OneStarTx 0 Posted January 26, 2009 Report Share Posted January 26, 2009 Well, I have to say I owe it all to Nalioth ! All he did was offer help with a conversion once I got my compliance parts. Well, once I had all the parts, I started really looking at the guides out there, and decided it didnt look too difficult. Besides, if I screwed it all, or got stuck somewhere , Nalioth could fix it right I decided to post what little advice a total noob could give. So, heres one post putting together all of the resources I personally needed. I started with a new saiga 12. Ordered K-var Nato Length stock for stamped recievers from k-var http://www.k-var.com/shop/product.php?prod...=283&page=1 Ordered Tromix DIY Trigger Guard, and Tapco SAW Pistol Grip from Mississippi Auto Arms http://www.mississippiautoarms.com/index.p...products_id=233 http://www.mississippiautoarms.com/index.p...products_id=212 Ordered Texas AK Triggers FCG/Bulgarian Retainer and Spring (A trigger with the state of Texas on it ? You know its the best in the world) Ordering info can be found in this thread: http://forum.saiga-12.com/index.php?showtopic=33332 Locally at Lowes, I bought Blue Loc-Tite and the Hole Plugs from this thread http://forum.saiga-12.com/index.php?showtopic=3440 At a local Gunshow I bought a 12 piece set of very fine toothed (82 cut per inch) small Needle Files in different shapes. These were necessary for reshaping the reciever for double hook trigger, and also used some for reshaping the hammer. Also needed were Cordless drill and drill bits Dremel with barrel shaped grinding bits. Slot screwdriver 3/32" Punch Small hammer Hacksaw Flashlight (helpful for looking at details inside the reciever) Rustoleum Flat Black spray paint. Now, after waiting for everything, I used these resources: http://vimeo.com/2787027 the awesome video posted here http://www.stu-offroad.com/firearms/saiga/saiga-9.htm an awesome step by step Watched and read them both once or twice before beginning, then just took it step by step by step. The video is great for seeing stuff in real time. The photo one is great for really studying all the details of whats going on. I would read about a step, watch it in the video, then attempt to imitate it. Some of the things in there were a bit different than what I was trying to do. But for the most part, it was easy to see what was different in a certain step. Anything that isn't clear, do a search of saiga12 forums for more info. But it was mostly just a matter of following the steps very closely, one by one. Also useful (for shaping the Hammer in the FCG, and using the Bulgarian Retainer ) was this thread. http://forum.saiga-12.com/index.php?showto...mp;#entry310285 All of the technical stuff went pretty well for me, the only thing I would do differently is to perhaps try to protect the finish on the rifle a little better through the whole process. Came out with quite a few dings and marks left in the finish. But what the hell, its going to get that anyways. Started Saturday evening, finished Sunday. Took me about 7-8 hours. But I was really taking my time with it all. As of the writing of this, I think this was just about *everything* I needed to know. Hopefully it can help somebody, having all the resources to start and finish a conversion in one thread. If i forget anything, I'll add it, and if anything doesn't sound correct, it was a typo Thanks Nalioth for inspiring confidence And thanks everyone here for providing all the great info Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MD_Willington 11 Posted January 26, 2009 Report Share Posted January 26, 2009 It is fun isn't it. My son was 5 at the time and the both of us converted my .223 Saiga on the 4th of July. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mollysman420 19 Posted January 26, 2009 Report Share Posted January 26, 2009 Its an addiction isnt it !!! Nice work Quote Link to post Share on other sites
OneStarTx 0 Posted January 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2009 Yeah, now I wish I had a couple of kits laying around to build Problem is, now that I have the confidence to build a rifle from a kit, the kit prices are ridiculous ! Hopefully we have a few more years of gun (semi) freedom left in this country. I say, anyone wanting to convert a saiga to PG, DO IT! Its straight-forward, and a lot of fun. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TR Young 175 Posted January 26, 2009 Report Share Posted January 26, 2009 Looks really good! and yes, it is fun. I am thinking about picking up a .223 and a 7.62x to do a conversion on now, too. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nalioth 405 Posted January 27, 2009 Report Share Posted January 27, 2009 Yes, folks, it really is that easy. If you want to build a kit, I'd suggest finding a build party. This will save you several hundred dollars in jigs (or frustration at not having any) and other specialized equipment. Building a kit - while similar to a Saiga conversion - is a whole 'nother ball game. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kyhelo 5 Posted January 27, 2009 Report Share Posted January 27, 2009 Excellent post for first time converters. All the info laid out, start to finish for the S12. Sticky? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
