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HateTheSnow

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Posts posted by HateTheSnow

  1. This was the article I used as inspiration for my 103 conversion. Sourcing parts for the conversion was a PITA and took about four years (2010-2014), but I also went after Russian parts for a close-as-possible AK-103. Should still be a doable project, but I would imagine the Russian parts would be near impossible to find now. Plenty of other parts that will work.

    http://www.avtomats-in-action.com/pro26.html

     

    I may still have a few parts laying around that I didn't end up using if you have an interest. In addition to the vendors here on the boards, here are some of the sources I found useful for the harder to find stuff.

    https://ak-builder.com

    https://armsofamerica.com

    https://www.robertrtg.com

    http://www.rusmilitary.com/

     

    Good luck with the build

    HTS

  2. Worth absolutely every penny. Both my S-12s cycle smooth as butter with virtually all ammo, will seat a full mag on a closed bolt, and have a nice clean 4lb break after the trigger job. Awesome, awesome, awesome!!! Thanks Cobra!

     

    That alone was worth the price of admission, but one thing I always find that separates an OK business from a great one is how they handle any problems that come up...and there were a few with my order. These things happen with any business, but what's important is that Cobra was not only spot on with replies to my inquiries, but also proactive and decisive in resolving the issues. The bottom line was that he recognized a problem and made everything right on my end. In my book, that's the mark of a business that values their customers before and after the sale, and ultimately, their reputation in the industry. Wouldn't it be nice if every company did business that way...at least Cobra's Customs is one of those that does 032.gif

     

    Pictured below is my Saiga family members: (top to bottom) the AK-103 Clone, the Tromix S-17 SBS, and the Izhmash/Molot hybrid conversion. And yes, even the Tromix benefited from Cobra's service.

    Three%20Sagias_zpsor2mla1g.jpg

    • Like 3
  3.  

    Good info. I kinda figured if it could be done there would be something out there where someone had done it. I like the design of the handguard, but a sloppy fit is not what I'm looking for.

     

    Thanks Guys.

    A little ingenuity and it could be remedied. The actual difference is very tiny. I just don't know if the Kvar retainer will work or not. I should have tried it when I had it on my S12. 

    Legion FTW.

     

     

    Mullet Man, I have to give it to you, this was a great idea. These will work with very minor fitting to the handguard. Pictures will be posted soon!

     

    That's what I love about this place. There is no shortage of folks who are able to come up with ingenious ways to do something like this.

     

    Thanks Mullet Man & Legion for your time on this one. I've got one on order & I'll be keeping a close eye out for the specifics on getting it to fit 032.gif

  4. As the title states, I'm wondering what's involved to fit one of the Vepr lower handguards on a sportorized Saiga. I've done a bit of searching on the topic and it appears they will fit the 030 series tactical Saigas but I haven't found anything about the others, like the IZ-109 I'd like to put one on.

     

    I did see that Legion carries a bolt-on handguard retainer that clamps on the barrel and Dinzag has a lower handguard retainer that uses the forend screw hole. My gut tells me something like this is all I need, but past experience has proven me wrong before so I thought I'd throw the question out to see what wisdom I can pick up before making a decision to head down this path.

     

    Thanks in advance,

    FLTF3

    post-7557-0-89258300-1413605376_thumb.jpg

  5. Just to point out that back in the day he trolled HERE as well... That was all...  Found it AMUSING... 

     

    OMFG, that jackass was actually serious!? I thought (or perhaps hoped) this was the work of a couple of pranksters with nothing to do after work, and not some never-be that dreamed about tazing teenagers who took too many free samples at Hickory Farms. Either way, reading through their tirade was a perfect end to a really stressful week.

     

    For the history buffs, here's a couple of suspected Gecko45 sightings the forum search dug up. It seems the really good ones have been purged...damn, the fun could have continued.

    http://forum.saiga-12.com/index.php?/topic/25563-max-range-of-762x39/&do=findComment&comment=226563

    http://forum.saiga-12.com/index.php?/topic/38301-emp-effect-on-eotech-aimpoint-trijicon/&do=findComment&comment=343022

  6. It would be great to roll in there with a case of 91/30s (literally still in the crate), parted out like the one shown in the picture, and straight up make money off of their program by selling off the parts.

     

    I would feel kinda bad about taking working firearms and parting them, but not so bad that I wouldn't do it just to shove it up Rahm's stinky ass..

