t165 30 Posted January 26, 2009 Report Share Posted January 26, 2009 Before purchasing the Saiga 308 I was contemplating the VEPR. The availability of Hi-caps and the price of the Saiga 308 sold me. Still, I am curious as to how the 308 Saiga holds up over time. From what I understand the VEPR's have a thicker receiver and rumored to have a stronger trunnion. Does anyone have any first hand knowledge concerning the durability of this firearm? The design was basically built around the 7.62x39 and stories of AK's with 50,000 to 100,000 rounds being fired through them abound on the internet. But, the 308 is a totally different animal. I would love to hear from owners who have fired theirs for years and what if any issues have arose. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BKLYN_C 14 Posted January 28, 2009 Report Share Posted January 28, 2009 Before purchasing the Saiga 308 I was contemplating the VEPR. The availability of Hi-caps and the price of the Saiga 308 sold me. Still, I am curious as to how the 308 Saiga holds up over time. From what I understand the VEPR's have a thicker receiver and rumored to have a stronger trunnion. Does anyone have any first hand knowledge concerning the durability of this firearm? The design was basically built around the 7.62x39 and stories of AK's with 50,000 to 100,000 rounds being fired through them abound on the internet. But, the 308 is a totally different animal. I would love to hear from owners who have fired theirs for years and what if any issues have arose. About 3K rounds down the pipe. Not a single issue. The 308 havent been around for long enough to compare them with 7.62x39. Vepr is better in finish and assembly hands down. But saiga is cheaper and easier to come by. The bolt and lock were redesigned to accommodate higher power round, 3 lockings instead of 2. Mine is 22" and the barrel is too heavy which is not a problem but a feature. Other than that its the AK, the proven most reliable platform ever. Get one and you will enjoy it Quote Link to post Share on other sites
t165 30 Posted January 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2009 I've already made the leap! I purchased (2) 16.3 Saiga 308-1s in the last 3-4 months. I liked the first Saiga so much I went ahead and bought a second. I have other ak's (AKM's is probably more correct). (2) romanian wasr-10/63s and (2) yugo underfolders. Maybe my concerns are unfounded but the Saiga 308's do not appear to be as heavily constructed as the yugo ak's. Seeing as to how the Saiga's fire a much more powerful round I was trying to glean information how they held up as opposed to their 7.62x39 cousins. The romanians are not nearly as tight as the Saigas but the yugos seem to be constructed a bit heavier. I have one of my romanians traded for a new Saiga 7.62x39 but my local FFL cannot get one from the distributor right now so I cannot compare apples to apples. I thought the wood stocked 21' versions had been out for several years and was hoping owners would share any problems, or lack there of, they might have experienced. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mollysman420 19 Posted January 28, 2009 Report Share Posted January 28, 2009 Im converting my Vepr over to take Saiga mags! Cheeper high cappers Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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