OneStarTx 0 Posted January 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2009 (edited) Nalioth, I hear you on that. One of these days I hope I get a chance too try, before its one more freedom lost in my lifetime. What I really mean is, if I'd known it was so much damn fun to do, I'd have started building rifles when i first got into them, instead of buying the ones I've got . At the very least, I wish I had a big ol' pile of saigas to play with. kyhelo, I spent probably 30-40 hours reading old and new posts on this forum before I started. Even then I had a few questions about wether I was doing things right, following the right directions, wondering if I had ordered the right parts, or ordered enough parts etc. What I had actually wanted was just one post saying, do this, this and this, and you have everything you need. I sure havent added anything new here, just put it together in a way that would have helped me personally before I started. I think next time around, maybe 3-4 hours start to finish and I'm done. It really is easy! Edited January 28, 2009 by BigTexas Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WardenWolf 6 Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 I'd like to comment: I had some issues getting my trigger plate off at first, even after grinding the rivets and drilling them. Then I took an eyeglass screwdriver and tapped it between the trigger plate and receiver. That popped it off and allowed me to finish. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TR Young 175 Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 I'd like to comment: I had some issues getting my trigger plate off at first, even after grinding the rivets and drilling them. Then I took an eyeglass screwdriver and tapped it between the trigger plate and receiver. That popped it off and allowed me to finish. I bought a cheap drift punch set at Harbor Freight and was able to punch the rivets out after I ground them down with no trouble. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WardenWolf 6 Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 (edited) My rivets seemed different somehow. Even after grinding them flat, it was almost as if they were welded in place. If you didn't already know where they were, you could NOT distinguish them from the trigger plate. It looked like a solid piece. I tried punching them, and they wouldn't pop out. What I wound up doing was using a bit that was slightly smaller than their diameter to drill them beneath the depth of the trigger plate. With only a very thin shoulder holding them in place, I used a hammer to tap a small screwdriver in between the plate and the receiver which popped the plate off. By doing this, I also prevented damage to the receiver. I then had to repeat the process, and drill them down deeper than the receiver, before I was able to fully punch them out. I got it out, though. I used a pair of punches from my recently-deceased grandfather's toolbox for the job. Aside from the Dremel and my drill bits, the rest of my tools were laughably old. An ancient Black & Decker corded drill that belongs to my father (the kind with a screw chuck that requires a special tool), 2 Millers Falls 1/32 punches from who-knows-when, an old hammer, and a couple other miscellaneous things. Edited January 29, 2009 by Mike the Wolf Quote Link to post Share on other sites
OneStarTx 0 Posted February 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2009 Mike, in the video link above, i believe he used a screwdriver to ply off the old trigger plate. Thats how I did mine actually, but didn't need to drill those rivets out to get the plate off. After the plate was off, I drifted them out of the reciever with a punch. Its remarkable how few tools you actually need to get the job done ! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cliffevans 2 Posted February 2, 2009 Report Share Posted February 2, 2009 I have done four in the past two days... first used a drill, the rest used a grinder and a punch ... just grinded them off... and gavem some hard whacks with a Punch... and out they popped on all three guns .. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
elvis christ 451 Posted February 2, 2009 Report Share Posted February 2, 2009 (edited) Nalioth, I hear you on that. One of these days I hope I get a chance too try, before its one more freedom lost in my lifetime. What I really mean is, if I'd known it was so much damn fun to do, I'd have started building rifles when i first got into them, instead of buying the ones I've got . At the very least, I wish I had a big ol' pile of saigas to play with. kyhelo, I spent probably 30-40 hours reading old and new posts on this forum before I started. Even then I had a few questions about wether I was doing things right, following the right directions, wondering if I had ordered the right parts, or ordered enough parts etc. What I had actually wanted was just one post saying, do this, this and this, and you have everything you need. I sure havent added anything new here, just put it together in a way that would have helped me personally before I started. I think next time around, maybe 3-4 hours start to finish and I'm done. It really is easy! This forum is right up there with some car forums I've been on, as far as converting your saiga variant. Hell, we did a .308 in less than an hour, paint and all, with our experience from our s12 conversion, which came from this forum. Sometimes you just need to jump in elbow deep, and do your thing. If you have decent guidance, nothing you fuck up can't be fixed (eventually). I can't wait to post pics of my .308 build, y'all are going to laugh your ass off. It's totally clean, but the temporary furniture is questionable. Edited February 2, 2009 by elvis christ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Blackjack_21 0 Posted February 3, 2009 Report Share Posted February 3, 2009 I find myself wishing I'd bought the shotgun instead of the 7.62 rifle I bought, now. Next gun is either gonna be a .308 or an S12. I love this place. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jaguar37064 0 Posted March 12, 2009 Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 thanks big tex for the link showing the conversion video. that was cool. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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