How good are the Hesse-Saiga conversions?

[Tropical Z]

I've always heard that Hesse is the one company you want to stay away from when buying an AK,but have heard that their Saiga conversions are fine and not susceptible to all the problems with the welding that other Hesse's have.FAC has a great looking Hesse-Saiga for $324.95 in 7.62x39.I've always heard that Hesse's dont show their true colors for several thousand rounds and then its to late to get it fixed under warranty.Whats the scoop?

 

[RON in PA]

My son will probably post on this as he has one, but my impression is that he is very satisfied. I've handled it, looks like a Cadilac compared to a SAR.

 

[MAKOwner]

Since they don't do any serious mods to the gun the general consensus is that they are fine. That's just second hand info though. Of course, so is most of the constant slamming of Hesse....

The only real room for error would be what they do about the feed ramp. Last I heard they were just putting a blob of weld down to serve as one. Seems a little crude but as long as it gets the job done...

 

[Dave Markowitz]

My son will probably post on this as he has one, but my impression is that he is very satisfied. I've handled it, looks like a Cadilac compared to a SAR.

Since I've been set up, here's my take on the Hesse-converted Saigas.

The work that Hesse does on the Saigas consists of the following:

-Replace furniture with US-made stuff.
-Add an AK-74 style muzzle brake.
-Replace the fire control group with US made parts.
-Add a feed ramp.
-For some reason, they milled off the lug that allows you to keep the cleaning rod under the barrel.

Most of the parts and the exterior finish are original Saiga, i.e., excellent. It is FAR superior to that on any of the four SAR-1s that I, Ron in PA (AKA Dad) and my brother have owned. OTH, it doesn't work any better than the SARs -- those are crudely finished but very reliable guns.

So far I've only put a couple hundred rounds through it, but it worked flawlessly. Since the bulk of the parts are original, you don't have to worry too much about Hesse's generally poor quality. Based on their poor reputation, I wouldn't buy a gun they made from the ground up. However, getting the Saiga modified by them was an affordable way for me to get an AK-103 clone at a reasonable price.

 

[Tropical Z]

Good info.Is the feed ramp a glob of weld or something nicer?
I've seen Saiga capable hi-cap mags that have been modified to work in a Saiga by themselves and its real simple.How do they work without a feed ramp added to the gun itself?

 

[Dave Markowitz]

I don't know how well regular AK mags work in a Saiga if there's no feed ramp. Note that adding a standard cap mag (11 or more rounds) to a Saiga without adding the requsite number of US-made parts violates the AWB.

The Hesse feed ramp in my rifle is not just a weld blob. It's a piece of metal that's welded in. It appears to be made from a piece of tubing. See the attached photo.

 

[Redlg155]

Looks kinda crude, but serviceable. It also looks like you got a poweder coat finish on her.

What I'm not understanding is why Saigas need a feed ramp installed to use regular AK47 mags. Does the Saiga mag sit that high in the magwell?

Good SHooting
RED

 

[Tropical Z]

Ive always heard that after modification of the mags that the Saiga is good to go from a functional standpoint.I'll take mine apart and examine the "feed ramp" area.If you compare a standard AK mag side by side with a Saigas,its easy to see the differences.

 

[Dave Markowitz]

Looks kinda crude, but serviceable. It also looks like you got a poweder coat finish on her.

What I'm not understanding is why Saigas need a feed ramp installed to use regular AK47 mags. Does the Saiga mag sit that high in the magwell?

"AK" and "crude" is redundant.

I've not handled an unmodified Saiga, but from what I understand the feed ramp is somehow built into a Saiga magazine, hence the need for adding one if you convert it to take regular mags.

And yes, it appears to be a powder coat. It's very nice, actually.

 

[vanfunk]

I have a Hesse-converted SAIGA as well, and its performance has been flawless through about 800 rounds.

Likes:
It's a Russian AK
It feeds and shoots anything I feed it
Takes standard, cheap AK mags
Ammo is cheap (nothing to do with the firearm, but darn, 7.62x39 ammo is cheap, yer darn tootin')
It looks better than an SAR 1-2-3
It's priced about the same

Dislikes:
The buttstock is a worthless, flimsy abomination of a crime against humanity of the lowest order. Easily replaced with a stout unit from K-VAR.
The receiver is not drilled and tapped for the cleaning rod, and the lugs for it have been ground down. Threads can be tapped by someone who knows what they're doing.
The "Hesse, St. Paul MN" stamp on the receiver, and the shameful, pitiless looks your brothers-at-arms will give you when you show up at the range with this thing.

The verdict:
Well worth the money. Even better if you can get someone to grind off the foul "Hesse" marking (and no, that's not a crime) on the receiver and tap it for the cleaning rod. Mine shoots as well as I can with open, non-peep sights.

vanfunk

 

[Tropical Z]

A SAR is the AK id be embarrassed to show up at a range with!