Mauserguy
Member
Hello Gang,
A week ago I posted a thread that I picked up a new Saiga rifle in 7.62x39. My first impressions, upon getting it home away from the glow of the gun store, was that it was rather dissapointing. Well, I've now shot it and I will provide an update.
I got it out to the desert yesterday and put fifty rounds through her. I shot it at various distances with both iron sights and a red dot device.
My initial criticisms was that the rifle was muzzle heavy and that the stock fit seemed very awkward. I think that my initial impression of the muzzle weight was excessive, it really swings quite nicely. The fit of the stock however...j
The butstock is clearly about two inches too long. Aditionally, the angle fron the grip area to the trigger is kind of odd and long. I'm built like a long-aremed orangutang, but this trigger was a long reach for me.
My first few shots at fifty yards hit the dirt! The rifle had the correct windage setting, but the front sight was way too high. I turned it down three and a half turns, using the provided AK tool kit, and it was dead on. At one hundred yards I put one five shot group into a two inch circle with irons. She is very accurate!
I put a low end red dot sight on it that I had gotten on sale from Midway years ago, and it was fun to use. It did have quite a bit of paralax, though, so shooting it at a hundred yards would produce different hit results depending on how I held my head. The sight was kind of high, so it was difficult to make a good cheek weld, but for close in, rapid deployment action, it coulod be useful. The scope mount allows the sight to be slipped on and off in just a moment.
The feeding was flawless and the magazine could be inserted and locked into place easily. I was using Wolf hollow point ammo, and it functioned perfectly.
So, in sum my thoughts are:
1. The ergonomics are odd. I may try to cut the stock back a bit to shorten the length of pull a bit, but the plastic of the butstock doesn't look like it will support this alteration. I like the front handguard, though.
2. I used the AK cleaning tool kit to adjust the sight. It would be beneficial to be able to store this kit in the butstock, but, alas, the sporter stock doesn't have a trap door for the kit.
3. I could "convert" the gun into the standard AK format, and that would probably correct the goofy ergonomic situation imposed by the oddly fitting sporter stock, but being that California would demand that a magazine lock be used, I don't think that is a wothwhile endeavor. I've sent for a K-Var stock set, but I won't plan on using it unless California changes it's law or the UN invades.
4. I like the caliber. It tore up some junk wood and trash left out at the shooting spot by some loser, confirming that it is a good, hard hitting short range round, just what I was looking for. In my opinion it's superior to the 223 Win. for my use.
5. An AK can be very functionally accurate. Yeah, it won't win a bench rest competition, but for making snap shots, it's hard to beat.
6. Functionally, the gun is like a Mini-30, though I suspect it may be more rugged in the long run with fewer small parts to break.
Anyhow, that's my analysis.
Cheers,
Mauserguy
Initial Saiga Review:
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=516714&highlight=mauserguy
Saiga with Red Dot:
Saiga on Drum:
A week ago I posted a thread that I picked up a new Saiga rifle in 7.62x39. My first impressions, upon getting it home away from the glow of the gun store, was that it was rather dissapointing. Well, I've now shot it and I will provide an update.
I got it out to the desert yesterday and put fifty rounds through her. I shot it at various distances with both iron sights and a red dot device.
My initial criticisms was that the rifle was muzzle heavy and that the stock fit seemed very awkward. I think that my initial impression of the muzzle weight was excessive, it really swings quite nicely. The fit of the stock however...j
The butstock is clearly about two inches too long. Aditionally, the angle fron the grip area to the trigger is kind of odd and long. I'm built like a long-aremed orangutang, but this trigger was a long reach for me.
My first few shots at fifty yards hit the dirt! The rifle had the correct windage setting, but the front sight was way too high. I turned it down three and a half turns, using the provided AK tool kit, and it was dead on. At one hundred yards I put one five shot group into a two inch circle with irons. She is very accurate!
I put a low end red dot sight on it that I had gotten on sale from Midway years ago, and it was fun to use. It did have quite a bit of paralax, though, so shooting it at a hundred yards would produce different hit results depending on how I held my head. The sight was kind of high, so it was difficult to make a good cheek weld, but for close in, rapid deployment action, it coulod be useful. The scope mount allows the sight to be slipped on and off in just a moment.
The feeding was flawless and the magazine could be inserted and locked into place easily. I was using Wolf hollow point ammo, and it functioned perfectly.
So, in sum my thoughts are:
1. The ergonomics are odd. I may try to cut the stock back a bit to shorten the length of pull a bit, but the plastic of the butstock doesn't look like it will support this alteration. I like the front handguard, though.
2. I used the AK cleaning tool kit to adjust the sight. It would be beneficial to be able to store this kit in the butstock, but, alas, the sporter stock doesn't have a trap door for the kit.
3. I could "convert" the gun into the standard AK format, and that would probably correct the goofy ergonomic situation imposed by the oddly fitting sporter stock, but being that California would demand that a magazine lock be used, I don't think that is a wothwhile endeavor. I've sent for a K-Var stock set, but I won't plan on using it unless California changes it's law or the UN invades.
4. I like the caliber. It tore up some junk wood and trash left out at the shooting spot by some loser, confirming that it is a good, hard hitting short range round, just what I was looking for. In my opinion it's superior to the 223 Win. for my use.
5. An AK can be very functionally accurate. Yeah, it won't win a bench rest competition, but for making snap shots, it's hard to beat.
6. Functionally, the gun is like a Mini-30, though I suspect it may be more rugged in the long run with fewer small parts to break.
Anyhow, that's my analysis.
Cheers,
Mauserguy
Initial Saiga Review:
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=516714&highlight=mauserguy
Saiga with Red Dot:
Saiga on Drum:
)
