Saiga .308 Conversion to Pistol Grip Configuration

[turkmcl 0]

I recently purchased a May 2006 production Saiga .308 and converted it to a pistol grip configuration. The postings on this forum were of great benefit, but many were not specific to a .308 conversation. Since this forum reads like one of the Dead Sea Scrolls , I thought I would share this experience with others who are considering such a project. It is not my intent to duplicate the good work done by others or to make this an all inclusive "how to". Just the differences I encountered.

 

First my observations about the Saiga firearms; typical Eastern Block materials, finish and workmanship. The vaunted Russian craftsmanship so often spoken of in revered tones here is significantlly over stated and over rated. Some minor adjustments of stoning, grinding and adjustment were needed to the bolt and receiver to bring it up to my standards. The front sight block is not installed straight like so many Romanians. The painted finish can be duplicated from an auto supply store for $4. . Not as well made as the Chinese, but somewhat better than the Romanian versions. All and all the .308 is unique and worth the effort. The recent availibility of 20 round magazines makes it particularly so.

 

Some things to be aware of and how I did them as you prepare to undertake this type of project.

 

1) All cut outs for the FCG and pistol grip nut are already made under the cover plate.

 

2) The trigger guard is held in place by one rivet and one spot weld. I could not drill the spot weld through using a new DeWalt cobalt drill bit. I drilled through the soft metal and then used a heavy duty Hyde scraper as a chisel to cut the remaining weld and separate the trigger guard from the cover plate. A forum member has reported using a large screwdrive to do the same job. The scraper is thinner and sharper.

 

3) The cover plate is held with two rivets and two spot welds. I removed the rivets as others have outlined. I ground the spot welds from the outside with a Dremel tool and then used the Hyde scraper as a chisel beginning at the rear for the final separation.

 

4) The disconnector spring for the Saiga is larger and longer than a standard AK disconnector spring. I was able to modify it and reuse with some effort but suggest you have an "issue" spring on hand when you reassemble.

 

5) The wire spring FCG retention device on this model can be reused without modification ( although a pain in the a** ) and it is not necessary to purchase an aftermarket retention device. Nice as they are, not necessary.

 

6) Duplicolor Low Gloss black engine enamel is a near perfect match for touch up of the paint finish and the bottom of the receiver. Best if air dryed for several hours and cured in an oven for about an hour at 250 F, but works pretty good with just an air dry.

 

7) Inexpensive black button head screws are good for the trigger guard bolts. Place a bit of Shoe Goop , JB Weld or Loctite in the threads to keep them snug.

 

8) The two rivets holes that show can be filed flush or the holes filled by JB Weld and finished off before repainting the bottom of the receiver.

 

9) Check the safety after reassembly to ensure it is working properly. The .308 safety/selector is shorter than most AK safetys. Add weld metal to bottom of the extension or replace the complete safety with a standard one and fit if necessary.

 

The finished gun in a KISS form that is a great shooter and it was a great afternoon project. I did not vent the handguards. Although they look good, I like the feel of the smooth hgs. It is a project that someone with some basic tools and skills can easily undertake in a short time without having to pay a "smith" to do this work. Of course there are lots of other additions and modifications to suit one's taste or budget.

[747mech 1]

Well said. The only things I could add are that the grip nut hole isn't always there, the g2 trigger requires some mod, don't forget to order a grip nut and bolt, and since we're not afraid of taking a dremel to our reciever, cleaning up the bolt cut-out makes drop-in a lot easier.

[lazlong 0]

1) All cut outs for the FCG and pistol grip nut are already made under the cover plate.

 

Not on my Saiga they weren't. I had to cut out for the PG nut.

 

I was able to use DeWalt pilot-point drill bits, at low speed, with a little lube, to cut all the spot welds.

 

It took me about an hour and a half to do the conversion, including cutting the G2 hammer to clear the cross-brace.

