UZI 9mm Semi-Auto Build Thread

[beaker]

Yes, getting it from nodak spud but made by McKay same as the receiver parts. Supposed to be this month some time. I am hoping to blast/park/gunkote this weekend.

I am looking forward to seeing your end product. I am also in the same boat as you are waiting on a bolt and striker but did get some other parts and mags. Are you getting the bolt from the same place that your receiver came from?

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[Boris]

awesome build, lots of great pictures!!! MOAR!

 

[beaker]

Build Update - Selector Stop Weld Blocking Bar

Well, I still don't have a bolt and striker assembly so I don't want to finish up the receiver then find out I have to do something to tweak it destroying the finish. But fear not, another installment is ready. If you are using an SMG lower you need to permanently install a blocking bar so the selector switch can't move to the full auto position. At first you might be thinking what is the point of having to do this, its a semi-auto and just cosmetic?!?!? It's not really cosmetic.

Take the fully assembled lower and put the selector in the semi position, making sure it is not out of position (the spring should be in the detent on the selector bar). Measure the inside dimension from the end of the lower to the end of the selector at the semi position. In the picture below I scribed the edge of the selector bar. Write down the distance, a pair of vernier calipers helps here.

Make up a blocking bar from some sheet steel ~0.060-0.070" thick according to Nodak. I used 14 gauge sheet stock which you can get from Lowes or Home Depot if you don't have any lying around. It should be the length you measured and I made mine 0.400" wide.

Disassemble the lower completely to make sure you don't ruin anything. I used a flat dremel grinding wheel to clean up the park finish around the weld area.

Here it is with the blocking bar positioned prior to welding:

I welded it on both sides (left and right) towards the front (away from the area that contacts the selector bar). It was a pain in the ass because the welding tip on my mig welder was too large to get at the sides of the blocking bar easily in the small space. If I had to do it again I would just drill a hole in the middle of the bar and weld the center where you can easily position the welding wire and zap it. While I can weld, I'm not a "welder" , so I put the welded lower into a Bridgeport and cleaned up my handiwork. Once it gets blasted, parked and gunkoted it will look almost pretty good.

Dry fit some of the pieces:

Here is the curing oven I built, if there is any interest in a how to thread I'll post one:

 

[atilla]

very nice!

 

[KAWSAM62]

EXCELLANT!
good job!!

 

[beaker]

Thanks.. I'll be wrapping it up in April when I receive the bolt assay. Supposed to be ready in a few weeks from now.

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[beaker]

Yay! Bolt is shipping today.

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[shadyduk1979]

Did you have one made from the full auto bolt?

 

[beaker]

Nope, it is a new semi-auto bolt assembly.

Did you have one made from the full auto bolt?

 

[shadyduk1979]

In case you or anyone else needs it, to use a full auto lower in a semi auto frame i have 9mm brass tubing with a .45mm wall so you can use your standard 8mm pin to mount the lower. Its is stupid cheap but i had to buy a foot of it and built 2 Uzis.

 

[beaker]

GOT THE BOLT

I received the bolt today, and it looks great. McKay once again does very nice work.

The bolt assembly comes with the bolt, striker assembly and the buffer. You need to supply the extractor and extractor pin, and the recoil spring assembly from the SMG kit. Assembly is easy and here is what it looks like when done:

So after assembling the bolt I reassembled my lower and put everything together to do a function check. Seems to work perfectly. Now I just need to drill a hole in the stock bracket to permanently mount it to the receiver so I can take it to the range to test fire it (hopefully this weekend). If all goes well, I'll disassemble it completely for finishing.

Finishing will involve the following steps, which I'll document here as well:



* Thorough Cleaning by soaking in mineral spirits for half an hour, then some carb cleaner.
* Grit blasting anything that isn't new with 100 grit Aluminum Oxide.
* Cleaning again in hot water/degreaser solution to remove any oil and/or grit.
* Parkerize.
* Spray with Gunkote HK Black.
* Oven cure for 90 minutes at 325F.
* Reassemble and enjoy

 

[Romokid]

Nice, very nice. I had planned on building one as well, but couldn't wait for parts to be available so I traded one of my AR's for one.

