I assumed common sense would have prevailed, being the increase in capacity would make for a much heavier gun.
Read my post above. If you have a side saddle or the like then the number of shells on the gun is very similar and thus the weight is as well.
I don't know much about it as I haven't looked into that aspect of the Saigas yet, but I think I heard something to the tune of any parts you swap in have to be made in usa? Something like that? Somebody who knows more could probably enlighten you better.
I'm familar with 922r. It is fairly straightforward and easy to comply with. As long as you can count to ten there is not much difficulty in complying.
In short a saiga shotgun has 15 countable parts (it used to be thought to have 14 but the BATF is saying 15 these days). 922r makes it a crime to assemble from foriegn parts certain types of weapons. The rules the BATF have promulgated say that if it has more than ten foreign parts from a list of countable parts it is a violation.
What that means on a practical level is that you have to remove (and practically speaking replace with US parts) five countable parts. This is easily done as part of the typical pistol grip conversion process. The fire control group that gets replaced counts as 3 parts. The stock is another countable part. A very easy and inexpensive compliance part is the gas puck. Other countable parts include the magazine (3 parts body, base plate, and follower), hand guard, and pistol grip (so make sure to use a US one as not to increase the count since the factory gun didn't come with one).
Like I say if you can count to ten it is a pretty simple (albeit silly) law. I wouldn't avoid a saiga on account of 922r concerns.
I don't know much about it as I haven't looked into that aspect of the Saigas yet, but I think I heard something to the tune of any parts you swap in have to be made in usa? Something like that? Somebody who knows more could probably enlighten you better.
I've seen people cause a whole lot of grief, time, and money by criminal prosecutions in which they were ultimately acquitted.
There have been 922r convictions. See 169 F.Supp.2d 957 (N.D.Ind.,2001).
It is so simple to be compliant there is just no reason not to be.