I think I'm gonna dive in!

[Paul Mohr 0]

Well, after doing some research on the net on these guns, and the ammo I think I am going to get one. I used to have an sks, so I am pretty fimiliar with the catridge and what it is capable of. I also know the guns themselves have limitations, they are cheaply produced after all.

 

Any way I went and had another look at them at my local gun store and still seem pretty impressed with them for the money. I keep hearing everything about the triggers and was kind of worried about it. So I dry fired one in the shop. Normally this is frowned upon. Why I don't know, if a modern weapon can't handle some dry fires, I don't want it! The shop was pretty busy any way, so I doubt anyone heard me do it. The trigger was not as bad as I thought it would be. Sure I have felt waaay better, but it was not nearly as bad as I was expecting. Mainly just long, but not as rough or nasty as I was expecting. I have felt worse for sure, and considering what this is intended for, it's not bad. I,ve felt double action revolvers that were nasty. And personally I think my mossbergs trigger sucks.

 

I was really debating what caliber to get. I think I will stick with the original 7.62x39. I just can't beat the price of cheap ammo. Like 40 bucks for 500 rounds at cabela's (I live near one). Even the better brand name ammo is not that expensive, which I bet will yeild better accuracy. Like I said in another thread, the 223 seemed inticing, but for about the same price I could get one of the single shots and scope it and it would be more accurate most likely. And I found out the 308's cost more, along with the ammo. So, I ruled that out on that factor alone. I was thinking about a shot gun, but I already own one that does what I need.

 

I will probably get it sometime this week, maybe in the morning. I don't plan on tricking it out like some of you have done. I kind of like the way they look stock. I may put a pistol grip on eventually, but only because I might try a better trigger and from what I understand this is what I would have to do to use one of the better trigger assemblies on the market. We will see how it is stock first though. I may put a scope or red dot on it (most likely), I don't care much for open sites on anything I own.

 

I will let you know more when I get a few rounds thru one. I may get another sks too just for the heck of it. I found one at dunham's for 139 bucks. I love watching those cases shoot up in the air

 

Paul

[Paul Mohr 0]

Well, I got my new toy today. A 7.62x39 Saiga with the 20 inch barrel. I put about 10 rounds thru it this morning just to see if it would funtion. It is not very accurate at all. Might not be all the gun though. I don't care for open sights or shooting off hand. And this rifle is hard for me to hold, I want to put my hand where the clip is, not the fore arm. I am not a big fan of rifles that are clip fed for that reason. It is also hard to shoot them from a bench. Oh well, it looks cool any way.

 

And I don't mean it isn't as accurate as I was hoping it would be, I mean it is not accurate at all. I can shoot a handgun more accurately than this thing. I got like a 4 or 5 inch group at 25 yards! I used to shoot 2 inches easy with my 9 mm Hi Power when I had it. It shot about the same at 50 yards though, at least it didn't get worse. I didn't shoot it any farther than that. And I am using Silver Bear 124 grn ammo with it. Cheap stuff, but I expected better than that. My sks did better than that with norinco ammo, not much though come to think of it. The sights were way off for elevation, the windage is pretty much on at these distances. I had to move the rear sight to the #3 position to get it on target.

 

The gun is a blast to shoot at any rate. Not real loud, and virtually no recoil. The store also sells the scope mounts from EAA with the rings attached, They want like 40 bucks for them. I may get them this weekend or next week. Or maybe tell someone to get them for me for Christmas. I had to quit shooting it because it trashed my backstop (big log, not very high tech, but works). I ended up drilling a hole right thru the thing. It was on it's last leg anyway, all rotted, dried and shot to crap from my ML, shot gun, and .22. I am surprised it didn't just explode on the first shot with this gun. These things will leave one heck of hole in a damp yard though .

 

It shoots well enough that you could hit a person with it, which is what it was meant to do, I would shy away from a head shot though. Not that I intend on shooting any one with it. I am sure if I dink with it I can get it better any way. It may get better after I get a few boxes of ammo thru it. I have never had a gun that had to broken in for accuracy, but I can hope. What do I want for 200 bucks, right.

 

By the way I paid 199.99 for it at a local gun shop. It was $219 out the door with 40 rounds of ammo.

 

Hey, what is the little pin that came with it? At first I thought it was the firing pin, and I had to install it or something, but it's not. Don't tell me this is what they expect you to adjust the sights with. It didn't come with a tool to adjust the front sight with, should it have? I am not overly concerned since I knew I would put some sort of optics on it eventually any way.

 

I know it sort of sounds like I am bitching, but I'm not really. It is a pretty nifty toy for the price, and I have only shot one brand of ammo so far.

 

Paul

[000buck 0]

Did the gun ever get more accurate for you? That is really inaccurate!!

[Paul Mohr 0]

Yes, it seems to be a little better, actually quite a bit better than that first shooting experiance. If you read some of my other posts I talk more about it. I think most of it had to with me and the open sites. I have since put a scope on it and tried some different ammo, and want to try more to see what it likes.