 

[beaker]

Disassembling the Surplus UZI Wood Stock for Mods and Refinishing

I am modifying a surplus wooden stock to permanently mount it on the receiver. The surplus wooden stocks I bought were a bit rough so I decided to clean them up a bit. I have to disassemble the stock anyway to mod the mounting bracket, and I am going to refinish all of the hardware as well.

Disassembly is pretty straight forward, you just need a med-large flat head screw driver. Start by taking out the two machine screws on the bottom, don't lose the washers!

Then remove the wood screw on the top...

The quick release mounting bracket comes off.

Then take out the wood screws on the butt plate.

It should now look like this.

To clean the crud off of the stock I used a degreaser (shown below), a 3M final finishing pad (it is a fine scotch brite pad for wood finishing), paper towels, a spray bottle with water, and a heat gun.

I poured the degreaser on full strength, then used the fine scotch bright pad to remove the old finish and crud that had accumulated over the last few decades. I then sprayed down the stock with water from a spray bottle while holding the stock upright so it washed down onto a wad of paper towels. I dried off the stock with towels, then a heat gun to dry completely - I repeated this a couple of times. Looking pretty good.

After cleaning, I very lightly cleaned up the stock with a fine grit sanding sponge, being very careful not to hit the corners or remove any material. I wasn't trying to make it look like a new stock, just wanted to clean it up and apply a new finish and let that wood show through.

After the cleaning I let it sit for a couple of days then started applying Birchwood-Casey Tru-Oil. Probably applied 7-8 coats of Tru-Oil, following the directions. I cleaned up two stocks this way, the other one had a nicer red tone, and a more interesting grain so I used that one on the uzi build.

 

[beaker]

Modify Wood Uzi Stock for Permanent Installation

Most of the surplus UZI wooden stocks are quick release types, meaning that you can quickly remove the stock with a squeeze of the lever on the bottom of the stock. Well, that isn't legal because the rifle would be below the minimum length required by federal law so don't do it unless you like being in prison. So, you can take the parts that come with the SMG parts kit, the parts that come with the surplus wooden stock, modify them, and end up with a nice, solid permanently attached stock. How? Glad you asked!

You need the following parts:

* From the folding stock - stock mounting nut and the 1/4-20 cap screw that goes with it. FYI: You can't mount the folding stock on the rifle if you live in MA unless it is a pre-ban firearm.
* Surplus wooden stock with quick release mounting bracket.

You need to modify the nut by shortening the stud portion that fits through the hole on the rear of the receiver. On the folding stock, it would stick out through the back, and through a similar hole on the front of the folding stock. The cap screw then holds the stock in place. You need to modify the stud on the nut so that it does not stick out from the back of the receiver, but slightly below flush so it does not protrude. This will become much clearer with the pictures below.

MODIFY THE NUT

I milled down the top of the button/stud so it sits about 0.005"-0.010" below the outside surface of the rear of the receiver when installed so it will not interfere with the stock mounting bracket. I used a milling machine, a band saw or even a belt grinder would probably work if you can hold it somehow.

Here is how it looks in the receiver.

I put the bracket in a vise and drilled the first hole (1/16") in the center of the round stud. You won't know where to drill the hole if you start from the other side of the bracket.

Then flip the bracket over to drill from the other side (it has better clearance for your drill). I used a hand drill for this.

Next drill a 1/8" (I also drilled a 3/16" hole shown below) using the pilot hole you drilled from the other side.

Then the final 1/4" hole.

The 1/4-20 cap screw should fit through the hole easily now.

But the stud is still there.

I used a horizontal cutoff saw to remove the stud. A band saw would also work great for this.

I cleaned up the saw marks with a dremel, and it will get grit blasted later when I re-park. The bracket is now ready to install permanently onto the receiver. I really like this method because it still looks like the original quick release stock, you can't tell when assembled.

Now it is time to install everything for the range testing of the Uzi before the finishing steps.

The stock will need one more modification prior to reassembly. You need to drill a counterbore in the front of the stock where the head of the cap screw will protrude. To locate the hole I put the mounting bracket into position, then the wooden stock. While holding it, I used a pencil to mark the hole location from the inside of the receiver.

Pencil Mark

I used a 3/8" wood boring bit to drill the clearance hole with a hand drill. I used the head of the cap screw as a reference for the depth needed. The hole should be a little deeper than the height of the cap screw.

