555JM
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Posts posted by 555JM
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When my unconverted Saigas begin to either bore or aggravate me, I'll convert 'em. From what I've seen here, the conversion work looks straightforward and maybe fun. Converting would be cheaper than swapping for another gun...but, would give you another gun.
It's nice having something to look forward to.
Until then, like another has already said, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Bob
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I guess I have the best Mini14 ever assembled, I hear this stuff all the time, but mine shoots 2" with wolf, better with good stuff, and as far as failures, its just as dependable as an AK, remember, its based on a Garand action, still on of the toughest autoloaders ever.
I didn't say the mini-14 was bad, mav. My old one shoots 2" to 3" groups at 100 yds. wearing glass. I think the mini-30 would've done the same if the scopes hadn't kept crapping out. Tip off came when it started shooting worse with a scope than it did with irons.
Just picked up a new mini-14 with the heavy barrel. 580 series? We'll see how it shoots.
Maybe shouldn't bait the AK elitists by talking Ruger.
Bob
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Yeah, I managed to get one too. Got it from Peach State Guns in GA. Good to deal with and quick shipping. With transfer fee and shipping, it worked out to $454.
This one's got the 16" barrel. My other Saiga's a 20 incher. Can't believe how sharp the sights stand out on this one. My eyes struggle a bit with the sights on the longer barreled gun, even though they're the same. Guess the longer sight radius requires more focus range than old eyes are capable of.
Bob
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I had a Mini-30 for awhile. It wasn't horrible. Accuracy was on a par with my Mini-14. As I recall, it shot 4" to 5" groups at 100 yards with iron sights and rarely jammed; in fact I can't remember it jamming.
Mini-30s have a .308 barrel; not the .311 that the Saigas have. I handloaded .308 bullets for it so that might be why it shot reasonably well. Off the shelf Russian x39 ammo is probably a poor choice for this gun.
Even though I rarely sell guns, I sold that one. Its worst vice was that it regularly wrecked the scopes I put on it. Couldn't really tell how accurate it was because the scope never lasted long enough. Probably needed a recoil buffer. Kinda wish I'd stuck with iron sights and kept it.
Bob
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Got an email this morning from Cabelas about the two back order Wolf 7.62 tins I ordered on 04-07. Arrival to Cabelas expected on 05-15.
Same/similar here. Cabelas said 1000 rounds Wolf 122Gr. HP (black box) expected arrival at Cabelas on 5/1. 1000 rounds Wolf 122Gr. FMJ expected arrival 6/15.
Cabelas has been pretty straight-up in all of this and the plastic dry box they throw in is actually useful.
I've noticed Midway has jacked up prices some. They're about even with Cabelas now; but no dry box.
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The magnum primers will work fine with both catridges, however you will need to adjust the amount of powder accordingly. I don't know how much you will need to adjust it for either but I am sure you can google it.
Depending on the brand of primers in question some are real soft and don't take much to set them off. I know the CCI primers are a lot harder than say a winchester or federal primer.
-E
Thanks for the response, Norseman. Cutting back on the charge makes sense. With powder what it is today, I normally only put together loads with "starting" charges anyway....especially if they're to be used for practice. Maybe cut it back a little more and give it a try.
Thanks for the CCI tip. I've got a thousand or so CCI LR Magnum and will set them aside for the Saiga.
Bob
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I've got a few thousand Large Rifle Magnum primers from various manufacturers and almost as many Large Pistol Magnum primers. OTOH, I'm a bit low on the standard strength primers of both types.
I'm wondering if I can use these to reload .45ACP and 7.62x39. Anyone know of any drawbacks to using magnum strength primers in small capacity cartridges that really don't need them?
Also, are slam fires going to be an issue in the x39 Saiga when standard sensitivity (non-military) primers are used?
Thanks.
Bob
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Was at the gun show in Syracuse this weekend and stumbled across a few Marlin Camp Carbines going for about $450. I think they were all 9mm and they all looked like they had seen very little use. Found out later, Marlin also made them in .45 ACP.
Also remembered that Ruger made something called a Police Carbine in pistol calibers that competed directly with the Marlin guns. Found a 2006 catalog that listed the Ruger in 9mm and 40. However, a search of the Marlin and Ruger sites found no mention of them...at least in the current product lineup. Looks like both have been dropped.
Both were blow-back designs that utilized pistol clips for magazines. I believe the Marlin used S&W clips while the Rugers used Ruger handgun clips. Having blowback actions, they should work fine with lead bullets and would be easy and cheap to reload for. They also look like a good choice for home defense.
So, why were they dropped? Did they run afoul of some law? No buyer interest? Lousy shooters? Reliability issues? No advantage over a handgun? Showing up in the wrong hands too often? ....or....what?
