AEnemaBay 3 Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 (edited) Well I finally got around to taking pictures and I thought that I would give my first impressions of the new Saiga 5.45. The rifle comes in the standard Izhmash "crate" box. The rifle also comes with the standard buttstock cleaning kit, oiler, extra long cleaning rod, 10 round magazine, manual, and certificate. Everything comes packed in a lightly greased bag (minus manuals and accessories). You guys should have seen the look on my wife's face when I pulled out this brand new rifle and said "Man, I can't wait to cut this mofo up!" First impressions of the rifle are awesome. The rifle now comes standard with the thing that everyone wants...dimples. Isn't it sad that a Russian military arms manufacturer listens more to the wants of American firearms owners than American manufacturers? Are you listening Sig Arms? Yes, you are seeing that correctly in the photo above. Standard AK-74 magazines fit perfectly without any modifications to the magazine release. Now I'm not too sure that if they're all like that but this seems to be the norm from what other owners are reporting. In this picture I have my East German Bakelite inserted. A big, big, big, big, BIG plus to me is the fact that my barrel already had the side handguard retainer flanges cut. This is what really concerned me about doing this conversion all by myself, so this was a HUGE relief to see it already done from the factory. The gas piston is the new style or AK-100 style solid head piston. For my conversion this will be replaced with the more recognized grooved piston (US made of course). Now here's another feature that wasn't present on my Saiga .223, a bump rivet. Most know this rivet is to prevent the dreaded trigger slap. Unfortunately this is riveted through the plate that is attached to the bottom of the receiver, so in order to do the conversion this will have to go. This isn't a big deal since I'll be using either a TAPCO G2 or a Red Star Arms non-adjustable fire control group. Also another plus, the pistol grip hole and single hook trigger hole is already cut and is just waiting underneath the plate. Seeing some of these features got me all hot and bothered so I decided to go ahead with the conversion after a long day at work. Now for all of you Saiga users that are afraid to do a simple pistol grip conversion, hear this. I did this whole conversion up to this point with nothing more than a Dremel, a cheap Harbor Freight drill and bits, some punches, a cold chisel, a huge brass punch, and a big f***ing hammer. That's right, no 20-ton shop press, no drill press (even though I have one), no mill, nothing like that. If I can do it so can you. Everything is perfectly straight. I checked, checked, and checked again. And here it is so far. I'm still waiting on my stock set from Ironwood, my new trigger guard, FCG, and bullet guide from Dinzag. Once all that is here I still have to fill the extra holes in the receiver left over from the conversion, blast, and refinish with Norrel's Moly Resin. I'll update again once everything is done. Enjoy! Edited September 17, 2009 by AEnemaBay 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Azrial 1,091 Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 Very nice! What has the conversion run you to date, if you don't mind I ask? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paulry 50 Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 Great post and photos. Please post photos when done. This gets the juice's flowing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nalioth 405 Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 Nice post! Also another plus, the pistol grip hole and single hook trigger hole is already cut and is just waiting underneath the plate. As an aside, ALL Saigas come with a "single hook trigger hole" under the plate (they don't work without one). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TX-Zen 287 Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 (edited) Awesome right-up AB, and great pics. Nice work on changing out the FSB without a press too. I had always heard you needed a press for that but I discovered on my S12 that I could move the gas block foward with some heat and a hammer, and that's how I did the Dinzag gas block conversion myself. I think your post will help nudge the home conversionist into doing it themselves too because it's really not as hard as it seems once you get into it. And not all Saiga's have the PG hole there, I had to cut my own on my S12. eta: Does it have the 1000m sight leaf too? Z Edited September 17, 2009 by TX-Zen Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nalioth 405 Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 And not all Saiga's have the PG hole there, I had to cut my own on my S12. Nobody disagrees. RIF Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Nailbomb 10,221 Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 I love seeign these kinds of posts! Good job, the rifle is coming out nice! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
into_the_knight 22 Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 Can you post some more information on what you did to replace the gas block and the front sight block? I suppose you cut off the gas block and the front sight block. What did you do to press them on? What did you do to ensure proper alignment? What does it take to drill for the pins. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Clay 8 Posted September 23, 2009 Report Share Posted September 23, 2009 Awesome conversion so far. What FSB and GB did you use, and where did you get them? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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