ATF letter - No go

[Bvamp 604]

this same situation applies to SAR's and WASR's by the way.....even though you dont have to modify the mags....

[cvasqu03 21]

this same situation applies to SAR's and WASR's by the way.....even though you dont have to modify the mags....

does this mean that if you have one of those monstrosities with the single stack magazine, if you make sure it has enough US parts, you can widen the mag well to fit a double stack magazine?

 

Is there any specific documentation to this effect?

[Bossman 1]

If you are going to keep the original stock on the saiga then you do not have to worry about 1 part-the pistol grip,it doesnt exsist on the gun now and will not after the conversion,so you only need to exchange 4 parts to get the count to 10 or less rather than the traditional 5 as in a pistol grip saiga conversion.

The disconnector and hammer are the same in the saiga as they are in an AKM so get a tapco u.s. trigger set and use the hammer and disconnector,keep the trigger for your next AK project or keep it as a paper weight,use a U.S. made mag follower and floorplate in each mag and you have your 4 U.S. parts and have 10 or less foreign parts-voila legal hi-cap saiga with factory butt stock.The U.S. made pistons will work in the 7.62x39 saiga,they are a bit longer but work just fine,I have one in mine so if you want to go 1 part better for a total of 5 U.S. parts and 9 foreign parts replace the gas piston with a U.S. one.

[TWGLADF 0]

if this is the case then it would be illegal to use high caps in lets say.......an mak90 without exchanging u.s. parts.

[cvasqu03 21]

if this is the case then it would be illegal to use high caps in lets say.......an mak90 without exchanging u.s. parts.

No it wouldn't because a MAK90 was already imported before they stopped allowing such rifles in the country. A MAK90 couldn't be imported now without enough US made parts. The Saiga is being imported currently and you can't do anything to it that would make it un-importable under current standards.

[zipgun 0]

here is what AK mag would look like in a Saiga.

 

Edited February 14, 2005 by zipgun

[Wolverine 10,360]

Zipgun,

 

What US parts did you use in order to convert to the AK mag?

 

Wolverine

[k_dawg 0]

there are four parts that require no real permanent modifications if you just want the AK magazine:

 

US floorplate and follower [ floorplate wont work on some plastic mags ]

US Disconnector + Hammer.

[cvasqu03 21]

there are four parts that require no real permanent modifications if you just want the AK magazine:

 

US floorplate and follower [ floorplate wont work on some plastic mags ]

US Disconnector + Hammer.

Yeah, I've considered that, but for legal reasons I don't want to make the mod that requires me to modify my magazines (I have way too many of them to modify them all). Also, I wasn't sure until I heard it through this thread that the standard disconnector would be the same. For me, I can definitely use the hammer, gas piston, and I guess the disconnector, which leaves me needing one more part. I'll see what I can do about the trigger.

Edited February 14, 2005 by cvasqu03

[zipgun 0]

Zipgun,

 

What US parts did you use in order to convert to the AK mag?

 

Wolverine

 

That's not my gun so I am unsure of the exact parts used.

Edited February 14, 2005 by zipgun

[cvasqu03 21]

By the way, my Saiga will accept the standard AK mags, though they won't feed. I never made any alterations to it, it came like that from the factory. I've seen a few like this, but most require some filing. Does anyone know how common this is or why it's like this?

[zipgun 0]

By the way, my Saiga will accept the standard AK mags, though they won't feed. . Does anyone know how common this is or why it's like this?

Anomaly or serendipity. Take your pick

[cvasqu03 21]

By the way, my Saiga will accept the standard AK mags, though they won't feed.  .  Does anyone know how common this is or why it's like this?

Anomaly or serendipity. Take your pick

Being the positive type, I'll opt for serendipity. Funny thing is, this is the reason I bought the Saiga in the first place. I'd heard they took special mags but wasn't sure, so I took an AK mag with me to test it when I was going to buy it and lo and behold, it clicked in perfectly. I never even considered the feeding issue. By the time I realized I'd need special mags, I'd already fallen in love with the way the rifle looks, which is why I don't want to alter it.

[REDDOG 0]

I tried a 30 round steel AK mag, it went in, but did not click in, a little filing and it clicked in. Hand cycled a couple of rounds and it worked. This was after I put 5 rounds in the clip, I put the rest of the box of 20 in it and lit them off. All went good, until the last round got jammed. I guess this is why you need the ramp feed or a stronger spring to eject the bullet into the chamber.

Edited February 16, 2005 by REDDOG