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Saiga 5.45x39 Rifle Mod Thread

edmorseiii said:
...That was a fun project!...
Click to expand...

Edmorseiii, that came our really nice.

I like that choice of the plum furniture.

KVARPLUMWA.jpg
 
SKS Ray said:
Here is a shot of the bullet guide I modded to fit:

100_1831.jpg


And here is the rifle after adding the new gas tube, bolt on lower handguard retainer, and black laminate Timbersmith stock set:

100_1832.jpg


100_1833.jpg


100_1834.jpg


These stock sets are made for Romanian AK variants so the fit on a Russian is a little loose here and there but it seems like it'll work.
Click to expand...

Damn it! Now I want one too....thanks a lot![smile]
 
Well, I did mine tonight!

I got all my parts from CSS, this was my list:
1 BASIC CONVERSION KIT #1-CSS all Saiga 223, 7.62, 308, 5.45 Rifles and 410 & 20 Gauge Shotguns
1 STOCK SET AK-47, AK74 SAIGA RIFLE- BROWN LAMINATE
1 GAS TUBE FOR AK47, AK74 AND SAIGA RIFLES - VENTED
1 HANDGUARD RETAINING LOWER BRACKET

All went swimmingly up until putting on the new gas tube. Damned thing wasn't even CLOSE to fitting.
I ended up having to dremel off the top at an angle where the gas tube release lever holds it in place so that it matched the profile of the original.

I also ended up needing to use an additional washer (I had one around) on the bolt holding the pistol grip in place. It was slightly too long.

Other than that, all the parts went in without a hitch. All in all, quite an easy little project! Maybe just a fluke with my particular rifle and that particular gas tube.


I did take pictures, but right now, I'm gonna eat dinner. Then I'll post 'em.
[laugh]
 
Andreas said:
All went swimmingly up until putting on the new gas tube. Damned thing wasn't even CLOSE to fitting.
I ended up having to dremel off the top at an angle where the gas tube release lever holds it in place so that it matched the profile of the original.
Click to expand...

99% of the AK gas tubes I've seen have to be filed down a little to fit a Saiga.

I can't remember if I mentioned it before but this is something people should know about.
For all of you doing the conversion and using a new/used gas tube other than the one that came with your Saiga, do not force the lever to lock it down! On most gas tubes other than factory Saiga ones, some material needs to be removed from the top end where the rear of the tube is beveled. A file works great for this because you can keep checking the fit without removing too much material.
Saiga gas tube levers are often stiff but you'll know when you have the correct angle on the gas tube for it to fit. I usually tap the lever with a screwdriver handle when disassembling/reassembling.

Thanks for the pics showing the gas tube modification and your rifle looks great.[thumbsup]
 
SKS Ray said:
Thanks for the pics showing the gas tube modification and your rifle looks great.[thumbsup]
Click to expand...

Thanks!

I just wish I'd taken a "before" pic of the gas tube... it didn't occur to me to do so. But, I had to take off a good amount of material. File probably would've worked, however... just would've taken more time (but it probably would have been more precise. heh). I just took off a little bit at a time, test fit, took off more, test fit, etc... Can always take off more metal, but you can't put it back on.

ETA: Thanks to you, Ray, for all the pointers ahead of time! Between that and the videos online, it was a breeze.
 
Well, it's a beautiful sunny day and I have a secluded place in the woods to go. Time to fire off some of that rock salt... er..... corrosive ammo... and test this puppy out.[laugh]

------
ETA:
So - Worked great! I'm getting an odd notch/mark halfway up each fired casing, but I didn't notice if I'd been getting that before conversion, so could be unrelated. Either way, it caused no problems.
Fed fine from a pre-ban 30 rd magazine, with *no bullet guide installed*.
I put about 50 rounds through it. Decent accuracy on the little sucker!

The only thing I found was that the stock loosened up a little. I tightened down the two screws on it, and then it was fine.

As far as I'm concerned, I'm not going to bother with a bullet guide unless something changes. (I wonder if the mark on the casings was from chambering without the guide?)
 
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Hey guys, I have some questions for the experts.