 

I really like the look of your stock. That's a very nice looking rifle.

[LaSouthpaw 0]

Thanks for the info. I am still waiting to convert mine.

What stock did you use and is it a folder?

[Cobra 76 two 2,677]

Nice looking conversion.

 

That's an Ace non folding stock with external adapter block. The external block allows mounting of the stock more in lne with the barrel than the internal block.

More tips:

You can use a carbide cutter in the dremel to grind thru the spot weld on the TG from to and bottom til you get a pin hole, then drill it out for your fastener. Once the hole is drilled it's easy to pop it off with a cold chisel. You also have to rebend the TG if you reuse it and want it to look right.

If you happen to have any other leftover Saiga parts laying around, you can scavenge the disco spring from the factory FCG and the other selectors will also work with the G-2. They have a little tab on them that is not on the .308 model.

 

+1 on the bolt cutout, that thing's tight as hell. I thought I had the wrong bolt at first.

[unclebill 0]

Nice looking conversion.

 

That's an Ace non folding stock with external adapter block. The external block allows mounting of the stock more in lne with the barrel than the internal block.

More tips:

You can use a carbide cutter in the dremel to grind thru the spot weld on the TG from to and bottom til you get a pin hole, then drill it out for your fastener. Once the hole is drilled it's easy to pop it off with a cold chisel. You also have to rebend the TG if you reuse it and want it to look right.

If you happen to have any other leftover Saiga parts laying around, you can scavenge the disco spring from the factory FCG and the other selectors will also work with the G-2. They have a little tab on them that is not on the .308 model.

 

+1 on the bolt cutout, that thing's tight as hell. I thought I had the wrong bolt at first.

maybe im just stupid but i have been looking for instructions on how to modify my .308 for an hour and a half .

i have 20rnd.fbmc mags already

[fossten 1]

maybe im just stupid but i have been looking for instructions on how to modify my .308 for an hour and a half .

i have 20rnd.fbmc mags already

 

Here ya go.

 

http://www.cross-conn.com/Saiga_Conversion/Step_1.htm

 

I would also like to add my experiences, although I'm not done yet.

 

1. I absolutely had to use the carbide dremel bit to cut the hole for not only the spot welds and the rivets, but also for the trigger guard hole by the PG nut hole. I also had to enlarge the PG nut hole. That steel is so tough my titanium drill bit barely made a dent in it. I decided that I couldn't drill the hole under the mag release, so I ground the paint off the TG and the surface directly under the mag release and used JB Weld, which works great.

2. The bolt is still hanging up on the way back forward so I think I have to grind down the hammer hump a little more. This repeated assembly/test/disassembly is taking much time. I'm already 5+ hours into this project easily.

3. Bending that trigger guard is much more difficult than the instructions to simply "bend it."

4. No matter how careful you are, you will probably scratch your receiver at least once while using either the dremel or the drill, so go buy some paint. After I get the whole thing fitted right I'm going to disassemble it one more time and paint it.

5. I busted up two ink pens, with 2 different diameter springs. Put the smaller one inside the bigger one, cut them to length, and put them inside the disconnector. Seems to work ok for now.

6. The safety will have to be JB welded for length.

[unclebill 0]

maybe im just stupid but i have been looking for instructions on how to modify my .308 for an hour and a half .

i have 20rnd.fbmc mags already

 

Here ya go.

 

http://www.cross-conn.com/Saiga_Conversion/Step_1.htm

 

I would also like to add my experiences, although I'm not done yet.

 

1. I absolutely had to use the carbide dremel bit to cut the hole for not only the spot welds and the rivets, but also for the trigger guard hole by the PG nut hole. I also had to enlarge the PG nut hole. That steel is so tough my titanium drill bit barely made a dent in it. I decided that I couldn't drill the hole under the mag release, so I ground the paint off the TG and the surface directly under the mag release and used JB Weld, which works great.

