Steve in Allentown, PA

I had no luck trying to punch out the retaining pins on the FSB so I gave up and took the receiver/barrel assembly for two Saiga 308's (16" barrel) to the gunsmith to see if he could remove the FSB's. He could and did. I know I viewed the FSB as a major mystery before I was able to hold a removed one in my hand and examine it so I thought I'd pass along a couple of photos and observations in the hope of shedding some light on it's inner workings. The left picture is of the front of the FSB showing that the FSB wraps around the front of the actual barrel. I guess you could call it fla

That is correct. The universal block hangs off the rear of the receiver. Actually, a portion of it is contained within the receiver but most of it is outside. It mounts very snugly and is rock solid with no movement in any direction. I'm quite happy with the universal (external) block. The biggest plus for the universal is you don't have to cut off the receiver tang which means you can switch back to a standard AK stock if you want to with no problem.

Have no fear. The universal block will work just fine and the short stock will attach to that block with no problems. I've got both of mine set up with the same items you bought. The stock is rock solid plus, if I ever want to change to a more conventional stock, I still have the tang on the back of the receiver as an attachment point. The universal block requires no modifications to the receiver. The internal block requires cutting off the tang. As an aside, what outfit are you in?

Where can you get this TS-70? Try this URL: http://www.tsmoly.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=1_7

Check out the link below. ReceiverCoverSights

I installed one of these tac mag releases on my Saiga. I modified it slightly by seriously rounding the corners on the section contacted by your trigger finger. In actual use it works like a charm. To change mags you simply push forward on the release with your trigger finger and the mag drops free. Very much like an M-16 mag button except you push forward instead of to the left. As I recall, I modified the mags themselves slightly to allow the follower to move a bit higher in the mag body thereby imparting more force against the bolt when all the rounds are gone. The effect of

The Vulcan top cover with adjustable sight is intriguing. What's your evaluation of it? Does it fit snugly? Does the sight have positive click adjustment for windage and elevation? After zeroing the rifle does the rear sight still have plenty of adjustment left or is it maxed out in one direction or another? Does it hold zero after removing and reinstalling the cover for cleaning? The thing costs somewhere around $100. Is it worth the asking price?

FWIW, I was one of the last people to take advantage of the pre-order and my mags showed up today. I can only echo all the positive things that have already been said about the fit, finish, and quality of the final product.

I have used the ACE AK Universal Block on my Saiga .308 and it fit snugly but without any need to modify either the block or the receiver. It and the AK short stock I attached to it are stout and solid. All of the ACE stuff I've used has been very well made and high quality. In my opinion, you won't go wrong with any of their products.

I tried the stripped twist tie trick on my .308 but wasn't satisfied with how it worked. I have had excellent success using a wooden popsicle stick with the business end rounded (concave) to match the contour of the round portion of the spring. All I do is set the spring behind the BHO with the short leg of the spring laying across the tab of the BHO. Then I place the popsicle stick, business end down, against the top of the round portion of the spring and push down until I'm able to push the trigger pin through. Presto. Done. Maybe I could get rich selling modified popsicle sti

While we're on the subject of venting the handguard, here are a couple of links to web pages I just this minute ran into that may be of interest. http://www.parabelluminc.com/handguard_cooling_slots.htm http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=4&...=80&t=80686 I'm not sure if the ar15.com link will come up unless you're registered on that forum.

I appreciate the input and the pictures. I bought my Saiga .308 new so it has whatever side rail the factory puts on it. NoAim says the Saiga's come with a standard AK side rail so I'm in good shape. All I need to do is squeeze another $200 out of my toy budget to get an AK scope mount.

