555JM

Not having seen them before, I didn't know what the holes meant. Was thinking the gun had been reworked because it had problems when tested. Thanks to all for straightening me out on this. Bob

Maybe the gas port in the barrel was drilled oversize in my rifle and the holes are to bleed off excess gas.

Received my latest .223 from Peachstate yesterday. Looked pretty good. Front sight is straight and all. Cute dimples. Serial # starts with '09' so I believe it was made last year. Was surprised to see a pair of 1/16th inch (or thereabouts) holes drilled in the aft end of the gas cylinder (or gas block - Part #4 in the breakdown shown in the manual) right where it mates up to the gas tube and just above the top edge of the handguard. Looking through the holes (one on each side), you can see the piston and watch it move when you pull back on the charging handle. These holes are abse

Now I find out about this after stocking up with thousands....

I get the 2 grain difference in bullet weights, but that can't be all, can it?

Thanks, aresv.

I'm interested too. Where can you find out the dates and locations of upcoming events?

Unless you KNOW your shots on predators are all going to be close-in (50 yards or less), I'd go with a bolt-gun. Maybe a Savage 110 with Accu-Trigger, a Rem. 700, or something that can easily hold MOA groups or smaller with your chosen ammo. Predators don't usually saunter in and provide a full broadside shot. Even if they did, some are danged small. A Red Fox isn't much larger than a housecat. For predators, first shot accuracy beats having fast follow up shots. Maybe in open country you'll have a chance at a second shot at a departing 'yote, but not around here.

Put the rear sight at '1' for 100 meters and then adjust the FRONT sight for the point of impact you want at 100 yards (or meters if you're a stickler). You'll need a sight adjustment tool. TAPCO makes one. It looks like a little C-clamp. You use it to move the front sight left and right in its base. It can also be used to screw the front post sight up or down as needed. Better start sight-in at 25 yards, first. Then walk the target out to 50 and then 100 for further adjustments once it's on paper at 25. Supposedly, once it's hitting well at 100 meters with the rear sight set at '1'

Well....Heck!! ...and then some! Knew it was too good to be true. In this morning's Email: "Sales Order "cancelled" from K-VAR Corp" "Unfortunately, we do not ship rifles to customers with billing and/or shipping addresses in the state of New York. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Thank you for your business - we appreciate it very much." Looks like that SGL21 will be going to someone else. Rats! Well...on to plan B: Ruger P345. Bob

Nailbomb: "...bolt carrier jumping track" ?? Tell us about it, Nail. Not familiar with this glitch. What did you do to fix it? What was the cause to begin with? I thought AKs always worked. Now I have to worry about things jumping the track. Was 'insufficient abuse' the cause?? Maybe should be another thread. Bob

Hey, Post-Apoc; what's the difference between the SGL-20 and the SGL-21? You have both, don't you? I couldn't determine the difference from the K-var site. I'm aware that the 20's are not available any longer. Bob

Big, heavy, and slow won't win any prizes in physics class, but it'll certainly get the job done. My most fearsome deer-slayer is a 54 caliber muzzleloader; shooting roundballs no less. On paper it's crap, but lordy how it puts them down. I'd hunt with my .58 ML, but I'd feel sorry for the deer. Besides, the .308 isn't really all that slow. Not much velocity difference between it and an M4...or an AR15, for that matter.

This kind of echoes my thoughts. For midrange defensive purposes, the x39 Saiga or AK has plenty of accuracy and a bit more punch than the more accurate AR-15. For the longer ranges where the AR's accuracy advantage is really needed, it's under powered...for human targets anyway. Going to .308 on an AR platform would solve that; but wouldn't a good .308 bolt gun be more cost effective? Accurate long range shooting is slow and deliberate, in my experience. Semiauto for long range accuracy just adds cost and complexity. I'd keep the AR15 (for use against zombie woodchucks) and get a S

Hate to get you out on a night like this, Nalioth. I know you're a busy man. Thanks for taking the time to straighten out one of the peeps. Bob

....or are they both good? Copes Distributing is selling them. Supposed to be new or nearly new. Want to pick up a few for the SGL21. Need pre-bans here in NY and Copes has been good about sending them here in the past. Thanks. Bob

Deleted duplicate post....

OK, I got one coming. Black with NATO stock. Got a bayonet too; they were on sale. Thanks, everyone, for your help. I need a new chainsaw, but I'm buying this. Think I've lost it. Bob

Can anyone verify from first-hand experience that the SGL-21's do NOT blow out the case neck of fired brass creating a ring, like the Saiga sporters do? I thought these things were built up from Saigas and that every x39 Saiga had the Russian gun-control feature that results in a ring around the case neck. Do they rebarrel these guns as part of the build?? The neck ring about precludes reloading for Saiga x39s. My justification for an SGL-21 is being able to reload for it. Thanks for any help. Bob

OK, OK, read the thread and looking at the K-Var site. I see NATO length buttstocks and Warsaw length. Which is longer? Any other differences between the two? I'm good with black, but can see that I better get on it. Thanks. Bob

Wellll....I haven't seen any really tight groups from my .223 Saiga yet, but there's always hope with the variety of ammo and bullets that are around. Three things I like about the 223: 1) Very little recoil, so it's a bit easier to hold on target for multiple shots. 2) The used brass is reloadable. My x39's do such a number on brass case necks that they split on first or second firing. The ring that the 223 impresses around the primer appears to have no effect on reloadability. 3) Steel case Wolf 223 is Boxer primed and is reloadable. x39 Wolf, being Berdan primed, is not. I do

I dunno. The "need" for an AR is not something I've ever felt; in fact I find the gun somewhat confusing. It's got the accuracy for long-range shooting, but not the power. Beyond 200 yards, the .223 is a barely adequate rodent killer, not a man killer. Inside 200 yards, where the .223's power can be taken seriously, the Saiga's accuracy is sufficient for defense purposes. For defensive targets beyond 200 yards, a semi-automatic isn't needed. Up close and personal, it is. It seems the most cost effective way to get long-range accuracy is with a bolt gun. If you want an accurate

About died a few weeks ago at the range when I slipped a magazine into the Rem. 597, pulled the handle back to load the first round and had a cartridge fly out. The thing had been lying on the bed in an unused bedroom for nearly a month, loaded, with the safety off, and then brought to the range in the same condition. The screwup was the result of an earlier foray into the backyard to knock off a woodchuck. Apparently didn't clear it when I pulled the magazine out afterwards. As close as I've come. By the Grace of God, I'll come no closer.

BHO...I've never understood why guys leave them out. Maybe not an 'authentic' AK feature, but damn useful nonetheless.

I have the UTG rail mount that attaches to the side of the receiver. Scope is an old 2.75 X Redfield with 1" objective and an unusual flattened "wideview" ocular. Forgot I had this scope. It failed on a muzzleloader and I sent it off for repair. Never used it after that but thought I'd try it on the Saiga. So far I love it. Don't need anything more inside 100 yards. Just wanted something that wouldn't work the old eyes as hard as those iron sights. I experimented with the Ulti-Mak gastube rail and a Burris Scout Scope. Mounted low, with the ocular forward of the rear sight,