What should I use to polish the internals

[greekjeep 1]

Question looking for any sugestions on what type of tools (fine sandpaper,dremil tool) and pads I need to polish the insides of my saiga 12. Also what areas do you guys find a must and not so important.Thanks much Greekjeep

[Paulyski 2,227]

http://forum.saiga-12.com/index.php?showtopic=50571&view=findpost&p=493296

[mikegraffam 11]

Question looking for any sugestions on what type of tools (fine sandpaper,dremil tool) and pads I need to polish the insides of my saiga 12. Also what areas do you guys find a must and not so important.Thanks much Greekjeep

 

I did mine by mostly by hand - no dremel, with just a small file and various grits of sandpaper (used 400 and 600 for final polish).

I did use the dremel to carve out a bit more of the channel that is routed in the bolt carrier for the locking lugs.. I smoothed out the rough edges slightly in there and used a sanding wheel.

 

I concentrated on the parts that showed wear on the finish and didn't really bother with anything else. If it isn't touching, it isn't causing friction.

 

It didn't take that long. When clean and lubed up, my action now snaps home even if I ride it all the way. The only way it doesn't go home is if I hold the gun muzzle up and ride the bolt home against gravity, and gently place it against the breech. As soon as I level the gun, it snaps home. Very smooth action.

 

I started mine last night, doing it by hand and candlelight during a power outage. 2 hours later, the lights were back on and my Saiga was smoother than a baby's butt!

[zenman223 460]

i would say read the above thread, i have only one suggestion if using a dremel try Mothers brand mag and aluminum polish in the white tub. i was using the red buffing compound too and wasn't really happy with the results. i had some of the mothers around so i tried it and it truly works better than the standard red dremel compound. it does wonders with a dremel and a buffing wheel. start out slow though cuz it can be even messier than the red stuff!

Edited October 2, 2010 by big-J

[JFLand 0]

Newbie here -- is the principal reason for polishing function, or looks?

[zenman223 460]

function, polishing the internals, especially the metal to metal moving parts aids in reliability b/c the action has less resistance and is smoother so it helps cycle lighter loads. also the bolt polishing/reshaping is done to aid insertion of a loaded mag on a closed bolt. some say if your gun cycles fine out the box then theres no need to bother with it which i agree with but i still like to smooth out the action, i usually polish the action on all my guns regardless of how it functions but most people do it to cycle lighter loads, that and open up the gas ports.