Wasn't looking for one, but am now a little sorry I didn't pick one up. Seemed like a gun that could provide a lot of fun and security with little cost and hassle.
Bob
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What type of primer does the PRVI PARTIZAN '90s issue ammo use?
One of the big issues with reloading Berdan primed ammos is getting the spent primer out. The standard decapping rod won't work.
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A thousand rounds or so of steel might smooth some rough edges. Burn up a case of that precious Wolf and then try the Fiocchi again.
You know you want to.
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Happy to hear that Ballistol works. Just got a couple cans of it....for the muzzleloaders, but haven't tried it yet.
Lithium grease makes sense. Slick, cheap, stays where you put it, resists heat; dab a little on with an acid brush and you'd be good to go.
Now I better go wipe the oil off that gas piston.
Bob
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Field stripped my new Saiga last night (still haven't shot it) and noticed everything seemed bone dry. Normally like to keep my guns well lubed but am aware that it can be overdone with a gas operated semi-automatic....especially if the ammo's dirty.
What kinds of lubes are you folks using and where are you putting them? Anything go on that gas piston? I put a very light film of gun oil on that last night, but then had second thoughts once it was back together.
Normally I favor Rem Oil and CLP and have a fair amount on hand. Is there anything that should be avoided? ...or is this thing designed to run dry as a bone?
Bob
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Getting into the ammo Backorder queue at Cabelas isn't a bad idea. They let you backorder what you want and then fill the backorders, first-come-first-served, when a shipment arrives. The stuff never appears to be in stock because incoming shipments are already spoken for by the backorders.
The prices are a little better then Widener's (much better if you're only ordering 500 at a time), plus they give you a plastic dry box/ammo can...for whatever that's worth. The delay between ordering and shipping can be a few weeks, though....not much different than Widener's in that respect.
Midway doesn't make use of Backorders to the extent Cabelas does. Instead you get on a "notify-me" list for the product you want and old Larry emails you when he gets some in. Then you gotta be quick to jump on it before it's gone. But while he has some around, it will show in-stock on his site for a few days or hours. His prices do beat Cabelas', however.
Bob
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If shtf 922 can kiss my ass, the hi-cap mags are going in.
They will not be enforcing 922 if children's backs are on fire....
but if shtf I wouldn't really care about 922 compliance because you'll have bigger things to worry about.
My thoughts, exactly!
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Where did you find the IMI brass, rangemaster? I used to reload that for my Mini-30, but haven't been able to find any recently.
I've got bullets, powder and primers. Wouldn't mind picking up another 500 cases. Handloading keeps me from going too crazy at the range.
Bob
Sent you a PM
Thanks, rangemaster, I'll get on it.
Bob
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Where did you find the IMI brass, rangemaster? I used to reload that for my Mini-30, but haven't been able to find any recently.
I've got bullets, powder and primers. Wouldn't mind picking up another 500 cases. Handloading keeps me from going too crazy at the range.
Bob
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Well, I jumped right on this in hopes of picking up a 16" barreled version. Thought I had things set up with a local gunshop to respond to the request for the FFL#. Well, the ball got dropped....maybe by me as I'd never done this before. Apparently guns in stock go to the first customers to come up with a valid FFL.
Got an update from customarms saying "waiting for FFL" and then another saying "out of stock" the next morning. Now they're gone. Too bad. The price was very good compared to my long-barrel Saiga (don't ask). Next time; more proactive.
If anyone comes across more of these, don't be afraid to post. People are looking.
Bob
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http://www.mojosights.com/ak47_sks.html <--add a rear peep sight for the...eyes that have seen a lot in their time and thus "aint what they used to be" :-P
Make sure your stock is NATO length so you get that extra LOP, you may find that will be just as good as the regular stock.
Converting is worth it just for the massively better trigger pull alone.
^--and it's cool that it ends up looking like that ;-P (note : that's a Warsaw length stock, NATO stocks are 1.5 inches longer. You can get a slip-on "recoil pad" to add an extra inch of pull if you need)
I live in Upstate NY (Ontario county) and would have no problem helping you out with converting your rifle if you need. I don't have a Dremel tool (I used an air drill) so if you don't have one you'll have to pick one up from Wal-Mart :-P
Thanks for the offer of help, Big Boss. I'll give it some thought. I'm sure the Saiga's trigger would be improved by a conversion, but will give myself a chance to get used to it first. I actually prefer the "dorky but dangerous" look of the Saiga over that of the "evil" AK. Kinda like an updated SKS.
I've got a dremel, a drill press and some metal working experience, so don't imagine a conversion would be too tough once I knew what needed to be done. We'll see; the jury's still out.
