Vented my Saiga Handguard Myself...

[10FE 0]

Well after finding out the Saiga x39 I bought a few years ago is actually a really popular rifle and being bitten by the conversion bug... I really wanted to vent the handguard like so many others have done. I got a few quotes to have other people do it for me, but I'm a DIYer and decided to give it a shot. I wanted to trim it to show the gas block but wanted to follow the lines it already has... so here are some pictures of what I decided on. The entire process took just under 5 1/2 hours from drawing the first pencil lines to re-mounting it. I used tools I already have... a pencil, caliper to measure, dremel with cutoff wheel, utility knife to do some shaving, a drill with two different sized bits, a flat file and a round file, and some 150 and 220 grit sandpaper. As you can see it's far from perfect, but I like the lines and can always clean the vents up later. I'm ordering all of the stuff for a conversion right now so hopefully it'll all be done soon! Thanks to all the other handguard venters on here for inspiring me and letting me steal some ideas/methods!

 

Drawing it

 

 

Starting the Dremeling

 

 

First side rough cut done

 

 

Other side rough cut and on gun to preview

 

 

Sanded and smoothed out and on the gun

 

 

Planning the vents

 

 

 

Small holes

 

 

Bigger holes

 

 

Final product after filing... still a little ugly but it'll do for now

 

 

And finally re-installed after cleanup

 

 

Blurry because no flash so I could show that the vents do line up fairly well

 

 

Next is the conversion! Going with Dinzag bullet guide, G2 single hook FCG modified by Dinzag, Tapco SAW pg and T6 stock (not the best I know, but it'll do for coyote hunting), T6 recoil pad, retainer plate and reusing stock trigger guard. Also have a 5th gen Leapers/UTG side mount on order to mount a short 4-12 (or so) scope. Oh yeah, I have a picatinny rail with foregrip ordered too... will probably mount a bipod for stable long shots on coyotes on the rail too.

 

If anyone has any other suggestions for products/hints to make my conversion easier let me know! Thanks for looking!

 

-10FE

Edited December 15, 2008 by 10FE

[Vultite 57]

hey, a lot of the pics don't load?

[10FE 0]

weird... they were all working until now... i think google is having problems today, hopefully they come back up... i don't want to have to re-host and link them. just try hitting refresh a few times, it seems to be up and down.

 

Here's the link to the online album they're in if you want to try that in case these ones don't show back up:

10FE's Gun Pics

Edited December 14, 2008 by 10FE

[gtnichols 51]

Hey nice work, I like the way that front looks now!

[usmc_mwroseberry 0]

Looks very good. A lot like mine with some vents

 

Good job,

Merritt

[Prodge 0]

Great job! Looks real nice.

 

I am waiting on my conversion parts too...your conversion parts list is pretty much word for word what I am planning... Tapco T6 + pad, Tapco Saw pg, retainer plate, using stock trigger guard. Hope to have all the parts tomorrow

[TR Young 175]

Hey, I think that looks pretty good for a bubba job. You did good!

[Vultite 57]

very nice work

[10FE 0]

Thanks for the comments, i borrowed ideas from a few different people so I appreciate everyone posting their custom venting.

 

I changed all the links to photobucket... hopefully they work better and they don't take them down for some reason.

[ishium 80439 0]

GRR! You so took my idea! I'm am in the planning stages of what I'm going to do w/ mine and what you did w/ that HG is almost identical to what I was thinking, I even started drawing the pencils lines and they almost mirror what you did.

 

Seriously though I think it looks good and gives me faith that it will look sharp when I'm done with it.

[whitetrashrn 74]

Great job!! Thanks.. This is how we all get ideas.

[twinhairdryers 2]

Great job!! Thanks.. This is how we all get ideas.

 

Now that this "upgrade" is up, which looks good. Is this purely for looks, or purpose? I was wondering about how well the plastic front end would hold up to heat. I had an AK that had a Tapco plastic front handgaurd kit on it, which melted after about 2 mag dumps in Florida heat. I had a Kel-Tec PLR front end melt down after about 3 mag dumps. I am now wondering about this platform and how many mags you can shoot at say a 1 hz rate and how well the front plastic gaurd holds up.

 

I went with aluminum on my AKs. Don't like the smell of the burning caustic wood finishes on the imports, nor melting plastic in my hands. problem solved on those.

 

is this a tacticool mod, or is it needed, or a bit of both??

[Havoc308 3]

Should keep the handguards from melting to the gas block. That is a problem I had w/my .223 until I replaced it with my own copy of the Dinzag hand guard retainer and a tapco fusion hand guard.

[10FE 0]

Great job!! Thanks.. This is how we all get ideas.