     

    Apparently, some of these "guns" were so bad they only met BATFE's legal definition of a firearm...as the article below put it, "any metal object with a serial number on it". I think they were laughing too hard to feel bad about anything.

    http://www.shotgunnews.com/news/chicago-buyback-gets-blowback/

  7. Based on the options I selected, labor ran in the neighborhood of about $750. That included extra stuff, such as tuning the trigger, cost & labor to rivet an Izhmash AK-100 bullet guide to the front trunion (Chris found that part for me), and machining parts that could not be found. The rifle refinish job also adds a bit since Chris also uses his own custom formula for refinishing. The results are spot on accurate to the factory finish, and it's even a bit more durable than the original.

     

    Outside of the labor for conversion, keep in mind that I spent three years scavenging for Izhmash AK-100 parts. They aren't common and they usually aren't inexpensive when you finally manage to locate them. Given the current situation, I fear many of them will either be completely non-existent or prohibitively expensive. The good news is that there are alternatives for most of the AK-100 parts, such as Bulgarian gas blocks and front sight blocks, that are virtually indistinguishable from their Russian counterparts.

     

    If you're interested, send him an e-mail or give him a call and let him know what you are interested in doing. Just be patient, it can take some time before you hear back from him.

    http://www.ak-103.com

  8. This project was actually finished around this time last year, but I thought it was time to finally put it up for the Izhmash/Saiga purist like myself out in the crowd.

     

    AK-103LeftSide_zps1e0ddd39.jpg

    AK-103RightSide_zps97852575.jpg

     

    While it's nothing special on the outside, it's a close (US legal) clone of the Izhmash AK-103. The only major difference is that I elected to leave out the folding stock. This is a feature I do not personally find myself using much, if at all, so I decided early on to save the additional expense of adding it. Among the more minor deviations is the Molot-Style pistol grip from MD Arms, which is much more ergonomic and actually much closer in style to the tactical grip option available for the AK-100's from Izhmash  I would have loved to picked one of these Izhmash gems up (along with a railed lower handguard), but these items are unicorns on this side of the pond and fall among those things we rarely even hear about, or on the chance we're really lucky, get to see a picture of.

     

    Outside of that, this rifle included as much Izhmash AK-100 series pedigree as I was able to collect since picking up the original IZ-132 back in 2009. The conversion was originally going to be done by myself and a friend who had the necessary tools (and is very talented at refinishing firearms), but life happened and I ended up turning the project over to a true professional in the field...Chris Butler of AK-USA, located just south of me in Fort Myers, FL. If you've never had the pleasure of seeing Chris' work up close, it's one of those times where you realize almost instantly you're dealing with a true artisan. The shop is small, out of the way, and unassuming from the exterior; but despite his humble surroundings and demeanor, nothing leaves that shop that isn't both 100% fully functional when you use it and a work of art when you lay eyes on it. Chris doesn't do much in the way of conversions these days, but I was able to get his interest enough in this one to take the job on...though I think that had a lot to do with the box of Izhmash OEM parts I walked in with and that his main focus is the AK-100 platform.

     

    With all the foreplay overwith, here's a breakdown on what went into the AK-103, along with a few additional pics to show a bit more detail. The parts are broken down between original Izhmash AK-100 series parts, US parts for 922r compliance, and other parts of various origin that were either non-consequential to the build (in my eyes) or their Russian counterparts were reproduced due to the lack of availability.

     

    Izhmash OEM, AK-100 series parts

    • Front sight and gas block
    • Gas tube
    • Bullet guide, riveted to front trunion
    • Upper & lower handguard w/ heat shield
    • Lower handguard retainer
    • Rear sight leaf
    • Sling (though in OD green, rather than tan)
    • 30-round polymer "slabside" magazine (Izhmash OEM, but it's actually the "civilian" version, not the true AK-100 magazine)

    US Parts (for 922r compliance)

    • Tapco FCG (polished, tuned, and modified to eliminate creep & overtravel and break at 4.5 lbs)
    • K-Var NATO length stock (non-folding)
    • MD Arms Molot Style grip
    • AK-USA AK74-Style compensator (heat treated and chrome lined)

    Other parts (US & non-US, due to availability)

    • Bulgarian Circle 10 bayonet
    • AK-100 series trigger guard (machined to spec by AK-USA)
    • AK-100 series cleaning rod (crafted by AK-USA)
    • Refinishing by AK-USA, including coloring factory marking (first-rate work, and durable as hell)

     

    Izhmash AK-100 1000 Meter Rear Sight. Very similar to other AK sights, except for the half-width tick marks, Cyrillic "P", and phosphate finish

    AK-103SightLeaf_zps949ec352.jpg

     

     

    A couple of close up shots of the trigger guard. I loved Chris' attention to detail in machining in the cloverleaf design on the left side of the trigger guard, true to the AK-100 lineage. The quality of the finish also stands out in these pics.

