An intro and some questions

[urotu 1]

Well hello there. This is a great forum you fellas have here, very informative.

 

I just wanted to introduce myself as I'm a noob, to both the forum and tp the Saiga rifles.

 

My name is Derek and I'm in the great southwest, just outside Albuquerque NM. I recently purchased a Saiga in 7.62x39, and it seems to be a good gun. Shoots nice, very straight, and less kick than my buddies Egyptian made AK. I really like the gun so far.

 

But, as I do some searching, both here and on the net, I see lot's of conversions, so my first question is this, what are the benefits of this conversion? Other than looks that is. Our local laws are pretty lax, I can use 30rd mags, and bigger if I understand them right (which may or may not be true).

 

I like the converted look, but I can get stocks with pistols grips and folders for the gun the way it is now. I'm debating the conversion at this point because of this, but I'd rather not get into moving the trigger and all just to get a certain look. It works fine now. Is there an added bonus to the conversion? Parts availablility better?

 

I think most of my other questions have been answered in other threads I've been browsing. Bigger magazines, etc....

 

If you all have any good advice or input at all, feel free to post it up in here. I'd appreaciate any info I can find.

 

Also, where do I find this 922 I keep hearing of so I can look into legality of the new folding stock I just scored?

 

help a brother out, and have a great day.

[AegisDei 2]

Well hello there. This is a great forum you fellas have here, very informative.

Welcome. It's a great place, but be careful--Saigas are more addictive than crack.

Our local laws are pretty lax, I can use 30rd mags, and bigger if I understand them right (which may or may not be true).

Yep, if you're 922r compliant you can use whatever magazines you want including 40, 50, 75, 100 round stick or drum magazines (subject to local laws, which in NM are lax indeed)

I like the converted look, but I can get stocks with pistols grips and folders for the gun the way it is now. I'm debating the conversion at this point because of this, but I'd rather not get into moving the trigger and all just to get a certain look. It works fine now. Is there an added bonus to the conversion? Parts availablility better?

The main thing about the conversion is that it helps reach 922r compliance. A 7.62 starts out with 14 foreign parts, you will want to double check which it is. So you have to replace at least 4 and watch your count if you add new parts. Using a US made FCG is 3 parts, a US made PG is one, US made stock is one, etc. I believe the common trigger drop-ins don't fit in an uncoverted rifle, so that's why people go ahead with the conversion.

Also, where do I find this 922 I keep hearing of so I can look into legality of the new folding stock I just scored?

922r is posted various places on the forum, but basically you have to be sure that no more than 10 parts are foreign-made if you change your gun in such a way that it doesn't fall in the "sporter" classification.

And changing various parts with US made parts can still change its classification as a sporter. So even if you have a US made folding stock, you'd have to ensure that 10 or fewer parts were foreign.

 

From Vjor:

On your Saiga

you have

1 Frames, receivers, receiver castings, forgings or stampings

2 Barrels

3 Mounting blocks (trunions) only 1 front

4 Bolts

5 Bolt carriers

6 Gas pistons

7 Triggers

8 Hammers

9 Disconnectors

10 Buttstocks

11 Forearms, handguards

12 Magazine Body

13 Magazine Follower

14 Magazine Floor plate

for a total of 14 parts, you may need to install.

 

 

Hope this helps some. If not, ask more questions and hopefully someone will clarify. I'm bad at explaining/teaching, but you'll pick it up quickly.

Edited February 11, 2007 by AegisDei

[jgillaspy 24]

Adding to what AegisDei said, you also get to lose the lousy trigger. The stock Saiga trigger uses a transfer bar to actuate the original trigger (sans the curved part for your finger). This makes for a lousy trigger pull. By using good parts and returning it to its designed configuration you get a really good trigger pull.

[scoutjoe 276]

Adding to what AegisDei said, you also get to lose the lousy trigger. The stock Saiga trigger uses a transfer bar to actuate the original trigger (sans the curved part for your finger). This makes for a lousy trigger pull. By using good parts and returning it to its designed configuration you get a really good trigger pull.

 

Biggest thing i noticed at the range today with my somewhat finished conversion...the G2 is such an improvment compared to the stock trigger pull

[urotu 1]

Thanks for the welcome guys, and for the info, these are some of the things I was looking to hear about. I'm not against converting, but as an auto mechanic, I'm also of the opinion "don't fix it if it ain't broken", haha.