2. The bolt is still hanging up on the way back forward so I think I have to grind down the hammer hump a little more. This repeated assembly/test/disassembly is taking much time. I'm already 5+ hours into this project easily.

3. Bending that trigger guard is much more difficult than the instructions to simply "bend it."

4. No matter how careful you are, you will probably scratch your receiver at least once while using either the dremel or the drill, so go buy some paint. After I get the whole thing fitted right I'm going to disassemble it one more time and paint it.

5. I busted up two ink pens, with 2 different diameter springs. Put the smaller one inside the bigger one, cut them to length, and put them inside the disconnector. Seems to work ok for now.

6. The safety will have to be JB welded for length.

well i am making SOME progress.

but i have no safety

no bolt hold open.

and two spings that i dont know what to do with

i wish there were photos of what needs to be done!

thank you for your time!

9 hours in and im not done!

i dont know where the g-2 hammer is supposed to be ground and i dont want to ruin it.

[fossten 1]

maybe im just stupid but i have been looking for instructions on how to modify my .308 for an hour and a half .

i have 20rnd.fbmc mags already

 

Here ya go.

 

http://www.cross-conn.com/Saiga_Conversion/Step_1.htm

 

I would also like to add my experiences, although I'm not done yet.

 

1. I absolutely had to use the carbide dremel bit to cut the hole for not only the spot welds and the rivets, but also for the trigger guard hole by the PG nut hole. I also had to enlarge the PG nut hole. That steel is so tough my titanium drill bit barely made a dent in it. I decided that I couldn't drill the hole under the mag release, so I ground the paint off the TG and the surface directly under the mag release and used JB Weld, which works great.

2. The bolt is still hanging up on the way back forward so I think I have to grind down the hammer hump a little more. This repeated assembly/test/disassembly is taking much time. I'm already 5+ hours into this project easily.

3. Bending that trigger guard is much more difficult than the instructions to simply "bend it."

4. No matter how careful you are, you will probably scratch your receiver at least once while using either the dremel or the drill, so go buy some paint. After I get the whole thing fitted right I'm going to disassemble it one more time and paint it.

5. I busted up two ink pens, with 2 different diameter springs. Put the smaller one inside the bigger one, cut them to length, and put them inside the disconnector. Seems to work ok for now.

6. The safety will have to be JB welded for length.

well i am making SOME progress.

but i have no safety

no bolt hold open.

and two spings that i dont know what to do with

i wish there were photos of what needs to be done!

thank you for your time!

9 hours in and im not done!

i dont know where the g-2 hammer is supposed to be ground and i dont want to ruin it.

 

You won't ruin the hammer as long as you don't grind the part where the trigger hook engages, and there's no reason to grind that, although I did polish mine so the trigger pull is smoother. You need to grind the hammer down in maybe two places. First thing is line up both hammers and see where they are different. You'll immediately see the hump right over the tube where the hammer mounts. That hump will hit the crossbar prematurely, so you need to grind it down until it allows the hammer to strike the firing pin. I ground about half the surface off the hump.

 

Next thing is the abrupt angle of the top of the hammer, sort of shaped like a whale's head. If you lay it down as though it's cocked, you'll see that the whale's head will be hit by the bolt after recoil on its way forward from the back of the receiver. The angle is much steeper than the old bolt; almost 90 degrees. The bolt may hang up on that and not close. I had to grind the angle down a little shallower and now it's fine. Work the action several times and make sure it slides smoothly and remember that the bolt will be oiled when you fire it.

 

I didn't replace the bolt hold open. I'm going to grind my safety later on for that, which should be an easy mod. I used some JB Weld on the safety prong to lengthen it so it can reach the trigger and it works fine now.

 

If you get the retaining plate you won't need the shepherd's hook spring.

 

I'm actually done, all I need is to paint the receiver and wait for my buffer tube to get here and I'll post pics.

