Issues I see with the home conversions

[regal 2]

#1 Using a plate to hold the pins in with no rivets on one end, or maybe even worse using aluminum paper binding posts ? There has to be a better way

 

#2 Getting the hole for the pistol grip in the right location to have a factory fit.

 

Anything else you don't have when TSHTF confidence in with your home conversion ? Am I wrong about this or is a home conversion more of a novelty gun?

Edited September 21, 2008 by Regal

[bkelm18 0]

#1 Using a plate to hold the pins in with no rivets on one end, or maybe even worse using aluminum paper binding posts ? There has to be a better way

 

#2 Getting the hole for the pistol grip in the right location to have a factory fit.

 

Anything else you don't have when TSHTF confidence in with your home conversion ? Am I wrong about this or is a home conversion more of a novelty gun?

 

1: There are Shepherds crooks, e-clips, hitch pins, retainer plates, etc. There are numerous options to holding those pins in place.

 

2: The vast majority of Saigas that I have seen and read about already have all the holes pre cut, so all you have to do is remove the cover plate and you're good to go.

 

I have the utmost confidence in my weapon.

Edited September 21, 2008 by bkelm18

[Blackjack_21 0]

Aside from only have a 10-round magazine to deal with threats, I'm confident that my 'novelty gun' will go BANG when I pull the trigger. These guns aren't mechanically complicated like an AR, so you don't need a full machine shop to repair/modify them. That's how Mikhail Timofeyivich Kalashnikov designed the gun, and the same basic design has worked for over 60 years. As for your two points:

 

1. If you're referring to the binding posts in the Cross-conn conversion, they're there for 2 reasons. First, the wire he used takes the place of the Shepherd's Crook to hold the pins in place. Second, they fill the holes in the receiver that were drilled for the rear-mounted trigger. You can leave them un-covered, but it looks a little stupid that way.

 

2. When he wrote his guide, not all the Saiga's coming from Russia had the hole pre-cut. Someone on the assembly line must've figured out that since the military rifles and the civilian models are going to use the same receiver, that it was easier to cut the hole on all of them. Saves time, since you don't have 2 separate receivers to keep track of. Anything that saves an assembly line worker time is usually seen as a good thing by the supervisors, managers, etc. In this case, you're not sacrificing quality for the sake of more production, however. And with the plate covering the hole on the unconverted Saiga, who is going to notice, aside from someone that wants to convert their rifle?

 

If you did go by the Cross-Conn guide, remember that it's a dated document. It's not the be-all and end-all of conversion documents, either, but it's the one that's easiest to find. I printed the .pdf for my conversion, but I did things a bit differently. I did my homework on these forums and bought my parts/tools from people who had been there/done that/got the t-shirt and who knew what they were doing. Even then, I screwed a couple of things up. My buttstock isn't flush with the back of the receiver and for a while my bolt kept getting stuck on the bullet guide screw-head, but I don't think I buggered it up so badly that it won't work when I take it to the range, or confront the guy that wants to steal my TV and my PS2.

[Polymerhead 0]

#1 Using a plate to hold the pins in with no rivets on one end, or maybe even worse using aluminum paper binding posts ? There has to be a better way

 

#2 Getting the hole for the pistol grip in the right location to have a factory fit.

 

Anything else you don't have when TSHTF confidence in with your home conversion ? Am I wrong about this or is a home conversion more of a novelty gun?

 

 

#1 - The factory AK hs hammer and trigger pins held in place only by a twisted piece of wire. You can use that same part to hold in the Saiga's pins, but I recommend the retainer plate. It's widely popular and trusted to hold up.

 

#2 - Like others have said, the holes are usualy pre-drilled. You're not really converting much, the only real mechanical addition to the gun is the bullet guide. Other than that, you're just removing extra non-military parts added to a military-style gun and replacing those parts with original-design military parts.

 

The Saiga is a higher-quality AK-47 than 90% of the guns out there, especially when converted by someone with at least minimal mechanical competency. Mine runs like a top.

[Vultite 57]

retaining plate works wonders if your not up for a clip; and unless your gun has dimples, you should have a PG hole in proper place when you pop off that plate, you should have some standard tools like punches, dremel, clamps and drill bits,also a drill press is a help. but for SHTF i had to use a mig welder and i also had to cut my own pg b/c i had a dimpled rifle so that took things like a metal scoring tool for measuring out my hold and extra dremel time

Edited September 22, 2008 by Vultite

[regal 2]

Thanks for all the info. The more I research these guns the more I am interested.

 

 

Anyone know if the Atlantic Firearms conversion has dimples? I know there is an issue with thier bullet ramp, but that should be easy to fix.

 

Their conversion is about $400 cheaper than any other I can find. AK-USA is asking $1000 for their lowest priced conversion.

[nalioth 405]

Why is everyone so hung up on aesthetics?

 

Dimples are aesthetic. They do not affect the function of the weapon at all.

 

 

 

As toward the "cheaper", one gets what one pays for.

 

For best results, do your own conversion.

[moxie1c 3]

The only issue I had with my home conversion is that I only had one rifle to do...

 

 

Gonna have to get another

[Lonz 1]

Waiting on parts is the hardest thing

[mollysman420 19]

Gun shows are great I try to buy on the cheep and plan ahead

[greatmoose 4]

Seriously, the conversions are really not that big of a deal. I've done 5 now, and I'm not the most handy guy in the world. Only really need a few tools: dremel, drill, hammer, screwdriver/punches, and maybe some pliers. Done.

[regal 2]

How important are mag dimples for preventing wobble with hi-cap mags?

[cellsworth 21]

How important are mag dimples for preventing wobble with hi-cap mags?

 

The Saigas without dimples have plates welded inside that serve the same purpose quite well.

[cellsworth 21]

#1 Using a plate to hold the pins in with no rivets on one end, or maybe even worse using aluminum paper binding posts ? There has to be a better way

 

#2 Getting the hole for the pistol grip in the right location to have a factory fit.

 

Anything else you don't have when TSHTF confidence in with your home conversion ? Am I wrong about this or is a home conversion more of a novelty gun?

 

 

The axis pins are supposed to be held in place with a retaining mechanism (plate, wire, clip) that allows fairly easy removal for maintenance purposes. They are not supposed to be riveted.

 

Most newer Saiga 7.62X39 rifles, except for those with dimpled receivers, have the PG hole pre-cut in the correct position.

 

A basic Saiga PG conversion does not entail anything that would adversely affect the functioning of the gun. A properly converted Saiga should run essentially 100%.

[nalioth 405]

How important are mag dimples for preventing wobble with hi-cap mags?

The mag well opening is what makes or breaks "mag wobble" (if you even know what that means [ it's a fancy catch phrase for folks, y'know? ]).

 

This is why the Century WASRs are so known for it ( the monkeys get in a hurry come lunch and COB and get sloppy with the grinder )

 

 

 

Dimples or plates are used for strengthening the receiver.