TX-Zen
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Posts posted by TX-Zen
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Kalinka has a rating of F?
Wow, I've ordered tons of sh*t from them over the years and never had any issues. Once a PK-AS got lost in the mail and they sent a replacement no questions asked. Ironically they both showed up on the same day so I sent the extra back.
I've heard people say bad things about Kalinka a long time ago but personally I've been buying from them for about 5 years now and it's been really smooth.
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I'd kill for a Kobra EKP but am very wary of most of what's on the market right now. It's mostly Chinese knockoff crap.
They are great scopes but you do have to be REALLY careful these days.
Check here on how to tell the differences:
http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=4&f=56&t=119927
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Speaking of unbelievable, I saw an IZ109 for $435 at the George R Brown gunshow about a month ago. Most of the tables had them for $570ish with a few nut jobs over $700.
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Personally I avoid all US made rifle caliber mags for AK's. You'll get more than enough mileage out of tried and true surplus polymer or bakelight mags, or polish steel mags.
Take your time and scrounge for good deals out there and you'll be able to get a decent range of mags in the same price range as the Promag.
To be fair I've never used or owned Promags but I have never heard one good thing about their AK mags on any forum I've visited or anyone I know that has them in person.
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Gunfixr's gas plug is definitely worth every penny. My S-12 had some problems cycling light loads until I installed the Gunfixr plug. Now, there are no problems at all.
Exactly my situation as well, but after installing the GunFixr plug I have been able to shoot everything I've come across so far.
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Jim, the inside of the gas tube is always going to be a nasty place. Just lube the crap out of it and drive on
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The hard part will be finding the parts.
It took me a year of scrounging to get all the hardware for mine, but then again I went the magwell and SVDS folder route which probably took the longest. Right now the 5.5mm trunnion hardware is nearly non existant. Stocks can be found but not the trunnion, though I guess you could do a 4.5mm trunnion because the parts are easier to find.
I can't say $3400 is unreasonable for a true S12C, from a collector's perspective. I wouldn't pay it but when you get into authentic made Russian weapons and not US converted lookalikes, you are into a whole different world. That side of the house isn't about what works best, it's about being as real Russian as you can get. Someone will probably buy it because they will have one of the 200 odd true S12C's imported. I'm not that guy but I could see why someone would go for it.
Reminds me of the PSL vs Dragunov debate. The PSL actually shoots about as well as the SVD does and costs about 1/10 of the price of a real Russian rifle. For some people they could never imagine paying 10 times more for a rifle that shoots the same. To an enthusiast who knows what a Dragunov really is there is no substitute because at the end of the day you have a real Dragunov made at Izhmash the same as the Russian military uses. To some people that's worth more than the dollar cost ever will be.
Just my .02
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I hear you guys, and appreciate the feedback. I read the forums about how much better the conversion is, and I trust you guys are right......I just wanted to get a yugo underfolder before they get banned.
But I guess I could leave it as is, if you think the stock is a waste. The thing works great from the factory!
I recommend doing the conversion because it gives you a wider range of options on PG/Stock configuration which will let you customize the S12 to your liking.
That being said the skeleton stock is hardly a waste.
It's a modified SVD stock made at Izhmash (not RAAC) and is really comfortable, it has a nice tuck in the shoulder and the rotating cheekpad lets you get a nice cheekweld if using a red dot.
The stock is a modern SVD polymer stock, only difference being how it mounts because it needs to fit the different AK receiver. They are tough but the plastic tends to fade and flake a little with hard use but it doesn't affect the function. And as a previous poster mentioned they are more than sturdy enough to buttstroke the hell out of someone.
I fell in love with them on my NDM86 and actually like the poly better than the laminate wood, they are well made and quite functional stocks. I can also say they work great on the S12 and if I hadn't gone for the SVDS folder on my current S12 I'd still be using the skeleton stock.
Recoil pads can also be found at RusMilitary if you really have to have one.
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Tx, that works for the rifles but not the S12, different latch.
To the OP, The search function on this forum actually works, unlike many competing forums.
