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Posted: 1/30/2010 4:44:16 PM EDT
| I picked up a Saiga 223 at the gun show today. I already have an M&P15 and an AK along with some other fun toys. I have owned a few Mini 14's and really liked them but sold them to fund other guns. My Saiga feels almost like my old Mini 14. Whats all this hype about the conversion? My buddy told me I have to do it. I haven't shot the gun yet but so far I like the way the gun feels just the way it is. I'm not being a cheap ass, if there is a good reason for the conversion I might think about doing it but if I need to go tactical I would grab my trusty M&P anyways. So please tell my why I need to do the conversion. |
I personally take a lot of pride in converting mine when it's all said and done. The whole, "Hey Ma! Look what I did!" thing. An added bonus is that if you have limited experience with the AK, you will gain quite a bit of knowledge when done with the conversion. However, as stated above, it's your rifle, if you like it as is, don't change anything! They are cooler when converted though!  so you have this:  but, you could have this:  just something to think about. |
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Quoted: I personally take a lot of pride in converting mine when it's all said and done. The whole, "Hey Ma! Look what I did!" thing. An added bonus is that if you have limited experience with the AK, you will gain quite a bit of knowledge when done with the conversion. However, as stated above, it's your rifle, if you like it as is, don't change anything! They are cooler when converted though! so you have this: http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/NICTRA/aks/0126290.jpg but, you could have this: http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/NICTRA/aks/P1000534.jpg just something to think about. Not to mention the trigger improvement. |
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Quoted:
Ok so whats the easiest way. with 922 parts to do the conversion if I decide to go the route? I've seen buttstocks that already have the grip. Anybody have any links to those. Also if I keep the gun stock and have 2 surefire mags am I not compliant? Those pistol-gripped stocks are for non-converted Saigas. They install on a factory Saiga. It's the lazy way out to get a PG and putting one on a Saiga is not converting it. But it looks weird, and you still have a horribly shitty trigger pull with the factory "linkage" mess in place. Just do the basic conversion. Watch this: http://vimeo.com/2787027 Seriously, stay away from those pistol-gripped stocks. 99% of people who buy them, do so to avoid having to do a real conversion. Then after awhile, they warm up to the idea of doing the conversion and decide to go for it. Then they kick themselves for having spent money on that abomination of a stock, because they could have that money towards a real conversion (even if only a basic one). It's also funny to see people say "Hey, check out my converted Saiga!", when in fact, it's just one of those PG/stock combos installed. It's no conversion, unless you've moved the FCG up to where it should be on an AK. |
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ChadWeasel, You are brave to ask the question here.
You will find very few people who agree with me, but I prefer the ergonomics of the Saiga sporter stock. I had two Saiga's converted (7.62x39 and 12 gauge) but I didn't like them and I sold them and got regular sporter versions of them. The 7.62x39 was a replacement for a Mini 30, so I was already OK with the Ranch Rifle concept. And I found that I prefer shooting shotguns with sporter configurations. I also added a .308 Saiga in sporter configuration as a sort of poor man's M1A. |
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Quoted:
ChadWeasel, You are brave to ask the question here. You will find very few people who agree with me, but I prefer the ergonomics of the Saiga sporter stock. I had two Saiga's converted (7.62x39 and 12 gauge) but I didn't like them and I sold them and got regular sporter versions of them. The 7.62x39 was a replacement for a Mini 30, so I was already OK with the Ranch Rifle concept. And I found that I prefer shooting shotguns with sporter configurations. I also added a .308 Saiga in sporter configuration as a sort of poor man's M1A. Ok ChadWeasel, please pretend that the above comment was never written, and that you never read it. Take it from someone who had to be dragged kicking and screaming to the workbench by my friends over at the Saiga-12.com forum...YOU WANT TO CONVERT YOUR SAIGA!!! I resisted for the longest time, but it's one of the best experiences I've had with guns and now not only do I have a kickin' Saiga (I've actually done three so far), but I learned alot about AK's in the process. It makes the trigger 100x better than that crappy factory trigger, restores the balance of the rifle, and it just makes Kalishnakov smile to see his creations restored to their original beauty. Do it...seriously... Also, that one video that another commenter posted is fantastic, however you don't necessarily need every part that the guy mentioned in the vid. PM me or any other Saiga folks and we'll be able to help you with a parts list, which admittedly can be a little confusing (I found that the research on which parts I needed to buy took more time than the actual conversion process!). |
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how about you buy a 2nd one, and do the conversion then? At least you will still have the one you love now, and can always sell whichever you don't want after. Saigas are cheap. You never know, you may end up with 2 conversions. I respect each persons "feel" for the weapons they choose, that's why I don't have a Glock, are they great guns, a lot seem to think so, but they don't "feel" right to me. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
ChadWeasel, You are brave to ask the question here. You will find very few people who agree with me, but I prefer the ergonomics of the Saiga sporter stock. I had two Saiga's converted (7.62x39 and 12 gauge) but I didn't like them and I sold them and got regular sporter versions of them. The 7.62x39 was a replacement for a Mini 30, so I was already OK with the Ranch Rifle concept. And I found that I prefer shooting shotguns with sporter configurations. I also added a .308 Saiga in sporter configuration as a sort of poor man's M1A. Ok ChadWeasel, please pretend that the above comment was never written, and that you never read it. Take it from someone who had to be dragged kicking and screaming to the workbench by my friends over at the Saiga-12.com forum...YOU WANT TO CONVERT YOUR SAIGA!!! I'm sure I was in on that thread  ( 22_Shooter, now -Shooter- ). But I've lost count of the amount of people who came in with a "I don't want to convert" mentality, that we persuaded to convert, and are much happier with their Saigas now.
