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Posted: 1/30/2008 3:31:53 PM EDT
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I thought I'd share a few pictures of my very first Saiga conversion. The process began as soon as I brought it home from my local FFL as you can see. Tools used: Dewalt Hand Drill (I dont have a drill press unfortunately) 1/8'', 3/16'' Kobalt Titanium Drill Bits Hand file Screwdrivers Center punch Rustoleum High Heat BBQ Black Chalk (temporary method to highlight the arsenal stamping and serial number) Conversion parts: Tapco G2 Single Hook FCG Armory USA PG FSE Non Folding Krink Style Stock A couple of notes about the process: The stock screws were put in there to last and were very difficult to get out. The Tapco hammer had to be modified pretty extensively. There was a little notch on the front side facing the barrel that had to be ground off to miss the cross pin. Once I reinstalled it, the bolt carrier group would not even fit back into the receiver. I ended up having to grind on the face of the hammer to allow for clearance with the bolt and carrier. It still fits in there tight but will operate back and forth just fine as long as I let the bolt fly forward as designed. I suspect that this situation will improve after firing the weapon and breaking it in. I am still considering grinding on the hammer a little more but will hold off on that until I see if there are any problems at the range. The receiver did not have a square pistol grip nut hole so I took a hand file and opened it up more to spec. After repeated sessions of filing, then putting the nut in there to check for fitting, it is nice and snug now. The FSE stock did not have any holes in it and I had to drill to allow the screws to be installed to secure it in place although it fit tightly anyways. Also, the stock does not have "US" anywhere on it that I saw although these are US made. The safety does not work anymore as it does not have enough reach at the contact point that touches the back of the trigger. I took the selector out of my Yugo and it works perfectly, so I might just order a standard replacement but am not sure what kind to get yet. I don't have any welding equipment to modify the current selector unless there are other suggestions. In summary: I am happy with it overall, but I feel like I was sloppy along the way and did not efficiently get things done. For example, I became very frustrated with removing and installing the trigger group for the first time and it took me several tries - now I can do it in about a minute or so. Thanks to this experience though, I am highly confident that I could complete a future conversion in about an hour or so and it would look even better. I also still need to fill the rivet holes in the bottom of the receiver and could have probably done a better job on the paint.       
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Looks nice, when are you going to test fire it? Now for some hicap mags. The selector problem is one I had also. I used a Romanian one until I can get someone to build up a tab on the original. I don't remember having problems with the hammer rubbing too tightly against the bolt carrier. Get any tips on how to do the conversion?  |
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