imarangemaster

My handguard mod... Uses a regular gas tube and top handguard, and has an aluminum liner I fabricated. I think I am going to add two or three cooling holes forward of the inset for the top handguard/gas tube.

I've been gone about a little over a year, and just came back because I once again joined the One true path of the Saiga by getting an IZ132! Mostly I hung out on the 7.62x39 forum, but occasionally on the 223 one, as well. Problem is almost nobody I know who use to frequent the boards is here? I see Chilli Rellano, Greg M1, Nailbomb, Juggernaut, Mulletman, and Indy are still around. Man, that's only half a dozen folks that have been here more than 6 or 7 years! Where the heck did everyone go? I see Boomstick, Dieb4Iwake and a couple others haven't been around for 6 months, and Uncle J

I paid $289 for my first Saiga (a 223) in 2008. I've had about 7 (counting the one in 10 day jail), and the price has gone up steadily. The last one I got (before the current one) was a couple days before the import ban hit. IIRC, I paid about $575 out the door with Tax and DROS. The one I have in Jail I traded straight across: My Iraqi Contractor WASR and a Romanian bayonet, for a: NIB 2014 IZ132, 3 factory mags, Tapco FCG to modify for the saiga, and a standard AK gas tube to do my magic on with the factory forend. Considering new factory mags run $35 each ($70), Tapco G2

Factory conversion casts more! Bullet guide and tap is $18 from CSS. Tapco FCG is $30, modify your own trigger guard, and stock $50 from Kvar.

What Mankat said. The Saiga 7.62x39 actually is based on the Russian AK103 series rifle. Barrel, Tunnion,Bolt Carrier Group, etc. are all AK103 specific.

Why? What are you trying to do?

Nice Job!

In Californistan, a semi-automatic rifle with evil features (pistol grip, flash hider, front grip, grenade launcher, or collapsible stock) are limited to magazines of 10 rounds or less, permanently attached to the weapon, only removable with a tool (i.e. bullet button or radlock). If they have no evil feature (Featureless) like Mini-14s, M1 Carbine, stock saigas, Kel Tec SU16, etc. they can use high capacity magazines, IF you possessed the legally, in California, prior to 1-1-2000 ban. So running the saiga featureless like my Min-14 and my M1 Carbine, I can use my pre-2000 high-caps.

Hey Chili, How's it going? I see Greg M1 and Nailbomb are still active, but looks like Boomstick, Dieb4Iwake haven't been around for 6 months, and Uncle jke for a year and a half. My IZ132 is in 10 day jail today. I am going to replicate a Saiga I did that was semi-stock about 18 months ago. I'll use a standard gas tube with top handguard, and a factory bottom handguard rebated to accommodate the standard gas tube. I will also thread 14x1mmL for a Tri-delta Com brake. I'll leave the stock alone, but replace the factory FCG with a Tapco I will modify. I will also add a bullet guide an

Back in SAIGA Town," so I thought I would stop by. Haven't been on the forum in a year or two, because I strayed from the one true path of the Saiga. Started on the board about 2007 or 2008 (back in the old days). Not sure who is still around from those days, except Chilli Rellano! I have had about 6 or 7 Saigas through the years in 7.62x39 and 223.. All ended up "restored" to intended condition with pistols grips, etc. Problem is, I'll build them, and someone would love them so much, they would offer me stipid amount of money for them. Living in Californication, I have to run "f

Thank You for the information! Much appreciated. I had been wanting to install a "regular" forearm on my Saiga and I like the look on yours. Now I'm just looking into acquiring all the pieces and completing the conversion. I like what you did with the cleaning rod, with the lugs cut off on the Saiga, I thought it wouldn't be possible to install a cleaning rod under the barrel and have it actually stay in place. I used a crush washer from a 308 AR, and crushed it into place with the excess hanging down t the 6 o'clock position. It is a WASR cleaning rod, and a AKM cleaning kit that

I have a storage shed/workshop in the back part of the property. It has been mostly storage for tons of un-opened boxes from our last move when we bought this house 4 years ago. Some of these boxes have been packed since 2000 or so, and have been moved numerous times. Finally wanting to reclaim my workshop and work bench to access my industrial drill press (I want to do an 80% AR lower on it), I bit the bullet and started pulling out boxes and emptying them. What did I find, but some orange bakelite Izhmash 30 round magazines! I lost track of them so long ago, I actually forgot I had

I re-indexed the barrel on the SP1 clone. There was a little slop in the upper receiver notch, so I shimmed it. Dead center now, though I am switching to a 16" flat top M4 upper with 1/7" twist. (long story). On the Siaga, I used an aluminum 2 piece retainer. I wish I had gotten the steel two piece, though, but no big deal. It works perfect. I could not see pulling FSB and gas block to install a regular retainer, not when it is dead nuts on as it is! Here's my Tactical (short)Tri-Deta 14x1L brake and the two piece aluminum handguard retainer from CSS. I use a heavier AKM cleanin

I have a straight Saiga stock, I'll send you, if you like. Let me know

Actually, if you just trim the front of the integral bullet guide on the Saiga mag so it clears the installed Bullet Guide, it will still work on non-bullet guide Saigas. You notch the front of the Saiga mag. I did it on mine, and it works in either.