My linkhttp://forum.saiga-12.com/index.php?showtopic=21197&view=&hl=S12C&fromsearch=1
Doh, silly me. I know that too because I have the S12 latch installed lol
Pardon my brainfart, when I looked at the latch in the pic I swear it looked like the S12
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Maybe this will help?
I emailed Keith at Tac47 to see if he could put his 2 cents in, he did the folder conversion on mine and will know how to get it done.
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I like my G2 LED's though I don't use either on my S12 so I can't comment on how well they hold up to 12 gauge recoil. They handle 7.62 and 5.45 rifle rounds fine obviously.
On the Krink I swapped out the 80 lumin LED with a 230 lumin and while it works fine (and I like it alot) I'm not sure the extra $49 is worth it compared to buying a Fenix that has similar output.
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If shooting corrosive be sure to use water to thoroughly rinse the rifle, especially the bore and and gas tube, then clean normally with CLP or Hoppes. I use my garden hose on each rifle for a couple minutes to wash the salts out left behind from the corrosive primer.
Be careful with Hoppes because the Saiga finish isn't the most durable and doesn't react well to harsh solvents.
CLP or Ballistol is probably the best overall cleaner for a Saiga because they are extremely mild but do a nice job at getting the carbon off. I used CLP on everything in the Army and it works great, but I do use Hoppes #9 for the bore and sometimes switch up with Ballistol instead of CLP.
Don't believe the hype about ammonia or windex for corrosive, WATER and WATER alone is what takes care of the corrosive residue. Just rinse with water and then clean the rifle well using normal methods. Keep it reasonably lubed after you clean it and it will be fine.
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HAHA .. true .. but when you're buying cheap shit parts (airsoft, etc) to put on your firearm, you kind of wave the flag too
I agree, but the flip side is how expensive high quality parts can be vs what you will actually use them for. I've seen plenty of $3000+ AR's tricked out with Larue, Magpul and Aimpoint gear because they think they need the best, even though all they ever do is plink at the range.
Mall Ninja-ism is truly a state of mind
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German Bakelite 5.45 mags run about $20-$40 depending on who's selling them, Izzy's and Tula's will typically be $50+ because of the rarity. Sometimes you can get a better deal on the Russian bakelite but it's not that often. German mags are usually in better condition, particularly the floorplates from what I've seen. The Izzy's and Tula's will still run like champs, they just look older.
Also when you're talking about the Arsenal US mags, you're not really talking US made mags. They are still Bulgarian and aren't true US made mags even though some have US floorplates and followers. The body is still combloc, just with a couple US parts
You can do that with any surplus combloc mag if you need a couple extra compliance parts, I've done it to all my plum and bakelite mags.
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Surplus mags in general are good to go, but I've always heard bakelite is the strongest and most indestructible of them all. For $15 bucks you can't go wrong with the black Bulgy's or the Izzy plums.
The Izzy plums are by far my favorite followed by bakelite, thats just personal preference though, they all will work great.
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Took me about 6 hours give or take over a few days to do the PG conversion including cutting the hole for my PG nut, had it done in a week without much fuss.
Tac47Industries took about 3 or 4 weeks for the folder conversion, welding up the FCG holes and adding the magwell, plus refinishing.
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Dinzag's press on assembly is awesome, works really well. I have a Russian front sight post on mine and they work great together.
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I'm dying for a hinged top cover and Krink style gas block, but I talked to a contact in Russia and he felt that the S12S and regular S12 front end parts were not compatible, after talking with some of his friends who worked for or were associated with Izhmash.
After originally seeing the S12S and the Vepr12 I went on the hunt to find the front end hardware but all I could come up with was what I already have converted to. After discussing it with him it seemed like those S12S parts just weren't going to work out. In effect he said they were two different animals and the gas block parts were not interchangeable at all...different piston, gas tube, gas block , rear sight block etc.
Sounded to me like you would have to basically rebuild the entire front of the rifle including a new barrel to with the new parts, but don't take it as the gospel, I'm just relaying what we discussed and my opinion on it. He suggested trying to find a contact at Molot to see if the Vepr12 parts really were that different than the standard Saiga's we get, but so far no luck for me. It's still on my horizon but not as pressing as it used to be because for now I'm happy with what I have.
