I have been on the UPS website about 4 times a day for the last 3 days.  I cannot wait for this to arrive tomorrow.  I already have plans for upgrades, but I am new to AK platform and thought you guys might have some good input.

I am starting with the 20 1/2" barrel V2 version (integrated sights) with the unfinished wood stock.  My goal is to make a pig-killing machine.  My .223 has proven to be a light weak on the bigger pigs.  I know everyone preaches shot placement, but when they are on the run I like to aim for the black mass and pull the trigger.  I don't want to totally cheap out, but this I am not going to blow the bank either.  I want the final product to be relatively light since it will get carried several miles at a time.  What I am thinking so far:

Buttstock: I have been looking at the ATI folding/collapsible stock.  I am a big guy (6'7") so length of pull is going to be important.  I can always add a recoil pad, but really I am looking something that can give a longer LOP out of the box.  
Pistol Grip: Was leaning towards a Hogue or something similar.  I want something to fit my big hands and internal storage would be a benefit.  Any suggestions?
Trigger: Looking at a trigger from Texas AK Triggers but I see they may not work in newer VEPRs.  I guess I need to give them a call.  Anyone put on in a VEPR?  Will it work with some modifications.  I guess the fallback is a Tapco trigger
Front handguard: I need a rail here for mounting a kill light.  Once again, want something budget-friendly and light.  I like the MI VEPR handguard but its a little pricey and says it will not work with integrated sight models.  Will parts from a Saiga rifle fit?  I found a TAPCO front handguard for a Saiga that I like the looks of.
Flash Hider: I don't need any of those spikey looking flash supressors.   I just want something relatively inexpensive, not an A2 copy, with fair flash suppression. No ideas on this one yet.
Optics:: I am planning on a 1-4 power illuminated scope.  I like the look of the Primary Arms, but have considered others.  Still looking.
Scope Mount: Maybe UTG PRO?  I know UTG gets a bad rap around here, but in simplest terms it is just a machined chunk of aluminum.  So long as it holds my scope in one spot, I will be happy.  Anyone use one?  How heavy is it?

Thanks for any input you might have.  I will have to post pics once I get the thing in my possession.

Not going to happen with a 20.5" .308 Vepr.  I know it's water under the bridge at this point, but you should have looked hard at a 16" .308 Saiga.
I own 20.5" and 23" .308 Veprs, as well as a 16" .308 Saiga.  The Saiga handles like a Ferrari compared to the 20.5" Vepr.  That was the whole reason for me buying the Saiga.
The Vepr starts out heavy (relatively speaking), and only gets heavier as you accessorize it.
For a scope mount, consider the RS AK-303 and AKR upper combo.  Very lightweight, high quality, albeit somewhat pricey.  You get what you pay for.
I like the MD Arms Molot grip (fills the hand really well), but the Hogue has a strong following as well.





A 1-4x or 1-6x variable would be a great choice.  Relatively compact and lightweight (most times).  Good up close and good further out at distance.  I use a Leupold Mark AR Mod 1 1.5-4x20 (SPR Firedot reticle) on my .308 Saiga and like the power to weight ratio.



ETA:  I'm not saying your Vepr won't make an acceptable carry rifle, that would be ridiculous.   All I'm saying is that it will never be "light", even relatively speaking.
 

So my gun arrived yesterday!  Sorry no pictures yet since I am at work right now.  I'm thinking I am going to keep this thread running as I make updates and changes for all to see and comment.  

The gun arrived much like I thought.  The metal parts of it are great.  Overall fit and finish looks good.  The forearm looks decent and the buttstock looks like it was finely crafted by local Russian beavers.  My FFL opened the box before I got there, so he was a little concerned.  He said he was much relieved when I said I knew it was supposed to look pretty bad.

I don't have any parts on order yet, but hope to in the next few days.  I'll try to document what I am going with photos.  As I mentioned above, I am trying to keep the weight down.  I know a VEPR is a heavier gun and I don't expect anything featherweight.  I do want to keep weight down as I can.  I will try to document weights as I move along.

Thanks to all and stay tuned!

If you want light weight, just get a standard polymer stock, and the railed sgm hand guard is probably what you want.

I have a us palm grip and that is nice for big hands, even better though, cut and sand the grip of the nasty thumbhole stock and use that.

I just sprayed my wood hand guard with truck bed liner, it adds texture and is black, and pretty light. You could easily just bolt a light mount to that.

I would use something besides utg for a scope mount since it sounds like you are actually using this rifle, look at Midwest industries and RS Regulate for good stuff, you may luck out and find something cheaper at kalinka optics.

Here's mine before:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/Nev2/Firearms/4c1723b9-dc05-4d1e-b369-611e041cae92_zps23d410d2.jpg

After:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/Nev2/Firearms/82BB4CE3-4D3B-4B89-8DB3-262D1D95DE19_zpsonjedoxx.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/Nev2/Firearms/95E58B96-FC2C-4625-82C9-DBFC74145ECB_zpsnrp5gz1h.jpg

Almost finished...

What forrend is that?

It is made by SGM tactical

 








 

I finally got a chance to snap a photo of the new gun:



I think the responses so far are right: this is going to be a little heavier than I planned.  I weighed it with a fish scale, so the results may not be perfect.

Bare gun: 8.06 lb
Gun with 10 rd mag and 10 rounds .308: 8.92 lb
Gun without furniture: 6.39 lb

About the only place I have a chance to cut any weight is in the furniture.  My measurements show the wood furniture accounts for about 1.7 lb.  I don't think I have much chance, but I will be doing some looking.  I already have an 18 oz scope on the way, so that is not going to help.

