{ "apiVersion": 1, "kind": "work-order", "purpose": "Taking the firearm apart for a job such as refinishing, and putting it back together to specification.", "firearm": { "slug": "rpk", "name": "RPK", "manufacturer": { "id": "izhmash", "name": "Izhmash / Kalashnikov Concern" }, "category": "rifle", "action": "gas-operated-long-stroke", "calibers": [ "7.62x39mm" ], "alsoKnownAs": [ "Ruchnoy Pulemyot Kalashnikova" ], "coversAlso": [], "page": "firearms/rpk.html", "bundle": "api/v1/firearms/rpk.json", "lastUpdated": "2026-10-29" }, "notices": [ "No torque values are recorded for this firearm. Get them from the manufacturer or a gunsmith; do not estimate." ], "disclaimer": { "headline": "Read this before you use anything here.", "points": [ "This is a guide, not an authority. Entries are compiled from manufacturer manuals, technical manuals, published references, and community knowledge. Some of it comes from sources that are not authoritative, and some of it may simply be wrong.", "Always consult the manufacturer's manual for your specific firearm and serial-number range. Manufacturers change designs mid-production without renaming the model. The manual that shipped with your firearm outranks anything on this site.", "Consult a licensed gunsmith for anything beyond routine field stripping and cleaning, for any firearm you are unsure about, and for any procedure marked as gunsmith-recommended here.", "Treat every firearm as loaded. Verify it is unloaded, with the magazine removed and the chamber physically and visually checked, before any procedure in this database. Point it in a safe direction the entire time.", "Disassembly can damage a firearm or injure you. Springs are under tension, parts can launch, and reassembling a firearm incorrectly can make it unsafe to fire in a way that is not obvious from the outside. If a reassembled firearm does not pass a function check, stop and see a gunsmith.", "Torque values are shown in two groups. Values from the manufacturer or the issuing military are shown as such, with the document they came from. Values reported by anyone else — parts makers, gunsmithing publishers, articles, forums — are shown separately with who said them, how reliable that source is, and their exact words. Those are not specifications. Confirm any torque value with the manufacturer or a licensed gunsmith before relying on it.", "Nothing here is legal advice. Firearms law varies by country, state, and city, and some modifications or configurations are regulated or prohibited. You are responsible for knowing and following the law where you are.", "No warranty of any kind. Contributors and maintainers accept no liability for damage, injury, or loss arising from use of this material." ], "page": "disclaimer.html", "legal": { "summary": "Legal notice: this material is third-party information compiled from sources of varying reliability and is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It is not gunsmithing, technical, safety or legal advice, it is not verified or endorsed by any manufacturer, and it must not be taken as fact. Any work on a firearm beyond the routine field stripping described in its own owner's manual should be performed only by a licensed and insured gunsmith. You use this material entirely at your own risk. Fundamental Build LLC and the project's contributors make no warranty of any kind and accept no liability for death, injury, damage or loss arising from its use. Full terms: LEGAL.md.", "page": "legal.html", "notice": "https://github.com/Fundamental-build-LLC/Pew-Takedown/blob/main/LEGAL.md" } }, "sourcing": { "confidence": "medium", "verification": "armorer-manual-verified" }, "manufacturerDisassembly": { "status": "not-recorded", "limit": null, "statement": null, "source": null }, "recalls": [], "shopTier": { "tier": 2, "group": "rifle", "rating": "Pew-Takedown editorial rating (1 easy – 3 hardest), not the manufacturer's", "reason": "AKM-pattern action, so the shop job is the AK fire-control group. The hammer and trigger pins depend on a retaining spring that must be routed exactly, and the hammer spring is strong and bites. There is no timing, and the riveted receiver and pinned barrel stay together, which keeps it at Tier 2.", "confidence": "medium", "partCount": null, "painPoints": [ { "issue": "The hammer/trigger-pin retaining spring has to be routed through the right anchor points. It can sit several ways and only one is