I responded to a PM with the following and thought it would be of some general interest so I'm reposting it here. The question was basically why was the Ace stock I bought last week so cheap. Well, it sure didn't seem cheap to my wife when the credit card statement came in. - - - - - - - - - - First of all, it is a fixed stock not a folder so it costs less. Next, it was an overstock item that they were trying to clear out. I just bought it last week so I imagine they still have plenty. Go to the Ace website http://riflestocks.com/specials.htm and scroll a bit more than half wa

Hey, 44rdv4rk. You sound like you know what you're talking about. It's dangerous having that kind of reputation - people will keep asking you questions. Before the hundreds of other questions begin pouring in to you, I'd like to ask a simple question. What make, model, brand, and color AK mount is the best in terms of rock solid mounting and adjustability on my Saiga .308? (just kidding about the color) I'm looking to put a red dot scope of some kind on the rifle. Being a certified Saiga newbie I need someone to hold my hand and lead me through this.

I'm surprised none of the experts that frequent this topic have replied. I am no expert and am in the middle of converting my first Saiga .308 but I'll try to help as much as I can. The Red Star Arms (RSA) website is not the easiest to naviagte through. When you order the adjustable trigger there will be a drop down box at the bottom of the page that will allow you to select which gun you want it to fit. You want the VEPR .308 trigger. As for the Ace, I cannot speak directly about the folder since I have the fixed stock that attaches to the receiver using the external universal bloc

It sounds like the refelective portion is attached to a honeycomb that would allow the air to pass through. Seems like an option worth exploring if only I knew where to find such an item and what to ask for when I got there.

I had a tough time finding a definitive answer to my question on whether or not the fully adjustable and expensive Red Star Arms AK trigger would work in my .308 Saiga so I contacted RSA directly. Thought you might be interested in their reply. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To: <redstararms@redstararms.com> Sent: Sunday, July 23, 2006 12:11 PM Subject: Vepr II trigger I am in the process of converting a Saiga .308 into a pistol grip configuration and would like to put in one of your AK Trigger Systems. I need to know which verison will fit in the Saiga. I th

The 16" barrel on my .308 Saiga radiates some serious heat after rapidly firing only a few boxes of ammo. I was thinking that the plastic handguard could benefit by having a hunk of reflective sheet metal install into it. Combined with venting cut into the plastic at the top sides and along the bottom, I think the handguards would stay much cooler. The way this has been accomplished in M-16's is that the handguards have short studs molded into them at the time of production. The sheet metal is then attached to these studs. This keeps the sheet metal from contacting the handguards, exce

Is that an Ace folding stock?

I have a new-in-the-box, never-fired, Remington 7400 .308 Synthetic for sale. It has all the original, unopened documentation and I will include a new Weaver scope mount with screws that has never been used and is in its original unopened package. The price is $450. I'm in the Allentown area of Pennsylvania. If you're out-of-state, the rifle will have to be shipped to an FFL in your area. You will have to pay for the shipping which shouldn't be more than about $12 to most of the U.S. The up side is that you won't have to pay sales tax.

I'm in the midst of converting an 18" version and I'm still pondering what stock to use. Doug, what stock did you use? Your explanantion of the twist tie trick is appreciated. I'll be sure to give it a try at reassembly time.

An interesting observation. I did notice this quirk as I was looking at various conversion pictures. On your website are photos of various AK/Saiga's and they look like they're wearing Ace skeleton stocks. If these are Ace stocks but you didn't use Ace receiver adapters, how did you attach them? Perhaps my question should be simpler. What stocks do you like and how do you attach them?

I'm in Emmaus. When I worked in Frazier, PA I drove up and down Rt 100 everyday. This is what I read about the 7.62x39. My concern is either putting too many holes in the gas tube resulting in a semi-auto that is now a single shot or not putting in enough holes thereby wasting all that time for no benefit. If I had a spare gas tube, I could experiment by drilling a couple of holes then shooting the rifle and repeating the process until the rifle failed to function. Then I would know the maximum number of holes. I was hoping someone had already done the experimentation so I would

Before making the decision to buy Saiga 308 I read every post to this forum. Based on what I uncovered here, I purchased a rifle and immediately began working on the pistol grip modification. All has gone smoothly to this point but now I find that I have two questions the answers to which I have not found elsewhere in this forum. 1. Ace stocks I like the looks of the the Ace skeleton stock. There appear to be two ways to attach it to an AK. One way is using their universal receiver block while the other is to use their internal receiver block. The universal block does not require