I suspect that Chris, knowing my interest, and previous experience with ak platform, is trolling the shit out of me. Knowing me as well as he does it is working.

What? Me? Never!

All hail Eris!

Let’s go over whats needed to properly make an ak receiver.

1. Drill press
2. 20 ton press
3. Spot welder
4. bending jig of some kind, you can’t just use a normal sheet bending jig, unless it’s a substantial metal break.
5. A trigger guard jig.
This is assuming you have a flat of some kind to work from.
6. Some means to heat treat the receiver, a propane torch and large vat of uncontaiminated oil will do

Now the receiver is done. Unlike an AR where you just screw, or pin everything into the receiver. Most everything on the ak is pressed or riveted into place.
So now to finish the build you need
1. A trigger guard riveting jig,
2. A barrel pressing jig,
3 Front and rear trunion riveting jig (various according to rear stock type)

Some of the extraneous parts are not going to just drop in, many will need to be hand fit.

I can take a stripped ar-15 receiver, (upper and lower), and get you a working complete gun in about hour). Last time I built an ak.. it took me 2 days…
Ar-lowers can be printed out of polymer… and still function, which is a huge plus.

From a TOTAL machining time point of view, ak’s are sustainability cheaper than AR-15′s.

From a home builders point of view working from a kit. Ak’s are sustainability more difficult to construct than an ar-15.

Says the man who has never bent his own receiver before…..