Edited August 12, 2007 by fossten

[unclebill 0]

maybe im just stupid but i have been looking for instructions on how to modify my .308 for an hour and a half .

i have 20rnd.fbmc mags already

 

Here ya go.

 

http://www.cross-conn.com/Saiga_Conversion/Step_1.htm

 

I would also like to add my experiences, although I'm not done yet.

 

1. I absolutely had to use the carbide dremel bit to cut the hole for not only the spot welds and the rivets, but also for the trigger guard hole by the PG nut hole. I also had to enlarge the PG nut hole. That steel is so tough my titanium drill bit barely made a dent in it. I decided that I couldn't drill the hole under the mag release, so I ground the paint off the TG and the surface directly under the mag release and used JB Weld, which works great.

2. The bolt is still hanging up on the way back forward so I think I have to grind down the hammer hump a little more. This repeated assembly/test/disassembly is taking much time. I'm already 5+ hours into this project easily.

3. Bending that trigger guard is much more difficult than the instructions to simply "bend it."

4. No matter how careful you are, you will probably scratch your receiver at least once while using either the dremel or the drill, so go buy some paint. After I get the whole thing fitted right I'm going to disassemble it one more time and paint it.

5. I busted up two ink pens, with 2 different diameter springs. Put the smaller one inside the bigger one, cut them to length, and put them inside the disconnector. Seems to work ok for now.

6. The safety will have to be JB welded for length.

well i am making SOME progress.

but i have no safety

no bolt hold open.

and two spings that i dont know what to do with

i wish there were photos of what needs to be done!

thank you for your time!

9 hours in and im not done!

i dont know where the g-2 hammer is supposed to be ground and i dont want to ruin it.

 

You won't ruin the hammer as long as you don't grind the part where the trigger hook engages, and there's no reason to grind that, although I did polish mine so the trigger pull is smoother. You need to grind the hammer down in maybe two places. First thing is line up both hammers and see where they are different. You'll immediately see the hump right over the tube where the hammer mounts. That hump will hit the crossbar prematurely, so you need to grind it down until it allows the hammer to strike the firing pin. I ground about half the surface off the hump.

 

Next thing is the abrupt angle of the top of the hammer, sort of shaped like a whale's head. If you lay it down as though it's cocked, you'll see that the whale's head will be hit by the bolt after recoil on its way forward from the back of the receiver. The angle is much steeper than the old bolt; almost 90 degrees. The bolt may hang up on that and not close. I had to grind the angle down a little shallower and now it's fine. Work the action several times and make sure it slides smoothly and remember that the bolt will be oiled when you fire it.

 

I didn't replace the bolt hold open. I'm going to grind my safety later on for that, which should be an easy mod. I used some JB Weld on the safety prong to lengthen it so it can reach the trigger and it works fine now.

 

If you get the retaining plate you won't need the shepherd's hook spring.

 

I'm actually done, all I need is to paint the receiver and wait for my buffer tube to get here and I'll post pics.

apparently i am the only guy on the planet that has had this much trouble.do you reuse the pins that you punch out to change trigger, hammer etc.?

[fossten 1]

apparently i am the only guy on the planet that has had this much trouble.do you reuse the pins that you punch out to change trigger, hammer etc.?

 

Yes I did.

[reoiv 1]

apparently i am the only guy on the planet that has had this much trouble.do you reuse the pins that you punch out to change trigger, hammer etc.?

 

Yes I did.

 

My .308 was easier than the S12 but it required more tweaking to get it right.

 

I had to open up the trigger hole area to get my double hook G2 in.

 

I had to grind the hump down on the hammer.

 

The nice thing is the pistol grip hole was already there.

 

I didn't have to screw down the front part of the trigger guard (learned this from Shaneman I think).

 

Slip it under the mag catch and then tighten it down under your pistol grip.

 

I doesn't move at all even after many trips to the range.

