Planning my first conversion.....

[SanSacto 1]

I am planning my first conversion on a Saiga .308 16". I do not have much experience with metal work but I have been researching for months about the conversion process. After a lot of reading I have concluded that it is going to be difficult, but not impossible. I will be purchasing a bench drill press from HarborFreight and a Black & Decker RTX rotary tool to make things easier than using a hand drill and hand files.

 

I want to relocate the trigger group, bolting the trigger guard back in place. I want a traditional wood AK furniture set from Ironwood Designs, with the fixed stock and pistol grip. After the conversion is done I will finish the wood. I want to purchase a gas tube and bolt-on lower handguard retainer from Dinzag for the AK handguards. Then eventually I will remove the front sight block, have Dinzag decap and bore the front sight block so I can install it one pin back. Then I will thread the barrel, leaving me options for a muzzle brake.

 

What to you veterans think of a rookie's plan? Hardest step? Easiest step? Do you even think it can be done if I be careful and take my time? Or should I send it to a gunsmith?

[DTakas 2]

Edited June 10, 2008 by DTakas

[cellsworth 21]

I agree with DTakas. A .308 conversion is quite easy, even without advanced metalworking skills. Take your time doing it, and you should be fine. When using power tools, be very careful not to remove too much material; it's hard to put back. In my experience, there is no need for a drill press. I have one, but I never came close to having to use it in the course of my .308 Saiga conversion.

 

The barrel work you outline would be by far the hardest part. Personally, I don't think it would be worth the effort or expense; but, to each his own. I strongly recommend Dinzag's .308 PG conversion FCG. It is well worth the money.

[SanSacto 1]

I know that having no metal work under my belt this is a bit risky. Because of this don't you think that using a bench drill press would be better than using a hand drill? Is it easier to be more precise with a drill press than a hand drill for a beginner? I was mainly thinking this would be helpful when drilling through the spotweld on the trigger guard plate, where I have to be precise to cut the right hole in the trigger guard.

 

As far as the rotary tool compared to hand files, I am going to be mainly using the rotary tool to remove the pins on the trigger guard plate, which is discarded anyways. Would the rotary tool would make this step easier without running too much risk of damage?

 

I will look more into the barrel work, which includes relocating the FSB and threading the barrel, after I complete the basic conversion. This step looks out of my league, for at least now until I research and learn more. I just want to get the trigger group relocated and install a fixed stock and pistol grip. Then I will look more into my options regarding a muzzle brake.

[Havoc308 3]

Try a Uni-bit for drilling out your rivets and spot welds. I used one on my last conversion and it made it sooo much easier. Just grind/file a flat on each rivet, center punch them, and drill out using a Uni-bit. Since its got steps and is made for drilling sheet metal, they work like a champ. Center punch your spot welds as well prior to drilling. Go slow and use lube. Scary as it may sound, drilling those holes doesn't really require the precision of a drill press. Plus clamping a barreled receiver is kind of a bitch.

 

Without the aid of a press removing the FSB is a pain. Spray some liquid wrench on it, wait a day or two, Clamp the barrel in a vice with inserts so you don't mar the barrel up and knock it off with a dead blow hammer or mallet. I always hit it on the side first to rotate it on the barrel then just work it off by hand.

 

PS: Rotary tools are the bane of amateur gunsmithery IMHO. Use good files instead. Buy ammo or mags with the saved funds.

[SGT Saiga 1]

I am planning my first conversion on a Saiga .308 16". I do not have much experience with metal work but I have been researching for months about the conversion process. After a lot of reading I have concluded that it is going to be difficult, but not impossible. I will be purchasing a bench drill press from HarborFreight and a Black & Decker RTX rotary tool to make things easier than using a hand drill and hand files.

 

I want to relocate the trigger group, bolting the trigger guard back in place. I want a traditional wood AK furniture set from Ironwood Designs, with the fixed stock and pistol grip. After the conversion is done I will finish the wood. I want to purchase a gas tube and bolt-on lower handguard retainer from Dinzag for the AK handguards. Then eventually I will remove the front sight block, have Dinzag decap and bore the front sight block so I can install it one pin back. Then I will thread the barrel, leaving me options for a muzzle brake.

 

What to you veterans think of a rookie's plan? Hardest step? Easiest step? Do you even think it can be done if I be careful and take my time? Or should I send it to a gunsmith?

 

I started my Pistol Grip conversion on my saiga 308 today. I kind of gooned it at first. I was trying to remove the FCG pins without disconnecting the retainer spring! No big deal, as soon as I disconnected the retaining spring, everything was easy.

Havoc 308 is correct on saying that rotary tools are the bane of amateurs like me. I was using my drill press. All went well until I was struggling with the trigger guard aft rivet. I did file the rivet head flat, but i did not use a center punch to guide the drill bit. I ended up filing off the rivet head with a rat file until I was able to pry out the trigger guard using a screwdriver and a hammer. I drilled a little bit off the two spot welds on the trigger cover plate without drilling through the receiver, this made it easier for me to pry the plate out using a flathead screwdriver and a hammer. I then used a dremel to grind off the residual metal. I guess a flathead screwdriver and a hammer works best for us amateurs! Just keep in mind not to drill too much, just enought to drill past the rivet head or the spotweld to assist in mechanical removal.

Well, I'm still waiting for my Tromix FCG and AK Pistol Grip Assembly to get here. I was expecting them to show up today, that's why I started on this project.

[SanSacto 1]

Thanks, that's great advice. Instead of buying a bench drill press for $50-$100 and a rotary tool for $25-$50, I will use my roommate's hand drill and purchase some nice drill bits. The uni-bit looks like a great idea, but I was thinking about purchasing Dinzag's bits. What is the difference between Dinzag's "Carbide End Mills" and "Carbide Drill Mills"? Is it a good idea to use either of these two or a uni-bit or all of them? As far as centerpunching, how much force is supposed to be put into that punch? What kind of hammer should I use?

[engbob 0]

If you're gonna put your money into any tool, get you a Dremel. It'll become your BFF

[buckandaquarterquarterstaff 5]

The hardest part of the conversion will be drilling out the welds of the "cover" on the bottom of the receiver so you can expose the PG hole. On the S308 the PG hole is usually pre drilled into the receiver and you should not have to do this yourself. Once the receiver plate is removed then the rest is pretty straight forward.

 

As far as tools go, you can get it done with a hand drill, and not much else but a file is needed. Maybe a bench grinder to take the hump off the hammer, otherwise the S308 is a pretty easy PG conversion.