 

I've been doing some 922r research online and there is a lot of info, but nothing real specific, so I guess I have some more to do. This stock may change it from a sporter, and that would not be good I suppose.

 

I'm not sure if anyone would know this, but what about existing guns and this 922r? I have a friend who owns a Maadi ARM, it's an Egyptian made AK. It;s a neat gun, but some of the reading I've been doing leans towards it not being a US compliant firearm. Does this mean he's in the same kind of situation I am, aside from needing to do any major mods for converting it that is? The parts should be a straight drop in for his gun, but I'm unsure if this is something he needs to do.

 

Anyway, thanks again for the info, now all I need to do is find myself a Saiga 12 guage, that might be the next on the list.

[scoutjoe 276]

Thanks for the welcome guys, and for the info, these are some of the things I was looking to hear about. I'm not against converting, but as an auto mechanic, I'm also of the opinion "don't fix it if it ain't broken", haha.

 

I've been doing some 922r research online and there is a lot of info, but nothing real specific, so I guess I have some more to do. This stock may change it from a sporter, and that would not be good I suppose.

 

I'm not sure if anyone would know this, but what about existing guns and this 922r? I have a friend who owns a Maadi ARM, it's an Egyptian made AK. It;s a neat gun, but some of the reading I've been doing leans towards it not being a US compliant firearm. Does this mean he's in the same kind of situation I am, aside from needing to do any major mods for converting it that is? The parts should be a straight drop in for his gun, but I'm unsure if this is something he needs to do.

 

Anyway, thanks again for the info, now all I need to do is find myself a Saiga 12 guage, that might be the next on the list.

 

Your Saiga falls into 922r, because it was imported after a certian date and the fact it wasn't imported as an "ak style" gun. Personally I don't think your friend has anything to worry about unless of course he built the Maddi (which i don't think he did, but i'm just assuming)

[AegisDei 2]

I've been doing some 922r research online and there is a lot of info, but nothing real specific, so I guess I have some more to do. This stock may change it from a sporter, and that would not be good I suppose.

Yea, the ATF likes to be vague because then it gets to call the shots. With squishy rules people have to be much more cautious. However, changing to a folding stock or a PG will VERY likely take you out of the "sporter" categorization.

[Bvamp 604]

a bit unrelated to your questions, but get a little graphite and squirt some on the transfer bar in the trigger group, or white lithium grease will work as well, but will require cleaning once in a while from powder and metal shavings sticking to it. it doesnt make the trigger pull SWEET or anything, but it slickens it up quite a bit.

 

welcome to our little corner of the internet, and beware the arguements. we can go full bore on each other here.

[urotu 1]

ScoutJoe, thanks, that's kind of what I thought, but I'm wasn't real sure, like AegisDei said, the descriptions were pretty vague. I've been trying to ge him down here to do some research so we can tell for sure when it was made and imported.

 

And from what I've seen, the stock and pistol grip will take me out of sporter, it's a Russian made stock specifically for the Saiga's. Oh well, we'll see what happens. Time to start looking at some US parts to get into the realm of legality if I decide to mount it up there.

 

So, from those of you that have done the conversions, it seems pretty straight forward, what were the biggest problems you all had? From what I've seen so far, here and other places, it looks to be a fairly easy job, and only a couple of hours of work with the proper parts and tools.

[Bvamp 604]

by the way, I used to shoot out at the glider airport to the east of albuquerque when I lived there for a little while. I doubt they let you shoot there any more, though.

[urotu 1]

a bit unrelated to your questions, but get a little graphite and squirt some on the transfer bar in the trigger group, or white lithium grease will work as well, but will require cleaning once in a while from powder and metal shavings sticking to it. it doesnt make the trigger pull SWEET or anything, but it slickens it up quite a bit.

 

welcome to our little corner of the internet, and beware the arguements. we can go full bore on each other here.

 

Although I'm new to the forum here, I'm not new to internet forum politics, haha. Full bore, haha, good pun there man.

 

Thanks for the info on the graphite, I'll try it over the weekend.

 

BTW, if you're talking about the glider port I'm thinking of, it's all city now. All the way to the mountain and all the way north to the TRamway exit, except for Sandia Indian Reservation land.

 

We mostly go out to the west side now, plus there are a couple of outdoor ranges. I actually live just south in Bosque Farms, pretty much Los Lunas. I's still fairly desolate out west anyway.