Thanks especially for the mojosights link. Most all of my other unscoped rifles have aperture sights. They work much better than opens for me. Wondered about a peep sight setup for the Saiga. Would you recommend the click-stop or the screw adjustable version? I seldom monkey with sights once they're zeroed, but appreciate a sight that holds its zero in spite of rough treatment.
Your conversion looks great, BTW.
Bob
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Hi,
New here with new Saiga. Older guy living in upstate NY (Wayne Co.).
I'm happy with the Saiga sporter stock and rearward trigger placement and plan to keep both. They keep my older eyes further from the rear sight which makes the rear sight picture clearer. Besides, I won't be frightening the old ladies in the neighborhood....anymore than I already do.
I would like the capability of going to high capacity magazines with minimum work if the SHTF. Until then, I'll be happy enough banging away with the factory 10 rounders.
What I'm planning to do is install one of Dinzag's bullet guides and pick up a dozen or so metal, pre-ban Hungarian "High Capacity" magazines from Copes. The pre-ban mags will stay on the shelf until needed.
From Dinzag's site, it appears that the factory mags will still work with the bullet guide and I'll have the functional 10 rd. sporter I purchased. If things get bad, I'll simply trim magazine catch enough to accept the pre-ban magazines and I should be in business. Since the mags are pre-ban, I shouldn't be violating any NYS laws. The Dinzag site says that factory x39 mags will probably still work, even with the filed mag catch...anyone confirmed that?
I understand there's some question about 922r compliance with high capacity mags but, if things are really in a fast downhill slide, who's going to be going around counting the U.S. parts in guns? Besides, I don't know if 922r applies to pre-ban magazines.
So, you guys are the experts. What little I know about these guns has come from here. What are the holes in this plan?
Thanks.
Bob
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I bought some from CDNN a couple weeks ago for $20 each. New in the brown wrapper.
CDNN?? Sorry, not familiar. Need some mags meself.
Bob
On edit: Nevah mind. I have found CDNN.
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Doggone it, Havoc, that avatar almost caused me to overlook crucial information.
Oh, and thanks. Wideners got my order.
Bob
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Thanks for posting this thread, segasaiga. Was looking over my new x39 Saiga ('06 vintage) last night and noticed the same thing. Thought it odd, but figured someone had chosen a low mass firing pin, done the calculations, and determined the spring was unnecessary.
Still, the comment about hard-primed military ammo doesn't always apply. I'll be shooting handloads in mine....at least until Wolf ammo availability improves. I thought, with components on hand, why not? Maybe this is "why not". Now I've got something to watch out for.
Bob
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Welcome to S12!
I suggest this type of sight adjustment tool: http://www.tapco.com/proddesc.aspx?Id=TOOL0312SINGLE
Thanks, simple. Ordered one this morning.
Bob
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Hi,
Newby making first post here. Picked up a x39 Saiga today and am trying to figure out how to adjust the sights.
From what I can glean from the service manual, adjustments are all made with the front sight. The post screws in and out for elevation changes and moves left and right for windage. The SM also refers to a sight adjustment tool which I don't have.
The bottom of the post looks like it is slotted but with a hole in the center. Does it require a small right-angle screw driver? What keeps it tight once elevation is set? Are windage adjustments made by drifting the cylindrical piece the post rides in?
Before butchering the sight with some trial and error approach, I thought I'd ask how to go about this.
Thanks.
Bob
Steel cased and-or jacketed ammo
in General Discussion - Any topic is welcome here!!!
Posted · Edited by 555JM
Been thinking about picking up some steel cased Wolf ammo for my two Mini-14s and my 9mm and 45ACP handguns. I understand that Wolf ammo is steel cased and some of the bullets are steel jacketed. This doesn't bother me for the Saiga as its barrel has a chrome-plated bore and chrome is harder than steel...the AK family was designed to shoot steel ammo. But what about American rifles and handguns designed to shoot brass cased ammo? These have plain steel or stainless steel bores & chambers that may not be much harder than the steel used in the ammo.
Will there be unusual wear of chamber or bore in unchromed barrels? I've heard that most stainless steels are a bit softer than the chrome-moly used in blued steel barrels. Should steel ammo be kept away from stainless barrels?
Wolf makes a point of saying their cartridges are coated with some kind of polymer. Is this done to protect steel chambers? What about the bullets? Is the steel plated with a softer metal to protect the bore?
Can anyone with extensive experience shooting steel ammo in unplated bores report on what they've seen? Are there any particular sources of steel ammo that should definitely be avoided in guns designed for brass cased ammo?
Thanks.
Bob