For ammo try sgammo.com.
Rob G, thanks for the link but sgammo is currently out of the 5.45
Could I use foreign mags with a US made trigger group, stock, and pistol grips, no muzzle device but the original Russian forend?
Would that give me everything I needed for the conversion?
correct me if im wrong, but does the saiga conversion also need a bullet guide?
Try here: www.southernohiogun.com The way they do theirs 36 packs = one spam can and 72 = one crate.
Is your comment based on experience? Saiga "conversions" need not be done by a gunsmith. Basic tools, common sense and YouTube are all you need.I recommend saving up the money for an Arsenal SGL. The Saiga conversion seems like it would be too much trouble unless you are a gunsmith.
As I live in Ohio wouldn't I have to pay sales tax? At 6.5% that would add about $10...
Oh, didn't realize you lived in Ohio until just now. Yeah, you'd have to pay sales tax. It's still a great price for 1,080 rounds of ammo.
I recommend saving up the money for an Arsenal SGL. The Saiga conversion seems like it would be too much trouble unless you are a gunsmith.
Good on you! Wise choice. I'll watch what I can to help.My LGS is closed Monday and Tuesday. I'll visit them Wednesday and see if they have a Saiga (small chance but a maybe) and if not, ask them to fax their FFL to Atlantic Firearms as they're not yet on their list. Then I'll order the gun, and ammo from The Sportsman's Guide.
Once I receive the gun, I'll order all the parts from Carolina Shooter's supply according to the trunnion type I receive. I plan on getting a pair of Tapco mags along with the conversion parts order, and then foreign mags as I can.
While I wait for the parts, I'll shoot it a bit, and disassemble and reassemble it a few times to get myself fully familiar with the layout.
I would prefer to do the bullet guide first, but I believe I actually have to do the PG, trigger, and stock first to keep things 922r compliant. I'll do the whole conversion according to a video guide.
Any recommendations on which to use?
Thanks so much for all the help and advice. I'm sure I'll be even more grateful once I have the converted rifle, in 5.45 and equipped with a Hogue grip.
You can have no more than 10 foreign parts, and there are a total of 16 parts on the Saiga.
To use the PG and the 10+ magazines, you need 6 US parts. A stock, grip, and trigger group are 5 parts (trigger group counts as 3). So you could either do a US follower in your magazines (or use Tapco/US Palm magazines that are US-made), or a US-made handguard, which is probably the way to go. There are several options for the standard Saiga handguards out there. Just a note about magazines... to use non-Saiga magazines, you have to install a bullet guide. Very easy, and $20 from CSS.
To remove the "thread protector", just get a Dremel. If you're a chosen one, you'll have factory threads. Otherwise, you'll have to thread it yourself (very easy).
I suggest you head over to Saiga-12.com, where it's all about Saigas and conversions.
Great price or not, the extra tax takes away the competitive edge vs. The Sportsman's Guide. My family has ordered ammo from them several times and we have been very satisfied.
Pictures?My dad and I went to the LGS to pick up my IZ-240 from Atlantic Firearms today. I've shot the rifle 30 times or so, after that I was ready for some air conditioning
I'm wildly impressed with every aspect of the rifle but can't stand the trigger. My favorite feature is actually the forend, it's very comfortable to me, and I'll definitely be keeping it. The trigger, however... let's just say I had been thinking of delaying the conversion for a while until I used the trigger. Today or tomorrow I'll place an order at Carolina Shooter Supply.
My rifle came with a flat trunnion. It also came with an empty oil bottle, a rod too big for the rifle (possibly for 7.62?) and a rod accessories kit that I can't figure out how to open
Yeah, it sucks pretty bad. That's probably one of the biggest reasons people convert them.I'm wildly impressed with every aspect of the rifle but can't stand the trigger.
My Arsenal came with none of those but I'm going to assume that's all cleaning stuff. You won't need any of it really. Get a bore snake for the barrel. Everything else you need you probably already own if you have other guns.It also came with an empty oil bottle, a rod too big for the rifle (possibly for 7.62?) and a rod accessories kit that I can't figure out how to open