Romanian Type I needs some help

[steelmonkey]

I have this Romy Type I that has the two halves of the handles with a gap. Though not too bad, my OCD is kicked in. Unfortunately with me working 1/2 across the country, I have a limited amount of tools and access to them. What do I need to do to close this gap on the handles?

[Mr. B.]

Something is not right with this bayonet. The color and style of the grip panels indicate they were replaced during rework or repair. They do not fit together correctly indicating that they were installed incorrectly, something is out of alignment or something is wedged between the grip panels. They normally fit together flush and are glued together around the outside edges. Also the holes for the attaching bolts and nuts have the plastic plugs, but the do not appeared to be glued or sealed in. For some reason this repair was never completed. Just my opinion. Not sure how to fix it without damaging it more. If it were mine I might try removing the plugs. Unscrewing the bolts and prying the grips apart. Find and then fix the problem keeping them apart and install them correctly. Then use glue or epoxy to glue the grips together and seal up the bolt holes. Worth the time and expense? Up to you. viewtopic.php?f=26&t=98 Mike

[steelmonkey]

That was the link I was looking for.

I picked it up in Illinois several days ago in a AKM parts & components package deal in a MilSurp store. I'll have to wait till I get home to see if this attaches to my AKM's.

Thanks

[Mr. B.]

The split - gap in the grip panels should not affect how the bayonet attaches to the rifle. Only metal parts contact the rifle. it would attach with the grips completely removed. The only concern would be if the lock button will depress far enough to release the catch. Mike

[steelmonkey]

The split - gap in the grip panels should not affect how the bayonet attaches to the rifle. Only metal parts contact the rifle. it would attach with the grips completely removed. The only concern would be if the lock button will depress far enough to release the catch. Mike

Exactly, the lock button is difficult as it currently is, is fairly difficult to depress, thus my concern when I get a chance to attach it to a rifle might be a challenge to remove. I'll cross that bridge hopefully soon and report back.