Edited August 13, 2007 by reoiv

[fossten 1]

Another thing that takes some time, but isn't part of the conversion per se: Material needs to be added to the safety to make it longer, so if you don't have access to pieces of metal to cut, you have to use JB Weld, which means putting on a drop and then waiting overnight for it to cure. Try to put on too much and it just runs down the side. Rinse, repeat three or more times. So a conversion can take several days for actual completion even though the trigger guard/trigger group is the big issue.

[unclebill 0]

Another thing that takes some time, but isn't part of the conversion per se: Material needs to be added to the safety to make it longer, so if you don't have access to pieces of metal to cut, you have to use JB Weld, which means putting on a drop and then waiting overnight for it to cure. Try to put on too much and it just runs down the side. Rinse, repeat three or more times. So a conversion can take several days for actual completion even though the trigger guard/trigger group is the big issue.

how do you hold the hammer in position while looking to see if the pin is lined up correctly while holding a punch while tapping the punch with a hammer? did every one else have somebody to either tap the pin in or hold the hammer in place?

 

i am not trying to make this hard but i see no way for one pair of hands to do this.

 

if i ever get this thing together i am NEVER taking it apart as long as i live.

i feel like all 3 stooges rolled into one..

Edited August 13, 2007 by unclebill

[fossten 1]

how do you hold the hammer in position while looking to see if the pin is lined up correctly while holding a punch while tapping the punch with a hammer? did every one else have somebody to either tap the pin in or hold the hammer in place?

 

i am not trying to make this hard but i see no way for one pair of hands to do this.

 

if i ever get this thing together i am NEVER taking it apart as long as i live.

i feel like all 3 stooges rolled into one..

You should not need a hammer and a punch to INSERT the pin, only to remove it. If you can't push the pin in with your finger, there is something else wrong. As far as removing the pin, see below:

 

buckandaquarterquarterstaff posted this on a very recent thread:

Take a needlenose [pliers] and pull one of the ends of the hammer spring around the hammer and set it on top of the hammer, then pull the other side up as well and cross it over the other end of the spring. It will usually stay together in that manner, and you then don't have any tension on the hammer when you're trying to install or remove it.

 

I tried this and it makes hammer installation/removal EASY. I can assemble/disassemble in about 30 seconds now, and I only needed my hands to do it. When the hammer has no tension on it, it is easy to line up the pin and it will stay in place on its own while you tap it.

Edited August 14, 2007 by fossten

[fossten 1]

dp

Edited August 14, 2007 by fossten

[reoiv 1]

Another thing that takes some time, but isn't part of the conversion per se: Material needs to be added to the safety to make it longer, so if you don't have access to pieces of metal to cut, you have to use JB Weld, which means putting on a drop and then waiting overnight for it to cure. Try to put on too much and it just runs down the side. Rinse, repeat three or more times. So a conversion can take several days for actual completion even though the trigger guard/trigger group is the big issue.

 

I'm glad I picked up a black jack safety lever.

 

Works like a charm and makes it easy to hold the bolt open and switch from safe to fire while only having to move my finger not my entire grip.

[unclebill 0]

Another thing that takes some time, but isn't part of the conversion per se: Material needs to be added to the safety to make it longer, so if you don't have access to pieces of metal to cut, you have to use JB Weld, which means putting on a drop and then waiting overnight for it to cure. Try to put on too much and it just runs down the side. Rinse, repeat three or more times. So a conversion can take several days for actual completion even though the trigger guard/trigger group is the big issue.

 

I'm glad I picked up a black jack safety lever.

 

Works like a charm and makes it easy to hold the bolt open and switch from safe to fire while only having to move my finger not my entire grip.

thanks for the tips!

does anyone have a photo of a ground hammer?

[fossten 1]

thanks for the tips!

does anyone have a photo of a ground hammer?

