Hey everyone.  I am looking at adding a rail to my unconverted saiga.  Due to laws and restrictions I wont be able to convert the saiga but I want to replace the handgaurd add a light and a red dot.  My first thought was to go with the ultimak with a new magpul AKM hand guard.  After searching for a great price I stumbled on the midwest industries rail.  It seems as for price it is the best bang for my buck.  My question on this is do I need a hand guard retainer with the Midwest industries rail?  If I do then the better deal would be the magpul and ultimak.  Aslso does the Midwest industries rail have issues co witnessing with a red dot?  I plan on running the Primary arms T1 clone.

Midwest has an application for your Saiga. No HG retainer needed. I think you need one of there optic specific top covers to cowitness your T1 clone.

Yes I saw that but now I am confused as if the universal mount will work just as well as the saiga designed one?  Just to be clear the optic cover states on most websites that it only fits universal hand guards.  So I don't know if I should just order a universal hand guard over the saiga specific hand guard.

I  mounted a MI side mount on a Vepr 308.  The mount didn't work well with the Arsenal SGL.  Canted to the left. Slightly.  Perfect on the Vepr.

I'd drop MI an email to be sure, but I believe the Saiga version is longer than the Universal one. The optic top cover won't line up with the front of the Saiga HG.

The Universal should mount just fine to the Saiga.

The siaga has to use the siaga hand guard.  The top cover mount can not be specific us palms as the gas tube is octagon vs a standard gas tube.  I received the universal mount and it fit well till the top cover went in place.  I returned it and now waiting for the correct hand guard.  Which brings me to another point.  I used a spread sheet for 922R compliant, by replacing the hand guard I now fall out of be compliant with the code.  A few of the things on the list don't fit for the rifle and never could.  Such as muzzle attachment.  Where I live I can not convert the rifle or it would be a big bad assault weapon so muzzle attachments are out.  I have a total of 14 parts, 4 domestic parts would place me into being compliant.  I was thinking hand guard, butt stock, hammer and trigger would be the easiest to upgrade to make compliant,  I know the magazines would change that as well but no one that I am aware will ship a 10 round magazine or even parts to make it 10 rounds and  no american made 10 round siaga magizines.

If you're not changing the rifle out of its sporting config, no worries about 922x.

If you really want a T1 type optic specific top cover with the Universal ak HG, just change out the Saiga gas tube for a standard AK gastube.

how does that work with the 922R?  I was under the understanding that by changing any parts out for domestic parts would throw the ratio out and make it out of compliant?  How does the sportster configuration change that?

922r aplies to what BATFE would consider a non importable rifle with foreign parts content. Since the Saiga is importable in stock form it is good to go. Any mods done to it that would make it nonimportable cause 922r to kick in. Only changing a HG does not make the rifle nonimportable -- having those all so deadly features that cause anti-gun folk to pee in pants etc... requireing, US parts content of a certain %. So basically no pg or muzzle threads no worries.

I have a saiga length MI handguard and gas tube is a non issue.  Not sure why people are saying you need to change to an akm gas tube.


And you do not need a handguard retainer for these.  They are pretty damn solid for mounting optics and lights too.  The saiga length handguards can be hard to find in stock.  They are all compatible with the optic specific top mounts if you want to go that direction.  But a micro on a low mount on the regular hand guard isn't atrociously high, or anything.  The optic specific mounts are very good, though.  MI is quality stuff imo.  They use fantastic screws/fasteners, which I appreciate!