 

Now that this "upgrade" is up, which looks good. Is this purely for looks, or purpose? I was wondering about how well the plastic front end would hold up to heat. I had an AK that had a Tapco plastic front handgaurd kit on it, which melted after about 2 mag dumps in Florida heat. I had a Kel-Tec PLR front end melt down after about 3 mag dumps. I am now wondering about this platform and how many mags you can shoot at say a 1 hz rate and how well the front plastic gaurd holds up.

 

I went with aluminum on my AKs. Don't like the smell of the burning caustic wood finishes on the imports, nor melting plastic in my hands. problem solved on those.

 

is this a tacticool mod, or is it needed, or a bit of both??

 

Personally I did it mainly to streamline the look of the rifle without spending a bunch of money on a new handguard, but it will also help cool the barrel and gas block quite a bit. I'm not a big mag-dumper (lots of money) and ust use it for predator hunting and normal target shooting... so the cooling isn't a HUGE deal, but it's a welcomed side effect from the hack job.

Edited December 17, 2008 by 10FE

[ishium 80439 0]

I may be naive about this but I usually find OEM stuff to be adequate for the intended use. It seems to me that by adding vents it could only help any potential heating problems.

[BullShark012 1]

I may be naive about this but I usually find OEM stuff to be adequate for the intended use. It seems to me that by adding vents it could only help any potential heating problems.

 

 

It definately helps cool the barrel, just basic heat transfer sense - greater convection = more heat transfer away from the source. Here is what I did to both my .223 & x39:

Saiga forum topic 28053 - venting

 

BS

 

edit: Nice work 10FE, looks good! Here is a pic of my 'hand job' on the x39:

 

Edited December 18, 2008 by BullShark012

[bkbville 0]

Nice looking vents!

 

How do you get the edges where you cut/drill smoothed out?

[10FE 0]

Nice looking vents!

 

How do you get the edges where you cut/drill smoothed out?

 

thanks, to smooth is out i used: a utility knife, 150 and 250 grit sandpaper, and a small file. the sandpaper worked the best at getting it really smooth, but you have to have it pretty close to the shape you want first. it wasn't hard at all, just took some time!

[twinhairdryers 2]

I may be naive about this but I usually find OEM stuff to be adequate for the intended use. It seems to me that by adding vents it could only help any potential heating problems.

 

ishium - it sort of depends on what you consider intended use. I have had some AKs that had real tight fitting wooden hand guards. I live in Florida where it is usually 90 degrees wherever i'm shooting outside or indoors. After about a 3 quick fire 30 round mags you can start the varnish from the "OEM" bulgarian wood smoking. I added some of the plastic - non OEM aftermark plastics to AKs and had them melted down to a point of goo.

 

I'll admit that a Kel-Tec PLR 223 pistol is mostly a toy for plinking, but I haven't seen the definition of its intended use. The OEM forearm that came with it melted to the point of goo and near fire blaze after three magazines of about a 2Hz rate of fire (not that fast).

 

I'm leary of many plastics after these two eposides. This upgrade of letting some air flow through the Saiga front end looks like it could save a lot of life on the front handguards.

 

If you shoot a lot, you eventually learn what is good plastic (like my ARs and Glocks) and what is good looking plastic that will not last after a lot of use.

[DanielB 0]

I may be naive about this but I usually find OEM stuff to be adequate for the intended use. It seems to me that by adding vents it could only help any potential heating problems.

 

ishium - it sort of depends on what you consider intended use. I have had some AKs that had real tight fitting wooden hand guards. I live in Florida where it is usually 90 degrees wherever i'm shooting outside or indoors. After about a 3 quick fire 30 round mags you can start the varnish from the "OEM" bulgarian wood smoking. I added some of the plastic - non OEM aftermark plastics to AKs and had them melted down to a point of goo.

 

I'll admit that a Kel-Tec PLR 223 pistol is mostly a toy for plinking, but I haven't seen the definition of its intended use. The OEM forearm that came with it melted to the point of goo and near fire blaze after three magazines of about a 2Hz rate of fire (not that fast).

 

I'm leary of many plastics after these two eposides. This upgrade of letting some air flow through the Saiga front end looks like it could save a lot of life on the front handguards.

 

If you shoot a lot, you eventually learn what is good plastic (like my ARs and Glocks) and what is good looking plastic that will not last after a lot of use.

10FE,thanks for the post of your forend.I took aspects of yours....OK,I copied it almost exactly.I just finished my conv. and I'm really happy with the look.I hope you don't mind and just take it as a compliment.I have a link under my thread in conversions"First conversion"Merry Christmas,Dan

http://gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=119213218

Edited December 24, 2008 by HunterDan