When I hand drilled the rivets off the side of the rifle, I nicked the receiver a little. Should I be worried about this?
s1.jpg


Also, I could not drill through the spot weld that holds the trigger guard on. I didnt have a bit that could do it. Am I going to be needing the plate that the trigger guard attaches to? I already bent the guard to get at the rivets under it, so I wont be re using it.
s2.jpg
 
You can still use that guard, I bent the hell out of mine and just reshaped it with a vise. I cut the second hole on the rear of the guard off, and cleaned it up and rounded it off with a grinder. I couldn't drill the weld either, once I got the plate off, I used a flat screw driver and a hammer and beat it until the weld gave from the plate. I ground the weld flat, and just stuffed it under the mag release, used the remaining hole in the rear of the guard to mount it in the open hole from the rivet I popped when removing the plate.

I wouldn't be worried about the scratches, a little bbq grill or high temp black spray paint goes a long way to clean it up.
 
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Dench said:
Hey guys, I have some questions for the experts.

When I hand drilled the rivets off the side of the rifle, I nicked the receiver a little. Should I be worried about this?
s1.jpg


Also, I could not drill through the spot weld that holds the trigger guard on. I didnt have a bit that could do it. Am I going to be needing the plate that the trigger guard attaches to? I already bent the guard to get at the rivets under it, so I wont be re using it.
s2.jpg
Click to expand...

I wouldn't worry about the slip with the drill. Lots of guys use chisels and scratch the shit out of their receivers and re-spray with hi temp BBQ grill paint. It matches almost perfectly.

The trigger guard on the other hand looks fubar to me. But you can always get a bolt on one and use that:

http://store.carolinashooterssupply.com/servlet/-strse-365/Saiga-Trigger-Guard-DIY/Detail
 
SKS Ray said:
I wouldn't worry about the slip with the drill. Lots of guys use chisels and scratch the shit out of their receivers and re-spray with hi temp BBQ grill paint. It matches almost perfectly.

The trigger guard on the other hand looks fubar to me. But you can always get a bolt on one and use that:

http://store.carolinashooterssupply.com/servlet/-strse-365/Saiga-Trigger-Guard-DIY/Detail
Click to expand...

Thanks Ray. I'll be ordering that trigger.

I'm going to be posting more questions soon, please stay tuned.
 
No problem, anything I know about these I'll be glad to contribute.

Don't forget about checking out http://forum.saiga-12.com/
You can get Scriv'd there easy so be aware when posting newbie questions but look at the build sections and galleries. There are tons of ideas and lots of info for all different ways to make your Saiga look.
 
One more thing... when drilling the spot weld on the trigger guard, you need a brand new high quality 1/8 drill bit for a pilot hole. Quality 1/8 bits are cheap and available at just about every hardware store. Forums are filled with people saying how tough they are to drill through. Moderate speed and steady pressure is key. High speed will leave a polished hole and result in annealing. Then you really need some quality steel to cut the spot weld.

Once you get the 1/8 hole drilled, follow up with a larger sized bit such as 3/16 and you'll be able to pretty much drill through the entire weld. You'll probably still have to use a thin chisel to separate the trigger guard from the plate but with the majority of the spot weld removed its a lot easier.

Take comfort in knowing that drilling through the trunnion is like cutting through butter after the spot weld experience.[smile]
 
I ended up not using the trigger guard at all, as the kit I got from CSS came with one. If anyone needs a plate with trigger guard still attached....

(I can't imagine what I'd need the plate or guard for.... SKS Ray? Any reason to keep it?)
 
Andreas said:
(I can't imagine what I'd need the plate or guard for.... SKS Ray? Any reason to keep it?)
Click to expand...

Yep. Use it for a template when you need to drill and file a new pistol grip nut hole in a Saiga receiver that doesn't have one. They're always the same dimension. Just trace the hole on the receiver w/out one, drill a 1/2 hole and square file the rest. Not all receivers have a hole for the pistol grip nut.
 
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When I tested my saiga at the Mansfield shoot, only 1/6 of my preban AK74 30's had problems feeding in it's stock configuration.

Im about to make a purchase from CSS but I want to make sure it's the only order I need to make:

SKU Description Price Total

R-BASIC#1-4PC BASIC CONVERSION KIT #1 all Saiga 223, 7.62, 308, 5.45 Rifles and 410 & 20 Gauge Shotguns
(ROUNDED) $73.95

WOOD-BIRCH STOCK SET AK-47, AK74 SAIGA RIFLE- BIRCH UNFINISHED
$114.95

GASTUBE-VENTED GAS TUBE FOR AK47, AK74 AND SAIGA RIFLES VENTED
$30.00

Is this all I need aside from hardware store runs? What else would you add to make this my ONE AND ONLY order?
 
