Saiga .308 16" - Ak reliability and M1A Accuracy at .22LR prices.

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I got my Saiga at the gun shop here locally. Atlanticfirearms.com carries them. Also http://www.mississippiautoarms.com and many others. Read the entire post. I know is long but it has some very good information from others as well.

Mine was just a standard saiga .308 in 16". Then I converted the gun with US made tapco parts to make it compliant to law 922r. The Saiga has the simplicity and reliability of an AK and this one is very accurate. I like them so much that I bought 3 exactly the same in .308. I have other saigas in 12gauge, 7.62x39 and other calibers.

Read this post...
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=567005

Also this one...
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=571314

I have been shooting .308 all my life and what you get with this carbine is just amazing to me. These are original 100% Russian pedigree.
There are other good systems out there but we have to also give recognition to those who deserve it so KUDOS To those engineers in the IZMASH plant in russia.

I hope this helps.
Cheers,
E.
 
So I finally got out with the converted 223 today... ran about 200 rounds surplus ammo and 100 rounds remington through her and not a single hiccup!! The Tapco Galil mags worked great!

I learned that I need to trim off the tab on the factory mag, but I may just hold onto it and get a few more of the tapco's so I can keep the original... original.
 
I just did my first conversion on an S308 to try and use for hunting and medium range comps. The conversion was two hours with a battery-powered drill and a dremel tool. No sweat, really.

It has taken a bit of work to find a load that it likes, though. I finally found the sweet spot today and have a starting point. That's a pretty big piston cranking back through a relatively weak sheet metal receiver so it's going to flex. And the 21.8" barrel ins't a bull. It's going to flex, too. Gotta put in some time with the reloading supplies to find the spot where the receiver and barrel are in a consistent line. But so far it looks promising. Never gonna be a precision rifle but anything under 500 yards will be in trouble once I get the dope tables finished.
 
Snakum,
The system here is a 16" Saiga and not the 21" that is not so accurate. The 16" is dead accurate and it has to do with all things being equal shorter is more accurate. Everything has been beefed up, barrel, trunnions, the whole thing and no flex is apparent.
It loves all sort of military rounds, including cheap surplus. Very consistent on the spreads and below MOA.
Cheers.
 
I'm a bit amused, 1stmarine, that your saiga build looks virtually identical to mine. Mine also shoots surprisingly smooth. I LOVE the dinzag g6 trigger on mine.
 
Cryogaijin,
We keep getting amazing reports from these systems from all over. I heard about the dinzag parts so I cannot wait to try the g6 trigger. I believe these systems are very popular in Alaska too, what is your opinion? It all makes sense as they are very popular in the Ukraine and Siberia where you have very similar extreme weather conditions and need something super reliable. What is amazing is that this specific system is an AK and at the same time surprisingly accurate.
We really never know what we are going to discover next until we look for it.
Cheers,
E.
 
1stMarine,

I am currently converting my x39 and I am looking for a cheek rest like yours...where did you get it? I have been looking all over for one to fit the Tapco. I got one for a CAR from combathunting.com and it doesn't fit (too small).

Thanks in advance,

Beentown
 
Beentown,
I got a bunch of them at a local store in the discount bin for $9/ea. But I know they are all over. They work great with the T6 tapco and other AR style tubes and they are easy and fast to adjust from CQ / scope. Really a bargain for the ergonomics you get. I am surprised you cannot find them online. LEt me check If I can find them in some of the retailers I use.
Cheers.
E
 
1stmarine,

Did I read that correct. That the 21" is not as accurate as the 16".



"Of The Troops For The Troops"

buck_23
 
buck_23,
That's correct. That's my experience as well as many others. the 21" is a great system too but not as accurate. It has to do with the harmonics and the principal that all things being equal (Straight barrel profile) shorter is normally more accurate. You loose a tad of speed but this is not intented for long range anyway. Plenty though for 500-600 yards shots.
Cheers,
e.
 
Hey guys, I saw someone post that the Saiga 12's were going up in price due to some scare. Have y'all heard this? Is the same thing expected of the .308? I'm holding off making my purchase for a couple of months, but I would consider making it now if I thought they would price jump 2-$300. Anyway, I certainly envy you guys those tricked out Saigas.

PS. I read in another forum that some of the custom trigers had to be modded to work properly in the .308, but I noticed these were 3-5 yr old threads. I assume these kinks have been worked out because no one on here has mentioned welding or building up any spots on the trigger grp. Is that correct?
 
I have some updates on the Saiga AK47 caliber with the new brake on.
I think I am done with this one....

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Custom Made bullet guide...

Start cutting a gas pipe...
CustombulletGuide1.gif

CustombulletGuide2.gif

Finish with a dremel and then heat treat....
CustombulletGuide3.gif

Bullet guide Installed and heat treated....
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Sight picture not so good with the camera flash...

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Cheers,
E.
 
@ 1stmarine First off, that's a very nice looking rifle.

Now for the dumb question of the day…. Is the bullet guide a replacement or an addition needed after the upgrade? And was that pipe 3/8" or 1/2" ID

TIA
 
HD_Ride,
Thanks! There is never a dumb question but there might be some dumb answers.

