Kymasabe
Member
First of all, thank you to all of you who responded to my earlier inquiry about Hesse conversions quality and reliability.
Today I took my Hesse converted Saiga 7.62 to the range. Previous owner must have been using a scope or red-dot because the sights were WAY off. Got the rifle sighted in easily enough and had no problems keeping all the shots on a 12" shoot-n-see target. I know, 12 inch isn't anything to write home about but the limiting factor here is the rear sight and my eyesight. On my previous AK's, I've installed an orange front sight and a Krebs rear peep sight and seen my groups shrink in half. So, I'm happy with keeping them all in the pie plate for now until I upgrade the sights to something more old-man-eye friendly.
Reliability: Zero problems. I ran 200 rounds of a mix of old Barnaul (I think...it was paper wrapped so who knows) and Wolf Military Classic. No problems with either feeding or ejection. The Hesse bullet guide is welded in. It's not the prettiest one I've ever seen (The do-it-yourself ones that I've used from Dinzag Arms are MUCH better) but it worked flawlessly. Honestly, I have nothing to complain about. It was more accurate then my old WASR, not as nice as my old Bulgarian AK, but exactly what I'd expect from a Saiga.
So, while a complete Hesse build might be a disaster, a Hesse converted Saiga may be OK. Based on todays experience I see no reason to stay away from one if you found it cheap in the local pawnshop.
BTW...I paid $379 out the door for mine. Money well spent I say.
Today I took my Hesse converted Saiga 7.62 to the range. Previous owner must have been using a scope or red-dot because the sights were WAY off. Got the rifle sighted in easily enough and had no problems keeping all the shots on a 12" shoot-n-see target. I know, 12 inch isn't anything to write home about but the limiting factor here is the rear sight and my eyesight. On my previous AK's, I've installed an orange front sight and a Krebs rear peep sight and seen my groups shrink in half. So, I'm happy with keeping them all in the pie plate for now until I upgrade the sights to something more old-man-eye friendly.
Reliability: Zero problems. I ran 200 rounds of a mix of old Barnaul (I think...it was paper wrapped so who knows) and Wolf Military Classic. No problems with either feeding or ejection. The Hesse bullet guide is welded in. It's not the prettiest one I've ever seen (The do-it-yourself ones that I've used from Dinzag Arms are MUCH better) but it worked flawlessly. Honestly, I have nothing to complain about. It was more accurate then my old WASR, not as nice as my old Bulgarian AK, but exactly what I'd expect from a Saiga.
So, while a complete Hesse build might be a disaster, a Hesse converted Saiga may be OK. Based on todays experience I see no reason to stay away from one if you found it cheap in the local pawnshop.
BTW...I paid $379 out the door for mine. Money well spent I say.
