AK-47 Receiver - Fully Welded Proof of Concept - TIG Welding Thin Sheet Metal

I plan on building the AK-47 receiver from multiple pieces of sheet metal. I'll also weld both the front and rear trunnions.

There are pros and cons to every build.

I prefer this method because I could build most of an AK from precut sheet metal with just a TIG welder and hand tools. As you weld, you're also heat treating the material which is a lot easier than using a blowtorch or kiln; welding kinda gets rid of a step. Quenching could be worked into the welding process but is that even necessary? I just let this air cool when I was finished welding and you saw how strong the material was during destructive testing.

Take the dimensions from AK flat blueprints, cut the material, drill the holes, use aluminum backing plates/blocks or a purge during the weld process for "perfect" results, etc...

You could make a receiver with scrap metal in a few hours and probably have a functional firearm in a day if you had all the parts.