right, so the group has to be refitted and checked over and over.", "during": "reassembly", "source": { "title": "AK Reassembly - It Took A Lot Of Wriggling", "publisher": "Ballseye's Boomers (owner blog)", "reliability": "anecdotal", "url": "https://ballseyesboomers.blogspot.com/2012/04/ak-reassembly-it-took-lot-of-wriggling.html", "page": null, "pdfPage": null, "pageUrl": null, "quote": "Not only are there several ways this particular spring might possibly fit, only one of which was correct, but you have to continually reassemble the hammer and trigger group into the receiver to see if you got it right, then take them out again if wrong." } }, { "issue": "The hammer spring's legs are wrapped round the hammer to clear the pins and are under heavy tension. They spring loose while the hammer is fitted.", "during": "reassembly", "source": { "title": "AK Reassembly - It Took A Lot Of Wriggling", "publisher": "Ballseye's Boomers (owner blog)", "reliability": "anecdotal", "url": "https://ballseyesboomers.blogspot.com/2012/04/ak-reassembly-it-took-lot-of-wriggling.html", "page": null, "pdfPage": null, "pageUrl": null, "quote": "one of its ends came off of the hammer, flew around due to a good amount of tension in them caused by having wrapped them around the hammer, and then embedded itself into one of my fingers" } } ], "minutes": { "strip": 50, "rebuild": 80, "basis": "estimated", "note": "AK fire-control group, bolt, furniture, plus the RPK bipod and rear sight. Rebuild time is driven by the retaining-spring routing.", "source": null }, "stripScope": [ { "assembly": "Receiver", "removes": [ "dust cover", "recoil spring assembly", "bolt carrier and bolt", "retaining spring (shepherd's hook) or plate", "hammer, trigger, disconnector and springs", "safety selector", "magazine catch", "rear sight leaf" ], "tools": [ "AK trigger pin punch / slave pin" ] }, { "assembly": "Bolt", "removes": [ "firing pin retaining pin", "firing pin", "extractor pin, extractor, spring" ] }, { "assembly": "Furniture", "removes": [ "upper/lower handguard and retainer", "pistol grip screw", "buttstock screws", "gas tube (lever)" ] }, { "assembly": "Bipod / barrel", "removes": [ "bipod and clamp", "front sight hood", "muzzle device" ] } ], "hardware": null, "specialTools": [ { "tool": "AK fire-control slave pins or punches", "usedFor": "Hammer and trigger pins" }, { "tool": "AK front sight adjustment tool", "usedFor": "If the front sight post is removed" } ], "fitOnRebuild": [ { "check": "Retaining spring seated in both pin grooves", "why": "An unlatched spring lets the trigger pin walk out.", "source": null }, { "check": "Dust-cover tab through the cover", "why": "Otherwise the cover comes off under recoil.", "source": null }, { "check": "Function check (safety, trigger reset, feeding, extraction)", "why": "Standard after any detail strip. No single source.", "source": null }, { "check": "Re-zero sights or scope", "why": "Sights and optics come off for coating, and point of impact must be re-confirmed. This is a standard check, so no source.", "source": null } ], "assessed": "2026-10-29" }, "videos": [], "configurations": [], "tools": [], "phases": [ { "id": "clear", "title": "Clear and make safe", "steps": [ { "n": 1, "instruction": "Point the muzzle in a safe direction and keep your finger off the trigger." }, { "n": 2, "instruction": "Rotate the safety lever down to the fire position so the charging handle can travel fully rearward.", "warning": "With the lever on SAFE, bolt travel is deliberately restricted and you cannot properly inspect the chamber." }, { "n": 3, "instruction": "Rock the magazine forward and out of the magazine well.", "partsFreed": [ "Magazine" ] }, { "n": 4, "instruction": "Pull the charging handle fully to the rear and hold it there. Look into the chamber and the magazine well." }, { "n": 5, "instruction": "Physically feel the chamber to confirm it is empty.", "warning": "Most AK variants have no bolt hold-open, so you must hold the bolt back yourself. Keep fingers clear when you release it." }, { "n": 6, "instruction": "Ease the bolt forward and remove all live ammunition from the work area." } ], "videos": [] }, { "id": "disassemble", "title": "Disassemble", "videos": [], "procedures": [ { "procedure": "field-strip", "title": "Field Strip", "level": "field-strip", "configuration": false, "steps": [ { "n": 1, "instruction": "Complete the Clear and Make Safe procedure." }, { "n": 