Cheap Finsh on Sagia Rifles/Jams?

[Backwoodsmike]

I've had my Saga Sporter for a month now and the finsh is awefull the first time I moved the safety down it removed the finsh and now there's a big sliver line. I've put 100 rounds throught this gun all Ulyanovsk 7.62x39mm and i've had 5 jams all on the first shoot. It is always on the first shot. I'm using the 10 round factory magazine that came with the gun. I know this is cheap ammo and it's steel case FMJ but it's all my wal-mart has. Does this gun shoot better with brass cases such as golden bear? Wondering if should Dura coat this rifle since the finsh seems to offer no protection.

 

[wally]

I moved the safety down it removed the finsh and now there's a big sliver line.

Happens to all AKs, its part of their character.

Shouldn't have any trouble with steel cased ammo. Are you using the 10 round mag that came with the rifle or something else?

 

[Vaarok]

You're kidding, right? You bought a Kalashnikov variant and you're upset there's a scribe from the safety?

And yes, cheap steel case ammo in a brand-new gun probably means you'll have the occasional issue. New guns in general may have issues, cheap ammo compounds the likelihood.

Duracoating the rifle is a personal choice, but I must say that my Saiga-12, which I bought in 2004, has been subjected to abuse, neglect, storage in both a dairy barn milkhouse and the trunk of my car, and being shot in subzero weather and then brought into warm humid conditions, and yet retains the original finish, something nothing short of a miracle considering the conditions it endured. Or a testament to how durable the original factory finish is.

 

[chevyman097]

You are really leaving out the most important details for us to be able to start helping you with the issue.

I assume you mean "Saiga" rifle. Is this a saiga sporter, custom converstion job, or a home conversion job?

What kind of magazines are you using? Are you using soft point ammo? Soft points have a habit of jamming in AK varients. FMJ is the way to go for plinking. just throwing that in there.

 

[Sam1911]

I've had my Saga for a month now and the finsh is awefull the first time I moved the safety down it removed the finsh and now there's a big sliver line.

Every AK ever, anywhere, has that line. It wouldn't matter what the finish was (well, maybe hard chromed) that line is going to get scratched through the first few times you move the safety/selector lever.

When I Duracoated my -74S, as soon as it was dry I ran the safety 5-10 times to get the line etched back in so it wouldn't hang or snag in the paint.

I've put 100 rounds throught this gun all Ulyanovsk 7.62x39mm and i've had 5 jams all on the first shoot. I know this is cheap ammo and it's steel case but it's all my wal-mart has. Does this gun shoot better with brass cases such as golden bear?

Unlikely. Sounds like a magazine issue to me. (If it is doing this with multiple mags, it's probably that the mag catch isn't holding the mag level or high enough.) An AK should feed anything, always, ever. Most AKs in the world will never see a brass case as the military issue ammo is all steel-cased.

If it isn't feeding I'd think you have two options. Complete the conversion (back) to AK pattern so you can use normal AK magazines. If done well, this will almost certainly fix whatever alignment issues the current Saiga mags are showing. Or, send it back to the importer and have them fix or replace it.

Wondering if should Dura coat this rifle since the finsh seems to offer no protection.

Duracoat is o.k. As are the good paints like Alymahyde, Cerakote, etc. Heck, a good high-temp Krylon rattle-can paint will do just fine if you prep the metal right, and it's cheap to touch-up.

But, none of those is going to provide more than a little bit more protection than the factory finish. Might be a little more resistant to solvents/oils ... might not be. Not going to hold up a whole lot better to wear, and, again, none of them will stop the safety lever scratch line.

If you do the old military trick of parkerizing first and then painting over that, it will be about twice as durable as the park really grips the paint.

If you really wanted a super-durable finish, you could sent it to someone to do a hard-chrome finish, but that's going to be probably over half the price of the gun.

 

[Sky]

Where is the pic of the AK with the shovel grip for a butt stock that is still being shot?

Anytime we spend our money on a new weapon we try to maintain it's fit and finish and keep it nice (well most people do) Keep it clean sometimes and don't worry about it. As others have posted that is just the way it is.

 

[Kliegl]

Saiga's need to break in, and that scratch happens to all of them.

If it's a gas issue, the gun might need warranty work. Try the forums at
saiga-12.com for better advice. Be warned, they LOVE those guns, and
the mods are <very sensitive and get overly aggravated at times>, but there's some good info.

 

[briansmithwins]

Saiga's don't use the standard AK mags w/o modification, last I heard. I suspect that may be your problem there.

This is my AK a year after being Duracoated. Parts were left to set up for 2 weeks before reassembly.

BSW

AK safety scratch.


Top of front sight protector chipped.


Wear on muzzle brake.

 

[kilo729]

Where is the pic of the AK with the shovel grip for a butt stock that is still being shot?

Anytime we spend our money on a new weapon we try to maintain it's fit and finish and keep it nice (well most people do) Keep it clean sometimes and don't worry about it. As others have posted that is just the way it is.

From http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/...tfb-poll-which-ak-would-you-rather-be-issued/

 

[Sky]

hahahaah Thanks now that's what I talken about!! Red looks good with slightly less than black!

 

[aka108]

Damn, I like that shovel handled AK. Someone needs to copyright it as it would probably sell.

 

[jeepguy]

i think my sgl 21 had that mark within a few hpurs of picking it up, i just figured it was unavoidable & just normal. if you aren't using the factory magazine that could be your problem, becuse the saiga rifles don't have a bullet guide. the magazine that comes with your saiga rifle doesn't need a bullet guide to function properly.

 

[Backwoodsmike]

Didn't know all Kalashnikov style rifles got that line. First time owning one and never read about it in a book, or saw pics that close up to show the line.

 

[wally]

Damn, I like that shovel handled AK. Someone needs to copyright it as it would probably sell.

Replace the bayonet with with the shovel blade and you have the perfect all purpose trench tool!

You could fire off a few rounds to break up stubborn rocks -- like they drilled through the concrete at Chernobyl to run in some wireless video inspection cameras on an RC model 4-wheeler.

 

[JustinJ]

Umm, how about answering the questions of the people you've asked help from? Which magazines are you using? The gun should shoot any ammo striaght from the box without a hiccup. If not and you're using the right magazine send it back. By the way, I don't know if they're even allowed in NY but if you put a 30 round magazine in that gun without the necessary count of american parts you are committing a felony.

 

[Backwoodsmike]

Factory 10 round