Do You Like Yoiur Saiga .223?

[The Mighty Beagle]

Please share your experiences.

How accurate is this gun?
How is the recoil in comparison to other semi-auto .223's?

I am thinking this rifle would be good for a family member who experienced a retinal detachment several months ago and is afraid to shoot anything bigger than a .223 right now.

Thanks.

 

[Master Blaster]

I have the .308 saiga and I like it.

Thae only drawback to the saigas is the lack of cheap 20 and 30 round magazines. The magazines are also plastic so you have to baby them a bit.

Other than that its a nicely manufactured accurate AK-47 sporter
For a very reasonable price.
(.308 has a 3 lug bolt not sure about .223)

 

[The Mighty Beagle]

Thanks Master, sounds like they are quality guns.

 

[Crownvicman]

I own a 7.62 Saiga. I've never had to baby the magazines. Maybe the .308 magazines are a little less robust? The only draw back I see is accuracy. At 100 yards it will keep all rounds inside a 6 inch group. But that is about standard for AK type rifles.

 

[Tropical Z]

Ive found my Saiga mags to be about as close to a dream come true as you could ever hope for.I think theyre tough as nails.

 

[Master Blaster]

The magazines are made of plastic, steel is better.

My local gun shop showed me a mag that had the feedramp, square piece of plastic that sticks up on the front (bullet nose side) of the mag, and the front pivot broken clean off. Without these the mag is useless.

In my dream these mags are made of the same steel that old AK mags are made from especially the feedramp.

 

[Crownvicman]

I have mistreated some of my .762 Saiga mags pretty badly. A horse even stepped on one. I have never had a problem with any of them. Remember, the Russian military now uses plastic mags and has for 20 years. Are these the .308 mags? I am wondering if they may be a little less robust than the military-derived .762 and .223 mags.

 

[762x51]

I have a Saiga .223 converted to an AK-102 configuration. I love the gun....by far the most fun AK I have ever used. Recoil is non existant and accuracy is great. With XM193 it's at least if not more accurate than my buddy's Bushmaster M4. About 2 MOA....a little under off a rest.

 

[Aikibiker]

I really like my 7.62 Saiga. The only problem is the shoehorning they had to do to make the trigger work with the sporter stock. The trigger pull is the worst I have ever felt on a rifle. As soon as I get the money I am putting on a pistol grip and US made trigger group that is shaped like Mr. Kalashnikov designed.

Other then the trigger it is a wonderful rifle. Rock solid reliability, as accurate as can be expected of a military design, and so easy to clean and maintain you will never want to go on to another design.

 

[The Mighty Beagle]

Here's the thing ... after a little more thought, what I really want is Saiga quality, accuracy, and price - but with a conventional AK stock set and hi-caps.

Sure I could just get a SAR, but I'm really fixated on the .223 for the person in question (ok, I want something fun to shoot too). I might even be willing to try a 5.45x39mm, but am definitely not interested in the 7.62x39mm.

What a fix.

By the way, someone at CDNN told me they were out of Saiga .223's and that he didn't know if they would ever be getting any more in. I just figured it was a ploy to get me to buy the .308 version, but who knows. It would be sad if the Saigas are drying up for good.

 

[slh02]

Just picked up my 7.62x39 Saiga tuesday. Although I have not fired it yet, this is an excellent gun for the money. Where else can you get a semi-auto rifle of decent quality for 225 bucks?

From what I have seen and heard from the mini-14, I would take the Saiga over it any day of the week. At half the price, go for the Saiga!

 

[The Mighty Beagle]

Well guys, I stumbled onto a SAR-3 in a local pawn shop and jumped on it. I got an ok deal on it, and am very impressed with its handling. I just couldn't bring myself to order the neutered, adulterated Saiga .223. I'll probably post on the SAR-3's performance after I shoot it a little. It will probably need some work but I feel so much better nonetheless, having a traditional-looking AK. Must be all those "Tour of Duty" shows as a kid ....


Thanks again everyone!

 

[MP-44]

762x51, who did the work on that Saiga? Can the rear sight be purchased as a part? How well does the rear sight hold zero mounted on the dust cover? BTW, that is a sweet looking rifle.

 

[LynnMassGuy]

62x51, that rifle looks great!! I think I know what my next project is gonna be when I finish my SKS. Where did you get parts?

 

[762x51]

Thanks guys. The rifle was built by Chris at AK-USA, more pics can be found on his website. Very nice guy who does some of the nicest AK work around. The rear sight is a standard part sold by Mark Krebs and holds zero just fine on the Saiga top cover (Saigas have a pretty tight fitting cover compared to alot of other AK's). Websites here:

AK-USA - http://www.ak-103.com

Krebs Custom - http://www.krebscustom.com

 

[michiganfan]

7.62 x 51. if you dont mind me asking how much was the conversion. thanks

 

[762x51]

The whole thing ran me about $1100 or so, donor rifle included. I used some expensive parts that could be left out to keep the cost down. Not cheap, but it is exactly what I wanted and attention to detail is second to none. More info here too:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=37689