I do wish Cobra, Dinzag, Tony or our other hardcare S12 do it yerselfers could come up with a hinged cover for the S12 because that kind of stuff is way beyond my skill level. I know those guys can do as good or better than Izzy but it also really boils down to economics. It's not cheap to screw around with prototypes etc and no matter how big you think the market is people never seem to buy as much as you would have thought, so I understand their position completely.
If I were a billionaire I'd have these guys all over that shat, just for the sake of seeing them in action
ETA: Here's a pic of the S12 in action
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The Krink is an Arsenal 107UR, factory built 7.62. Great rifle.
The scope is more of a collector's buy, but the NSPU's on the market now do function and they work pretty well. If you shop around and maybe check Gunbroker you might find one cheaper than $400, I want to say I've seen one or two for $295ish
I've used mine on my Drag and it's a fun scope to shoot with it.
(and they can be shot during daylight as long as the filter cap is on)
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With 74 laminate:
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I do use a garden hose to clean my AK's and NDM86 and have now for years. It's not glamorous but it works great if you lube the rifle after the water and cleaning with hoppes or CLP.
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Don't let the busy reticule pattern throw you off, to zero it's pretty darn simple.
There's a lengthy official Russian process you can go through, but I find it's easier just to aim the reticule at center mass and then move the reticule to point of impact where your shots are grouping. Once you feel the rifle is dropping them all into the same cluster everytime you loosen the little screws on top and slip the silver drum back to 1 and 0 (assuming you zeroed at 100 meters, 100 yards is close enough), tighten the screws and you're done.
If the scope is relatively on it's pretty simple but if you need large adjustments to get it on paper it can take longer. I haven't rezeroed my 8x42 that's mounted to my NDM86 in a couple of years and it's still able to hit an 8 inch gong at 300 yards 100% of the time, so the scopes do tend to hold zero well even if you remove them for cleaning.
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Besides the fact that You're getting a used surplus muzzle break as opposed to the new USA K-var one, The cheaper one is NOT alegion but is in fact a standard 5,45 SAIGA that arsnal themselves is converting. THE more expensive ones the majorirty of the work was done by LEGION. Therefore, I might expect on the cheaper ones to have some canted sight blocks as arsenal seems to be known for as of late. I bought the more expensive modela dn have loved it.~
It's not just the sporters that have canted FSB's, often it's anything that Arsenal gets their hands on. My SGL31 had a badly canted FSB out of the box
It was easily fixable but still, there goes Arsenal again, but it's definately a shooter. Very nice indeed.
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That's a Vltor offset scount mount, it gives a nice position to thumb activate the G2 light. You can find them around for about $60 but they can be somewhat hard to find, not everyone has them in stock.
Better pics of the mount:
And how it sits off to the left on the 105:
RR,
Yes the POSP is a Dragunov scope. They come in two mount varieties which is important to fitting your rifle. SVD/SKD mount which has the locking lever on the top and AK mount which has the lever on the bottom (and is taller to clear the higher receiver of the AK). Some SVD mounts are tall enough to clear an AK receiver cover but it's best to just get an AK mount which should also let you use your irons while the scope is mounted.
They run $125ish used and $160-200+ new depending on what kind you get. There are actually dozens of variants...4x24, 2.5-5x24, 6x24 and the obviously larger 8x42's to name a few. Eastwave on Ebay usually has them for less then $200, Kalinka has them for a range of prices (nothing particularly cheap though) and you can google a few other places. If you stick with the no frills 4x24 AK mount you ought to be able to pick one relatively cheap if you don't mind a used optic. They are tough so personally I wouldn't have a problem buying used, but you have to decide for yourself.
Here's a pic of one mounted to an AK (note the locking lever on the bottom and the height of the scope over the receiver)
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Cobra Red Dot
in Saiga-12
Posted
+1
This is my favorite combloc red dot by far. It can be finicky to zero because of the elevation and windage screws but once you set it it's good to go and will always be close enough for practical hits. Just be careful on the S12 because if you get tucked too far in the PK-AS can come back and bite your forehead.
Only problem with them these days is that they are close to $300 which is a bit pricey, but then again most of the combloc red dots are either non existant or over $200 now.
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