Harpoon

RAAC indicated that their new mags for the .308 would be in in Nov and would be sold only through distributors. I called RSR (one of the biggest) and the salesman knew nothing about it. Has anyone heard anything from RAAC or any of their distributors? Thanks, Don.

I really like my Saiga .308 but if you want to shoot hogs at 600, you'd best look at a gun that can reliably shoot half MOA groups and at 600, in order to anchor the animal, you ought to be shooting a .300 or .338 Rem Ultra Mag or something of that type. Don

Lollygagger, what is the black part below your fore end? I haven't disassembled mine but can't recall such a part on my Saiga. Thanks, Don.

Thanks for the good advice. I'll probably do something with it. Don

Are there any good bipods that work with an unmodified, wooden stocked .308 Saiga? And if there are good, stable ones, do they change the point of impact, i.e., make it shoot high which is the error I would expect? Thanks, Don.

FWIW, I spoke with Debbie at Russian American Arms this morning (Mon). She said they have 500 8 rd factory mags on order with delivery expected in the second half of Nov. Said all the Federal paperwork has been completed. They won't sell direct, only through distributors. Said the website was down but that it was raacfirearms.com and that site would list distributors. Hope this isn't another fairy tale. Don

Since they came with only 2 mags, I'd be interested in buying one of them. Yes, I did read local pickup but am thinking that mainly applied to the gun itself. Live in Albuquerque, NM. Would pay $45 plus shipping. If interested, respond on the forum or email at dmdietz@earthlink.net. Don

I know this has been discussed but perhaps the issue has changed. Does anyone know where new Saiga polymer 8-rd mags can be purchased. I called EAA who supplied my gun and they didn't have any. Don

For Wolverine, not trying to be cranky but the .308 is more than adequate for any black bear. Wouldn't want to go after large coastal grizzlies or polars but the gun will turn the lights out on a black bear. Don

Have a couple Russian linguists at work, maybe we could get a definitive answer from Izhmash if the email were in Russian? Probably just a "No" in Russian. Don

No offense intended toward those industrious souls who are trying to mod various mags to produce a suitable mag for the Saiga but I had hoped (along with the rest of the board) that someone (like Izhmash) would step up and make a factory mag. But (SIGH!!) that isn't looking too promising. Don

I assume from the lack of chatter on this subject that nothing has happened on the subject of high capacity magazines for the .308 Saigas, correct? Don

As was said, use soft point or hollow point ammo. With the .308, any commercial ammo is far more than is necessary for a whitetail. If you were going for heavier game, wild boar, elk, or moose, you should consider premium stuff like Federal with Barnes X bullets or similar high grade slugs. Good luck. Don

Steel cores seem to be a Russian specialty, I don't think any of our manufacturers use anything but lead with copper jackets. Don

Like gunguy51 says, the South African stuff works just fine. The Australian stuff is a little faster but seemingly less commonly available. Both are non corrosive, I'm not sure if they are reloadable. One of the reasons I bought the Saiga was to use surplus so I don't have to reload for ALL of my calibers. Don

For Rusty, hate to say it but you've got the issues confused. For a given pressure level, a heavier slug will require LESS not more powder and will produce less velocity and generally more recoil than will a lighter slug. Going the other direction is asking for trouble. Don

Hi Vis claims that their X-coil pad is the most efficient on the market. I installed one on my wooden stocked .308. I thought the stock "waffle" pattern pad was too "bouncy." I think it was the small size but their website gives the dimensions. They recommend a gunsmith do it but I was able to make it look pretty nice by sanding it down with a 3M foam sanding block. The job went pretty well and the pad is nice. Don

In the commerical world, I agree that the Remington 7400 is an obvious comparison. I don't know if the one I had was a lemon or what. I had expected to use surplus in my 7400. I reload for several calibers and didn't want to do so for the .308. The 7400 would NOT feed surplus. Sent it back to Remington, no change. It ran well with commercial ammo, not very affordable for significant practice, certainly not for "plinking." Perhaps the Saiga and others have a slightly larger "military" chamber but that is just a supposition on my part. I prize reliability and the Saiga has it all over th

Thanks for the replies, I think they're good advice and essentially what I expected. I'm very happy with my Saiga and, like most on this forum, hope someone comes up with reliable hi-caps. But, if they don't, I'll still be quite content with the gun as is. Don

Being rather inexperienced with Saigas, I have a question. How much pressure can you safely apply to the standard 8 rd Saiga mag? By that I mean can you shoot it offhand with the mag bottom resting on your palm? Can you grip the gun at the junction of the front of the mag and the forend? I fully realize that this is subjective and that what is moderate for one might be excessive to another. Thanks, Don.

I've been reading very positive things about the new Simmons and the more upscale Redfield scopes. One of the Redfields sounds interesting to me, a 1.5-7X with a 42mm objective. Problem is that it has a 30mm tube. Does anyone know of an over the center bore mount that accommodates 30mm tubes? I understand Krebs has a Picatinny type cover in the works for the Saiga but I'm skeptical that it could handle the recoil/weight of a scope (no insult to Krebs, just an opinion not based on personal knowledge). The mount I currently have from EAA seems quite rugged but it is for 1" tubes. Thanks,

Doesn't like brass? Interesting, mine sure does and I haven't seen any non brass ammo for it. Good luck. Don

Thanks much. I have the EAA parts diagram but it certainly doesn't describe the function. Since ShKAS says to use needle nosed pliers, its no surprise that it didn't want to move with finger pressure. Don

My apologies if this question sounds ignorant, the "owners" manual is blurry and I haven't noticed any description so here it goes. What is the lever like device that is just forward of the stock rear sight? I'm assuming it deals with the gas system but would like to know more about it. All I know is that it does not move readily on my gun and I am unwilling to force something I am ignorant of. Thanks, Don.

My experience is limited but I think you can do substantially better than aka108 commented on with iron sights. No offense intended aka, I think it is an irons vs optics issue not your marksmanship. The time I shot mine with a scope (had to a send nice Bushnell back to Cabela's for serious problems) it seemed to group quite well, seemingly well under 2MOA. Don