BigMike said:
When I tested my saiga at the Mansfield shoot, only 1/6 of my preban AK74 30's had problems feeding in it's stock configuration.
Click to expand...

Your Saiga fed off a 30 round magazine without being modified at all? You never put the bullet guide in????

I didnt know they would even feed non saiga mags without the bullet guide!
 
Dench said:
Your Saiga fed off a 30 round magazine without being modified at all? You never put the bullet guide in????

I didnt know they would even feed non saiga mags without the bullet guide!
Click to expand...

Mine feeds fine without a bullet guide as well off a 30rd.
Round trunnion here.
 
So I was just munkying with my rifle, and noticed that a few of the Bulgarian mags I picked up at a gun show few weeks back are actually plum colored mags! They look like they were spray painted black for some reason. I am trying to strip the paint off of one of them so it will match the rest of the furniture.

I am pretty pumped!

(Thank you flintoid for giving me the idea to look. [wink])

As it turns out I was able to get 3/4 of the body stripped with out damaging the finish to much, but the bottom near the plate looks like it was already hit with a sander. It is all scuffed up and a grayish white color. Oh well. I will just keep an eye out for a plum mag.
 
Last edited:
BigMike said:
When I tested my saiga at the Mansfield shoot, only 1/6 of my preban AK74 30's had problems feeding in it's stock configuration.

Im about to make a purchase from CSS but I want to make sure it's the only order I need to make:

SKU Description Price Total

R-BASIC#1-4PC BASIC CONVERSION KIT #1 all Saiga 223, 7.62, 308, 5.45 Rifles and 410 & 20 Gauge Shotguns
(ROUNDED) $73.95

WOOD-BIRCH STOCK SET AK-47, AK74 SAIGA RIFLE- BIRCH UNFINISHED
$114.95

GASTUBE-VENTED GAS TUBE FOR AK47, AK74 AND SAIGA RIFLES VENTED
$30.00

Is this all I need aside from hardware store runs? What else would you add to make this my ONE AND ONLY order?
Click to expand...

You don't need the basic conversion kit if you want to drill the spot weld, cut the extra tab off the trigger guard and reuse it.

Besides... with Saiga fever going at such a high rate, Greg is out of stock on a lot of items.

If you're reusing the bolt hold open feature, you need a modified Tapco G2 trigger group. This one is the best bet for a drop in fit and function: http://store.carolinashooterssupply.com/servlet/-strse-461/SAIGA-RIFLE-CONVERSION-TRIGGER/Detail
It has the extra material removed for bolt hold open clearance, plus it comes with a disconnect sping and pin retaining plate.
If you don't want to reuse the BHO, just get a Tapco G2 trigger group and reuse your disconnect spring. You'll still need a retainer for your pins. Tromix Shepards crook, Tapco plate, or Krebs plate, its up to you but the Krebs style is the easiest to use IMO.

You'll also be needing a lower handguard retainer if you plan on using the AK stock set. CSS sells a bolt on one for $45 that works great. I ran 5 mags through my 5.45 at last Saturday's shoot with one and it hasn't budged at all.

BTW... with a flat trunnion you can score a bullet guide for dirt cheap from many sources. The kits from Dinzag are great.
 
edmorseiii said:
So I was just munkying with my rifle, and noticed that a few of the Bulgarian mags I picked up at a gun show few weeks back are actually plum colored mags! They look like they were spray painted black for some reason. I am trying to strip the paint off of one of them so it will match the rest of the furniture.

I am pretty pumped!

(Thank you flintoid for giving me the idea to look. [wink])

As it turns out I was able to get 3/4 of the body stripped with out damaging the finish to much, but the bottom near the plate looks like it was already hit with a sander. It is all scuffed up and a grayish white color. Oh well. I will just keep an eye out for a plum mag.
Click to expand...

ed, I may be willing to trade my plums for some other color if you drive to Beverly, and tell me im awesome at call of duty.
 

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