A stamped-receiver Galil

Amateurs talk strategy, professionals talk logistics.

At VNI our designs prioritize logistics. We know that replacing a weapon system doesn’t just end at changing the rifle. It also includes the small things that we don’t always think of - spare parts, magazine pouches, gunsmithing tools, and other consumables. Tell a politician that you’ll have to manage two supply chains or destroy unused supplies, and you’ll understand why most rifles currently in use date back to the Cold War. Using a design with a proven track record, utilizing as many off-the-shelf components as possible and providing an option to retrofit old equipment is the best way to achieve success. 

A design with a proven track record.

In use since 1949, The Avtomat Kalashnikova 47 has proven to be one of the most popular firearms in history. With over 100 million rifles produced, it epitomizes the best features – accuracy, reliability and ease of use. It’s been used from the Arctic circle to the deserts of the Middle East and everywhere in between. Even though the production process and build material has changed over the years, the internal design has not.



To be fair, the design itself is not without its flaws. Ergonomics was never a high priority for the Soviets and they made some design decisions that have made it difficult to upgrade the rifle to a modern, competitive standard. The dust cover was made too thin, so you can’t fit an optic to it. The sighting system is outdated and the stock configuration forces you to choose between a folding OR adjustable stock.

But taking these and other factors into account, we decided to make use of a Kalashnikov as a base design. We proceeded to pick the best characteristics from all the variants and found best the rifle would have the following features:

Aperture sight.

Thicker gauge dustcover to support a Picatinny rail.
Stamped receiver for weight savings and ease of manufacture.
Integration of the front sight into the gas block to reduce the number of components that require installation.

The rifle that came the closest to fulfilling those requirements was the Galil. Aside from making use of a milled receiver, the ergonomics are much improved. To the testament of the AKM design, virtually all parts of the Galil are interchangeable with that of the AKM. Starting in late 2015, we proceeded to design this “best of all worlds” AK and determined that the only component critical to achieving this, is the front trunnion. 

Utilizing off-the-shelf components. 

The trunnion uses the Romanian AKM as a base design, which means that if your parts kit makes use of an AKM trunnion, you can use those components in the build. The trunnion is milled from 4140 steel and hardened to AKM specifications (39-44 Rc). The only components from the Galil that need to be used are:

• The gas tube
• The gas block front sight 
• The dustcover 
• The piston
• The handguard and retainer

All other components can be matched as required. No additional tools would be required to build your rifle. 

An option to retrofit old equipment

Even though this is a pre-production component, this is the first of a series of products that we have developed: 

• A bulged trunnion version in 7.62 NATO
• A full-length Picatinny rail for the Galil that retains zero and 
• An adjustable stock for the Galil.
• A multi-caliber version.

These and other products will hopefully become available soon; please sign up if you’d like to be informed on the development thereof.