kaxxxboom 0 Posted July 19, 2007 Report Share Posted July 19, 2007 A gunsmith told me he would do the whole conversion, G2 trigger system, tri rail lower handguard, pistol grip, m4 stock for ak, and bullet guide for 200 bucks. I frowned since i just got the gun for 200 and paid for all the parts on the net that was almost another 200 bucks. Well the only thing i know i cant do my self cause i don't know jack about drilling is the trigger sysytem moving forward and the bullet guide i can propably do myself and i can put the pistol grip on im sure it's just a screw and the same with the handguard, and butstock. Whats a fair price to put in the G2 trigger and move the trigger system forward so i can put the rest together myself. Is he ripping me off? it seems like if i had a drill i'd be done in an hour or 2.... Would 70.00 be fair since they charge a 35.00 bench fee and he convinced me to do alll this stuff to my gun and go on this forum and buy the parts when i could of got one already setup like this for that price of about 600.00 and never need a bullet guide or file mag clips. All i think i need him to do is the trigger work and bullet guide. How much do you say? I'm regretting this so much because i took my rifle apart and am getting my parts tomorrow i just am not doing the trigger work.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
devildog1122 0 Posted July 19, 2007 Report Share Posted July 19, 2007 (edited) I was in the same boat as you when I started to play with Saiga rifles. I have simple tools, such as, drill, drill bits. screw drivers...my point is there is no greater satisfaction and feeling of accomplishment than doing it yourself. A penny saved is a penny earned.....The key point is doing research and see how things work before doing conversion. My Saigas Edited July 19, 2007 by devildog1122 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pogy 5 Posted July 19, 2007 Report Share Posted July 19, 2007 I agree 100% with devildog. Even if you don't own the tools, buy them for the $200 you would spend on gunsmithing. I had the same feelings as you but gave it a shot anyway. I'm glad I did. The rifle came out great and I did it myself with a hand drill, a cheap Dremel tool and a file or two. Go for it!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
quinci956 1 Posted July 19, 2007 Report Share Posted July 19, 2007 A gunsmith told me he would do the whole conversion, G2 trigger system, tri rail lower handguard, pistol grip, m4 stock for ak, and bullet guide for 200 bucks. I frowned since i just got the gun for 200 and paid for all the parts on the net that was almost another 200 bucks. Well the only thing i know i cant do my self cause i don't know jack about drilling is the trigger sysytem moving forward and the bullet guide i can propably do myself and i can put the pistol grip on im sure it's just a screw and the same with the handguard, and butstock. Whats a fair price to put in the G2 trigger and move the trigger system forward so i can put the rest together myself. Is he ripping me off? it seems like if i had a drill i'd be done in an hour or 2.... Would 70.00 be fair since they charge a 35.00 bench fee and he convinced me to do alll this stuff to my gun and go on this forum and buy the parts when i could of got one already setup like this for that price of about 600.00 and never need a bullet guide or file mag clips. All i think i need him to do is the trigger work and bullet guide. How much do you say? I'm regretting this so much because i took my rifle apart and am getting my parts tomorrow i just am not doing the trigger work.... IT'S NOT THAT HARD!!! First go here: http://www.cross-conn.com/Saiga_Conversion/ Second: print each step so you can refer to it without going back to your computer. Third: Read it carefully and complete one step at a time. When you get to the last part of step seven, you will see those ugly Chicago screws used to fill the original trigger holes and they also hold the pin retainer spring. Forget that part. The make the gun ugly and the spring sucks. Go here: http://www.tapco.com/catalog.aspx?id=304 and get the screw build set for $9.99. The screws look like rivets and there are four of them that come with nuts so you don't have to thread anything. Go here http://www.tapco.com/catalog.aspx?id=242 and get the retaining plate for $11.99 . This replaces the retaining spring makes it easier to disassemble. If you used an AK47 pistol grip nut you will find that it is larger that the AK74/AKM nut. The spring and Chicago screws have trouble fitting in over the larger nut. If you are not confident with the bullet guide, see if you gunsmith will do that. I recomend getting with Dinzag and seeing what he has. I did it the hard way with a Bulgarian guide and lots of filing and dremel work and I did it. Until then I had never seen the inside of an AK. I know it looks a bit overwelming when you first look through the tutorials and try to take in everything at once. If you just take it step by step and have a little confidence, you can do this yourself with minimal tools and skills. If you get stuck there are several people here to talk yopu out of a jam. There is nothing like that feeling of accomplishment when you hit the firing range the first time with your conversion that you thought was too complicated and impossible to do on your own and seeing it function flawlessly. By doing it yourself you will also learn how your AK functions and get an idea of how all the parts work together. This helps you diagnose any problems that may occur in the future. Who knows, in the future we may even see "Kaxxboom" offering advice to newbies that are worried about their own conversions. Have fun and just DO IT. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kaxxxboom 0 Posted July 19, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2007 I'm the type of person who likes to watch the first time and then I know exactly what to do everytime. I'll take your advice and buy the drill im just scared of drilling too far or making a mistake i will regret. The guide looks good but a video would be better I really need to see it in action my rifle is all apart and I really want to put it together..... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cobra 76 two 2,677 Posted July 19, 2007 Report Share Posted July 19, 2007 A gunsmith told me he would do the whole conversion, G2 trigger system, tri rail lower handguard, pistol grip, m4 stock for ak, and bullet guide for 200 bucks. I frowned since i just got the gun for 200 and paid for all the parts on the net that was almost another 200 bucks. Well the only thing i know i cant do my self cause i don't know jack about drilling is the trigger sysytem moving forward and the bullet guide i can propably do myself and i can put the pistol grip on im sure it's just a screw and the same with the handguard, and butstock. Whats a fair price to put in the G2 trigger and move the trigger system forward so i can put the rest together myself. Is he ripping me off? it seems like if i had a drill i'd be done in an hour or 2.... Would 70.00 be fair since they charge a 35.00 bench fee and he convinced me to do alll this stuff to my gun and go on this forum and buy the parts when i could of got one already setup like this for that price of about 600.00 and never need a bullet guide or file mag clips. All i think i need him to do is the trigger work and bullet guide. How much do you say? I'm regretting this so much because i took my rifle apart and am getting my parts tomorrow i just am not doing the trigger work.... First let me say that the guy is UNDERCHARGING you to do all that work for that little. He knows what he's doing and is not "afraid" of screwing up. He has experience drilling holes and doing the required work it takes to do the conversion. He's also taking the risk of something going wrong with your gun and getting stuck having to replace it. He is not trying to "rip you off". I hate it when I hear someone who wants to take on a project they know nothing about, but are just sure they could do it themselves, yet are afraid to take the plunge and actually do it. So they get a quote on the job and try to jew the professional down claiming "it will only take him a couple hours". A gunsmith has to do a lot of things before he can call himself a gunsmith and take on that kind of work. He is well justified in charging whatever he wants to charge for his services. You get the peace of mind of knowing you are guaranteed a fully functional rifle when he's done and all you have to do is sit around and wait. If you are lucky he will let you watch. Then next time if you think you can handle doing what he did without doubting your own actions along the way then do it. Or just do what many of us have done and take the plunge yourself. There are many tutorials on this site that explain every detail. I wrote one myself and went overboard to make sure I covered things that the popular tutorial by the sheik left out. Just please do us experienced craftsmen a favor and don't second guess our motives or try and accuse us of ripping someone off because we want to get payed fairly for our excellent work that we do "without fear" and guarantee satisfaction on. If you brought that gun to me and sat here and watched me perform all the necessary work it would take to use those accessories I would charge more than he's asking. Like $250 for the basic conversion plus parts, plus extras like a bullet guide installation and lower HG retainer it would take to use that tri rail you are talking about. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gunguy51 0 Posted July 19, 2007 Report Share Posted July 19, 2007 (edited) thanks cobra i'm the guy that him that $200.00 was a good price and he said that that was to much. Edited July 19, 2007 by gunguy51 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
vjor 2 Posted July 19, 2007 Report Share Posted July 19, 2007 Naa, I think 200.00 bucks is a fair price for the work done, that no including new finish on the gun, plus been a .223 that is a pain in the butt with the mags, not like 7.62x38 or .308 that mags are made for it. Well bro you have few choices, do it your self, pay the pro or sale the gun and get one all ready made. Dont get pist, but you kind of made the first mistake, taking the gun apart if you dont know what you doing in the first place, but what can one say learn your lessons the hard way. Any way is not that hard to do stuff with and Saiga, some good advice is that read and search anything you can about the gun and how tings work on it before you go hawking on it, or you can end with some guacamole sauce instead of a working rifle. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kaxxxboom 0 Posted July 20, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2007 (edited) thanks cobra i'm the guy that him that $200.00 was a good price and he said that that was to much. Hey if this is Ron I'm sorry my girlfriend and I don't now what a fair price is but i left the gun up there for you and paid you the money i like your work and brought the bullet guide, tri rail, and tomorrow morning you will have the pistol grip, m4 stock an G2 trigger system.. Thanks for doing this for us this was more for my girlfriend and i just wanted to check with her first and she said to pay you the money i tried and failed i would like to see some of the work if you don't mind. Maybe I can learn something so i can do a project like this in the future. I'm sorry for thinking that was too much I'm just a customer and you said you were hooking us up since my girl got the gun from your shop. Thanks and I can't wait to see the final result and add a front side rail and some optics. I'd even like to try paiting the gun in a camo when im all done. I don't know anything about gunsmithing and prices, just guns and there prices. Atleast this will be a gun that is customly built for my girlfriend and I... The one thing you didnt tell me is i needed a hg retainer for my tri rail I hope this doesnt mean i cant get it on myn gun now Edited July 20, 2007 by kaxxxboom Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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