Bosshoff 0 Posted April 27, 2007 Report Share Posted April 27, 2007 (edited) Okay, so this is all a learning experience. I coverted a Saiga to pistol grip configuration. I got a FSE trigger kit, and a DPH gas piston, and kept the Saiga forearm cause I liked it. Well I also liked the bolt hold open lever, and I thought "How hard could it be to install?" Well, what a pain in the ass, and without a happy ending. DON'T DO THIS MOD! I figured out why I could not get things to fit. First off, my two Saiga pins were different. One was a hair lomnger than the other, and of course I had them reversed. (I won't even go into what a pain it was to get the bolt hold open spring into position, and on the pin.) But the front pin was not fitting. I then took out my caliper, and learned that the stock Saiga hammer is thinner on the axel length than the FSE one. So what does this dumb ass do? I get out my caliper, and file the FSE part to the same size as the stock Saiga part. Once I get it all back together, (again a total pain in the ass), I realize why I should have never done this in the first place. The stupid thing hangs down right in the line of a right handed shooter's finger travel area. Basically, the bolt hold open lever is now all over my trigger finger like a retard on a drum kit. I have marked the bolt hold open lever up with a Sharpie marker, and plan on trimming, and filing it down and round. I will also break all of the edges, and then see how much of a pain in the ass it is before I totally give up on this. My mental issue with just removing it altogether, is that now the hammer is not as snug side to side as it was before. I could just cut the bolt hold open end off of the lever, and use this part only as a "washer" to tighen things up to pre-kitchen table gunsmithing specs, but who wants to add extra parts? It probably does not matter that much that the hammer axel is smaller, but I know, and it bugs me. So I cannot recomend doing this! Don't you be like me. Edited April 27, 2007 by Bosshoff Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Chimera 0 Posted April 27, 2007 Report Share Posted April 27, 2007 Trim about eigth inch from the length. Trim at an angle from where it comes through the receiver to the middle of the bottom. Round corners. I like mine very much. There have been many installation ways discribed here involving floss and wire ties. I have my own way using a popcycle stick. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ArcFault 4 Posted April 27, 2007 Report Share Posted April 27, 2007 You really didn't do anything wrong, you just learned a few things the hard way. Search BHO or bolt hold open and you will find an easier way to reinstall it. Trim it down and you will be happy, I trimmed mine so far that when the carrier grabs it it gets sucked up into the receiver and dissapears completely. When it's not engaged it is completely unobtrusive. If you decide not to use it, just use a washer in its place. That way, if you change your mind down the road, you will still have the part to reinstall. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ArcFault 4 Posted April 27, 2007 Report Share Posted April 27, 2007 BTW, I'm not so sure that the axis pin length really matters. The ones on my .223 are the same, as far as I know, and I use them interchangably. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wlnt 2 Posted April 27, 2007 Report Share Posted April 27, 2007 Okay, so this is all a learning experience. I coverted a Saiga to pistol grip configuration. I got a FSE trigger kit, and a DPH gas piston, and kept the Saiga forearm cause I liked it. Well I also liked the bolt hold open lever, and I thought "How hard could it be to install?" Well, what a pain in the ass, and without a happy ending. DON'T DO THIS MOD! I figured out why I could not get things to fit. First off, my two Saiga pins were different. One was a hair lomnger than the other, and of course I had them reversed. (I won't even go into what a pain it was to get the bolt hold open spring into position, and on the pin.) But the front pin was not fitting. I then took out my caliper, and learned that the stock Saiga hammer is thinner on the axel length than the FSE one. So what does this dumb ass do? I get out my caliper, and file the FSE part to the same size as the stock Saiga part. Once I get it all back together, (again a total pain in the ass), I realize why I should have never done this in the first place. The stupid thing hangs down right in the line of a right handed shooter's finger travel area. Basically, the bolt hold open lever is now all over my trigger finger like a retard on a drum kit. I have marked the bolt hold open lever up with a Sharpie marker, and plan on trimming, and filing it down and round. I will also break all of the edges, and then see how much of a pain in the ass it is before I totally give up on this. My mental issue with just removing it altogether, is that now the hammer is not as snug side to side as it was before. I could just cut the bolt hold open end off of the lever, and use this part only as a "washer" to tighen things up to pre-kitchen table gunsmithing specs, but who wants to add extra parts? It probably does not matter that much that the hammer axel is smaller, but I know, and it bugs me. So I cannot recomend doing this! Don't you be like me. Don't feel too bad. I made such a mess when I tried to take some off of the hammer that one edge of the "retaining pin hole" is about 15 thousandth's higher than the opposite edge. It was so bad and so short that I got another new hammer from Tapco (and that wasn't cheap) and sent the new one out to be machined. I know the pain of doing all the work yourself except for the stinking BHO. I thought Russian guns were supposed to be easy to work on. I think the hammer spring is one of the most insidious parts I have ever encounterd in a firearm. But's that's just MHO. louielouie Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Chimera 0 Posted April 27, 2007 Report Share Posted April 27, 2007 I think the hammer spring is one of the most insidious parts I have ever encounterd in a firearm. But's that's just MHO. louielouie It's an evil little thing and it bites. When installed it has an evil influence over the hammer and causes it to bite too. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
uzitiger 193 Posted April 29, 2007 Report Share Posted April 29, 2007 If you're near the Cincinnati then contact me and I'll show you how to reinstall the BHO. The BHO spring installs on the hammer pin. It would be easier to show you how to do it than explain it. I had someone who builds AKs show me how to install the FCG in my converted Saiga. If you have Century's FCG then you'll need to remove some material off the disconnector so you won't get the painful trigger slap. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GMAW 0 Posted April 29, 2007 Report Share Posted April 29, 2007 I appologize for my noobishness with regards to the saiga, but is this BHO similar to the one on the AR-15? Does it hold the bolt open after the last shot, allowing you to pop in a fresh mag and at the press of a button send the bolt carier home? Because if this is infact the case, I'm buying a saiga in .308 next week If not, I'll likely still get one, but thats going to be one of the dealmakers for my next rifle purchase. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GMAW 0 Posted May 1, 2007 Report Share Posted May 1, 2007 No one can tell me? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
khudzik 0 Posted May 1, 2007 Report Share Posted May 1, 2007 No one can tell me? No, that's not the case. Saiga does not have the last round bolt hold open. There are magazines for it with followers designed to do that but other than that Saiga's bolt hold open is manual. It's great to have for when a rangemaster needs to inspect the chamber on the weapon. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bosshoff 0 Posted May 1, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 1, 2007 I rounded the BHO down, and after an hour or so, got the little BHO spring in place. Everything works great, but what a PITA. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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