Curious choice where weight is a concern.  Hell, the scope and mount on my .308 Saiga come in at 15.4 oz.



 

My requirements were illuminated, minimum 1-4 power, and not a BDC reticule. Red dot was not what I wanted even though it would have kept the weight down.  This was not the absolute lightest scope I could find that fit the requirements, but didn't seem too bad compared to the others I looked at. What are you running that is a 15 oz combined?

Mount + Scope = 15.4 oz.  Rings are medium height Leupold PRW and add a few more ounces to the total package.
Other than the pursuit of a lightweight 1-4x, my scope requirements included that both the reticle and turrets be Mil based.  Illumination was a bonus with the Firedot SPR reticle.



I managed to put that optics package together for just under $500 by shopping for deals.  Still not cheap, but the quality and performance is very high.






 

 

I put the magpul ak  grip on my vepr.  IMO its a pretty nice unit plus it has storage were you were asking for.  You should shoot it before you change out the trigger IMO.  I found the stock FCG to be pretty good.  No slap with a crisp break.  you could put the money saved on new FCG into a handguard or rail
 

Yes.  Thanks.
I haven't weighed my rifle but it's a beast and accurate. More mods to come.

I give up on the lightweight thing.  It started heavy and getting heavier.

My scope and mount arrived this week.  The scope is a Millett DMS-1.  I have to say I really like the reticle.  The "donut-dot" arrangement looks a lot like what I wanted.  I am not a big fan of all BDC reticles. Mount is a UTG Pro.  Not the best available, but it fits in my price range.  The whole setup is now 9.76 lb before ammo is added.  I think my best bet is just to invest in a good sling.  Still have not had a chance to shoot this thing, so no report on that yet.  Between work and outside activities and my 15 minutes a day on here, my time is pretty much shot.  Hopefully next weekend I can take it out.

That's not bad for what it is.  I actually thought it would come out heavier than it did.  If the rifle, scope, mount, and an empty mag comes in sub-10 lbs., you did ok for a 20" .308 Vepr.





I recently put my 20" AR-10 on a diet and only got down to 10 lbs. 12 oz. with an empty 20 round mag.  That stainless steel match barrel is a pretty decent weight penalty.





My new (and significantly lighter) scope for my 20" .308 Vepr arrived today.  Need to get it mounted and take a new weight measurement myself.  New scope should shave nearly 1/2 lb. off all by itself.
 

I should claify that 9.76 lb is no ammo and no mag.  I guess with empty mag I would be around 10 lbs even.  Still need to add my green LED hog light and get a weight.

I got my new scope mounted on my 20" .308 Vepr and got a new weight:  10 lbs. 15 oz. with an empty 10 round factory mag.  Still a porker but at least now I'm sub-11 lbs., before I was well over 11 lbs.



Got a few things working against me:  A not-so-lightweight PWS muzzle brake, Warne Maxima rings (all steel, quite heavy), a bipod mount for my Versa-pod bipod.



Not willing to give up the things mentioned above, so I'll just live with the weight as-is.  I have this rifle well proven out, and am not willing to change a bunch of things anymore just to shave a few more ounces.

I am finally getting back to this thread.  Since the last post we have packed up and moved to Texas.  I have made some mods to the gun including throwing out the chunk of firewood they call a stock.  I replaced it with a Canis Design AK to AR adapter block and a Magpul CTR stock.  I also added an ERGO pistol grip.  Here is the configuration as it stands



I have some more I want to do, but I need some help along the way since I am not well versed in anything AK/Saiga/VEPR.

1. I want to find a better way to mount my hog light.  You cannot see it in the photo, but I have it hanging on the side mount scope base on the opposite side of the receiver.  It works out good from a weight standpoint but sucks for lighting.  I have to be careful how I put my hand on the forend to make sure I do not block the light (and most time I still end up blocking it).  This layout was not really planned but it is what I could do quickly when I grabbed my VEPR and the light off my AR and took off to the field.  I have a NEBO mount coming.  I may try to hang it off the bottom of the barrel or perch it on top of the scope.  I will get a chance to try it out this weekend.  

2. Can I remove the front sight?  I am not planning on backup irons on this gun.  This is mostly a night hunting gun so the irons are essentially useless.  The front sight gives me a lot of reflection off my hunting light and it gets distracting. I understand the front sight also has the retaining pin for a muzzle device.  Can I just replace the front sight with a turned bushing and then run a flash hider down snug against a crush washer like an AR?  Of course threads would have to be 14x1 LH.

3. What about a handguard?  Last year I replaced my AR carbine quad rail with a UTG  PRO free float rifle length handguard. I really like that setup and would like to do something similar on the VEPR.  I have seen the Canis MOE adapters and that is not bad.  It is at least mid-length.  They are backordered and I would prefer something longer.  Right now the SGM Tactical forend looks ok, but not what I would ideally want.  I like the configurable forends so I put rails where I want.  

4. Will a Saiga handguard fit on a VEPR?  I have seen opinions both ways.  Do they use similar retention methods?  Is the screw in the same location?  If not, how much difference is there?  I have been looking to try and find a dimension for each but I have not been that lucky.  I kind of like the Tapco forend for the Saiga but I have no idea if it will fit on my VEPR.

Thanks for all the help.

So everyone is using their VEPRs exactly how they came out of the box. Surprising.