Not too long ago I purchased a cheap AK47 airsoft rifle. For the price it is surprisingly good quality as far as performance is concerned. It shoots just under 300 FPS (which is perfect for the range I play at), and is very accurate. The only problem was the cheap stock and pistol grip, which were made out of plastic. The fake wood parts were cheesy in appearance, so I decided to craft mine own out of some old oak lumber.
The black plastic is actually fairly good quality, so with the addition of nice oak replacements, the gun has a decent level of quality
The first piece I made was the stock, in which I used two pieces of 3/4” oak. I tested out the stain I used on the inside of one piece, and as you can see it displays a nice dark red.
The next step is to notch out the battery compartment. I accomplished this by routing out the insides of each piece of oak, so the battery can easily slide in and out. I clamped the oak piece inside a routing table I have, and then simply clamped a guide piece to make the notch straight.
Then I notched the other piece using the same procedure. Only I made sure to notch out a different depth in order to make the fit around the battery snug. I don’t want to run around with a rifle that rattles. As you can see, the notch holds the battery in place nicely. And yes, my first notch was much deeper than I intended.
The next step is to shape the stock. To do this I traced the shape from the original stock on to the oak pieces. I then cut out the rough shape on my bandsaw. This is after gluing the two oak pieces together of course.
As you can see, I made the stock longer than the original. I did this to make sure I have plenty of room after shaping the curves. At this point, my stock greatly resembles the finished product. Now I just have to give it some rounded corners and a general oval shape. To do this I made some rough cuts on my bandsaw. I tilted the table to make some angle cuts on the stock, that way sanding down the corners will be more precise and not as boring.
To cut the angles for the bottom was a bit tricky. As you can see in the picture above, the angles are cut on an angle! Just tint your fence or guide on the bandsaw table to have the piece come in on an angle. Just how you would normally cut diagonally, only with the entire table tilted.
The next steps are the difficult parts. After cutting out the piece and making some rough angle cuts, it is now time to shape it in detail, using a belt sander. I ran out of paper for my table belt sander so I clamped a hand belt sander with my special table instead. Then I used the belt sander to shape it very artistically. By using a belt sander you can make very precise and smooth curves on the wood. Try to make the entire piece slightly oval in shape, that helps it from appearing boxy. So basically I just tried to copy the exact shape as best I could, adding curves where needed.
Then once your stock is the desired shape, the next step is to attach the back cover and mount it to the rifle. I simply screwed the stock to the gun from the top and bottom of the end.
Finally the stock must be finished to protect it from the elements of the battlefield. I stained mine dark red and finished it with “antique oil”. In the pictures it appears to be orangish, but trust that it is in fact red!
And there you have it, a nicely crafted and finished stock on a cheap plastic gun. Remember to apply enough coats of varnish/oil on the stock, and reapply when needed from wear and tear.
Unfortunately I only have steps and pictures for the stock, and not for the pistol grip. I was too lazy to photograph my procedure of the grip, but at this point there is really nothing else to add. All you have to do it cut out its general shape, then shape it in detail with the belt sander. It’s not much different from the stock, although you will not have to notch the inside. Below is the final product! I spray painted parts of it to make it look cooler. Unfortunately the front grips were too thin to make out of wood, so now they remain black.
Blue and Violet 