saiga/ak mag compatability

[ASSASSIN 1]

Hi there

 

i have heard a lot of things about the compatability of ak mags with saiga rifles , it seems that ak mags dont fit saiga rifles or is it just that the ammo wont feed into the chamber from ak mags?

i have a 5 round ak clip and had to modify its front to let it feed ammo into my saigas chamber , is this the only compatability problem with these mags???

 

all the best

assassin

[SammoH 0]

You should also file down that little tab in the back of the mag so that it allows the your mag hold/release lever to click in place. If not, the mag will fall out after the first round you fire due to recoil and improper seating. This is only necessary if you haven't already modified the lever.

[SammoH 0]

On another note, while it's ok to do that with 5 rd and 10 rd mags, it should be said (again) that converting a high cap mag to fit into a Saiga, while not illegal in itself, makes the gun illegal if it doesn't have the proper part count.

[ASSASSIN 1]

Thanks for you reply

 

I live in England so the parts count does not affect me

 

I was just wondering if it will be easy for me to use the standard ak47 pressed steel mags , why did they make the mags/guns slightly different?

seems a little silly to me

 

cheers

 

assassin

[stevem 0]

I think they just did that so they could market them in the USA.All the anti gun crap here- we can't just slap in a high capacity mag.So I get to reload my 5 & 10 round mags a bunch of times instead of using a 30 round clip.It's all pretty dumb if you ask me, especially with the 10 US parts BS.I'm hoping this bill will die someday.

But you can modify your standard AK 30-40 round mags for a Saiga because you don't live in the aftermath of the Clinton administration like we do.It is easy enough to do, we just aren't supposed to do it.Go figure.

[SammoH 0]

Yeah. It is rather silly. Assassin, in your case, you're free to do whatever you'd like to your standard AK-47 mags. Quite simply, you take a welder and fill in the little notch in the front of the mag (it needs to be flush there so it'll feed ammo properly). Afterwards, you file down the tab in the rear of the mag (for the release catch) so that the mag will sit correctly. You may have to make it both thinner and shorter.

 

Of course, if you don't want to have to do this with every mag you buy, you can just build a feed ramp for your Saiga and then file down the release lever so it'll accept the larger and longer tabs on AK mags. I believe there are others in this forum who might be able to instruct you in doing so.

 

Me... I'd just let other people mess with my guns for me. Last time I messed with a firearm, I rendered it inoperable without having to purchase a new reciever. Bad move for me since a new reciever cost nearly as much as the gun.

[ASSASSIN 1]

Thanks for the info guys , my ak 5 round mag only needed the front part filled in , i made a sheet steel plate to fit it and tig welded it in place and it feeds perfectly every time , thats the only mod i done to it and it fits my rifle fine , no problems with the rear locking lug not fitting the gun (are U.K model saigas different from U.S model saigas?????????)

does anyone know if fitting a full auto ak trigger sear/group would give me full auto?

i wont do it as it would be a prohibited weapon over here but the info is interesting all the same.

 

assassin

[J A 0]

The Saiga 7.62x39mm rifle is a AK-74 rifle modified to fire 7.62x39mm ammo. It is not a AK-47/AKM rifle modified to use a different mag. This is the reason there is no feed ramp and the cartridges feed directly from the mag into the chamber. The Saiga mags are of new mfg. but are a AK-74 mag with the feed lips designed to function with 7.62x39mm ammo.

[BattleRifleG3 16]

Unless I'm drastically mistaken, the Saigas are AK-100 series, not AK-74.

[ASSASSIN 1]

Hi all

 

My ak is an AK-103 according to IZMASH , i can see what you mean about the feed ramp and mag lips.

 

thanks

 

assassin

[J A 0]

Isn't the AK-100 series of rifles a updated AK-74?

[pvg_320 0]

Hello all...I have a WASR hi cap and want to go the SAIGA route asap....planning on converting to pistol grip. Should be a fun project. It will complement the bulgarian 74 that I'm building now. Saw a SAIGA at a gunshow a few weeks ago and was impressed with the quality, compared to the Romanian rifles.

 

JA, yes it's based on the 100 series. 90 degree gas block and other AK74-type details....

 

ASSASSIN - how do you come to own a semi-auto rifle in the UK? That entire class of firearms (outside of rimfires) have been banned since the UK tightened up the gun laws, right? Just curious if there's a permitting system in place that allows you to do things the average bloke cannot. Perhaps you're related to the Windsors? Kidding, but do let us know how you get away with it...we may face a similar situation if our lawmakers get their way in the future....

 

Cheers

PVG

Edited January 12, 2004 by pvg_320

[ravent25 0]

yes, you can get real 30 round saiga mags, I just got mine from the UK/USSR dealer. if anyone needs some my email is jmarlow@vreelandengineers.com

no need to mod for a feed ramp. these are REAL SAIGA MAGS!!

[hemophilic 0]

hey ravent, are you selling them or just giving out info?

[ravent25 0]

Just info.... the other post will show you how to get some.

[MRW 0]

what other post? I want some!!!!

[NedPepper 0]

I asked the same supplier if there may be a chance of 410 magazines in the same confiquration..cut & paste of the answer...

