Is a Saiga 308 better with or without a folding stock?

[sofageorge 0]

Most of us just use our Saiga's for hunting and plinking, but the reality is natural disasters or civil unrest can make things go south pretty fast. In those times my Saiga would be a weapon to protect my family from looters. (I was almost ground zero when the LA Riots started. I had to go pick my first wife up from work with an M1 Benelli, a Colt Sporter, and a Glock 23 while Reginald Denny was getting his head caved in. I grew up in Florida and we had roving mobs of looters after EVERY major hurricane. My second wife was VERY anti gun, but she changed her tune when we had a home invasion just three houses away. This is in an upper middle class neighborhood. She also told me a gang fight spilled over the year before we met and two guys fighting actually came rolling through the front door.)

 

The bottom line is that I believe the potential for my Saiga to be used as a tool for home defense is real. It is not just a hunting or sport plinking firearm. If TSHTF... which do people here think is better... to have the regular factory stock... or to pimp it out and add a folder?

 

I have a second semi-auto, a Mini-14, so if I don't add a folder to my Saiga... I will get one for the Mini-14 simply so that I have one semi-auto that can be made smaller and more portable - but the Saiga 308 would be my primary semi-auto.

 

My actual primary "gun to grab" in a TSHTF situation is NOT my Saiga... it would be my Benelli Nova pump. I live in the suburbs... and I wouldn't want 308 rounds blasting through 5-6 of my neighbors' walls. It would, though, become my primary weapon if anything happened to the shotgun (like seizure by our own government ala Hurricane Katrina and the many other instances in the US that were not as publicized where our government disarmed honest citizens during civil unrest or natural disaster situations.)

Edited September 9, 2010 by sofageorge

[nalioth 405]

If you want any sort of discussion, please disable your poll.

 

You see, there are folks here who think checking a radio button counts for discussion, when it does not.

[choobie 5]

A Long Islander was arrested today for firing warning shots with his "AK-47" in front of 20 gang members. He's pretty much a dead man even if this case is dismissed, as even a special forces operative isn't going to be able to withstand the onslaught this gang will have in store for him, for daring to intimate them.

 

Unless you live in a VERY rural area, you'll MUCH more likely die in a jail cell, concentration camp or by a national guard/LEO round than by looters.

 

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2010/09/07/long-island-man-arrested-for-defending-home-with-ak-47/

Edited September 9, 2010 by choobie

[sofageorge 0]

If you want any sort of discussion, please disable your poll.

 

You see, there are folks here who think checking a radio button counts for discussion, when it does not.

 

Thanks for the advice. I dropped the poll. (At least I hope I disabled it. I'm not computer savvy.)

[sofageorge 0]

A Long Islander was arrested today for firing warning shots with his "AK-47" in front of 20 gang members. He's pretty much a dead man even if this case is dismissed, as even a special forces operative isn't going to be able to withstand the onslaught this gang will have in store for him, for daring to intimate them.

 

Unless you live in a VERY rural area, you'll MUCH more likely die in a jail cell, concentration camp or by a national guard/LEO round than by looters.

 

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2010/09/07/long-island-man-arrested-for-defending-home-with-ak-47/

 

 

Years ago, probably the stupidest thing I ever did...

 

My first wife and I were volunteer forrest rangers. It was a really cool gig. We had a remote cabin three miles in to the national forrest in California... and our "job" was to keep an eye on the campground in front of our cabin. (I was an infomercial producer and she was a TV show publicist... so our day jobs were night and day different from our night and weekend work as volunteer rangers.)

 

The stupid move...

 

One night it is 2-3am and I'm awakened to a bunch of hooting and the glow of a huge campfire. This was a weekday... and nobody had been camping in the campground at the time. Periodically we'd get a bunch of high school kids who would come up, build a camp fire... and down 5-6 cases of beer. So I figured we had a bunch of kids drinking beer and I went to kick them out.

 

Now, let me add... I'm blind as a bat... without glasses my eyesight is 20/800... so I can see fuzzy outlines... but not clear enough to make out sharp details quickly in the dark.

 

My standard was to do my "John Wayne routine." I'd grab a bucket of water... walk into the middle of the group... and dump the bucket on their campfire while reading them the riot act. I was a 260 lbs body builder... 6/4" with 19+ inch arms... so it always went over pretty well.

 

And the results were always the same. The kids would scamper for their cars and get out of there as fast as they could to get away from the mean giant Mr. Ranger.

 

I'd done this so many times and I knew the campground layout so well I didn't bother to put in my contacts (it was the middle of the night and I just wanted to get rid of them) and stupider...I didn't even grab a pair of glasses. I just grabbed a bucket of water... walked into the middle of the group... dumped it and started my John Wayne routine of "You get your asses out of here. This is a public campground... not a bar. We don't have anybody come up here for a beer bash. Now get in your cars and get out of here." or something to that effect.

