308 Saiga!!

[000Buck]

Wow, what a great gun. I bought a Remington 7400 Carbine in 30-06 as a truck gun, and it is a piece of junk. The chamber is super tight, and the extractor doesnt want to work half the time, probably because of the chamber. Maybe I just got a dud.

So, I saw a Saiga 308 and figured with the AK action it may actually work. It sure does, and the quality is very high, especially compared to my SAR-1 and WASR(they function great too, just not as pretty)

Does anyone know how to do the Galil mag conversion?

 

[Harry Tuttle]

check out Krebs for Mag conversions
http://www.krebscustom.com/
expect to pay for the privilege of standard capacity

Maybe September 14 2004 will change the capacity of imported saiga mags

 

[slh02]

Just bought a saiga in 7.62x39. Will be shooting it for the first time tomorrow afternoon. Will let you all know how it performs.

Question about the mags though... will the sunset of the AWB allow for high capacity mags to be imported for the saiga? I thought that the '89 ban would still restrict the mags but would be delighted to be wrong.

 

[Daedalus]

I am really leaning toward getting one of these saigas in 308. I have a couple questions first though.

Can you put one of those AK/MAK90 dragunov stock sets on it?
What kind of muzzle brakes can you put on it, how effective will it be, will it be simple to put on?
What barrel lengths do they come in?

I have a SAR 1 that I enjoy the hell out of, but a saiga in 308 has really been calling out to me. If I could put a dragunov-style stock on it, the 8x posp scope I already have, and some kind of muzzle brake...mmmm im salivating already.

 

[JohnKSa]

The Saiga can be converted to the more conventional pistol grip or thumbhole stock configuration. It's going to require some gunsmithing, you have to move some things around. I'm not going to get into the legal issues, but suffice it to say that some hoop-jumping will be required if you go to the pistol grip stock.

The Galil mag conversion can be done, but I've not heard of anyone who was really satisfied with the results.

I think Krebs conversions use M14 mags.

 

[7.62FullMetalJacket]

Are there any quality issues with the Saiga? I had a Galil in .308 and it was a tank. I would love to get the Saiga, although I do not know if it will get along with the FALs

 

[JohnMc]

I've had a .308 Saiga for about 3 years now. I wanted a semi .308 and I was afraid Al G. would get elected and that'd be that, so I bought what I could afford in early Nov. It was that or the VEPR. Mine's the one with the wood stock, before EAA got the import deal.

The front grip (forend?) did come off, the wood was very thin around the mounting screw. Some epoxy fixed that (on the wood only). Otherwise, it's a tank. It's a stamped AK, not a Galil or a .308 Dragunov.

Shoots OK for what it is, around 3-4 MOA. Suits me fine, but I'd still like an M1A.

000Buck, Welcome to the club!

slh02, maybe the AWB sunset is why CDNN is selling the mags for 1/2 price. We can be optimistic!

JohnMc

 

[762x51]

Kreb's .308 mag conversions are for the .308 VEPR not the .308 Saiga. I have yet to hear of anyone converting a .308 Saiga to use any other mags reliably. It's a shame since they are so cheap and so well made.

 

[000Buck]

Thanks for all the replies.

Here is a forum on 308 Saigas I found that shows a pistol grip conversion in pretty good detail.

http://forum.saiga-12.com/index.php?showforum=6

I emailed Krebs and they emailed back quickly saying they no longer offer the Saiga magazine conversion. I feel like it may be real hard to make reliable then if they stopped doing, so I probably wont even try on my own.

Here is an interesting review on NRAHQ with a bit of chrono from the 16" barrel:

http://www.nrahq.org/publications/tar/dopebag/db8.asp

 

[lee n. field]

I've had a .308 Saiga for about 3 years now. I wanted a semi .308 and I was afraid Al G. would get elected and that'd be that, so I bought what I could afford in early Nov. It was that or the VEPR

So I'm not the only one to do something like that. (Picked up a Mini-14 right about then and for that reason. Picked up a CZ-100 "pocket rocket" last year on election day when it was clear that Gun Ban Rod Blagojevich was going to get elected IL gov.)

 

[JohnMc]

lee n. field

So I'm not the only one to do something like that.

I wonder how many extra firearms are puchase out of fear of the overzealous getting into office vs. fear of two-legged predators, ie; self defense.

JohnMc

 

[Mr. Chitlin]

No telling how many guns Bill Clinton "sold", JohnMc!!

 

[7.62FullMetalJacket]

I bought all my evil assault weapons in 1993, right before 1994. I flew all over the west looking for the most vile, evil looking ones cause they must be the best. Flash suppressors, bayonet lugs, pistol grips, extended mags.....

 

[lee n. field]

I wonder how many extra firearms are puchase out of fear of the overzealous getting into office

Well, in my case the CZ was something I had in mind to purchase anyway. Getting it on the day Rod Bolshevic (whose sole distinction as US Rep was to introduce a bill banning "pocket rocket" handguns) got elected as Gov. of our poor state, was fortuitous.

"Overzealous" is being too kind. Anyone who has as a fond desire that you be disarmed and rendered defenseless should be viewed with the same distaste we would someone who dresses in a sheet and gets his self-esteem from being called "Grand Dragon".

 

[JohnMc]

Bill C, now there's a zealot. Good thing he was busy skirt chasing as much as he was!

I don't regret buying the Saiga. It's a good rifle for the money. I have bolt guns for MOA accuracy. That said, I would have gone the FN or M1A route if I had the extra bucks, but as I said, I felt the need to "expidite" my purchase. I'll eventually buy an M1A, so there was indeed an "extra" weapon sold in the world that wouldn't have been otherwise (I keep everything; he who dies with the most toys, wins!) . Bad kharma for the liberals. Just like the VPC's kid's gun list being useful for Dads and Grandpas buying starter .22s (there's another thread on this). Unintended consequences....

Cheers,
JohnMc