Picked up all this today at the gun show.
Also came with a cheap Chinese side rail mount & 4x scope. Don't intend to use those.

Saiga in .223, 4 thirty round mags plus the factory 10 rounder.
Looks like the gas block has been converted.
Clamp on muzzle break, that will probably go too.
Dog leg rail seems to be a cheaper one. See how that works out.
Won't go onto exact price, but it was less than $600.
Been quite some time since I've had a Kalashnikov in the stable.
Maybe this one will stick around.

Looks good, I'd have fo'd.  Ditch the cheap rail and funky brake.  Put a factory rear sight and brake back on then shoot the shit out of it while attempting to acquire more mags.

Yugo M85 steel mags? Has the magwell in the receiver been opened up?

Not 100% sure on the mags.
I know they are not the German mags as they only have one retainer on the baseplate vs two.
I can tell you they are steel and heavy. Looks like all four of them have had some
Slight grinding done to the front lug.
The factory 10 rounder looks like it's been cut in the front, I'm guessing to clear the bullet guide.
The magwell does not look like it's been opened up. All of the mags lock up tight with very little wobble to them.
Mags are a concern of mine, not right this moment tho. Worst case is I decide to keep the rifle and go with an
Ar15 magwell adapter.
The dogleg secured in the rear via the stock screw, I didn't like that.
Amazingly enough, I found the factory rear sight in the mag pouch and swapped it out.
Took the clamp over muzzle break off. That thing is huge & heavy.
Just removing it totally changed the way the rifle feels.
I plan on shooting it with and without it attached. If I decide I like it I know a guy who can thread it & get a proper muzzle break for it.
Action feels really smooth for an AK & the G2 trigger group is almost too light for my liking.
Last AK I had was an AMD-65,  that one I should have kept.
Otherwise I've been out of the loop with these things for quite sometime.
Other than more ammo & mags what are some cool little bits to look at?
I'm talking single point sling mounts or a quality 1913 side rail that sits low & center.
I've always seen the AK as a simple rifle & should stay that way... for the most part.

Those are Yugo M85 mags.. Not designed for Bulgarian/Russian rifles.

Interesting.
I loaded up 5 rounds in the steel mags & slowly hand cycled them.
Hung up every time. Quite hesitate to let it rip in my apartment for fear of a
possible slam fire.
I have two snap caps. They also hung up when hand cycled.
Seemed to cycle fine when I let her run under it's own power.
This was the case for all five mags.
Not very confidence inspiring. (/°~°)/

I would order from cncwarrior or carolina shooters the 14Lx1 die and proper 223 TAT and handle and jut cut the shroud and thread it.

Just did mine was easy with ss cutter wheel and half hour or so total with above tools.

You will get about 9/16" of a cut off the shroud covering the actual barrel. CNC makes an adaptor if you want to cover the remaining shroud part and run an AK74 style brake.

Heres mine with a Damage Ind comp/brake on my Saiga 47.



Full pic with E German folder and new wood..



I think you did good personally for a 223 version.

Try the factory mags and see..

Worst case goto the S 12 forums and ask advice in the 223 section

Mags can be a little tough to come by and can be pricey. Most will require some modification.

These are good, but expensive (Weigers): https://www.apexgunparts.com/product_info.php/cPath/50/products_id/437

Polish Beryl mags are also good, if you can find them. Usually around $30.

Ok, weirdness.
I have a polish 7.62x39 polymer magazine lying around & tried to put it in the rifle.
To my surprise, it locked right in with zero effort. I sure didn't expect that.
Looking again I'm starting to think the magwell has been opened up.
The cross support pin also looks modified. (it appears to have been "flattened" on one side).
I can't tell if anything has been done to the front trunion.
Could the rifle have been purposely setup to use these M85 mags?

I have an older .223 Saiga without the magwell dimples like yours, mine is dated 2006 and it came from the factory just like yours, large magwell that accepts 7.62 mags. Seems like they just used 7.62 receivers for the .223 rifles back then. I have a newer .223 with magwell dimples dated 2009 and it has the smaller 5.45/5.54 magwell.



 

A 7.62x39 mag will lock in no problem because the .223 Saiga uses an AKM style front trunion. That is the reason most .223 AK mags have got to be modified for it, because most use an AK74 style trunion.

Are you sure those aren't SAR3 mags because the SAR3 mags can be modified to run in the Saiga .223.
Also, does it have a bullet guide?

Yes, a bullet guide has been installed.
I know these are not East German mags the sar3/wasr used.
I'm almost positive they are Yugo M85 mags.
Others here have stated that as well.

Finally got to shoot it today.
Other than one of the mags being a little tough to
Remove, everything was 100% didn't miss a beat.
Admittedly is like to put more rounds down range before I would call it
Better than sliced bread I think I'm going to get a few more of those m85 mags & see how they work out.