saiga aow???

[madmax4x4 68]

I'm not saying it isn't POSSIBLE, but I think if a guy was able to do it, he wouldn't be asking about how to do it in a thread.

 

Also there's a legal grey area concerning the receiver.

 

Exactly

[bigcraig 0]

I agree Bob, it is possible, just a huge PIA and expensive. Hell, I have 7 titleII items, and I wouldn't try this.

 

The pay-off isn't worth it to me, as I feel the S12 NEEDS a buttstock. The only reason I bought the Serbu was I wanted an AOW for my NFA collection and the Serbu was cheap compared to other AOWs.

[DMGunn 1]

You could try machining a new trunnion.......I've recently read of several people that have fabbed them for 9mm AK conversions. These are simple blow-back guns that do not require the recesses for the bolt lugs, which are supposedly the hardest part of the process - but (again, supposedly) a complete trunnion can be made using only an end mill and a lathe. Perhaps some of the machinists here could correct me. The main concern, as I understand it, is the inability to do anything more than surface hardening on the part.

 

.........sure wish I could remember where they were discussing this.........

[ML Roak 0]

Now, if you want to demil the Saiga 12, I suspect that the demil process would be the same as a typical AK in that you can leave the trunion intact while torching the receiver in the specified locations. BUT... since the ATF has not classified the Saiga 12 'trunion' an actual trunion (at least per their letter to Wesley Drennan at Soupbowl Enterprises dated Nov 17, 1997), they might require a different method or locations to legally demil via torching.

 

In short, if you are 100% gung-ho on destroying a S12 and manufacturing a S12 virgin sheetmetal channel, you need to write the Tech Branch ask:

 

What is the appropriate method/cutting location to legally destroy a Saiga 12 receiver and have the remaining parts unrestricted for sale?

 

Don't be too surprised if the ATF requires a different method than an AK rifles, and requires you to torch cut from the magwell to the the barrel through the trunion - which would effectively destroy the part you need to 'easily' make an AOW.

 

Peace out.

The torch-cut method doesn't apply to your own personal stuff, it is a de-milling requirement for machineguns, it has nothing to do with legal semi-auto guns already in the states, you could press the barrel out of the trunnion/receiver, take off all the usable parts, and melt the trunnion into fish sinkers if you want to and be perfectly fine, the issue that needs clarified in my head is will the BAT boys consider the trunnion to be a "receiver" even after it is removed from the sheetmetal. Also, about the torch-cut thing, it ONLY applies to receivers (and now barrels if imported) it doesn't state anywhere that the gun has to be assembled when it is cut, most just do it that way because it is cheaper and faster to process that way(it would cost a lot to have somebody pressing barrels out of AKs all day).

It's all academic for me, I live in Iowa, be happy you can have AOWs.

[BobAsh 582]

There's a class 3 ffl/sot on the AK files that I know of that has stated the he can "re-machine" forign parts and stamp them to be U.S. manufactured legally due to his ffl/sot status.

This statement shocked me somewhat, so I've been thinking about it.

 

I believe what he's referring to is SBS conversion. When a class 3 SOT makes an SBS/SBR out of an imported gun, they engrave their company name on the receiver and that SOT "becomes" the legal manufacturer of the weapon. The gun is then considered "US made" and 922r no longer applies.

 

YOU CANNOT under any circumstances take an imported part, stamp "US" on it, and use it for a compliance part in an imported weapon.

[corbin 621]

I don't know about the trunnion, so I can't comment there. My (semi-educated) understanding though is that in order for an AOW to be built, the receiver cannot already be from an existing non-AOW. But if you "destroy" it to the point of it no longer legally being a receiver, you could build it into something new. Effectively making a "virgin" receiver. I knew a guy that did that 15 or 20 years ago with an AR lower in order to make an AR pistol. Granted, you can buy pistol AR lowers now, but not so much back then.

 

I THINK the same the same thing applies to an AOW receiver. It would be a lot of work (and expense), but I think an AOW Saiga could be made up this way. I could be totally wrong though. Tom/Vankiller or maybe Tony would be more an authority in this matter I think.

 

 

Corbin