Neurosis 0 Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 (edited) Well, after a long time experimenting with different brands and weights to see what shoots well out of my Saiga... it's come down to Wolf Gold 75gr Match. It also likes Rem 77gr Premier Match, but at almost $30 a box versus $12 for Wolf Gold... screw that. I've tried pretty much everything from as low as 40gr varmint rounds (which I love the giant fire ball that comes out ), all types of 55gr with the exception of Wolf as some are bimetal or steel core and that's a no-no at the range I go to, to Black Hills in the 60s. They all faired about 2-4" groups at 50 yards and I figured 100 wasn't going to be much better. I've tried Wolf 75gr before as part of the experimenting process... so this time, it was more the official sighting in. Setup: ~85*, winds blowing 10-20mph from left to right of target, firing from the bench with front and rear bags, 3x9 Tasco on UTG mount, barrel... hot, 100 yards, five shot group. I don't have a caliper, but they're pretty much 2" and 1.5". These are the only two targets I kept, but all the others were pretty much consistent. I wondered all day whether my barrel was 1:7, but after having cleaned the rifle I took my cleaning rod, wrapped some electrical tape around it to measure the twist. As it turns out, it's 1:9... the actual length as measured was 1:9.5 ... so go figure. I'm wondering how much more the groups would close if it were less windy today. So the moral of the story being... if your gun doesn't like 55s, keep experimenting until you find the right load. 'Cept now, I've ended up with a whole bunch of plinking ammo! Edited June 22, 2009 by Neurosis Quote Link to post Share on other sites
into_the_knight 22 Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 Thanks for the info. The guys in another thread said that SAIGA told RAAC that their twist was 1:10. So it seems you've confirmed this. Quick noob question. What hand guard is that? Did you have to go with the Dinzag retainer to get that to work? Thanks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
saigafan12345 21 Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 Thanks for the info. The guys in another thread said that SAIGA told RAAC that their twist was 1:10. So it seems you've confirmed this. Quick noob question. What hand guard is that? Did you have to go with the Dinzag retainer to get that to work? Thanks. It's the ATI strikeforce one and yes, you'd need a lower handguard retainer for it as well as an AKM gas tube with retainers. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Neurosis 0 Posted June 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 Actually, the handguard is Tapco. It was their Fusion line which I believe is discontinued and is replaced by the Interfuse. The Interfuse is pretty nice as it has an upper pic rail integrated into it. There was some slight grinding I needed to do the the Fusion lower half to get it to slide into place and yes, you will need Dinzag's hg retainer and new gas tube. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paladin_Hammer 8 Posted June 23, 2009 Report Share Posted June 23, 2009 *grumble* I can't figure out what shoots well in the 7.62x39 *grumble*. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MD_Willington 11 Posted June 23, 2009 Report Share Posted June 23, 2009 My S223 seems to work alright with 62gr stuff... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JK-47 33 Posted June 23, 2009 Report Share Posted June 23, 2009 Great post Neurosis, I am going to give the wolf gold 75grs. a try. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
saigafan12345 21 Posted June 23, 2009 Report Share Posted June 23, 2009 Actually, the handguard is Tapco. It was their Fusion line which I believe is discontinued and is replaced by the Interfuse. The Interfuse is pretty nice as it has an upper pic rail integrated into it. There was some slight grinding I needed to do the the Fusion lower half to get it to slide into place and yes, you will need Dinzag's hg retainer and new gas tube. ah, my bad, thank you. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Darth AkSarBen 20 Posted June 24, 2009 Report Share Posted June 24, 2009 *grumble* I can't figure out what shoots well in the 7.62x39 *grumble*. Have you tried reloads with .308 bullets? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paladin_Hammer 8 Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 *grumble* I can't figure out what shoots well in the 7.62x39 *grumble*. Have you tried reloads with .308 bullets? Don't American manufacturers already use .308 bullets? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
elvis christ 451 Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 Nothing productive to add here, but Souls at Zero is one of my top 5 favorite cd's. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Neurosis 0 Posted June 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 (edited) Nothing productive to add here, but Souls at Zero is one of my top 5 favorite cd's. I do enjoy their punk/metal phase... but I thought "A Sun that Never Sets" was awesome and the DVD was great too, their newer stuff after that... I'm still trying to warm up to it. I've really gotten into Steve von Till's solo project, different departure but great stuff. Edited June 25, 2009 by Neurosis Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bad Bob 0 Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 I've tried pretty much everything from as low as 40gr varmint rounds (which I love the giant fire ball that comes out ), all types of 55gr with the exception of Wolf as some are bimetal or steel core and that's a no-no at the range I go to, to Black Hills in the 60s. They all faired about 2-4" groups at 50 yards and I figured 100 wasn't going to be much better. I've tried Wolf 75gr before as part of the experimenting process... so this time, it was more the official sighting in. Good for you, Sir! In my experience, the best thing to do with ANY rifle is to try as many different factory loads as possible, as soon as possible, to see what the rifle likes. If you load your own, it helps narrow things down. If you don't reload, it tells you what you need to buy, to maximize performance. Thanks for the info! ;>) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Darth AkSarBen 20 Posted June 26, 2009 Report Share Posted June 26, 2009 Was this .223 rifle an EAA import of the Russian American Armory import? The EAA had, (I heard) heavier barrels and better accuracy. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
elvis christ 451 Posted June 26, 2009 Report Share Posted June 26, 2009 Nothing productive to add here, but Souls at Zero is one of my top 5 favorite cd's. I do enjoy their punk/metal phase... but I thought "A Sun that Never Sets" was awesome and the DVD was great too, their newer stuff after that... I'm still trying to warm up to it. I've really gotten into Steve von Till's solo project, different departure but great stuff. Ehhh, after Times of Grace, they kinda lost me. But I regularly rock out on everything from Pain of Mind to Times of Grace. First show I ever saw was Neurosis, when they had just released Through Silver in Blood. I was 13. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Neurosis 0 Posted June 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2009 Was this .223 rifle an EAA import of the Russian American Armory import? The EAA had, (I heard) heavier barrels and better accuracy. It's an export from Denny's Guns in Kansas City... K, you made me go look... it's got RAAC Scottsburg, IN on the side. Other than that, I got no idea. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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