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| I have been in the skilled trades my whole life, I'm pretty sure I could do the conversion by following the instructions. I have built an AR before and know enough to be dangerous about guns. I'm just saying that my Saiga is like my old Mini 14 and I see no problem with it the way it is. If I needed a tactical rifle I would grab something else from the safe. Maybe someday I might change my mind buy for now I don't know what all the hype is about. |
| I'm not sure, but unless you do a full 922(r) compliant conversion, as I understand it, you can never insert a magazine with a capacity greater than 10 rounds into that rifle, even if you buy one that fits and performs without modifying the rifle, without the risk of federal prosecution. Someone give me an amen on this or set me straight. |
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you are correct, but as some, including me, have stated in the past, if they're throwing 922r at you, you have bigger problems. With that said, my conversions have US stocks, except the one above, US gas pistons, US muzzle breaks, US trigger groups, US floor plates and followers. I think that pretty much covers it. It's not hard to do. |
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Quoted: I'm not sure, but unless you do a full 922(r) compliant conversion, as I understand it, you can never insert a magazine with a capacity greater than 10 rounds into that rifle, even if you buy one that fits and performs without modifying the rifle, without the risk of federal prosecution. Someone give me an amen on this or set me straight. If you only ever use US made mags (3 parts), you do not need to do a "full" conversion. Change only one more part (stock, forearm, or piston) and you are GTG. I have heard of people changing the stock and forearm, then buying commie 30rd bodies and installing US floor-plates and followers. I still always encourage people to do the conversion. It is fun, not that hard, and really improves the gun. |
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Quoted:
ChadWeasel, You are brave to ask the question here. You will find very few people who agree with me, but I prefer the ergonomics of the Saiga sporter stock. I had two Saiga's converted (7.62x39 and 12 gauge) but I didn't like them and I sold them and got regular sporter versions of them. The 7.62x39 was a replacement for a Mini 30, so I was already OK with the Ranch Rifle concept. And I found that I prefer shooting shotguns with sporter configurations. I also added a .308 Saiga in sporter configuration as a sort of poor man's M1A. I bought both my Saigas with the intent of keeping them as "sporters", unfortunately the ergonomics just didn't work for me. The first thing I noticed was that I had to stretch my trigger finger across the rear bottom edge of the receiver, this is uncomfortable. This may not be a problem for people with larger hands but is for me. If the grip angle was greater, more pistol grip like this problem would go away. If this were my only issue with the sporter configuration I might have made a new stock. The next thing was that my 20" Saiga felt very muzzle heavy due to the balance being shifted forward, there's no way to fix this other than adding weight to the butt stock or changing the configuration. The 16" isn't as bad balance wise but in its unconverted state is nearly as long as the converted 20". Lastly there's the trigger, which quite frankly was awful, a problem fixed by "converting" and throwing in a G-2 trigger group. For me its not about looks, its about function. My "half" converted Saiga is just plain better in this configuration. I only did a partial conversion as the picture below shows. 
Basically, its your gun, do whatever works for you. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Change only one more part (stock, forearm, or piston) and you are GTG. First, thanks for the information. That's good to know. Second, how hard is it to change the piston? I've never done a piston, AFAIK it is a matter of drilling out a couple of pins. |
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Ok, You guys convinced me I'm going to do it. I was thinking about buying one of the kits from Carolina Shooters Supply. I have it narrowed down to either the Tapco standard AK stock or the Tapco folding stock. I want to keep things pretty simple. Are the folding stocks from Tapco solid or should I just go with the standard stock? ––––––––––––––After looking at some pics I think I am just going to go with the standard stock. I don't like how the folding stock folds to the right. I also want something that is going to be solid. If you guys know of other places that sell conversion kits for a better price or have any helpful tips please pass them along.
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Quoted:
1 pin holds the gas piston in. Hard to see especially on a painted bolt carrier. Sand a little near the joint and you will find it. Saiga rifles use the current Izhmash spec. for AK74M and AK-10x series construction. Saigas have the current spec. solid(non-grooved) piston head. That is, the piston is screwed into place and then two dimples are pressed by a hydraulic machine in lieu of the traditional rivet. If you drill out the dimples and swap the piston with a new 922r US piston, the former location of the dimples will be where the new rivet will go. |
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I expect to get bashed for this but I gotta ask, since I considered going tthis way until I just figured to buy an AK already in "standard" configuaration:
I understand if you aleady owned a Saiga along time ago. BUT....if you recently bought one with the desire to convert it.....wouldn't it be way easier, time-savvy, no worry of getting it done wrong and simply more practical to just buy an AK already in the configuration you are trying to build up to? I know Saigas are relatively cheaper but once you pour in cash and time....might as well buy a standard looking ak. |
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mine had the "new style" gas piston, but it was still held in with a rivet. I have not seen the new type you are talking about. Pics? Here you go. Both of my 5.45 Saigas are this way. They are 2009 production and have the trigger/PG holes cut, they do not have a stepped chamber that marks the case, and the grooves for the lower HG retainer are already there. There is a single dimple on the left and right side of the carrier. 
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