Norinco Hunter VS Saiga 7.62x39

[JK-47 33]

I think I've already decided, but I wanted to get some more opinions. I can buy a Norinco Hunter (type 1) for about 350$ or a saiga w/ 20" bbl for about 255$. If I buy the Norinco it stays as it is, completely stock. If I buy the saiga it would retain the sporter stock, but be made compliant to accept Hi-caps. I would add a bullet guide (30$) FCG (27$ miniumum-60$ max) followers (20$) and floorplates (about 8$- I made them from 22 gauge steel) for a total of about 340$ or so. From a price standpoint they are very similar. The comparison breaks down like this:

The Norinco takes Hicaps, has a reciever cover mounted peep sight, has nice wood stock and is built on a milled reciever.

The Saiga, once converted will take Hicaps, has a regular AK sight, synthetic stock and stamped reciever.

The real issue for me is with the way the Saiga treats brass... It adds an additional step in the case mouth and then possibly a big dent when the bolt handle strikes it on it's way out. Also, the Saiga requires me to modify the magazines, that is somthing I am reluctant to do. The Norinco may have it's own problems as well, it probably will be in used condition, and the peep sight may wiggle if its not tight in place. Also the trigger may be too much of a reach for me, I'm not a very big guy (5'4''), I will have to research that.

I am leaning towards the Norinco, IMO it has more going for it. If I wanted a pistol grip I would go with the saiga, but I prefer the sporter stock. What do you think?

[ironhead7544 35]

Ive had both. Get the saiga. The Hunter model looks good but there wasnt any provision for a scope mount. There was one available for the holes drilled in the receiver but it came loose after 3 shots no matter what I did to prevent it. Also the accuracy sucked, about 7 inch groups at 100 yards with any ammo. This was with a good scope mount that I bought and had installed. If you want a collectors item then the Hunter is the way to go but if you want to shoot then get the Saiga. You will be a lot happier.

[Vermiform 26]

Also, the Saiga requires me to modify the magazines, that is somthing I am reluctant to do.

 

Instead of grinding down the mag catch on all the magazines, file down the mag catch on your rifle. My Saiga 7.62x39 takes any AK mag without any modification.

[okie shooter 0]

Instead of the ak hunter, there are the longer barreled maks, that might be another idea to look at. For scopes there was the b-square mount that replaced the pins to hold the mount but finding one might be hard. For the price though if you can find one of the maks with the twenty inch barrel you do get to keep the nice double hook fcg if you don;t want a conversion. I have seen them at shows here for under four hundred. I do live in a area that seems to have lower cost ak's though, with hunters less than two fifty for the last one I saw here in town.

[Pancho Villa 0]

I had two of the Hunters. They were nicely finished, with the nice blue and wood like my old prebans. I got them when the first SAR1s started to apear for sale. A guy sold me the pair to get a SAR1 and ammo. Got them both for 5 bills total. The double hook triggers on all the Norincos are nice. The only things I did not like about the Hunters was the posittion of the trigger and no scope mount. I had to turn my hand slightly to the right to reach the trigger. One was the peep sight gun and the other was not. Both took the hicaps. The barrels were a bit long but o.k. Accuracy on the two I had was average, in the 3-4 inch MOA at a hundred. About like the other AKs. The one thing I did like about the trigger was that the gun bump fired like hell because of the way the trigger was set up.

 

I got a Saiga X39 in a swap a couple of weeks ago. I had never tried one. They are not common down here in South Tex. The previous owner said it was unfired, yeah right! He said he got two of them in a swap for a malfunctioning AR15 and did not want to keep both. O.k. with me in a swap. I found the gun to be as accurate at the others I have tried. I liked the position of the trigger better, but it did not feel as smooth as the Hunters. I like the shorter sight radius and the scope mount. The plastic stock makes it more of a beater than the nice wood on the Morincos. I will probably do the conversion on it, but want to try a scope to really see what it can do. It makes a great truck gun like it is for out here on the rancho, much like the SKS. But the SKS is really neavy and mag is not easily detacable even when converted to hicap. The long mag also makes it hard to handle in a confined area. The ranchers around here took to the SKS cause they were cheap, accurate enough to dispatch wounded game animals for hunters with little meat loss when using FMJs and faster shooting. There is alot of trafficing of illegals and drugs through the desolate ranches here and a 30-30 was getting outdated for the task, especially with the number of illegals coming though these raches.

 

Alot of the rachers around here discoered the SKS and left behid the old 30-30s as a truck gun. They are short and easy to handle, just hard to reload and heavy. The Saiga is not common around here. I am sure there will be more of them around if word gets out on the performance.As far as I knw, I have the only one in town. Small town, but I live on a smallrancho anyway. I have to drive 20 miles closer to the border in a really desolate area to check our other ranch and this gun will problably go with me. The hicap, P-grip guns are still a bit meanacing to the locals and my relatives down there. and they bring too much attention at the Border Patrol checkpoints. Only the bad guys are suppose to have them.

