfirearms.com/taxons/ak-47-74-parts-kits), to name a few. Plenty more are out there. If you're not yet ready to invest in a press, populate barrels, and start smashing rivets, I'd also suggest checking out barreled assemblies, where most of the "hard" steps are already completed for you.
If you want to dive in fully, some necessary tools for your shop will include:
- 12+ ton press
- Drill press and proper bits (and a proper amount of spare bits)
- Dremel
- Vise
- Bolt cutter
- Rivet squeezer
- Angle grinder
- Jig for trigger guard
- Jigs/tools for front/rear trunnions
- Proper rivets (and a proper amount of spares)
- Chemicals for finishing metal parts to your preference
- A mini fridge full of your preferred adult beverages for when things get frustrating and/or to celebrate your finished products
Childers and Recreator receivers are nice if you're going for authenticity and want a a good clone of something. Nodak Spud/Morrissey are also solid, reputable choices. Stay away from no-name, super cheap receivers, as the old saying about getting what you pay for remains true (ask me how I know
). The AK is pretty forgiving in regards to parts, tolerances, and build quality, but if you're going to build one yourself, spend the time and money on quality components. You'll appreciate it much more in the long run.
Hopefully others will be along soon to provide input.
Good luck!