 

Only this time they didn't budge. I mean not a move. And that was when my eyes began to adjust to the dark and I realized these weren't kids... and some of them were as big as I was... and ALL of them were covered head to foot with gang tattoos.

 

That was when it sunk in... this was the local latino gang... Vos 13... and they had a bad ass... I mean truly bad ass reputation for being one of the most violent gangs in Los Angeles.

 

It was pucker time. I'd walked in to stupid... and there was no shifting into Mr. Nice Guy... but then I noticed a miracle. One of the guys broke. He quietly got up and started to walk to his car. Then a couple other guys grabbed the cases of beer and they started towards their car. And one guy even said something like "Sorry, man. We thought it was okay."

 

And that is when I looked towards my cabin and I saw my first wife... and by the silhouette I realized she was standing there holding my M1 Benelli shotgun.

 

Smarter... she had put on her ranger shirt so the badge made her look like law enforcement.

 

My wife's name was Thia. She died in 1998... and when I wrote her obituary it included the story of the night she backed me up with a shotgun when I was standing in the middle of 30 gang bangers. That woman was a one of a kind.

Edited September 9, 2010 by sofageorge

[N4KVE 14]

I have a Romy folding stock on my .308 Saiga. Cost me $60, & took 2 minutes to install. Can be removed in 2 minutes & go back to buttstock mode should your mood change. Works for me! GARY N4KVE

[Azrial 1,091]

Gee why do folks believe that there must be one (1) answer to this question!

 

If you want a folding stock, add one! If not, don't. I have one on mine and like it fine.

[sofageorge 0]

This isn't an either or.

 

I've got a mini-14 and a Saiga 308. One I will keep long stock and one will become a folder.

 

The reason is versatility. I have two shotguns too. My Beneli Nova will stay stock and my 870 clone will get a folder.

 

This is solely to make one of each more compact and portable. I like to travel and remote camping is a passion for me, but I've had enough nasty experiences to know to travel armed to some places. Unfortunately, you don't always have the luxury of driving to camp. All gear has to be carried in.

 

If it was just animals I had to watch out for...I'd only bring my Benelli. It's people who have always represented the real danger on remote trips. (I've been in places where they don't make any bones about taking a couple pot shots at "strangers" just as a way of letting you know to not over stay your welcome.) A folder on the Mini-14 or Saiga will let me pack in a weapon for my wife. And that is a significant advantage in some places.

 

I'm leaning towards the folder for the Mini 14 instead of the Saiga. We could pack a folded Min1 14 and the 870 clone with a folder in a very small carry bag. Wrapped... we could pack them in without them even being seen as much more than a sleeping bag mat.

 

The Romainian folder looks great... but the more I look at my Saiga... the more I want to keep it stock.

[vintagedude88 16]

I don't consider a Saiga 308 to ba CQB weapon or anything for CQB purposes. The .308 does have considirable kick even with a brake and needs to be fired from a shouldered position. For that reason, I wouldn't consider a folding stock on a Saiga .308

[choobie 5]

I don't consider a Saiga 308 to ba CQB weapon or anything for CQB purposes. The .308 does have considirable kick even with a brake and needs to be fired from a shouldered position. For that reason, I wouldn't consider a folding stock on a Saiga .308

 

I consider the recoil on my 16" rather manageable. May I suggest...

 

Edited September 20, 2010 by choobie

[chaseface 41]

I don't consider a Saiga 308 to ba CQB weapon or anything for CQB purposes. The .308 does have considirable kick even with a brake and needs to be fired from a shouldered position. For that reason, I wouldn't consider a folding stock on a Saiga .308

 

 

Just because you have a folding stock doesnt mean you have to shoot it folded (although I would ). It also helps for storage or transportation like in a backpack.

 

But unfortunetely Im in cali like you, so legally I couldnt put a folding stock on my 16" .308 since it would not reach OAL requirements.

 

Chase

Edited September 20, 2010 by chaseface

[Wvan1 0]

How long is a 16 inch Saiga 308 with a folding stock anyway? If it's close to the length of a Kel-Tec RFB when folded and 1/3 the cost then I might be sold. I think it would be neat to have a .308 that fits in a backpack when it's not needed, and that folds up so you can use it in tight spaces or dense brush if you have to.

 

Also, can you convert one yourself and just slap on any old AK folder? Even the underfolders?

[nalioth 405]

Also, can you convert one yourself and just slap on any old AK folder? Even the underfolders?

You'll need to know a little bit about metal working to do that, I'm afraid.

 

 

. . . then again, they sell a cheesy bolt-on bock that you can attach an underfolder to (this insures that it doesn't work like a "real" underfolder).