[BlenderWizard 12]

I had two of the Hunters. They were nicely finished, with the nice blue and wood like my old prebans. I got them when the first SAR1s started to apear for sale. A guy sold me the pair to get a SAR1 and ammo. Got them both for 5 bills total. The double hook triggers on all the Norincos are nice. The only things I did not like about the Hunters was the posittion of the trigger and no scope mount. I had to turn my hand slightly to the right to reach the trigger. One was the peep sight gun and the other was not. Both took the hicaps. The barrels were a bit long but o.k. Accuracy on the two I had was average, in the 3-4 inch MOA at a hundred. About like the other AKs. The one thing I did like about the trigger was that the gun bump fired like hell because of the way the trigger was set up.

 

I got a Saiga X39 in a swap a couple of weeks ago. I had never tried one. They are not common down here in South Tex. The previous owner said it was unfired, yeah right! He said he got two of them in a swap for a malfunctioning AR15 and did not want to keep both. O.k. with me in a swap. I found the gun to be as accurate at the others I have tried. I liked the position of the trigger better, but it did not feel as smooth as the Hunters. I like the shorter sight radius and the scope mount. The plastic stock makes it more of a beater than the nice wood on the Morincos. I will probably do the conversion on it, but want to try a scope to really see what it can do. It makes a great truck gun like it is for out here on the rancho, much like the SKS. But the SKS is really neavy and mag is not easily detacable even when converted to hicap. The long mag also makes it hard to handle in a confined area. The ranchers around here took to the SKS cause they were cheap, accurate enough to dispatch wounded game animals for hunters with little meat loss when using FMJs and faster shooting. There is alot of trafficing of illegals and drugs through the desolate ranches here and a 30-30 was getting outdated for the task, especially with the number of illegals coming though these raches.

 

Alot of the rachers around here discoered the SKS and left behid the old 30-30s as a truck gun. They are short and easy to handle, just hard to reload and heavy. The Saiga is not common around here. I am sure there will be more of them around if word gets out on the performance.As far as I knw, I have the only one in town. Small town, but I live on a smallrancho anyway. I have to drive 20 miles closer to the border in a really desolate area to check our other ranch and this gun will problably go with me. The hicap, P-grip guns are still a bit meanacing to the locals and my relatives down there. and they bring too much attention at the Border Patrol checkpoints. Only the bad guys are suppose to have them.

 

SKS's are not at all hard to reload, if you use the intended stripper clips. I'd also try to get everyone you know using an SKS with one of those duckbill hicaps to quit using it, and use the factory mag instead.

[magnus392 0]

Get the Hunter and convert it to a Galil in 7.62x39

[Red Jacket 329]

Get the Hunter and convert it to a Galil in 7.62x39

I'd go with the Saiga , it's easy enough to do the Hi-cap , and you can always just leave a 10 rnd'r in it while it's up in the truck's gun rack .

[Pancho Villa 0]

Blend Wiz,

 

Most of the people here with SKSs don't know about the stripper clips. I gave up on the duckbill mags a long time ago. I switched my guns to the fixed mags with a 20 round cap. They are really hard to find now. They were all over the place at the shows back in the 80s. But so were the Chinese SKSs. 60 bucks for a refurb and 70 for a nice boxed one. All you could buy too.

[Skull 0]

SKS's are not at all hard to reload, if you use the intended stripper clips. I'd also try to get everyone you know using an SKS with one of those duckbill hicaps to quit using it, and use the factory mag instead.

Have you used one of the Tapco polymer 20-rounders? I'll never bother with stripper clips again.

[ernestmayhand 10]

+1 on the Tapco polymer 20 rounders. -infinity on any other SKS duckbill mags.

[nalioth 405]

[ernestmayhand 10]

old thread image

 

Hey this was at the top of the forum as if it had recently been discussed so I didn't even bother looking at the date. But I have no idea why it was at the top of the forum? Seems it could have only been there because of my recent reply but I'm telling you it was at the top of the list. Maybe somebody voted on the poll and it brought it to the top? Mods is that correct? That's all I can think of, I'll check dates in the future if that's the case.

[ItsAllCreated 59]

OMG I just voted on a 4yo Poll LOL!

[dobravery 49]

The second I saw the price on the Saiga I was like, "Old thread. . ."

[stnls1911 55]

Can any of the mods close this poll so it will not show up at the top of the threads? Thank you.

[talaananthes 3]

Hah . . . oops, I voted in the old poll too. :-(

 

But . . . I just bought a Saiga 7.62x39 for less than that after tax, and I could get another at the same price. Or a half dozen more probably. Just gotta know where to look.

[DrThunder88 912]

Speaking of old prices for Saigas, I'm still waiting for my order of a 7.62 Saiga that I placed in November. Since I've been waiting for so long, I stopped by another store. The price for a Saiga 7.62 was $440, which is over $100 more than what my original order is supposed to cost.

 

I did pick up a Norinco Hunter while I was there with the intent of converting it into something a bit more practical. So far I've got the receiver stripped and ready for drilling and cutting.

[kresk 10,063]

Topic/poll closed. Old.