There is a small outfit that makes a "Tactical Tri-Delta" muzzle brake. About the size of an A2 flash hider. It comes in 14x1mmL, for 7.62x39 cal, 1/2x28 for 223, and 5/8x24 for 300 BLK and 7.62x51 Nato. I used one on a 300BLK M4gery and it works awesome! I have the 14x1L version on my threaded Saiga barrel. I am also have the 223 version for my 5.56 KISS Carbine build. The14x1mm L, 1/2x28 5.56 and .308 58/24 versions are all $38.50 They work awesome... https://www.custommuzzlebrakes.com/#!/Tactical-TriDelta-Muzzle-Brake/p/11810478/category=2932347 PS: It is American made and c

Yep, if it is dialed in without brake, and it groups back to the right with brake, it's the break!

You got it. Later today. I paid $315 with two mags and a Hunter holster. Actually, I traded in 1,000 rounds of Lake City/Federal 5.56 XM193 for it straight across, including DROS fee. I had a couple thousand of the XM193, and have switched to MK 262 MOD1 77 grn OTMs and M855 as up front loads, nd just use the M193 for plinking. I also load plinking rounds, so I really didn't need the extra 1,000 5.56 I picked up two more mags, and a double mag pouch off Fleabay. It was having occasional feed issues and extraction issues, because the recoil spring was sluggish and the extractor spring

Picked this up to go with the AKM. A Commie rifle has to be paired with a Commie pistol! A pristine Czech 1954 CZ52 in 7.62x25 Tokarev or 7.63 Mauser. I was in the shop on Saturday picking up my 1957 made Ruger MK 1 22 pistol, and and saw it., I could not make up my mind. Well, I went in to the shop today, after drooling over it all weekend (he is closed Sunday and Monday). We talked a little, and I ended up getting it for $480 +$25 CA DROS! He dropped it because it only had 350 rounds of ammo left for it. Besides the ammo, it came with two mags, cleaning rod, and excellent Czech hol

I would say you would definitely be ahead to take the $850. As was said, once it was "restored" it has no collector value anymore. The demand (and thus price) was much less for the 20" even though they are scarcer.

Range Report: I set up in a clearing with about 50 yards, which is fine. My eyes suck at 62, and I was just using irons.... The Saiga ran like an absolute champ! Even though I had it dialed in before in the stock configuration, I was wondering if a different grip would change anything. It was dead nuts on. Shooting off-hand, standing, I nailed every pop can and pine cone from 35 to 50 yards, even nailing some in the trees at maybe 60 yards. What a trooper. Ammo was 122 grain FMJ Tulammo from Wally World. ZERO malfunctions. The Tactical TriDelta brake, the vented gas tube, and the

Well, I decided to go up the hill and go plinking in the woods yesterday. There is an advantage to being less than 1/2 hour from the Tahoe National Forest! The Saiga AKM retro build, I wanted to shoot it for the first time since I "restored it" to intended condition. I should not have to adjust the zero at all, as I did not mess with barrel or sights. I had it dialed in absolutely dead nuts on. I'll probably just do some snap shooting of pop cans, off-hand. The SP1 carbine clone, I needed to sight in with my MK262 MOD1 77 grain OTM 5.56 ammo. I was just doing a 25 yard sight-in

Generally speaking, it is not a bad idea to "round" the contour of the hammer for smoother operation. As a rule of thumb, the part that hits the firing pin should not be trimmed down, but rather be the high point that the bolt rides over to reset the hammer. I would take it out and shoot 100 rounds as fast as you can. If you have zero malfunctions at that point, it is good to go.

Since it came off so easy, you might think of using this FSB: http://blackthorneproducts.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=52 Once you center it, you use a set screw in the bottom to set it. If you line it up, take out the set screw and drill a divot in the barrel for it to set in through the hole, then re-install the set screw with lock tight, it will never move. I have done 2 Saiga's with them Reuse your front sight and drum, and I think you can take the spring and pin out of your FSB also.

Drive out the pins on the bottom of the FSB. To straighten it out, start by drawing a pencil tine on the top center of the barrel and a pencil mark on the top center of the FSB. Put the gas block area in a padded vise, then using a padded pipe wrench, twist the FSB until the mark on the rear top center of the FSB is centered on the lie from the rear sight on top of the barrel. An old leather belt works great for padding the wrench and the vise for the FSB. Then take a drill with a new, sharp drill bit the size of the pin holes and drill through, catching the bottom of the barrel. If you w