Now you can install the bracket on the receiver and it looks like this...

Because you have to attach the bracket to the receiver, then slip on the stock, you need to make additional clearance at the top of the hole using a dremel so it looks something like this. I just hand fitted it until it slipped into the bracket properly.

Once the stock is fitted to the bracket, you can install the two machine screws on the bottom of the receiver, and the wood screw on the top.

It is a very solid lock up and you can't tell it is permanently attached keeping the original looks of the Uzi.

At this point the gun is ready for test firing! Hopefully will get it out to the range tomorrow.

I also installed a StormWerkz optic rail on the top cover which I'll cover in a different post.

Here it is ready for the test firing, the receiver is still in the white.

 

[beaker]

Installing the StormWerkz Uzi Rail

I want to use a red dot with the rifle so I am installing a StormWerkz rail. It is pretty easy to install, but drilling the holes was a pain on my top cover. I smoked 3 HSS TiN drills trying to drill the holes and had to use a carbide drill to get the initial through holes done.

The rail comes with all hardware, instructions and a drawing for locating the holes (it even includes an allen wrench). You also need a caliper to mark the hole locations. I would also strongly recommend a sheet metal step drill since you need to put 9/32 holes in the top cover and once the pilot holes are done it is easy to use the step drill and get nice holes.

Set the caliper to the dimensions on the drawing, lock it using the locking screw (on the caliper), then Scribe the center line locations left to right and the top cover centerline.

I used a vice set up in my drill press to make the pilot holes where the scribe lines indicate hole centers. You probably won't have much luck drilling these with a hand drill. I had to use a carbide spade drill to get through the top cover as I smoked 3 HSS TiN (gold) drills of various diameters and barely made a dent. Once the pilot holes were done (PITA), I used a sheet metal step drill to drill out to the required 9/32" hole diameter, and that worked great. They even chamfer the hole.

Here is the rail mounted. After finishing I'll reinstall it with locktite.

The StormWerkz rail allows the cocking plate to slide underneath the rail, nice.

It is a very solid installation, and a nice rail. Works great with the Aimpoint.

 

[beaker]

Test Firing the Uzi

Brought the Uzi to the range on Sunday to see how it shoots. I am very pleased! Shot 100 rounds with no issues (NATO +p and Federal). The Aimpoint setup also works very well and I am overall very happy with the way it shoots. Very easy to point, and a lot of fun. I was easily hitting clays and small water bottles at 50 yards, it is extremely accurate. I like it a lot.

Time to do the finishing.

 

[Zepp]

Hmmm that lools like tauntons range... Man good work the uzi looks amazing, congrats!!

 

[atilla]

fappin'. fappin' like a madman.

SBR it. quickly.

 

[turbo38gn]

Amazing accomplishment, I've kept an eye on this thread from the beginning, just an amazing job!! Congrats, I only wish I had the patience and the ability to do what you have done..

 

[beaker]

Hmmm that lools like tauntons range... Man good work the uzi looks amazing, congrats!!

Right you are! Thanks, I can't wait to get the finish done and all of the bits on.

fappin'. fappin' like a madman.

SBR it. quickly.

LOL - I am glad you are "enjoying" the pics.

Amazing accomplishment, I've kept an eye on this thread from the beginning, just an amazing job!! Congrats, I only wish I had the patience and the ability to do what you have done..

Thanks, anyone could build one. Its not like I hand forged the receiver in my home made forge and cut the barrel from a fence post like Boris!

I had to look at a lot of different sources of info, and make some guesses so I am glad that detailed instructions are now available on NES. I just checked the number of views and I am shocked to see over 16000 views on the counter. Must be a lot of interest in building UZI's out there. I have to say that if you want one, building one is a worthy pursuit. It is such a great shooter. More to come, the Uzi isn't done yet!

 

[radioman]

Would you be willing to post an approximate cost of the job? I bet many besides me would like to know.

 

[beaker]

PM sent.

Would you be willing to post an approximate cost of the job? I bet many besides me would like to know.

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[Flyer007]

Mind sending costs my way also?

 

[beaker]

FINISHING THE UZI

Well, tonight I finished the UZI project, finally.

Today I did one marathon session and wrapped it up tonight.