 

When it shoots well, it does pretty good. Other times it's just not real great. Again this could be me. I used to shoot really well when I was younger, I'm finding I am not nearly as steady any more.

 

One day I will shoot it, it will group about 1 or 2 inches at 50 yards. The next day I shoot it, it has no consistancy at all. Most of my shooting has been with a bipod and kneeling of the ground. It is very hard to stay steady for any amount of time when pulling this trigger that seems like it has 80 lbs of pull! So it could be the gun, it could be me, it could be a little of both. In the scheme of things I really have not shot the gun all that much, less than 100 rounds. Maybe the gun needs a break in period, as do I. I have shot Silver bear FMJ's and now have some Wolf hollow points. I want to try some of the wolf 150 grn soft points.

 

The last time I shot it I did it off a table with a rolled up blanket to support it. I did much better that time. 1 to 1/2 inch groups at 50 yards. I think alot of my fliers are from the harsh trigger and poor breathing technique. I used to shoot a lot when I was younger and kind of got away from it for several years. Then I could breathe thru the shot without the cross hairs moving. With this gun I find myself holding my breath trying to pull the trigger, and by the time it breaks I am choking for air .

 

I bet with good ammo and a decent trigger this gun shoot 1 or 2 inch groups at 100 yards with a gun rest. I will play with it more this spring and summer.

 

I also just bought a .17 savage that I want to play with.

 

Paul

[aka108 0]

Try running some Cheetah brand rounds thru it. This ammo is sold by Vector Arms out of N.Salt Lake, UT. Runs about $150 per case of 1440 plus shipping. Little more costly than the Russian stuff but a whole lot cleaner. Copper jacket, not bi-metal and brass cased. Vectors phone # is 801-295-1917.

[Black92LX 0]

So I dry fired one in the shop. Normally this is frowned upon.

This only is a problem with rimfire guns. and if it is frowned upon in a shop on centerfire firearms, than it is an unneeded paranoia. So dry fire away, i wouldn't buy a car without driving it first.

 

 

Try running some Cheetah brand rounds thru it.

Just remember this stuff is a product of Zimbabwae and it might be against a lot of peoples politics to buy it. but i have heard great things about it especially in full auto weapons.

[deecee 0]

When I first got my 16" x 7.62, I thought it was a little rough -- the trigger creep was pretty pronounced and it sent the first couple of shots from each clip flying wide left. However, after having run about 160 rds through it -- primarily Wolf -- it has smoothed out somewhat in the trigger department, and the flyers have disappeared. It will put 5 out of 5 in a 2" bull from 50 yards, fired over a rolled-up jacket. Moving out to 100 yds, using open sights, I spray them out a little -- about a 4" group, primarily spreading them vertically as opposed to horizontally. This is no doubt a combination of 54-year-old eyes and open sights that are not too far apart.

 

It has become one of my favorite firearms to shoot -- right in there with my Makarovs. I do not know how long one might expect the mechanism to hold out -- it has stamped parts, of course, and it does not seem like the receiver would be a long-life item, but I have seen some stamped Armalites that people swear by.

 

I think, for the $200 bucks or so that they go for, they are a good bargain.

 

I am planning to get one in 5.56. I have seen them for around $250.

[SammoH 0]

Hi there. I've only owned a Saiga 7.62x39 for a short while (3 months) but in the time I've owned it, I've run about 3,000 rounds through it. I know, I'm really giving it a beating since I've only been to the range with it 3 times. The range I go to doesn't mind rapid fire and depending on the range warden's mood, he may get out there and start shooting alongside you with any one of his rifles. As it is, I've emptied out quite a few 10 rnd clips (and I managed to find a 30 rnd mag for it). All in all, during rapid fire, I get groupings of 4-5 inches at 100yds. When I actually take time to aim, I can shoot 1-2" groupings at 100yds with open sights. The trick with the open sights is that you have to sight them in properly. My Saiga didn't shoot very accurately either out of the box. Leave your rear sight down at the 1 mark and go get an AK/SKS sight tool. Then you adjust the front sight to sight in the rifle. After about 60 rnds of trial and error, my Saiga shoots rather well, just as well as any other rifle I have, save my 7mm mag (I can shoot less than 1" groups at 200 yards with a scope since I can't see my target past 100yds). I do have the scope mount for the Saiga and have a 3-9x 50mm scope on it. Using the scope, I shoot less than 1" groupings at 100 yrds. Mind you, to get these groupings, I have to be sitting at a bench with sandbags. Standing, the best I do is 4-5" groupings due to the fact I can't keep still long enough. I'll be the first to tell you, with a little care, the Saiga is the most reliable semi-auto rifle I've owned. 3000 rounds (wolf) with no jams. I had a misfeed but that was due to a defective mag (the front lip of the mag broke while firing and caused a misfeed - a replacement mag from my local sporting goods store fixed that).