    AK-103TriggerGuardCloseUp_zpsc413568c.jp

    AK-103TriggerGuard_zps4ac454f1.jpg

     

     

    Detail of the left side of the receiver showing the cloverleaf trigger guard design and colored factory markings.

    AK-103LeftSideDetail_zps91fe9824.jpg

     

     

    I hope you found this enjoyable and worth your time to browse through. For me, I think the pursuit of all the parts was the most enjoyable part...one which, unfortunately, I do not think is repeatable given the current situation of international affairs between the US and the Izhmash homeland.

     

    Regards,

    FLTF3

    • Like 6
  9. Never heard of 1/2x36 but YHM makes the phantom in 14mmLh which is standard ak47 thread pattern.

     

    I think there phantom silencer QD mount is the best in the industry for heavy carbine type use

     

    Thanks for the info. I managed to find the right one (YHM-28-AK#) after a bit of digging. When I looked in the 7.62x39 section, they only listed comps/hiders threaded to fit their barrels (1/2"-36).

  10. So about brass, there are u.s. manufacturers for it right? Im pretty sure there are but i want a double check as i already have reloading dies etc.

     

    Yes, but for the price of it, I would pay a little extra and pick up the Red Army brass cased, boxer primed ammo. It's made in Bosnia by Ingman, so it should be around for a while and it's not too much more than the "cheap" Winchester bulk brass. It'll cost you about 8-10¢/round extra, but you get some range time with some quality factory ammo cheaper than you can load bulk brass and reloadable, once-fired cases to take home afterwards.

     

    SG Ammo has it in stock.

    • Like 1
  11. I will proceed on the assumption that Russian ammo is included in the ban. If it isn't then it's a stroke of the pen to "fix" that (from the emperor's point of view).

     

    And if I'm completely wrong and imported ammo keeps flowing like the great flood of Noah until the end of time then I guess I was foolish to stock up.

     

    Then again, history shows it's never foolish to stock up.

     

    +1

     

    And I jumped on the hoarding bandwagon with you this weekend as well. Picked up more 7.62x39, which included some brass rounds this time...along with the dies & such to start putting the brass stuff back together should it come down to that.

  12.  

    KVAR is starting to irritate me now.  I could be wrong, but it looks like they removed the USPS option from the checkout page.

    Instead of $1.25 to ship, they now make you pay $17.00+ to ship a firing pin.   

     

    You can probably request USPS in the comments and if they see it they will most likely adjust the shipping, but removing the option from the site is pretty underhanded. 

     

    There is a dropdown menu above the radio buttons for the default UPS rates that allows you to change carries from UPS to USPS. I think it's just a change in the website design...confusing if you aren't looking carefully.

     

    BTW, thanks for the heads up on the bolt carrier assemblies.

     

    And if anyone is looking to pickup Russian mags, Legion has a variety of Russian mags in stock, including the Izhmash 7.62x39 polymer magazines. Pricey, but original and NIB.

  13. Like just about everyone else who has an interest in hunting, sport shooting, firearm collecting, etc., I don't put anything past this administration at this point. But this is also an area they have to tread very carefully in, so the scope is going to be very narrow at this point and explained (politically anyway) as being unrelated to anti-firearm regulation...though none of us need poli-sci degrees to figure out the truth of it.

     

    To the point of your additional info, that explains why I didn't find them. I looked them up as FEDERAL STATE ENTERPRISE, which is how they list the company name on the Russian Golden Tiger website. I appreciate the info, but I wish I hadn't been wrong on this one.

  14. My biggest heartache from this is Golden Tiger.  Losing that HURTS.

     

    So I ordered another case.

     

    Call me a hoarder.

     

    I'm not seeing Vympel, or any of the other popular Russian ammo companies, anywhere on the naughty list. Not to say it won't happen at some point, but as of the 7/16 revision of the SDN I don't think they are restricted from importing to the US. Either way, I'm sure there will be some panic buying for a while.

    http://www.treasury.gov/ofac/downloads/t11sdn.pdf

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