Build or Buy? AK-47

Status
Not open for further replies.
D

Dimis

Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2008
Messages
1,558
Location
Delaware
with the stupid assault weapons ban crap coming at us again (this time maybe worse and PERMANENT!) ive given thought of owning an evil scary rifle :evil:
im not an AR fan at all so please DONT suggest i get any form style or similar model of any brand AR
I want an AK47 or 74 but what would you think is the easiest cheapest or best way of doing this?
should i get a kit and put it together (please note i would buy a reciever already built because i have no way of doing a plate or 80% reciever)
or should i buy a new firearm pay the arm and leg and just wait 9 1/2 forevers for one of those companies to catch up with there orders?

if i can find a cheap way to get this done i may even spring for two one to leave in stock form and one to mod a bit

any suggestions?
 
how bad is it to convert a saiga?
are there any issues i should know upfront? i.e. mags dont fit 100% or anything like that
can i do the conversion or will i have to send it to a smith?
 
go to a gun show and haggle

After living in Colombia for awhile, I'm amazed at how Americans take crap lying down. We take high prices lying down. We never bargain like South Americans do. Next time you go to a gun show, haggle. You know, many dealers would rather make a little less profit, but still have a PROFIT rather than a loss and have to lug a heavy rifle back to the van. Go at the end of the gun show and offer a lower price for the gun. Pull out a wallet with a limited amount of cash in it and tell them that's all you have. As long as your offer is reasonable, they'll usually agree to discount the gun for you. You can get a brand new or almost new norinco for $600 to 700, depending on condition. The gun show ticket seller bought a brand new mint in bag norinco mak 90 for just 700 bucks, packed in the original plastic bag. That rifle had never breathed American air before. If I didn't already have several norincos, I would've bought it off the guy in front of me in line instead of letting the ticket seller guy buy it.
 
I second all of the above. There are no cheap builds any more. I bought 2 WASR10s. Modified one, left the other. I may go a bit further in the near future and try to replace the stamped receiver with milled, but this may be prohibitively expensive.
 
Buy a saiga and do the conversion i had never worked on a gun before i did my conversion now i got 8 under my belt.
 
Conversion for sure.

As said the Saiga conversion is the way at this time for value....Add U.S. FCG, U.S. PG, and U.S. floorplate to milsurp mags. Mag floorplates are cheap, Tapco G2 about 35.00-40.00 shipped, U.S. PG w/ screw and escutcheon about 25.00 shipped. Pull the junk, move TG forward, and use a dremel tool to trim mag catch for milsurp mags. All of the holes required are already there to change the FCG out and add the PG.
I retained the original handguard because it's not all that bad....Dumped the buttstock and added an EG. Around a 2-3 hour task to convert w/o tearing up anything. You can pick up plugs for the abandoned holes...Put the trigger guard snugly agains the mag catch and you don't have to weld it( welding could ruin the spring in the catch anyway).
You will have a rifle that is better than most when the pain is over.
 

Attachments

  • P1010419.JPG
    P1010419.JPG
    51.2 KB · Views: 37
Hi, forgive the slight thread hijack here, but I'm a fan of the Saigas - just don't own one yet.

Why do so many people want to convert them? Do they feel the existing ergonomics are poor? Or is it simply about the aesthetics?

thx
 
It's almost never worth it to build 1 AK. To do a build you need several specialized tools and many parts that require hand fitting.

You can ask around the hometown forums at ar15.com to find a build party near you. OTOH, prices of kits have skyrocketed lately, like everything else.

Converting a Saiga isn't that hard. If you think you'll be in over your head there are people you can send it to to have the work done. BSW
 
briansmithwins said:
If you think you'll be in over your head there are people you can send it to to have the work done.
Click to expand...
. . .which is a gross misuse of funds, imho.

Converting a Saiga is easier than falling off a log (just go look at all those people moaning about "not doing it sooner cuz it was sooooo easy" over at the Saiga forum)
 
Hi, forgive the slight thread hijack here, but I'm a fan of the Saigas - just don't own one yet.

Why do so many people want to convert them? Do they feel the existing ergonomics are poor? Or is it simply about the aesthetics?
Click to expand...

It is the only way to fix the horrid factory trigger. All the linkages to move the trigger back causes a lot of trigger creep that many people cannot "deal with". Plus moving the trigger up to the proper position shortens the overall length of the rifle/shotgun.
 
matheath said:
Hi, forgive the slight thread hijack here, but I'm a fan of the Saigas - just don't own one yet.

Why do so many people want to convert them? Do they feel the existing ergonomics are poor? Or is it simply about the aesthetics?

thx
Click to expand...
First of all, the Saiga is an AK. Thus, it should be configured in the proper fashion. As mentioned before, converting it gets rid of the atrocious factory trigger. The rifle is also much better balanced and more ergonomic once it's converted.

In my opinion, the conversion process is easy and without any downsides.
 
I've done a few Saiga conversions, really pretty simple to do. Anyone with opposable thumbs and a pulse can convert a Saiga.
And, you end up with a NEW AK, with all the important parts made at the real Russian factory, and all the other stuff installed by you. You become very familiar with your gun because of the build and most people have alot of pride in their work. Plus, you decide which stock, which handguard, what color, which trigger, and so on. It becomes a personal rifle.
 
I've been having great luck building them recently, but the days of CHEAP and EASY kits are gone - these mostly take serious gunsmithing to build up. To me, worth it - I already have all the tools! :p
 
I've had quite an infestation of AK's myself....If one's not careful the may overrun the whole house if precautions aren't taken.
Incidentally...I hated my Saiga for years due to the trigger ruining an otherwise great rifle.
 
One other quick question: The one I really want is that short bbl .308 or maybe a 20ga. Can I still convert it easily?
 
Dinzag Arms offers conversion parts specific to all Saiga calibers. Other than making sure you order the correct trigger group, it's all the same. A Saiga .308 converts the same as a .223 or 7.62. A 20 gauge is the same way. If you want your big boomer AK, go with a Saiga and have fun. If you DO convert a .308, though, I strongly recommend the Romanian Dragunov / PSL stock. It has a recoil plate which will make shooting that huge round much more pleasant. They're cheap, too; I got a full Romanian WASR stock set with the Dragunov stock for $30 a few weeks ago. I refinished it, and it turned out very nice.

This is my finished Saiga .223 with the 20" barrel:
SaigaDone.gif

A couple of weeks before getting the wooden handguards, she was blooded and got me my first ever javelina kill. Very fine rifle.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

S
  • Locked
AK-47
Replies
13
Views
822
jlott00
J
P
  • Locked
building an AK?
Replies
12
Views
552
tju1973
T
C
  • Locked
looking to build celebration AR
Replies
7
Views
600
captain obvious
C
B
  • Locked
AK-47
Replies
11
Views
681
nalioth
N
S
  • Locked
AK / Dragunov lower Reciever
Replies
10
Views
1K
Spiggy
S
Back
Top