christcorp
Member
Khegglie: Not sure where you read that the saiga was going to cost $550. I bought it today for $410 + tax. Total cost; $434.
Dark Knight: I know if I use a 30 round magazine in an unconverted Saiga, that I am in violation of 922r. Personally..... I don't really care. Why??? I already mentioned it. For normal go to the range; plink; have fun; practice; etc... I have no need for a 30+ round magazine. Even when I had my Norinco MAK-90 7.62x34, I almost always used a small magazine, because you can't hold the weapon on a bench or laying prone with a long magazine sticking out the bottom. I WILL HAVE some 30 round magazines on hand. Not for plinking and such, but for any SHTF scenarios. And in that case; if I NEED a hi-cap magazine; I don't/won't care about 922r. And frankly, if such a scenario existed where I needed a 30 round magazine, it would be a "Society Issue", and the cops nor anyone else would care about 922r either. They simply won't. There will be much more important things that they are worried about, which cause society to be where it's at, and thus caused citizens to even need to be using hi-cap magazines. I've worked for the government way too long. They won't care about 922r. Mind you, I said a scenario where a person believed that they NEEDED a hi-cap magazine. We're talking total societal break down. Riots in the streets; looting; mobs; police having no control; etc... Nothing like New Orleans during Katrina. I'm talking way beyond that. And in that scenario, 922r won't mean a thing. Now; if a person is going to the range, showing their gun, or doing the other normal day to day firearm activities; and they have a hi-cap magazine, making the gun non-compliant to 922r; that is a totally different situation. But that's not going to happen to me, because I have no need or desire to shoot 30+ round magazines.
Anyway, as you all might have deduced; I went ahead and bought the Saiga today. I liked the Kel-tec SU16, especially the AR magazines, but I heard too much negative about the gun itself. A lot of positives, but definite negatives. I spent a lot of years with an AR (M-16), and I probably would have been satisfied with an Olympic Arms model for about $700 after s/h and FFL; but for the $300 difference, it just didn't seem practical. Especially for an AR version that also had mixed reviews. Some love them, some don't. And buying a Bush, Rock, Colt, etc... for $1000+ just wasn't going to cut it. Buying a lower and upper separately also didn't seem very practical unless you just like to customize. The price was going to be about the same as buying one already together. Basically, $650-$700.
So, I got the saiga. And in my opinion, which is limited on this weapon (But extensive in 2 areas that are significant: /223 and AK's); the saiga gives me the best of both worlds. It gives me the .223 caliber, which in my opinion is more practical in a defensive scenario if the SHTF. I say this because 7.62x39 is mainly an imported round. yes, there is some U.S. made, but it's not as abundant. .223 is predominantly our caliber. Yes, I could stock up a few thousand rounds of X39, but currently, the silver bear, wolf, etc... is about the same price for x39 as it is for .223. But, if they legislate a ban on importing x39 or similar; .223 will still be available. Maybe expensive, but available. Plus, if for some reason, citizens were called upon to assist local and state government; including possibly being armed; .223 is a common available caliber for logistical purposes.
The other side of best of both worlds, is the reliability of the AK. Yes, an AR-15 CAN be reliable. And if all we're talking about is recreational shooting, where you get to clean the gun any time you want to, and it doesn't matter if it hiccups; then it's an extremely reliable weapon. But if it was truly needed, the AK is simply more reliable. That has never been disputed. Even among our military, law enforcement, and others who use the AR15/M16. The simple truth is, American Made, there's very few weapons that shoot the .223. Mini-14, SU16, AR15/M16 variations. Obviously, the American military, police, etc... are not going to contract with a foreign government or contractor, to have AK's built for them and supplied to our troops. But the fact remains, the AK format is a more reliable and dependable weapon. And if you are going to use it, for what it was designed for, (Under 100 yards), then the AK is going to win. I personally can't imagine having a need for using the AR15/M16 as a sniper rifle. I didn't even have that need when I was in the military. Small arms combat is pretty much under 100 yards. The AK format is great for that. So, I get the reliability and the caliber.
So, I get a brand new gun, from the same manufacturer who designed and built the AK-47. I get the reliability of the AK. I get the .223 caliber which should always be available. I have all the capabilities of the AR and the clones, but at less than half the price. I get a chromed barrel. And so on. I think logically, this is the best deal. At least for me. Thanks again for everyone's input. It helped a lot when deciding which way to go. Thanks. Mike.
