Big Boss

When I e-mailed them asking if it would fit the 5.45x39s, they said they hadn't tried but assumed that since the barrel OD was pretty much the same on that area on the 7.62x39 and .223 barrels that it would fit.

I have both a Tapco style fixed stock and a K-Var style fixed stock, both Warsaw length, and a Tapco "original style" pistol grip, as well as a Tapco SAW grip. Really, I think the K-Var stock is worth it because of the trap door for storing the cleaning kit. I prefer the SAW grip immensely over the regular style, which I feel is really small for even my medium-sized hands. If you're gonna do a lot of shooting with gloves, I say get the traditional AK style, if not, SAW grip all the way.

I just planned on keeping an eye on it and keeping it oiled regularly.

Man was that a pain ;-P Took off the finish with a bunch of gellified paint stripper. Hit it up with the wire brush, a stainless steel scrubber, steel wool and a buffing wheel on the Dremel. We used Met-All to get the shine, Nevr-Dull isn't as good as I thought. Probably gonna hit it with a buffer pad and some Jewler's rouge to finish it up more.

If they lock in, just leave it, it's fine.

I just don't see how you can justify skimping, when for a few dollars more, you get a 20 round drum from a company that not only has a presence here, but a reputation for putting out a good product, as opposed to saving a few dollars, losing 8 rounds in capacity and supporting the efforts of a company that knowingly markets JUNK.

Given ProMag's record for abysmal quality, I am not too enthusiastic about this product and don't see myself equipping any future Saiga 12s I may acquire with them.

I did some looking in to ATI because I was thinking of going with a thumbhole stock at first, but I have read a lot of negative things about ATI. You should look in to something a tad better, IMO, but to each their own.

Fellow NYer here. Don't go with the Tapco Intrafuse grip, rails on polymer is dumb :-P If you want a good rail system, go with MI's new quad-rail or the UTG quad-rail for Saigas. Ironwood is a good US-made wood stock, for sure. The G2 trigger set-up is pretty good, most people use it. I highly recommend installing Dinzag's bullet guide to use pre-ban milsurp mags. Also, the law is quite clear on muzzle-brakes. If it's a muzzle-brake, not a flash hider, and permanently attached, it's legal. If you go with a thumbhole stock set-up instead of the seperate pistol grip, you can have a removable fla

I just said that Korean mags are not pre-ban, only Communist surplus mags.

They don't need a date stamp. All steel Communist surplus magazines are pre-94 production. Korean mags, as they are new production, are obviously not pre-94.

I sent a PM with a seller that ships pre-94 magazines to New York.

Thanks to Nalioth for mirroring this resource : http://www.novarata.net/Linx310/fsbcantfix.htm

The Tapco bolt-on stock is a horrible solution to the problem of ergonomics that the Saiga has. The trigger pull is also atrocious. Both problems are easily fixed by doing a proper conversion to the pistol-grip configuration, you really should consider it.

Make sure your pistol grip isn't interferring with the trigger reset either.

Screw filing, just push it in a little bit then jam it against the floor, it'll go right in.

There is no such thing, if it is surplus, it is corrosive.

The gas block is chrome lined, don't mess with it. Don't paint the inside of the gas tube, there's no reason to. Take care of it properly and it won't rust.

Why is everyone obsessed with "wiggle". The AK was made to be relatively loose, so unless it is detrimental to function, leave it alone.

Pro-Mag magazines are complete trash, don't buy them.

Right now, 5.45x39 is dirt cheap, I picked up a 1,080 round ammo tin for $130 + $20 S&H, so if you want dirt-cheap shooting, go with a 5.45x39. I have a 7.62x39 and 5.45x39 Saiga and it's hard to say which one I like more! They're both damned fun to shoot.

Both are excellent designs, this is a pissing match :-P

Where-abouts in NY are you? I'm in NY and am willing to help you convert. I've done two so far and it's easy to stay within the law. There a lot of benefits to converting, including a vastly improved trigger pull, better ergonomics and you learn the inner-workings of your firearm better. Here are my beasts : Drop me a private message if you wanna do a conversion and think you need a little help.

If you take the money you intended to spend on a Pro-Mag product and set it on fire, you will have made a much wiser investment. In other words, you want to spend your money on a reliable product, Pro-Mag is far from that, go with Surefire or AGP, in that order.