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Saiga Conversion Thread (Page 8 of 8)
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My Conversion...
I originally wanted to weld (didn't like the thought of having a screw/nut that could come loose) the factory trigger guard on but since the Bullet Guide already placed a screw inside the receiver and so did the Magpul stock, I went ahead and went with the CSS billet trigger guard. I went with the more expensive Russian threaded front sight base and 1000M rear site. I wanted the end result to be all Russian and American parts but had to use this Bulgarian brake in 7.62 as I really liked it. After it was done, it was dropped off for flat black Cerakote. All 6 unused holes in the receiver were welded. Stayed with the factory BHO lever but had it Cerakoted as well. Added an ALG trigger but had to take off .040 from the RH side due to the width of the BHO lever. Added grease on unfinished mating surface to prevent corrosion. I also have a new Authentic Russian pure black bayonet in route to complete the set... 
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Originally Posted By tompat: My Conversion... I originally wanted to weld (didn't like the thought of having a screw/nut that could come loose) the factory trigger guard on but since the Bullet Guide already placed a screw inside the receiver and so did the Magpul stock, I went ahead and went with the CSS billet trigger guard. I went with the more expensive Russian threaded front sight base and 1000M rear site. I wanted the end result to be all Russian and American parts but had to use this Bulgarian brake in 7.62 as I really liked it. After it was done, it was dropped off for flat black Cerakote. All 6 unused holes in the receiver were welded. Stayed with the factory BHO lever but had it Cerakoted as well. Added an ALG trigger but had to take off .040 from the RH side due to the width of the BHO lever. Added grease on unfinished mating surface to prevent corrosion. I also have a new Authentic Russian pure black bayonet in route to compete the set... http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/zz19/tompat/e4f06afc-7956-4d22-aaeb-5736415f95eb_zpstoo2s5jm.jpg http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/zz19/tompat/image5_zps3xggijca.jpg http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/zz19/tompat/e3f0658e-cd6b-4df7-b7ce-fd78539833e4_zpsqpyklmr5.jpg http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/zz19/tompat/9beab607-b5ee-49f4-bad8-47db978c1bce_zpsuqelbkqn.jpg http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/zz19/tompat/c3b8d102-28a7-49bb-bb1b-b8a618926a47_zpsitsljund.jpg |
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Originally Posted By nictra:
very nice! Did you put a lower HG retainer on in case you wanted to change the furniture? Also, did you change out the GB? Originally Posted By nictra:
Originally Posted By tompat:
My Conversion... I originally wanted to weld (didn't like the thought of having a screw/nut that could come loose) the factory trigger guard on but since the Bullet Guide already placed a screw inside the receiver and so did the Magpul stock, I went ahead and went with the CSS billet trigger guard. I went with the more expensive Russian threaded front sight base and 1000M rear site. I wanted the end result to be all Russian and American parts but had to use this Bulgarian brake in 7.62 as I really liked it. After it was done, it was dropped off for flat black Cerakote. All 6 unused holes in the receiver were welded. Stayed with the factory BHO lever but had it Cerakoted as well. Added an ALG trigger but had to take off .040 from the RH side due to the width of the BHO lever. Added grease on unfinished mating surface to prevent corrosion. I also have a new Authentic Russian pure black bayonet in route to compete the set... http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/zz19/tompat/e4f06afc-7956-4d22-aaeb-5736415f95eb_zpstoo2s5jm.jpg http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/zz19/tompat/image5_zps3xggijca.jpg http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/zz19/tompat/e3f0658e-cd6b-4df7-b7ce-fd78539833e4_zpsqpyklmr5.jpg http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/zz19/tompat/9beab607-b5ee-49f4-bad8-47db978c1bce_zpsuqelbkqn.jpg http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/zz19/tompat/c3b8d102-28a7-49bb-bb1b-b8a618926a47_zpsitsljund.jpg No on both because the Magpul Zhukov handguards require the HG retainer to be removed for installation. It also doesn't allow for the cleaning rod so I didn't really have a need to remove the GB. My end goal was to add all the non-politically-correct items which included threaded muzzle device and bayonet lug on the front end. I also never saw me adding a grenade launcher, so I stopped short of removing the GB. It's just my opinion, but I thought a Saiga would never be a true Russian AK since it has that extra pin before the front trunion. With all this said, I thought for me the best it will ever be is a hybrid Russian-American AK. This is also another reason why I decided to keep the BHO feature. I put a lot of thought into it, knowing there was more I could have done, but with much contemplation - this is the end result of what the final product would be like. I'm glad you liked it and thank you for the feedback. I'm excited i was able to find a new True Black Russian Izhmash Bayonet to complete the package. It hasn't arrived yet as it's being shipped internationally. Damn, I just noticed I forgot to get my toes in the pics:( |
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Got this .223 Saiga last Saturday, was able to get the rear end completed yesterday evening. Still have to do the hg retainer, gb, and fsb. At some point down the road I will send it off to get a folder installed and have the old fcg and bho holes welded up and refinished.  