I Disassembled it and degreased it by soaking it in Acetone. I pulled out the parts that needed blasting one at a time then put them back into the Acetone to clean them again in preparation for parkerizing.

Here is a picture of all of the pieces after blasting. I put all of the larger parts on stainless wire before hand for handling and hanging in the oven.

Butt Plate before Parkerizing

Parking was uneventful and I don't have any pictures since time was of the essence at that point in the process. The actual process for parking is pretty easy, the 1 1/4 gallons of solution I made up was spent after the Uzi. I used parkerizing solution from parkerizingkits.com. Their park solution concentrate seemed to work fine for me, although it isn't terribly black. If I were sticking with the park finish, it may not have been dark enough for me.

Parkerizing Process

*You must use distilled water for parkerizing and rinsing - and no, filtered water or spring water isn't good enough. Any minerals in the water will screw up your gun.
*I used stainless steel wire to make hangers for my parts and put them on before starting. This eliminates unnecessary handling/touching of the parts later.
*Degrease parts, really don't skip this step. I used acetone and soaked for about an hour.
*Grit blast with 120 grit Aluminum Oxide (not reused aluminum oxide). Shot peening won't work, and hand sanding, well, it might work on some areas but not recommended.
*Use compressed air to blow out remaining grit.
*Degrease again - I put it back in the acetone bath until my parkerizing solution was up to temperature (190-195F)
*Put in Park Solution - you will see a lot of bubbling indicating the etch is happening. YMMV, but I was doing about 10 minutes for the UZI.
*When this slows and stops, you should take the part out and put it in the hot water. Swish it around to remove any loose parkerizing residue.
*If you are not painting right after, apply WD-40 or other light oil IMMEDIATELY after it removing it from the hot water bath it rusts within minutes if you don't.

I hung them in my curing oven in preparation for painting. I pulled the part out using the wire hanger and held it in open air for spraying. I also touched up some stuff after I put it back into the oven.

Here is the parking setup I used:

I used Gun Kote - HK Black, which is as close as the original IMI color as you can get. Here are the parts after parking before spraying.

I used an airbrush to apply the Gun Kote. One of the nice things about Gun Kote is that it needs no mixing of two part paints, or dilution with solvent. it is good to spray from the can. It is very easy to spray as well. Make sure you are wearing a respirator set up for solvents!

After spraying/before baking:

Bake at 325F for one hour after it comes to temperature:

After 1 hour the parts are ready to cool down, then they can be reassembled immediately.
Here are some crappy pics of the assembled UZI. My flash sucks. I used the forearm guard from the parts kit. I found some New Old Stock pistol grips from IMI since the parts kit grips were totally buggered. Assembly took a while because I was pretty tired but it went smoothly and function test was perfect. Hopefully i'll get out Monday and try it out again now that it is completed. Oh, Crap, I still have to put the front sling swivel in...

 

[MassMark]

WOW! I just picked up this thread! I have an IMI Model B and love it! I can get through the day with tying my shoes, so building one has never crossed my mind. Nice work! How is the cheek weld with that Aimpoint?

Super job!

 

[beaker]

Thanks MassMark

The Aim point was set up for lower 1/3 on an AR and it is perfect for the Uzi with a wooden stock. It is very easy to aim with the red dot.



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[Boris]

nice curing oven, very good attention to detail. Good tools make good guns. Congrats!

 

[SKS Ray]

That build came out nice! I'm very tempted to put down the Saiga parts for a while and start on an Uzi build.

 

[beaker]

nice curing oven, very good attention to detail. Good tools make good guns. Congrats!

Thanks Boris - my wife would kill me if I tried to bake a gun in the oven! If I need to build a curing oven, I'm gonna build a curing oven. It actually wasn't too bad, I only had to buy the insulation (the most expensive part!) and the temperature controller (on ebay) and some screws and misc hardware.

That build came out nice! I'm very tempted to put down the Saiga parts for a while and start on an Uzi build.

Thanks Ray, the kind words are appreciated. I have to say it was a very satisfying build and the gun shoots extremely well. I have a detailed list of parts with sources if you are interested. I am going to bring it along to the car shoot in a couple of weeks.

 

[Tommy Gun]

Bumping this back up, I'm gathering the parts now for a build.