2, "instruction": "Press in the recoil spring guide rod tab protruding through the rear of the dust cover." }, { "n": 3, "instruction": "Lift the rear of the dust cover up and pull it back and off.", "warning": "The recoil spring assembly is compressed behind it. Keep a hand over the rear of the receiver.", "partsFreed": [ "Dust cover" ] }, { "n": 4, "instruction": "Push the recoil spring assembly forward to clear its seat, then lift it out.", "partsFreed": [ "Recoil spring assembly" ] }, { "n": 5, "instruction": "Pull the bolt carrier fully rearward to the cutout in the receiver rails and lift it up and out.", "partsFreed": [ "Bolt carrier and bolt" ] }, { "n": 6, "instruction": "Rotate the bolt to unlock it from its cam track and pull it forward out of the carrier.", "partsFreed": [ "Bolt" ] }, { "n": 7, "instruction": "Rotate the gas tube lever upward until vertical, then lift the gas tube and upper handguard off.", "partsFreed": [ "Gas tube and upper handguard" ] } ] } ] }, { "id": "refinish", "title": "Refinish", "components": [ { "name": "Dust cover", "procedure": "field-strip", "level": "field-strip", "step": 3 }, { "name": "Recoil spring assembly", "procedure": "field-strip", "level": "field-strip", "step": 4 }, { "name": "Bolt carrier and bolt", "procedure": "field-strip", "level": "field-strip", "step": 5 }, { "name": "Bolt", "procedure": "field-strip", "level": "field-strip", "step": 6 }, { "name": "Gas tube and upper handguard", "procedure": "field-strip", "level": "field-strip", "step": 7 } ], "manufacturerPartsList": null, "partsDiagrams": [], "materials": [], "note": "The components the procedures above separate. Coating, masking and cure are outside this database; follow your coating system's instructions. A part the manufacturer marks \"factory fit\" should not be swapped or reworked." }, { "id": "reassemble", "title": "Reassemble", "videos": [], "procedures": [ { "procedure": "reassembly", "title": "Reassembly", "configuration": false, "steps": [ { "n": 1, "instruction": "Set the gas tube and upper handguard into the front trunnion recess, seat the rear, and rotate the lever down to lock." }, { "n": 2, "instruction": "Insert the bolt into the front of the carrier and rotate it so its lug engages the cam track." }, { "n": 3, "instruction": "Set the carrier into the receiver rails with the bolt forward, engage the gas piston into the gas tube, and slide it forward." }, { "n": 4, "instruction": "Set the recoil spring assembly into the carrier channel and push it forward until the guide rod seats." }, { "n": 5, "instruction": "Set the front lip of the dust cover into its recess, then press the rear down until the guide rod tab snaps through its hole.", "warning": "If the tab is not protruding through the dust cover, the cover will come off under recoil." }, { "n": 6, "instruction": "Cycle the action several times and perform the function check." } ], "instruction": null } ] }, { "id": "torque", "title": "Torque", "coverage": "none-recorded", "manufacturer": [], "reported": [], "notes": null }, { "id": "function-check", "title": "Function check", "checks": [ "Verify the rifle is unloaded with no magazine inserted before each step.", "With the safety lever on SAFE, confirm bolt travel is restricted and the trigger does nothing.", "Rotate the safety to FIRE, charge the rifle, and press the trigger. The hammer should fall.", "Hold the trigger back, charge the rifle, and release slowly — you should hear the disconnector click.", "Confirm the dust cover is locked down and the recoil spring tab protrudes through it.", "Confirm the magazine rocks in and locks positively." ], "videos": [] } ], "troubleshooting": [], "sources": [ { "n": 1, "id": null, "title": "7.62mm Kalashnikov Modernized Assault Rifle (AKM) Operator’s Manual", "publisher": "USSR Ministry of Defence", "reliability": "primary", "url": null, "accessed": null }, { "n": 2, "id": null, "title": "Small Arms Identification and Operation Guide — Eurasian Communist Countries", "publisher": "U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency", "reliability": "secondary", "url": null, "accessed": null }, { "n": 3, "id": "tier-867e2147", "title": "AK Reassembly - It Took A Lot Of Wriggling", "publisher": "Ballseye's Boomers (owner blog)", "reliability": "anecdotal", "url": "https://ballseyesboomers.blogspot.com/2012/04/ak-reassembly-it-took-lot-of-wriggling.html", "accessed": "2026-10-29" } ] }