The sickness continues

[oldandslow 3]

I was minding my own business, when my local drug.. er, gun dealer called up and said that he had two Saiga rifles for sale: a 7.62x39 and a .223. He said $225.

 

I decided to get the 7.62x39 and weld the receiver holes during the conversion. This is like doing a classic car restoration. Weld, file, sand, weld, file, sand, weld , file, sand.. two weeks goes by. Weld, file, sand.

 

Then my parts start trickling in. New gas tube, New hand guards (yep the have to be modified), new lower hand guard retainer (yep, it is damaged). New buttstock. (more modification.)

 

Paint the receiver with Brownells Teflon Black bake on. Cook in oven at 300 degrees. Paint shrinks around welded areas. More sanding and painting. Shrinks some more, more sanding and painting. Hey, the receiver is starting to look staight.

 

Luckily, I had a couple of pieces of 3/4 inch plate aluminum that I could make a front site block removing tool. Used my rotary saw to cut the aluminum into two pieces, clamped the two pieces together and drilled two holed through them and used bolts to bind them together. Then used a 9/16 drill to drill a hole between the two pieces. Used my Dremel to enlarge the hole to be just slightly larger than the barrel of my Saiga. (Used my Northern Tool gift card to purchase a 9/16 inch drill.)

 

With further luck, I noticed a Harbor Freight press standing out in the yard (this gives a lot of room to work). I got a bolt and noticed that a once fired .45 ACP brass would just fit on the 3/8 bolt and just fit on the end of the barrel. Viola, the FSB was off.

 

More dumb luck followed. Because I had cut the two pieces of aluminum "off center" I could take a file and modify my FSB removal tool to become a gas block removing tool. A little more Dremel work to make the barrel hole bigger (can you believe it, the barrel is stepped between the FSB and GB). Off came the GB.

 

Then an inspiration: If I punched the lower handguard locking lever from the lower handguard bracket, I could use it as a template to determine where to file the groove for the bracket. Of course the lower handguard had to be modified to fit the receiver and the barrel.

 

This saga will continue with the bullet guide and the installation of the muzzle brake, with barrel threading fun.

[rocinante 100]

Looks good and good idea on your front sight removal dohickey. I clobbered mine up with a hammer getting it off I didn't put it back on.

 

The MAA guy sent an email saying he is selling for 250 shipped. Tempted to get another. WHY? I haven't figured that part out yet.

[oldandslow 3]

Continuing...

 

The Duracoat paint I ordered from Brownells came in. Naturally I ordered Parker color instead of black. What the heck, Practice with Parker (I guess it's supposed to be "Parkerization" color).

 

I took out my trusty air brush and hooked it up to the compressor. The tiny air hose on the air brush blew off and deposited the spring that controls the trigger into the vast world. So off to Harbor Freight,

 

Bought a new air brush and, hey look a new mini paint gun (and only $9). I also bought a new compressor hose, as at the same moment the air brush hose blew off, the compressor hose burst.

 

Mixed the Parker paint and hardener, about 10 paint to 1 hardener, and put it in the air brush. Got a piece of wood and started practice painting to adjust the spray and see how it works. Yep, the air brush nozzle stopped up. I cleaned it, but couldn't make it spray any more paint.

 

Wait a second.. I bought that new mini paint gun, and even though every where I read about Duracoat, people are using an air brush; let's try the mini gun.

Finding a air hose connector in my collection, I attach it and pour the paint from the air brush in to the mini paint gun. Then I start squirting paint. Hay, (I know it's hey, but it's my story) this looks really good.

 

By the way, I ordered the Duracoat and hardener, not knowing that Duracoat (from Brownells at least) comes with the hardener. I also ordered the Duracoat thinner, but didn't use it.

Edited January 23, 2008 by oldandslow

[UnidenStew 1]

Did you use any phosphate primer before you painted? That stuff my peel off if you didn't, however, you appear to know exactly what your doing. Looks real good so far.

 

Oh, and the sickness, well.... it's not a sickness per say. I prefer to call it a mental disability instead.

 

Now that's sick. LOL.

Edited January 24, 2008 by MacMan

[oldandslow 3]

Almost finished. Haven't shot it yet, so it isn't finished. Bought my own 14MMx1 die to thread the barrel. Used a hack saw to trim the front sight base (to expose the barrel for threading). Finished the FSB with a sander. Drilled the FSB to add the spring and pin muzzle brake retainer.

[oldandslow 3]

Shot it today.

What great craftsmanship.

 

The front sight is canted so far to the left that I miss left by 6 inches from 15 yards. When I put the front sight back on, I didn't think to much about it, I just lined up the pin holes and drove the retaining pins back in.

 

Back to work.

 

Add: check front sight alignment to ISO 9000 document.

[oldandslow 3]

Received 4 Master Molder magazines (2, 30 round and 2, 47 round). Filed the mag catches .040.

I purposely didn't install a bullet guide. Using plastic magazines, I surmised that I could "plastic weld" the same "built in feed ramp" of the factory Saiga magazine. However, the Master Molder magazines actually have a "higher" front (measured from the bottom of the front mag catch) that the Saiga magazine.

 

My first test firing confirmed that I could use the new magazines without a bullet guide.

 

My fashion expert (my wife) thinks the 47 round magazine looks un-esthetically pleasing. I think it holds a lot of rounds. About $10 worth.

 

I can see that my third picture is too dark to see clearly, however the top magazine is the factory mag. The Master Molder mag is a .025 higher in the front.

Edited February 28, 2008 by oldandslow

[oldandslow 3]

The Master Molder 47 round magazine has experienced a last round jam. As previously noted, the front edge of the magazine is "higher" that the factory Saiga. Looking at the last round in the magazine, the point of the round is below the front edge.

 

It should be noted (notice the extraneous verbage, it's like I'm getting paid by the word) that the first 46 rounds perform flawlessly. Should I lower the front of the magazine and risk screwing up the first 46, or count my rounds and reload just before the last round?

 

The Mater Molder 30 round magazine does not have this problem.

[oldandslow 3]

Bump.

For new guys.

[CheepJerokee 0]

Bump.

For new guys.

Thanx old

[captzeno 5]

I know that this is unrelated but I seem to have a knowledge pool available here at the moment. Are all of the threaded fasteners in the Saigas (sans the stock screws) of a standard metric pattern?

[oldandslow 3]

I know that this is unrelated but I seem to have a knowledge pool available here at the moment. Are all of the threaded fasteners in the Saigas (sans the stock screws) of a standard metric pattern?

 

 

Yes. But off the top of my head, I can think of only two screws. The butt-stock sling swivel screw and the front hand guard screw.