 

You have better than a photo, you have a finished stock hammer to compare it to. What I did was put my cleaning rod through both hammers side by side so I could have them lined up and see the difference. I ground down the hump until it had just about a couple of millimeters left above the tube. Then I added a shallower angle to the whale's head to prevent the bolt from hanging up. I went slowly, grinding a little at a time and refitting, trial and error until I got the fit I wanted. Install the hammer after you grind a little and pull the trigger to see how it's doing. Then grind some more. Rinse, repeat. The bonus is that you get really good at disassembly.

 

Good luck unclebill! Hey, what kind of stock/grip are you putting on?

[unclebill 0]

thanks for the tips!

does anyone have a photo of a ground hammer?

 

You have better than a photo, you have a finished stock hammer to compare it to. What I did was put my cleaning rod through both hammers side by side so I could have them lined up and see the difference. I ground down the hump until it had just about a couple of millimeters left above the tube. Then I added a shallower angle to the whale's head to prevent the bolt from hanging up. I went slowly, grinding a little at a time and refitting, trial and error until I got the fit I wanted. Install the hammer after you grind a little and pull the trigger to see how it's doing. Then grind some more. Rinse, repeat. The bonus is that you get really good at disassembly.

 

Good luck unclebill! Hey, what kind of stock/grip are you putting on?

 

a SAW p-grip and a T-6 stock

[unclebill 0]

thanks for the tips!

does anyone have a photo of a ground hammer?

 

You have better than a photo, you have a finished stock hammer to compare it to. What I did was put my cleaning rod through both hammers side by side so I could have them lined up and see the difference. I ground down the hump until it had just about a couple of millimeters left above the tube. Then I added a shallower angle to the whale's head to prevent the bolt from hanging up. I went slowly, grinding a little at a time and refitting, trial and error until I got the fit I wanted. Install the hammer after you grind a little and pull the trigger to see how it's doing. Then grind some more. Rinse, repeat. The bonus is that you get really good at disassembly.

 

Good luck unclebill! Hey, what kind of stock/grip are you putting on?

 

a SAW p-grip and a T-6 stock

since i am uncertain what you mean by the hump i am making it look as much as possible as the stock trigger

[fossten 1]

since i am uncertain what you mean by the hump i am making it look as much as possible as the stock trigger

The hump is the part of the hammer that hits the crossbar in the receiver when you pull the trigger, thus preventing the hammer from falling all the way forward. If you lay the hammer flat on a table, it is the part that rises up above the tube where the pin inserts into the hammer. It must be ground down so that the hump does not strike the crossbar.

 

Do NOT grind the G2 hammer to the exact specs of the stock hammer. You may ruin it and it will not catch the disconnector when you fire the weapon. Only grind down the hump (enough to allow the hammer to fall forward) and the whale's head (slightly and if necessary).

[reoiv 1]

since i am uncertain what you mean by the hump i am making it look as much as possible as the stock trigger

The hump is the part of the hammer that hits the crossbar in the receiver when you pull the trigger, thus preventing the hammer from falling all the way forward. If you lay the hammer flat on a table, it is the part that rises up above the tube where the pin inserts into the hammer. It must be ground down so that the hump does not strike the crossbar.

 

Do NOT grind the G2 hammer to the exact specs of the stock hammer. You may ruin it and it will not catch the disconnector when you fire the weapon. Only grind down the hump (enough to allow the hammer to fall forward) and the whale's head (slightly and if necessary).

 

That is what I did the first time and totally ruined my first hammer. It caused the gun to double tap or sometimes just blast away over and over in a very dangerous almost full auto fire which is not what you want when trying out a .308 at the range.

 

Got a new hammer and ground the hump down flat and that was about it.

 

Don't make it look exactly like the original hammer and test it by cycling it before taking to the range.

 

Holding the trigger down and pulling the bolt carrier back. The hammer should be caught and not come free even with the trigger depressed.

 

If you let the trigger go the hammer still shouldn't move. It should be caught under the trigger hooks.

 

If it does anything other than that you have the chance for double taps or serious problems.

