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Building a Galil Lookalike


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I'll be buying a Saiga .223 soon, and I'll be converting it to a pistol grip configuration. I got the crazy idea to make it as cosmetically close to a Galil as possible. I plan on getting the Saiga Galil-style handguard from Tapco. I can use the folding stock from Tapco as well, but I'd prefer one that looks a little more authentic. I found a gasblock / front sight combo at Krebs Custom (third item up from the bottom). Does anybody make Galil-style receiver covers with sights, or Galil-style extended safety levers? If this is a complete pipe dream I'll probably just do a normal pistol grip build.

Edited by voodoorootbeer
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Welcome and a big hell yeah for thinking outside the box. There are some very nice Galil clones in our membership already. I recommend the Ace folding skeleton stock for your build. It is the best American folder on the market and looks very much like the Galil stock. It shouldn't be too hard to fab something on the receiver cover. I'm not too fond of dust cover mounted sights but it is doable. Tromix uses them on their builds so it can be done right. I have a rear sight mounted on my S 410 cover and it stays put. The .223 isn't far from that on recoil and mine is less with the brake.

Good luck and post some pics!

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If this is a complete pipe dream I'll probably just do a normal pistol grip build.

 

Nothing is a "complete" pipe dream - it always depends on how much time, effort, and money you want to through into the mix!

 

;>)

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Welcome and a big hell yeah for thinking outside the box. There are some very nice Galil clones in our membership already. I recommend the Ace folding skeleton stock for your build. It is the best American folder on the market and looks very much like the Galil stock. It shouldn't be too hard to fab something on the receiver cover. I'm not too fond of dust cover mounted sights but it is doable. Tromix uses them on their builds so it can be done right. I have a rear sight mounted on my S 410 cover and it stays put. The .223 isn't far from that on recoil and mine is less with the brake.

Good luck and post some pics!

 

Thanks! I'll definitely be posting pictures as my rifle project progresses. I have absolutely zero fabrication / machining experience, so the Saiga seemed like it would be a good beginner project. Unfortunately, for something that requires the precision of sights, I'd prefer somebody else's pre-fabricated product. Unless it's much easier than it would seem at first glance, that is.

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I'll be buying a Saiga .223 soon, and I'll be converting it to a pistol grip configuration. I got the crazy idea to make it as cosmetically close to a Galil as possible. I plan on getting the Saiga Galil-style handguard from Tapco. I can use the folding stock from Tapco as well, but I'd prefer one that looks a little more authentic. I found a gasblock / front sight combo at Krebs Custom (third item up from the bottom). Does anybody make Galil-style receiver covers with sights, or Galil-style extended safety levers? If this is a complete pipe dream I'll probably just do a normal pistol grip build.

 

Ace sells a Gaili style grip that is close to orgional. Tomix (sorry I know that I butchered his name) here on this site does the Gaili bolt conversion...I think.

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Ace sells a Gaili style grip that is close to orgional. Tomix (sorry I know that I butchered his name) here on this site does the Gaili bolt conversion...I think.

 

Man, some of this stuff is hard to find. I've looked for the Ace Galil style grip and I think they've discontinued it. :( I can't seem to come up with a rear sight either, so mounting it on the receiver cover is becoming a "we'll cross that bridge when we come to it" sort of problem. I swear, when you type "Galil" into most gun parts sites' search engines, they just laugh at you for a good ten minutes before they return 0 results.

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:lolol: You made a funny!

I hear ya man. Shopping for parts and getting them all together is the hardest part of the conversion IMO.

I can help though! I just happen to have a Galil style PG that is US made. I guess I could part with it. Send me a PM and we will work something out.

:super:

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Uh oh! Yeah voodoorootbeer, don't upset the Ruskie bluebloods! :rolleyes:

:haha:

 

Ok, I just found this. I know that Vulcan has a bad reputation for quality, but can they mess up something as simple as a rear sight? They also have Galil-style carry handles and bolt carrier / charging handle assemblies, but I'm not sure if those will work with a Saiga.

 

 

That is a nice sight, but I wouldn't spent that much on it. Vulcan has the habit of ripping people off.

 

How many times has their name changed?

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Hey I just found this but I don't know if it's current...

 

http://www.sarcoinc.com/galil.html

 

I saw that page, but I have absolutely no idea if any of it will fit a Saiga. $95 kind of scares me for a receiver cover with sight assembly that may or may not fit on my gun. Is there any reason that the receiver cover or bolt carrier / charging handle would not fit? If not, I'll probably order them.

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I was looking at a Galil at the gun show the other day for like 1500 or something... I had my S-12 in my hands and was comparing the dustcovers. The guy said I could remove the Galil cover and try it on mt Saiga but I couldn't get the cover off mine because the bolt was locked back and zip tied. Now of course the S-12 is different because of the larger ejection port but other than that they looked pretty much the same to me. Hope this helps.

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Here lies the problem, whit that sight, like the Vulcan sight too

they have no elevation just windage, unless you are going to make

a micro Saiga galil copy, it will kill your elevation for long

range shooting, you can use the front sight to compensate for elevation

but damn is a pain in the butt to do that, I mean front post up and down

plus have to be mark the post for elevations.

