I have come down with the Saiga bug

[gunguy1972 0]

Well I would first like to say thank you to everyone who posts info here. I have gotten more great info and ideas from this sight than I had ever hoped to. A few months ago I did some horse trading with a friend and came home with a brand new Saiga in 223. I started ordering parts to do the conversion and was about half done when I found this sight and the good info I had been looking for. By then some mistakes had been made. The trigger group I purchased wasn't American made. So to keep my parts count 922 compliant I need to use American made mags. Soon parts will be purchased to remedy that. My stock is Tapco along with my pistol grip k-var supplied the front end furniture and Dinzag has been a great help with their threading tool rentals. Every one has been great with help and knowledge. This project has been a lot of fun I put an American made bird cage flash hider I got from DPH arms. I purchased my hand guard retainer from Carolina Shooters Supply am almost done I need to put the finish on and I am trying to decide between Brownells aluma hide or trying Dura coat. And like every thing else I do, I start a new project before I finish the first one. I came home from the gun shop yesterday with two new guns both Saigas one in 7.62x39 and another .223. This time I'm thinking a folding stock on the .223 and maybe original wood on the 7.62. All the info has been really helpful and I thank you all for it.

[alaj70 3]

GG72,

 

Nice work on your converted Saiga .223.

 

Also, congrats on the new purchases. Dimples on both the 7.62x39 and .223 rifles. That's a plus!

 

I am also considering doing a future 7.62x39 Saiga conversion project in the traditional "all-wood" AK-47 style.

 

Just curious about the threading of the barrel. How easy/difficult was it? You see, I've been considering doing the same thing as you and renting the threading tools from Dinzag, and doing it myself. I consider myself mechanically inclined enough to do this job, but admittedly, I'm a bit nervous about screwing anything up.

 

With regards to the paint, I've had tremendous success with Dura-Coat. I got a compact paint sprayer from Harbor Freight, hooked it up to my air compressor (about 20 psi), and it has provided extremely nice results. Frankly, I won't be going back to rattle cans ever again. The paint goes on easy, it dries quickly, and it lives up to its name (try getting some on your hands). Please note, Dura-Coat does take about 2-3 weeks to "cure". But, the gun can be reassembled after 3-5 days. At least, that is how long I'm waiting.

 

Again, I've had fantastic results. Here's my latest Dura-Coat job:

 

My "converted" Saiga .223

 

Cheers!

[gunguy1972 0]

GG72,

 

Nice work on your converted Saiga .223.

 

Also, congrats on the new purchases. Dimples on both the 7.62x39 and .223 rifles. That's a plus!

 

I am also considering doing a future 7.62x39 Saiga conversion project in the traditional "all-wood" AK-47 style.

 

Just curious about the threading of the barrel. How easy/difficult was it? You see, I've been considering doing the same thing as you and renting the threading tools from Dinzag, and doing it myself. I consider myself mechanically inclined enough to do this job, but admittedly, I'm a bit nervous about screwing anything up.

 

With regards to the paint, I've had tremendous success with Dura-Coat. I got a compact paint sprayer from Harbor Freight, hooked it up to my air compressor (about 20 psi), and it has provided extremely nice results. Frankly, I won't be going back to rattle cans ever again. The paint goes on easy, it dries quickly, and it lives up to its name (try getting some on your hands). Please note, Dura-Coat does take about 2-3 weeks to "cure". But, the gun can be reassembled after 3-5 days. At least, that is how long I'm waiting.

 

Again, I've had fantastic results. Here's my latest Dura-Coat job:

 

My "converted" Saiga .223

 

Cheers!

I understand the apprehension I read the on line instructions about five times before I started I started to cut the shroud off with a pipe cutter but once I had it marked I went to the dremmle tool. slow and careful is the name of the game. it slid off pretty easy after i oiled it. follow the instructions it will go fine. Nice job on your rifle do you like your krebs rear sight?

Edited April 17, 2010 by gunguy1972

[alaj70 3]

 

I understand the apprehension I read the on line instructions about five times before I started I started to cut the shroud off with a pipe cutter but once I had it marked I went to the dremmle tool. slow and careful is the name of the game. it slid off pretty easy after i oiled it. follow the instructions it will go fine. Nice job on your rifle do you like your krebs rear sight?

 

Thanks for the info about threading the barrel...I'm getting there. I think I'll try this out soon on a Saiga rifle that I bought as a "sandbox" for various "mods". FYI...I got it at a really good price.

 

Thanks for the kind words about my .223 conversion project. Yeah, I just shot it today for the first time. Wolf ammo...flawless operation.

 

With regards to the Krebs peep sight...I love it. I have put these on all my Saiga's. I really like them a lot. Frankly, I can't stand the factory rear sight. The Krebs' peep sight works wonders for close-to-mid range accuracy. I'm sold on it!

 

It's a little expensive, but I think it's worth it.

 

Cheers!