The bullet guide(or feeding ramp) is needed to force the bullet in the correct angle so you will not experience any stoppages due to the bullet not feeding properly. This is specially critical with some hollow points and soft points. With this simple addition you should expect an AK to be super reliable as usual, specially this Saiga based systems. In the .308 system is not needed as the magazine comes with a ramp built in leading the bullet the right way.
Also there is no need for it in the Saiga shotguns. The SAiga .223 and 5.45x39 need the guide too if you want them to be reliable otherwise FTF issues will be frequent.

The custom made is a cut from either a 3/4" or 1" gas pipe, I forgot. I will verify and post it here. You can buy the bullet guide online but why to pay $15 when you can make it from leftover pipe and have all the fun?

You will also need a 1/8 cobalt bit. and M4 metric tap or equivalent with an
screw with angled shallow head and red locktite. I used stainless steel M4 screw after tapping the trunnion with a 1/8 bit that leaves a very small hole/footprint on the trunnion.

A nice set of cobalt or other hard steel bits is recommended working with saiga conversions as the Russian steel is very hard.

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

Cheers.
E.
 
I am going to post some pictures here of the Saiga 12 that it is about the same conversion as the .308 with the exception of the rails (first time I try these) and obviously the muzzle attachment. It is not 100% finished but very little is left....

Saiga 12 before this last conversion...
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Saiga 12 after the conversion...
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More civilized mag...
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tac light on...
100_6213b.gif
Back...
100_6207b.gif
Receiver...
100_6221b.gif
Front...
100_6224b.gif
Left side...
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Rail Detail..
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G2 Trigger...
100_6219b.gif

Still I need to get the plugs for the holes and the Peak Tactical Muzzle and Choke adapter.
 
I checked prices on Saiga 308's two days ago after K-Var announced they will be the importing the Saigas and selling them. After this current batch of RAA's is sold out looks like prices are going up $175 or so. So I bought another one. That makes my fourth Saiga I have bought. I did not see KVAR offering the 5.45 so that sucker might be hard to get from now on.
PS I believe I have a set of the plugs around here somewhere if you drop me a pm I will mail to you (I don't need em)
 
Jon, These were the rails as they came in the box. It is the first time I try them so I will let you know. The initial impression is good looking but "delicate" so I believe I will be beaten up pretty quickly....

100_6039.gif

Cheers,
E.
 
I believe these systems are very popular in Alaska too, what is your opinion?
Click to expand...
I love mine. The last group I fired through it was a full group of 20 rounds at 100 yards, which was one single ragged hole about 3/4ths of an inch center to center. I'm not ashamed to say that the gun is more accurate than I am.

My .308 conversion was my first tinkering with a gun I've ever done, and was very nervous throughout. It didn't help that my drill died just as I was starting, and I needed to get another one. . .

I got my .308 from Gunrunners.com at dealer cost, due to repairing the store computer that had croaked the day I came in. The Dinzag trigger I installed is easily the smoothest, easiest, best trigger on any of my firearms, and could very well be responsible for me doing trigger work on most of my firearms now. (Caught the bug, as it were.)

As for their popularity up here. . . not so much? They're definately a sleeper gun. I love taking mine to the range, popping out the bipod and putting a full magazine down range as quickly as I can bear, then sitting back and letting the barrel cool. Usually gets the strangest look from all the AR-15 afficianados. I've had QUITE a few fresh-back-from-Iraq servicemen come over just to figure out *** I am firing. It doesn't SOUND like an AK, doesn't look much like one anymore (especially with the scope) until you get close enough to see the safety and other distinguishing marks.

I've let quite a few people pop off some rounds with mine, since they'd never heard of an AK in .30 nato. More than once I've popped into the gunstore after a good range visit and run into one of the people a couple lanes down looking at their own Saiga. :)

So, my stats: ~600 rounds through mine, mediocre accuracy out of the box, sub-par accuracy after conversion before I got the new trigger (The stock trigger is TERRIBLE with a pistol grip) and excellent accuracy with the Dinzag trigger. 0 Failures to fire. 0 Failures to feed. 0 failures to cycle. No problems or errors of any kind, at any temperature. Mostly I've put german Milsurp through it, But I did put 20 rounds of very high quality winchester 165 grain hollowpoint hunting ammo through it, as well as a single box of a wide variety of rounds. Feeds like a champ.
 
Where to buy em

Hey guys,

I have been watching the Saiga .308's and it looks like the prices are rising. Can anyone recommend a dealer with low prices on them. I was hoping to wait a couple of months but it looks like I may pay much more if I wait. Thanks and I can't wait to post pics of my own conversion.
 
Cryogaijin,
I can see nothing but good experiences at the end of the day. For whatever reason these come out very accurate specially after the G2 trigger is in place.
As I said before, if I had to go back into the service and I was given the opportunity to choose any system, specially to work in the dust and sand storms in Afganistan I would go with this one due to its accuracy and reliability.
I have four of the same 308's in 16" 'just in case'.

Picture1279.gif
 
Prices on the Saigas have been always rising. I got my first one many years ago for $135.
That 12's rail looks nice. What about that gas plug. How does it work?
 
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