Do I really need a bullet guide?

[komblockid 0]

Well the title says it all. Do I really need a bullet guide? Have not shot my 5.45 yet , hell it's still in the box. What problems do I have to look forward to? Have the Saiga in .223 and it runs flawlessly. Why do I need a guide for the 5.45? And if they do need one why doesn't the factory install them before they sell them? If it is unreliable I don't need it.All the other Saigas I own work well. Just my two cents.

[Klassy Kalashnikov 1,393]

Well the title says it all. Do I really need a bullet guide?

 

Some magazines work with a guide, some don't. Some people's guns are reliable without one, some aren't. The bullet guide is like $25 and takes maybe half hour to install. It will not cause any problems if properly installed, and removes all aspects of the crap shoot. If you want beyond a shadow of a doubt reliability, may as well install a guide.

 

What problems do I have to look forward to?

 

If installed properly you won't have any.

 

And if they do need one why doesn't the factory install them before they sell them?

 

Long boring import-law related bullshit, mostly Bill Clinton's idea.

[komblockid 0]

Ok I see, Comrade Clinton,enough said and thanks.

[L5K 162]

The Saiga's in 5.45 use a proprietary Saiga magazine. The difference between this magazine and an AK74 magazine is that on the Saiga magazine the bullet guide is built into the magazine, on an AK74/AK100 series rifle the guide is riveted into the trunnion. And yeah, this is done because in order for it to be a "sporting" rifle it can't accept high capacity magazines. No guide in the rifle means the rounds will jam because there's no guide on the high cap magazines either so, for all intents and purpose it doesn't accept the magazines and is legal to import. Once it's in the country we can have all sorts of fun with it as long as we support American companies as per 922r (which I firmly believe is some sort of economic stimulus for US workers). Some people do have lots of success running a 5.45 with no bullet guide using milsurp magazines, however mine would jam about 1 or 2 rounds out of each magazine. Even if mine would have ran fine without the bullet guide, I still would opt for one, just to be sure it always would run fine.

[wnycollector 4]

I have 10 bulgarian ak-74 mags, every mag is 100% flawless in my saiga IZ-240 without a bullet guide installed. I have put 1000+ rounds of bulgarian 7n6, and then 100-200 rounds of each of the following ammo and weights:

-60gr wolf FMJ

-60gr wolf JHP

-60gr Silver bear and

-70gr wolf fmj

 

So after ~1500 rounds of 5.45 through 10 different mags, I have yet to have a FTF or FTE.

[toshbar 36]

You probably won't need one, but plan for it. Go shoot it and see.