Dark Knight: I know if I use a 30 round magazine in an unconverted Saiga, that I am in violation of 922r. Personally..... I don't really care. Why??? I already mentioned it. For normal go to the range; plink; have fun; practice; etc... I have no need for a 30+ round magazine. Even when I had my Norinco MAK-90 7.62x34, I almost always used a small magazine, because you can't hold the weapon on a bench or laying prone with a long magazine sticking out the bottom. I WILL HAVE some 30 round magazines on hand. Not for plinking and such, but for any SHTF scenarios. And in that case; if I NEED a hi-cap magazine; I don't/won't care about 922r. And frankly, if such a scenario existed where I needed a 30 round magazine, it would be a "Society Issue", and the cops nor anyone else would care about 922r either. They simply won't. There will be much more important things that they are worried about, which cause society to be where it's at, and thus caused citizens to even need to be using hi-cap magazines. I've worked for the government way too long. They won't care about 922r. Mind you, I said a scenario where a person believed that they NEEDED a hi-cap magazine. We're talking total societal break down. Riots in the streets; looting; mobs; police having no control; etc... Nothing like New Orleans during Katrina. I'm talking way beyond that. And in that scenario, 922r won't mean a thing. Now; if a person is going to the range, showing their gun, or doing the other normal day to day firearm activities; and they have a hi-cap magazine, making the gun non-compliant to 922r; that is a totally different situation. But that's not going to happen to me, because I have no need or desire to shoot 30+ round magazines.
Anyway, as you all might have deduced; I went ahead and bought the Saiga today. I liked the Kel-tec SU16, especially the AR magazines, but I heard too much negative about the gun itself. A lot of positives, but definite negatives. I spent a lot of years with an AR (M-16), and I probably would have been satisfied with an Olympic Arms model for about $700 after s/h and FFL; but for the $300 difference, it just didn't seem practical. Especially for an AR version that also had mixed reviews. Some love them, some don't. And buying a Bush, Rock, Colt, etc... for $1000+ just wasn't going to cut it. Buying a lower and upper separately also didn't seem very practical unless you just like to customize. The price was going to be about the same as buying one already together. Basically, $650-$700.
So, I got the saiga. And in my opinion, which is limited on this weapon (But extensive in 2 areas that are significant: /223 and AK's); the saiga gives me the best of both worlds. It gives me the .223 caliber, which in my opinion is more practical in a defensive scenario if the SHTF. I say this because 7.62x39 is mainly an imported round. yes, there is some U.S. made, but it's not as abundant. .223 is predominantly our caliber. Yes, I could stock up a few thousand rounds of X39, but currently, the silver bear, wolf, etc... is about the same price for x39 as it is for .223. But, if they legislate a ban on importing x39 or similar; .223 will still be available. Maybe expensive, but available. Plus, if for some reason, citizens were called upon to assist local and state government; including possibly being armed; .223 is a common available caliber for logistical purposes.
The other side of best of both worlds, is the reliability of the AK. Yes, an AR-15 CAN be reliable. And if all we're talking about is recreational shooting, where you get to clean the gun any time you want to, and it doesn't matter if it hiccups; then it's an extremely reliable weapon. But if it was truly needed, the AK is simply more reliable. That has never been disputed. Even among our military, law enforcement, and others who use the AR15/M16. The simple truth is, American Made, there's very few weapons that shoot the .223. Mini-14, SU16, AR15/M16 variations. Obviously, the American military, police, etc... are not going to contract with a foreign government or contractor, to have AK's built for them and supplied to our troops. But the fact remains, the AK format is a more reliable and dependable weapon. And if you are going to use it, for what it was designed for, (Under 100 yards), then the AK is going to win. I personally can't imagine having a need for using the AR15/M16 as a sniper rifle. I didn't even have that need when I was in the military. Small arms combat is pretty much under 100 yards. The AK format is great for that. So, I get the reliability and the caliber.
So, I get a brand new gun, from the same manufacturer who designed and built the AK-47. I get the reliability of the AK. I get the .223 caliber which should always be available. I have all the capabilities of the AR and the clones, but at less than half the price. I get a chromed barrel. And so on. I think logically, this is the best deal. At least for me. Thanks again for everyone's input. It helped a lot when deciding which way to go. Thanks. Mike.
