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Posted: 11/1/2011 6:09:02 PM EDT
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I am seriously considering getting a 5.45 Saiga for converting to a gun to shoot in tactical rifle and three gun shoots. I usually shoot some type of AK in the local shoots and just thought it would be fun to mod one a little for this type of thing. I love shooting my Bulgarian side folder build, but I am sure not going to take it apart for something like this when a Saiga is $299.
The rear end mods look straight forward enough, but I do have a couple of questions: 1. I would like to use a Red Star Arms adjustable trigger, but it says it will not fit in Arsenal guns, so I am guessing it won't fit in the Saiga either. Can it be modified to work or am I totally wrong on this? 2. Any stock recomendations? I really like the length of the Russian triangle folders, but don't want to go through the cost or trouble of installing one. Something along that length would be great, does not have have to fold and I would like for it to mount flush to the tang like the stock - stock. On the front end I can live with the standard Saiga forend, it might be nice to have the extra length when shooting prone or in some of the crazy postions you end up in when shooting tactical matches. I have heard that the heat shielding ability of the stock forend is next to non-existant. Is there any way to help it with this? Can a heat shield be installed in the stock forend? I do not want to press off the gas block or install a handgaurd retainer, so I need some way to get a stock style forend to work. I also do not want to press off the front sight block, but I do want to put a 74 compensator on it. Will there be enough metal up front under the shourd to thread the barrel, or am I going to be stuck pressing of the sight block and putting a 74 threaded block on the front so I can use a 74 comp. I know the 5.45 conversion has been getting hit pretty hard here the past few days, but I can't find the answer to these questions. Thanks for the help. |
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go ahead and press. it is super easy and while a it do the gas block as well. this way you save bucks by useing a reg retainer which fo for $15 used. the pin hole will only allow you to put it back on right. i use a laser bore sighter to align the front sight block. you can reuse the saiga fsb also. just remove (like 30 seconds with a press) cut it front, thread barrel and press back on and pin.
have fun. |
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Also a pipe cutter will take the shroud off the fron, thread and put a 74 break on. Thats the cheap easy route I may do, of just a bulgy front sight block with threads on not sure
here is one I did yesterday I went external block, I heard some bad things about the internal blocks, though they are fine, I went the easy route. If I had the money for a triangle folder I would have gone internal block The rear conversion too 10 minutes to breakdown then 10 to install with a dewalt drill and thats it! JGsales 310 shipped 
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Do the 5.45 front sight and gas block press off? I thought they were all coming with them dimpled onto the barrel now. I may end up putting a 74 front sight block on as it should have the index button in it. Otherwise I will have to use crush washers or something of the sort to get the comp to line up correctly.
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Quoted:
Do the 5.45 front sight and gas block press off? I thought they were all coming with them dimpled onto the barrel now. I may end up putting a 74 front sight block on as it should have the index button in it. Otherwise I will have to use crush washers or something of the sort to get the comp to line up correctly. just drill out the dimples (the barrel has drilled out pockets already so no worries about going to deep). you'll feel when you go through and doesn't matter if you hit the barrel. if reusing the fsb just jb weld the holes, sand and paint. |
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Quoted:
Do the 5.45 front sight and gas block press off? I thought they were all coming with them dimpled onto the barrel now. I may end up putting a 74 front sight block on as it should have the index button in it. Otherwise I will have to use crush washers or something of the sort to get the comp to line up correctly. Everyone says, "Just press them off." Getting an inexpensive press is easy, but what kind of jig or apparatus do you have to make in order to facilitate this process? |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Do the 5.45 front sight and gas block press off? I thought they were all coming with them dimpled onto the barrel now. I may end up putting a 74 front sight block on as it should have the index button in it. Otherwise I will have to use crush washers or something of the sort to get the comp to line up correctly. Everyone says, "Just press them off." Getting an inexpensive press is easy, but what kind of jig or apparatus do you have to make in order to facilitate this process? harbor fright's little drill press vise http://www.harborfreight.com/4-inch-jaw-capacity-drill-press-vise-30999.html i use the jaws to hold the barrel as i press the fsb off. don't really tighten the vise, it's there to hold the fsb from bottom edge alowing the barrel to slide through the vise.. i've done three now and it.s real fast and easy. |
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It is very easy to just cut off the old FSB...I used a dremmel cut off wheel and slowly cut along the side of it through the dimples...on both sides. When I was close enough to the barrel, a couple whacks with a hammer, and the the entire assembly split and fell off.
Then, I put on a bulgarian FSB with threads, used a hand drill to pin it. The AK74 muzzle brake makes the Saiga 5.45 feel like shooting a 22lr. On the Saiga forum, there are pictorial directions for doing the above FSB removal. You can find the threaded FSB and zigzag brake for sale in a lot of places...make sure you get a real chrome plated one...surplus 5.45 is pretty corrosive. |
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