Serious question, ak mag release replacement

[ddskehan]

My son in his infinite wisdom bought me a M70 as a Xmas present. Well this is the new m70 side folder with a chrome lined barrel. It is destined to live in Florida at the other house, but with that said. The mag lever I want to change to the fat paddle one. Is it easy to replace? Or should I have a smith do it? Will it look like crap? Or would you recommend just selling it (cause I really didn’t want another one. Advice is needed or pics of one that’s been replaced already so I can see

 

[Deleted member 67409]

My son in his infinite wisdom bought me a M70 as a Xmas present. Well this is the new m70 side folder with a chrome lined barrel. It is destined to live in Florida at the other house, but with that said. The mag lever I want to change to the fat paddle one. Is it easy to replace? Or should I have a smith do it? Will it look like crap? Or would you recommend just selling it (cause I really didn’t want another one. Advice is needed or pics of one that’s been replaced already so I can see

I own AKs with two different kinds of mag release. The first kind is the regular, Yugo mag release you have, as I have a first generation Zastava ZPAP M70. Same gun as yours but not chrome lined, with no grenade launcher dust cover retaining button, and has a 1mm receiver instead of 1.5mm. I also own two Beryls, which have Beryl-style mag releases that look like a pair of testicles, but function a lot better than the regular AK mag release on the M70.

Can you swap them? Yes. Will it be a pain? Probably. Would you want a gunsmith to do it? Depends on how much your time and money is worth.

Here's the mag release I would suggest getting:

FB Radom Poland - AK Enhanced Mag Release Paddle

There's a few videos on swapping mag releases on YouTube. Spend the time watching them. Here's a couple examples:

 

[Uzi2]

There's little to no benefit. Leave your gun as is.

 

[ddskehan]

It’s doing this to me. And it’s a pain when your on blood thinners

 

[Deleted member 67409]

It’s doing this to me. And it’s a pain when your on blood thinners

Have you tried wearing gloves while shooting? Mechanix gloves work fine and there's plenty of higher end options as well.

 

[ddskehan]

I bought that polish one with the pins and ball bearing, thanks. But you never know if your going to have gloves or not

 

[Dench]

My son in his infinite wisdom bought me a M70 as a Xmas present. Well this is the new m70 side folder with a chrome lined barrel. It is destined to live in Florida at the other house, but with that said. The mag lever I want to change to the fat paddle one. Is it easy to replace? Or should I have a smith do it? Will it look like crap? Or would you recommend just selling it (cause I really didn’t want another one. Advice is needed or pics of one that’s been replaced already so I can see

Where is the gun currently located?

 

[Chevy 2 65]

I had to. Leave the rifle alone or don't. Learn how to release it without the scratch.