[fossten 1]

That is what I did the first time and totally ruined my first hammer. It caused the gun to double tap or sometimes just blast away over and over in a very dangerous almost full auto fire which is not what you want when trying out a .308 at the range.

 

Got a new hammer and ground the hump down flat and that was about it.

 

Don't make it look exactly like the original hammer and test it by cycling it before taking to the range.

 

Holding the trigger down and pulling the bolt carrier back. The hammer should be caught and not come free even with the trigger depressed.

 

If you let the trigger go the hammer still shouldn't move. It should be caught under the trigger hooks.

 

If it does anything other than that you have the chance for double taps or serious problems.

 

That's what I did correctly, thanks to your cautionary warning early on. I didn't touch the wings at all, just ground down the hump and slightly the whale's head. I tested the hammer by pulling the trigger and then, with the trigger held down, pushed the hammer back down and watched the disconnector engage it. Then I released the trigger and watched the trigger hook catch the wing. Bonus - now I understand how the trigger group works.

[reoiv 1]

Thank god I had an extra hammer laying around after learning it the hard way.

 

We should get someone to toss a sticky up there of a correctly modded G2 hammer.

[unclebill 0]

Thank god I had an extra hammer laying around after learning it the hard way.

 

We should get someone to toss a sticky up there of a correctly modded G2 hammer.

yes! that is a GREAT idea!!!!!

[unclebill 0]

a long time coming but thanks to you guys i waded through it!

[unclebill 0]

[simon_sw 0]

Attempted the conversion last night. Got most of it done, just waiting for the G2 and new trigger guard to come in as well as some other compliance parts.

 

Took me over 3 hours to remove the stock componets. Here's a break down of what went on in those 3 hours.

 

1) First drill out the shoulder to the trigger axis pins. (35 minutes) Constantly checking to avoid drilling into receiver.

 

2) Punching out pins. (45 minutes). Took me longer to do this than drilling out the shoulder, because being the smart guy I thought I was, I didn't remove the shepherd's hook and other spring off the pins. Soon as I figured that out the pins went out like they were greased with butter.

 

3) Drilling out spot welds for trigger guard (25 minutes) Took my time as I was trying to save the trigger guard, front rivet didn't cooperate so I ended up having to get the Dremel and used the cutting wheel to cut the rest of the trigger guard.

 

4) Spot weld for the trigger plate was a no go (~1.5 hour). Ended up having to scape off and grind some of the plate still stuck to the receiver. Rivets came out easy though after drilling them out. Spent a lot of time fighting with that spot weld. Tried drilling it out, but need to get better quality drill bits. The ones I used were Ti Nitride coated steel, not the good stuff. Ended up using a dremel to knock most of the plate off and then used a grinding bit to get the weld spots off.

 

5) To my suprise, I did have the pistol grip hole already cut out in the receiver!

 

6)Grabbed a nice tall boy (Coors of course!) out of the fridge and went to the front porch to smoke a cigarette and say to myself "good job!"

 

Glad I took a little extra time as I didn't want to rush my first conversion. Went to midway online and bought the tapco g2 single hook and the retaining plate to get rid of that annoying shepherd's hook. Just waiting on a few parts from K-Var and I should be good to go. I also must make this comment, get yourself some good quality drill bits. It'll save you a lot of time!

 

Quick question for those of you that converted your 308s and used the G2 single hook. For the other spring, not the shepherd's hook, but the other one that goes on the pins, did you re-use the stock one? I was planning to use the stock hammer spring and a wolff disconnector spring.

 

And for the dremel bit to grind the hammer down, did you use a sanding drum or the emory wheel ones? Thanks. This forum has been a huge help in the process of converting the saiga.

[simon_sw 0]

Looks good Bill!!

 

I'm converting a 21" bbl one as well. I thought maybe I could look for a RPK stock and try to make it look like a RPK since it already has a long barrel on it.