Building jig

[swordfish]

I am building a 555 jig and am in the process of building the outer die.After reading all that I can find on making the die I have put the old receiver part salvaged from the rear trunion on the inter die i have discovered that my org. receiver is different from the specs that I have found. One post said 1.38 is perfect for the outer die. My org receiver is 1.52. I also found that I have a .075 clearence under the top rail and the die. My question is do you make the jig fit the orig. receiver OR do you make it per internet specs because that is what works with tapco flats. Are AK's so loose that these tolerences are acceptable. I am building a romey (first build). At this point all options are open. I need some help from someone that has done this. Thanks

[prebancolt]

Originally Posted by swordfish

I am building a 555 jig and am in the process of building the outer die.After reading all that I can find on making the die I have put the old receiver part salvaged from the rear trunion on the inter die i have discovered that my org. receiver is different from the specs that I have found. One post said 1.38 is perfect for the outer die. My org receiver is 1.52. I also found that I have a .075 clearence under the top rail and the die. My question is do you make the jig fit the orig. receiver OR do you make it per internet specs because that is what works with tapco flats. Are AK's so loose that these tolerences are acceptable. I am building a romey (first build). At this point all options are open. I need some help from someone that has done this. Thanks

Sword,

I feel your pain. First of all I can't remember the opening of my outer die and I'm at work so I can't measure it. As far as the inner plates go, I would highly recommend making the jig to fit the original receiver stubs. I made my first 1/4" plates to the specs on the 555th drawing (1.16" front, 1.59" back) and found that the rails were a little low. They will work, but they are not the same as the Romy stubs. You have to sand down part of the lower handguard and buttstock stubs so they will fit in the receiver. I started putting shims between the flat and the jig before I bent the top rails to up the measurements to 1.20" front and 1.65" rear and things seem to just go together better. I now have 3 or 4 bent receivers at home with lower rails that I bent before I started shimming my jig. I could use them, but I just don't want to knowing that I can do better.....

It's just a little aggrevating having to assemble everything, make initial bends, take inner jig/receiver out of outer die, take the bottom plate off, loosen the receiver from the inner jig, place shims, tighten, put bottom plate back on, insert adjusted inner jig/receiver back into outer jig, THEN bend the upper rails. But, I do it because now my receivers are dead on with the Romy stubs I take off.

J

[swordfish]

Thank you prebancolt for responding. The solution was a new set of dies and a new milling machine. I did 1.18 on the front and 1.62 on the back. Used tool steel for the inter die. The outer die was ss angle polished to a mirror finish. The inter dimentions are quoted several places on the web as 1.338. I put the demilled receiver stubs on the die and it seamed loose in the outer die so I clamped it lightly,welded the die, bent a flat and it turned out perfect. Thanks for the help!