 

"Yes, they are on their way.... arriving beginning of May. Thanks"

[MRW 0]

Ya know, the US parts count thing applies only if you assemble a firearm that is banned from import due to the 89 ban. The rifles banned from import were those that were copies of military firearms that took high capacity magszines and had at least one of the following:

 

attached bipod

Bayo-lug

night sights

grenade launcher

flashhider or threaded muzzle

folding or telescoping stock

pistolgrip.

 

 

If you want to add any of those features back on, you have to swap parts to make it a US rifle, only 10 imported parts allowed. (the 94 ban then only allows you to add one of the pistol grip, bayo lug, flashhider, or telescoping stock. Before 94 you could add ALL of them back on with a US parts conversion)

 

The Saiga in the stock configuration does not have ANY of the banned features. Therefore you can use a high capacity mag in a stock siaga without being illegal. Only if you want high capacity AND a pistolgrip or something do you need US parts, like on the Romanian SAR series.

But the single stack AKs, like the CUIR (?), WASR 10, and such DO have a pistol grip and DON'T need US parts because they are not able to use high capacity mags.

[alduro 0]

Is the above statement really true? All I want to do is add high cap capability to mine.

 

I don't really like pistol grip stuff anyway...I like the WW2 vintage feeling stuff.

[G O B 3,516]

In MARYLAND we cannot possess mags in excess of 20 rounds.Last month we dodged a ban on any simi-auto weapon,gun grabbers had disguised this one as an extension of the AWB it came down to the vote of one good man.This is scary stuff.It is like my father in law used to say 'the goverment makes crooks out of honest men'. Maybe i will wait on 7.62 untill I retire and move SOUTH!!!

 

G O B

[mrapathy2000 0]

attaching a Large Capacity Magazine would make the rifle non-sporting and in that configuration not importable. you would have a non sporting firearm with too many foreign made parts.

 

http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/user/wbardw...mi_auto_faq.txt

 

only applies if your in the US.

 

romanian sars have not been imported for a while. its why the wasr's were imported after the sar's stopped being imported cause they only took single stack magazines and they later milled the receiver to accept double stack magazines.

 

sporting and non sporting is defined in US law. I am not 100% I am not a lawyer I would error to caution. if you find out for certain or feal confident or arogant enough go for it.

 

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?...8052#post958052

-------------------------------------------------------

Harry Tuttle

Senior Member

 

Registered: Nov 2003

Location:

Posts: 984

 

the 1994 AWB only affects domestically produced weapons

 

imports are subject to a 1989 "sporting" law that does not sunset

http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/user...mi_auto_faq.txt

 

you need a certain number of USA parts on board for the rifle to become US manufactured

 

then you are subject to the 1994 SAW law that sunsets in september

 

heres a parts list:

http://www.soupbowl.kalashnikov.guns.ru/page11.html

 

HTH

 

__________________

"Quando omni flunkus moritati"

------------------------------------------------

dont agree with him on 1994 AWB only affects domesticly produced weapons.

it does affect foreign made weapons though some weapons get special treatment due to C&R status and are allowed to be imported which would not ordinarly be imported otherwise.

 

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=78477

Edited April 23, 2004 by mrapathy2000

[Guest FULL_AUTO_990]

Yeah.  It is rather silly.  Assassin, in your case, you're free to do whatever you'd like to your standard AK-47 mags.  Quite simply, you take a welder and fill in the little notch in the front of the mag (it needs to be flush there so it'll feed ammo properly).  Afterwards, you file down the tab in the rear of the mag (for the release catch) so that the mag will sit correctly.  You may have to make it both thinner and shorter.

 

Of course, if you don't want to have to do this with every mag you buy, you can just build a feed ramp for your Saiga and then file down the release lever so it'll accept the larger and longer tabs on AK mags.  I believe there are others in this forum who might be able to instruct you in doing so.

 

Me... I'd just let other people mess with my guns for me.  Last time I messed with a firearm, I rendered it inoperable without having to purchase a new reciever.  Bad move for me since a new reciever cost nearly as much as the gun.

so you only need the feed ramp ( or bullet guide) if you plan on buying like 70 mags a day? i just have one 30 round AK-mag that i want to work so all i have to do is file down the tab and fill in the top gap and then every thing is BLING BLING right?

Edited April 24, 2004 by FULL_AUTO_990

[ASSASSIN 1]

Hi all

 

i have a Chinese 5 round mag that i sometimes use and it fits just fine , i only had to weld the small notch in the front and it feeds 100%.

It seems that the Chinese manufactured mags fit the saiga well and there is no need to mod the rear lug (at least on this mag anyway)

 

assassin

[MRW 0]

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=4&f=64&t=60999

 

for further discussion!

[half_wolf 0]

theres only about 25 days left until the ban expires. im gonna wait so that i wont have to modify my feed ramp and the ak mags. im sure we'll see some 30, 40, 50 rd. mags and drums for the saiga come in too. i just hope they make some of those cool see-thru mags, so you can see how many rounds you have left . in my opinion, the saiga will become the modern sks. with the added bonus that you can make it a true pistol grip ak if you wanted.

[half_wolf 0]

ravent, i thought we werent allowed to import mags anymore. hmmm. but if you can really get mags from the ussr see if they will import some of those see- thru mags for the ak-74 and see if they will make any for the saiga when the ban expires. i would buy at least 10 of each.