 

On the other hand if you wanted just to shoot to about 100 meter I guess

will be ok I guess.

 

Oh I forgot, the rear have to be align with the front I mean both have to be

at same height see your rear and FS on your Saiga, they are at same height

if not the FS post has to be push all the way in or out to compensate

for height differentials on the sights

 

Simple example of sight alignment look at Tony HK sights on the

Saigas.

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Hey there ya go!

Nice bird doggin'!

 

Looking around that site had me excited, until I realized that most of the products shown there, and indeed the Blackthorne Products/AKpartskits.com company itself, are most likely Hesse/Vulcan Armament, and therefore should be avoided like the Black Plague. :cryss:

 

Blackthorne/AKpartskits.com's mailing address:

PO Box 2441, South Saint Paul, MN 55076

 

Hesse/Vulcan's mailing address:

PO Box 2473, South Saint Paul, MN 55076

 

Coincidence? I think not. The US-made AK furniture shown on that site is clearly Hesse, as is the topcover with integral rear sight that gunboy69 ordered...

 

Buyer beware.

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Hey there ya go!

Nice bird doggin'!

 

Looking around that site had me excited, until I realized that most of the products shown there, and indeed the Blackthorne Products/AKpartskits.com company itself, are most likely Hesse/Vulcan Armament, and therefore should be avoided like the Black Plague. :cryss:

 

Blackthorne/AKpartskits.com's mailing address:

PO Box 2441, South Saint Paul, MN 55076

 

Hesse/Vulcan's mailing address:

PO Box 2473, South Saint Paul, MN 55076

 

Coincidence? I think not. The US-made AK furniture shown on that site is clearly Hesse, as is the topcover with integral rear sight that gunboy69 ordered...

 

Buyer beware.

 

Ouch! thanks for the heads up.

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Check this out. I wimped out on th left hand safety but I fully intend on giving my S223 the same treatment as the S12 in regard to sighting and mag release protecter thing-a-ma-jig. They will both don the ACE stocks eventually. I'm going to replace the walnut grip on the 223 with the ACE galil knock-off. I carved the somewhat-correct-looking forends myself.

 

http://forum.saiga-12.com/index.php?showtopic=11646&hl=

 

http://forum.saiga-12.com/index.php?showtopic=12697&hl=

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Looking around that site had me excited, until I realized that most of the products shown there, and indeed the Blackthorne Products/AKpartskits.com company itself, are most likely Hesse/Vulcan Armament, and therefore should be avoided like the Black Plague. :cryss:

 

Blackthorne/AKpartskits.com's mailing address:

PO Box 2441, South Saint Paul, MN 55076

 

Hesse/Vulcan's mailing address:

PO Box 2473, South Saint Paul, MN 55076

 

Coincidence? I think not. The US-made AK furniture shown on that site is clearly Hesse, as is the topcover with integral rear sight that gunboy69 ordered...

 

Buyer beware.

 

VUUUUUUULCAAAAAAN!!! emot-doom.gif

 

Oh well, back to Sarco. I think I'll call them tomorrow and see if they know for sure if a Galil's receiver cover will fit on a Saiga.

 

And Wildcatter, those guns of yours look great, but I'm afraid I don't have the fabrication skills to throw together a rear sight assembly. I'm not afraid to take a Dremel to a Tapco Galil handguard to make it look better as long as it doesn't affect the way it fits the rifle. I also might call Señor Tromix and see if I can't get him to send me a fancy Galil charging handle.

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Those Galil micro top covers fit veeerrry tightly on the Siagas. rock solid sight assembly. Let me know if I can help you with your project in any way.

 

You just did by delivering that good news. I think I've got all my ducks in a row now and I can start buying the parts. I assume the Saiga has a 45 degree gas port? Do I want the gasblock sight for the .591" or .630" barrel?

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You might want to hold back a bit and take your time. The link is dead right now, but FAC is back in business and I think they're associated with either AIM or Century. I was on the FAC site just a few days ago and they have several Galil parts in stock including receiver covers. Before they closed a while back, Harlan told me that he had several demilled Galil/R4 parts. I'm sure there are several parts left, I picked up a few stock sets.

http://facsupply.com

I've also seen a lot of post on the gun sites that Century has a butt load of Galil parts kits due in soon.

 

K-VAR has Krink style Gas Blocks available right now too, although if the Krebs sights are taller they might be a better match four a Galil receiver cover. Tony can probably make you a round gas tube, and I think if I were you, have him cut the back of your receiver and install one of his plates and attach either an ACE folder, or a Galil folding stock. I have pictures in the gallery section on how I attached a Galil folder to my WASR and S-12, but it would have been a hell of a lot easier and lighter to have just cut the mounting knuckle on the stock and welded it to one of Tony's plates. The ACE pistol grip is a top notch copy. We had a member who's name escapes me that did a build on a Bulgarian milled receiver that was one of the better copies that I've seen. If anyone remembers, post his name and maybe we can find the old post. I think his uncle-member name, LEO, helped him with the build

 

Good luck and enjoy the project, absolute wort part to find is going to be that left thumb safety, but if you do

then let us in on the scoop.

Edited by 6500rpm
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