Zarathustra

about .673 in. according to my cheap micrometer.

40BIKES,I like your idea of a SOCOM SAIGA.308.The original trigger is a little wierd with its long extension but I think a trigger job to reduce take-up and creep would reduce upward movement of the lever.SKS stocks can be had cheap, what about cutting one down to fit?Maybe add a muzzle brake and a scout rail.

Wondering if a Krebs or Ultimak fore end could made to fit the .308 with its larger barrel.

.673 is under the fsb not includiing a short taper right at the muzzle, about .25 inch long i recall .

remove the fsb by knocking out the pins and sliding it off.Easier said than done,try applying heat to the base and hitting with soft faced hammer. I used low temp silver bearing solder which melts at about 450. So far its holding. The brake was 14mm threaded which drilled out to 11/16 on a drill press.I had to shim the brake to get a snug fit , 43/64 drill would be better if you can find one. The steel on a typical brake is pretty hard but I managed with a HSS drill and a small drill press. This was on a 16" barrel, 22" are a different diameter I hear.After soldering I smoothed the gaps with

No, the barrel is turned down at the front sight base.There is also a lip at the muzzle. I removed the fsb, ground off the lip, cut a slot in the bottom side so it could expand and slid the fsb back far enough to solder it and a muzzle brake on.

I modified a M14 mag to work in my .308. Went to the range yesterday and fired over 100rnds. Basicaly I cut down the front of the magf to match the profile of the saiga mag, similar to modifieing a wieger or bulgarian 5.45 to fit my .223. Ithen brazed on front and rear lugs. The trunnion needs to be opened up in front of the rivets 1-2mm. I cant see that as causing significant weakening. Spent some time tweeking the feed lips to get the cartridge sitting at the same angleas the saiga mag. No feed ramp is necessary. unlike the .223 . If you look at the rounds as theyre stripped off t

Dman, I purchased a Bulgarian .223 bullet guide and realized it would require a lot of work to fit,and it still would not work with the orlites. Don't waste your money,I made mine out of a section of pipe. The Sheik has good instructions on his site, but i had to modify the design by welding a bead on the leading edge of the guide and file it smooth to create enough lift for the tip of the bullet to clear the breach. If you look at the saiga mag it has a lip at the front does this. The military mags do not. That is what i tried to replicate with the feed ramp. Keep the bead short so t

i made a bullet guide from a section of pipe and had the same problem,not enough lift to clear the breach face. i then welded a bead on the rear of the guide to create more lift. after smoothing out with the dremel it works good. the galil mag does rock front to back a little but it feeds fine either way.

i'm using 35 rnd. galil orlite mags. very easy to modify, much less work than weigers or ak74s and no need to change followers. 20$ new, 10$ used from CDNN. i filed the mag well so i can use them unmodified,also very easy. this weekend i bumpfired 100 rnds. with no stoppages. i dont know if the galil steel mags fit as easily. would like to try a 50 rounder.

I'm using unmodified galil orlite mags in my saiga. I used a dremel to open up the front of the the mag well 1-2mm and slimmed the trunnion rivet heads slightly. Alternatively you could file down a small section of the ribs where the mag contacts the mag well. After getting the feed ramp right they work perfectly.