Welds and Holes

[Okaraider 1]

What is the best way to take care of the 2 welds on the trigger plate? I really don't like the idea of drilling on the receiver. Also is their a way to determine if there is a grip hole before you remove the plate?

Thanks

Oka

[vbrtrmn 167]

They're not welds, they're rivets. I took a bench grinder and took of the heads of the rivets, then hammered them out with a punch.

[DrThunder88 912]

Well, there is that one weld that holds the trigger guard to the plate. Drilling it out doesn't hurt anything since that's where the new trigger hole will be anyway.

[Okaraider 1]

So let me get this right? Your telling me that those are not 2 spot welds just infront of the trigger but inside the guard on either side? Thats the only thing I need to do to get it ready for a new FCG and grip is to take the heads of those 2 rivets?

 

Thanks

Oka

[cfortune 1]

You'll have to drill new holes for the trigger guard on the .308's.

[csspecs 1,987]

The spot welds are not present on every rifle. Mine had them on the sporter plate, I just used a small grinder bit in a rotary tool (Rotozip motor with flex shaft, like a over sized dremel). I thinned the top side of the weld and worked the plate off with a putty knife. You will have a small bump of torn metal left on each weld. Use a sanding drum on a rotary tool or bandfile if you have one.

 

Figure I'll post links to the band files, they are an odd but extremely useful tool. Once you have one you don't know how you did without it.

 

USA Made bandfile (at least they say it is).

 

ok band file

 

Cheapy bandfile

[Okaraider 1]

Ah See CSSpecs!! That was my thoughts too. Im much beter with a dremmel than I am with a drill. I was wondering If I could just dremmel the welded spot off and If I get you right thats what you did. Will a dremmel do or do you need a bandfile?

 

Is there anyway not to have to dill holes for the trigger guard? I saw one you can buy that has 2 holes and screws? One screw fits in a whole left by the front rivet and I figured the second will just fit under the Pgrip and maybe it can be secured with the grip?

 

I looked in mine and it sure looks like I have a Pgrip hole down there?

 

Thanks

Oka

Edited December 14, 2010 by Okaraider

[cfortune 1]

Was it specifically designed for the .308? Due to the size of the .308 mag, my trigger guard would fit perfectly on my .223 but not on the .308. I'm no expert but I was lead to believe they would all require an extra hole in the bottom of the receiver.

[csspecs 1,987]

Ah See CSSpecs!! That was my thoughts too. Im much beter with a dremmel than I am with a drill. I was wondering If I could just dremmel the welded spot off and If I get you right thats what you did. Will a dremmel do or do you need a bandfile?

 

Is there anyway not to have to dill holes for the trigger guard? I saw one you can buy that has 2 holes and screws? One screw fits in a whole left by the front rivet and I figured the second will just fit under the Pgrip and maybe it can be secured with the grip?

 

I looked in mine and it sure looks like I have a Pgrip hole down there?

 

Thanks

Oka

 

Dremmel works well enough. Just be careful not to cut to deep or you will scar the receiver.

 

There is a good chance it has a pistol grip hole. Mine did not have one, but saigas are kinda random. I reused my trigger guard, but that was before drop in Saiga trigger guards had been invented. I'd HIGHLY suggest putting in both screws, trigger guards take more load then you may think. If your worried about the drill walking get a auto center punch, it makes a small dimple that the bit sits in while starting. Here is what they look like, any homedepot or auto parts store should have one.

Auto center punch

 

 

I only posted about the bandfile because its just so stinking handy, I've had one for about two years and use it more then my dremmel. Surface finish is normally better and has less pock marks, belts are like 65 cents ea from enco. Not something every person needs, but for cleaning burs out of hard to reach places, it can't be beat.

[DrThunder88 912]

Was it specifically designed for the .308? Due to the size of the .308 mag, my trigger guard would fit perfectly on my .223 but not on the .308. I'm no expert but I was lead to believe they would all require an extra hole in the bottom of the receiver.

I thought the receivers were the same except the .308 magwell is longer in front. My .308's trigger guard just needed a slight bend to extend from the mag release to the pistol grip. The only hole I had to drill other than the new trigger hole was the one to secure the front of the trigger guard beneath the mag release assembly.

 

Is there any way not to have to dill holes for the trigger guard? I saw one you can buy that has 2 holes and screws? One screw fits in a hole left by the front rivet and I figured the second will just fit under the Pgrip and maybe it can be secured with the grip?

The front of the trigger guard goes under the mag release assembly. It may be possible to hold the trigger guard in place by sticking the ends under both the mag release and pistol grip, but it may be inclined to wiggle about if it's not secured to the receiver. I used pop rivets on mine.

Edited December 14, 2010 by DrThunder88

[Okaraider 1]

Here is the one I was looking at? It says you need a new front whole but it looks like you need one for the Pgrip?

 

http://ramsfs.com/pictures_stg.aspx

[csspecs 1,987]

Correct you will most likely have to drill the hole for the front screw. In fact a few saiga .308s I have seen don't have any rivets in the sporter plate, only having maybe 6 spot welds.

[cfortune 1]

Is there any way not to have to dill holes for the trigger guard? I saw one you can buy that has 2 holes and screws? One screw fits in a hole left by the front rivet and I figured the second will just fit under the Pgrip and maybe it can be secured with the grip?

The front of the trigger guard goes under the mag release assembly. It may be possible to hold the trigger guard in place by sticking the ends under both the mag release and pistol grip, but it may be inclined to wiggle about if it's not secured to the receiver. I used pop rivets on mine.

 

 

That may be where I went wrong. I got the CSS kit that came with the guard that has a PG nut attached. I emailed Greg a few times and he assured me drilling a hole for the second or middle screw (there are three screws for that particular trigger guard) was the way to go. I asked if I'd be better off ordering a different one and use the one I got for my .223 conversion (which will happen here shortly if I can figure out the damn parts I want). Greg told me not to bother because they were all going to require drilling. Also, that CSS trigger guard puts the PG nut a bit further back than where the hole cut in the receiver is. I'm happy with it though. It seems to be made a lot thicket than all the others I've seen.

 

 

But like the one he posted, how do you get that to go under the mag release? Put it on backwards?

 

Edited December 15, 2010 by cfortune

[mwc 2]

cfortune,

i got the ram trigger guard for the s308, but the existing hole (by the mag catch) dd not line up with the screws holes on the ram tg.......i couldn't really see a way to put it inside the mag catch base, so i drilled two new tg screw holes. no big deal, but it was not a "drill one hole" deal for me......i think that there is a wide range of tolerances for the saigas. i had to trim the back side base of the ram tg, since it over hanged into the pg nut hole....again, no big deal, but not drop in like the other saigas.....ymmv.

[cfortune 1]

cfortune,

i got the ram trigger guard for the s308, but the existing hole (by the mag catch) dd not line up with the screws holes on the ram tg.......i couldn't really see a way to put it inside the mag catch base, so i drilled two new tg screw holes. no big deal, but it was not a "drill one hole" deal for me......i think that there is a wide range of tolerances for the saigas. i had to trim the back side base of the ram tg, since it over hanged into the pg nut hole....again, no big deal, but not drop in like the other saigas.....ymmv.

 

 

posted edited due to second guessing myself and have no desire to pull my rifle out lol.

Edited December 16, 2010 by cfortune

[GTO Kroh 0]

I just drilled into the spot welds a little....bud did not pass through to the reciever........use a little elbow grease to get the old trigger floorplate off and then ground what was left of the spotwelds flush and coated with bbq grille paint