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Originally Posted By HWI: Got this .223 Saiga last Saturday, was able to get the rear end completed yesterday evening. Still have to do the hg retainer, gb, and fsb. At some point down the road I will send it off to get a folder installed and have the old fcg and bho holes welded up and refinished. https://i.imgur.com/4ptJjtU.jpg https://i.imgur.com/C6NLo4n.jpg 1 question though, if you're going to go to the trouble to weld up the holes and refinish it, will you go ahead and do the proper trigger guard as well? Can't wait to see it done. |
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Originally Posted By nictra: very nice! 1 question though, if you're going to go to the trouble to weld up the holes and refinish it, will you go ahead and do the proper trigger guard as well? Can't wait to see it done. Absolutely. When I get the folder done, not going to be until next year sometime, I may have the holes welded up then. If I do have the holes welded up I will have the mag catch removed and the correct trigger guard/mag catch riveted in and then have the whole thing refinished. |
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Originally Posted By Lev0d0pa: Here some pics of my SAIGA IZHMASH SVD, 2019 production, brand new. Who said French can't have cool gun  Lev0' Cool gun and mad jelly we can't get them over here, but I don't think anyone in the US would consider a SVD to be a Saiga. Do those have a Saiga roll mark on them? |
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Originally Posted By HWI: Cool gun and mad jelly we can't get them over here, but I don't think anyone in the US would consider a SVD to be a Saiga. Do those have a Saiga roll mark on them? I thought it was a Saiga (brand) topic, Saiga and Izhmash is the same brand here in Europe. The K logo is for Kalsahnikov Saiga brand. |
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Originally Posted By Lev0d0pa: I thought it was a Saiga (brand) topic, Saiga and Izhmash is the same brand here in Europe. The K logo is for Kalsahnikov Saiga brand. Gotcha. Over here Saiga is like a line of rifles and shotguns produced by Izhmash and they have an actual Saiga roll mark on them, but not everything Izhamash produces is a Saiga. That being said, here in the US we can't get Izhamash produced firearms anymore and the bulk of the Izhmash produced firearms that were not roll marked Saiga are kit builds. |
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Made some progress on my Saiga, but decided to not make an AK-101 clone. I'm just going for a comfortable and fast shooter for 2 gun. I got a good deal on a Magpul Zhukov-U handguard and Zhukov-S stock, expecting them next week, I'll see how I like them compared to it's current set up and go from there. To get 100% reliable feeding even after installing the bullet guide I ended up having to bevel a feed ramp into the breech face, that was fairly nerve racking. 
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Originally Posted By BuckyRocks: I just added the Zhukov hand guard to my Saiga 5.45 and while I like the look, I was a little surprised at the added weight. Thanks for the heads up. I got the Zhukov-U, it's a little shorter than the standard Zhukov, so I guess I'll see if that makes a difference. |
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Originally Posted By HWI: She's done for now. Not a big fan of the look of the Zhukov stock, but it's pretty dang comfortable so I think it'll be a solid shooter as is. https://i.imgur.com/TPMs9Wt.jpg @HWI What rail system did you use for your optic? |
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Saiga Conversion Thread (Page 8 of 8)
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