RJWesleyIII 7 Posted February 12, 2011 Report Share Posted February 12, 2011 (edited) Hey everyone, this seems like an awesome forum for the saiga 12's, so I just bought one and wanted to say hello! I want to do alot of upgrades, and I know there is alot out there, but wanted some opinions. Sorry if something I say doesnt sound right, but This is a totally new breed of gun for me. I am into alot of different guns, but dont know too much about this one. What I want to do, is convert it. Does that mean switching to a pistol grip and a different stock? I see the tromix makes some kick a$ stuff, so I would like to use their products Unless you guys suggest different. I want to make it so the gun bolt stays open after the last round if possible. I would like to change the piston out and the dial too. Just need some good advise so I do it right the first time. And it looks like this is the forum to lead me in the right direction! Here is a pic of how it came and what it looks like now. Let me know what you guys think, thanks in advance, Rob Edited February 13, 2011 by WESLEY 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lbsrdi 1,078 Posted February 13, 2011 Report Share Posted February 13, 2011 Cool man welcome, you will love your saiga12. Read some of the threads on conversion. I'm not sure if you can make it hold the bolt open after last round. Just do some searches and check out the pic thread to get an idea of what you want. You are in the rite place. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RJWesleyIII 7 Posted February 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2011 Thanks bud! I cant wait to shoot it! Then get it all modded up! I just love the way it looks and feels! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BobAsh 582 Posted February 13, 2011 Report Share Posted February 13, 2011 Last round BHO is still iffy IMO. Personally I would say if you aren't competing you don't need it. Lots of guys try to make the AK into an AR, and I think it's a mistake. Get your gun converted, use it a lot and you'll see that it's a working system. I have a few nice guns and the S12 is my favorite. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RJWesleyIII 7 Posted February 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2011 Good to hear. I will scratch that off my list. I seen it in a couple you tube videos and thought it was cool. Looks like I will be ordering some tromix parts soon Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RJWesleyIII 7 Posted February 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2011 this might be a stupid question, but can you shoot any size bb through a brake? I really like that shark brake! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
YOT 3,743 Posted February 13, 2011 Report Share Posted February 13, 2011 this might be a stupid question, but can you shoot any size bb shot through a brake? I really like that shark brake! There, I fixed that for you. (BB is a size of shot) Yes you can, to answer your question. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RJWesleyIII 7 Posted February 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2011 Thanks man! lol Not sure why I wrote that. It was late Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RJWesleyIII 7 Posted February 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 So, another question....Can I shoot slugs out of this barrel also? Or is that a no no? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
YOT 3,743 Posted February 14, 2011 Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 Yep, slugs are good. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RJWesleyIII 7 Posted February 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 Great. Thanks for the help. What about the hornandy slugs that says for rifled barrels only? I was gonna buy some until I seen that. I bought some hollow point from Wally world for 3.17 for 5 rds. Thought that was a decent deal. What is the most common rnd that you all are using? Bb or slugs? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
YOT 3,743 Posted February 14, 2011 Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 Sabot slugs are for rifled barrels. You'll get good accuracy with plain Foster (rifled) slugs, so don't waste your $ on the more costly ones. With the Remington Sluggers from Walmart I'm grouping 5 in minute of paper plate consistently at 100 yards, with iron sights. Ive got to say that I got through hundreds more birdshot than slugs because magdumps are just so fun. It's easy to waste a 100 round box in a matter of minutes. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Torqued 8 Posted February 14, 2011 Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 Just a minor suggestion from someone who has just recently converted my first... dont go crazy buying stuff you dont need yet. By "dial" i assume you mean adjustable gas plug. The stock plug works well for many people, and getting a new one isnt going to make your gun run any better. The only thing it might help with is avoiding over gassing your gun on mid/high load shells. In the begining you will likely have trouble shooting the light loads anyway, so dialing down the gas is not a big concern, unless your shooting heavey buck or slugs, and setting 1 on the stock plug is sufficent. Also i cant think of any reason to replace your piston unless you need it for compliance reasons. Most of the aftermarket pistons dont offer any better performance than the stock one. Some have even been known to degrade performance.... If it were me, I would get yourself the new stock, a tromix trigger group/guard, and a new pistol grip (dont cheap out there). That might be enough right there to get you compliant and you will have yourself a nice shooting gun. New foregrips and accessories can come later after you got the gun dialed in. You might want to spend the $$ on getting your bolt professionally profiled/polished before dropping $100s on extra stuff you dont need, like pistons/breaks/Gas plugs etc etc. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mrmallek 53 Posted February 14, 2011 Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 +1 - what he said. It's easy to get excited and want to do so much - like Bob said - it's a working system. You are the biggest modification to the weapon - train yourself to the AK platform and see what you like after you run it well Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RJWesleyIII 7 Posted February 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 Good call! I won't order any of that stuff yet. I did order a basic conversion kit #5 from CSS last night . And I already polished my bolt and rails. Smoothed out all the burrs and my gun manually cycles 10 times smoother. What does profiling the bolt mean? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Torqued 8 Posted February 14, 2011 Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 (edited) Profiling is actually removing metal in the right places on the bolt, and other parts, to make less friction and allow you to load on a closed bolt easier. Coming from someone who recently screwed up my bolt, I dont suggest you do anything more than cleaning up the finish. Removing metal should be left to people who are experts on these guns because you can very easily screw something up. In my case I caused some feed issues just by removing a bit too much metal on my feed foot. A mod I never should have been messing with.... Edited February 14, 2011 by Torqued Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BullF-16 0 Posted February 14, 2011 Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 Just a minor suggestion from someone who has just recently converted my first... dont go crazy buying stuff you dont need yet. By "dial" i assume you mean adjustable gas plug. The stock plug works well for many people, and getting a new one isnt going to make your gun run any better. The only thing it might help with is avoiding over gassing your gun on mid/high load shells. In the begining you will likely have trouble shooting the light loads anyway, so dialing down the gas is not a big concern, unless your shooting heavey buck or slugs, and setting 1 on the stock plug is sufficent. Also i cant think of any reason to replace your piston unless you need it for compliance reasons. Most of the aftermarket pistons dont offer any better performance than the stock one. Some have even been known to degrade performance.... If it were me, I would get yourself the new stock, a tromix trigger group/guard, and a new pistol grip (dont cheap out there). That might be enough right there to get you compliant and you will have yourself a nice shooting gun. New foregrips and accessories can come later after you got the gun dialed in. You might want to spend the $ on getting your bolt professionally profiled/polished before dropping $100s on extra stuff you dont need, like pistons/breaks/Gas plugs etc etc. I thought the KA puck was supposed to help with birdshot on guns that had issues. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Torqued 8 Posted February 14, 2011 Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 Find the poll concerning diff pucs and the result. I think you will find the results were sketchy at best. I havent seen any conclusive evidence that replacing your puc will help. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RJWesleyIII 7 Posted February 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 Is there a guy on this forum that does it? I'm all about supporting vendors on here. Another question, can you put a loaded mag in with the bolt closed? I tried last night and I couldn't without smashing the shell. I took my firing pin out so I could cycle the action with rounds. And at first it left huge scratches inthe shells. So after filing and polishing no more scratches and loads and ejects really smooth. I would still like to have it professionally done if you recommend it will help better than what I did. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Torqued 8 Posted February 14, 2011 Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 THere are a few vendors here that do it. Pauly and Cobra are the two that come to mind, but I would guess some of the others do it as well. Pauly seems to exclusively do that job, and from the sounds of it hes staying busy these days . Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BullF-16 0 Posted February 14, 2011 Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 Find the poll concerning diff pucs and the result. I think you will find the results were sketchy at best. I havent seen any conclusive evidence that replacing your puc will help. puc I guess I will find out. My new RandR targets tactical gun has some issues with cheap low brass birdshot. About 15% FTE. 4 ports are clear as can be. I ordered the ka puck as well as MD V plug and reduced pwr recoil spring. The OEM puck doesnt seem as nice(machining) as the OEM puck in my stock Arsenal s-12 which runs 99% on the crappy stuff. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Torqued 8 Posted February 14, 2011 Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 I am new to this, but based on my limited experience, I would say that the puc and the md plug are going to help you 0% in cycling low loads. Now the low pwr recoil spring on the other hand has been suggested by many around here. Ive not tried it personally. I can tell you that ive yet to read anyone suggest a new puc for high FTE rates when all the basics havent already been covered. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RJWesleyIII 7 Posted February 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 so what about loading a loaded mag with the bolt closed? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
YOT 3,743 Posted February 14, 2011 Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 so what about loading a loaded mag with the bolt closed? Reprofiling and polishing the bolt, bolt carrer, and other internals. There is a thread (several) here that covers that very well. If you don't feel like you aren't mechanically able or don't have the tools to do it (a Dremel and attachments) there are members here that provide those services ($$$). Reprofiling the bolt makes a huge difference on loading a full mag on a closed bolt. Messaging the internals just makes it run better, and IMHO should be considered before any work to the gas system. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lbsrdi 1,078 Posted February 14, 2011 Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 Also a member here recently suggested using short 3" shells for your first round. He said it allows you to insert a loaded mag with the bolt closed easily. Sounds like a great idea, I just haven't been able to find the short shells yet. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RJWesleyIII 7 Posted February 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 so what about loading a loaded mag with the bolt closed? Reprofiling and polishing the bolt, bolt carrer, and other internals. There is a thread (several) here that covers that very well. If you don't feel like you aren't mechanically able or don't have the tools to do it (a Dremel and attachments) there are members here that provide those services ($$). Reprofiling the bolt makes a huge difference on loading a full mag on a closed bolt. Messaging the internals just makes it run better, and IMHO should be considered before any work to the gas system. Thanks! I did some polishing myself, and the bolt slides really nice, but I want to have it profiled. Man this a great forum! Thanks for all the help! Its greatly appreciated! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Parson Julabee Jones 32 Posted February 15, 2011 Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 I'm one hundred percent with you on appreciating this forum.... When I buy a new gun from Gander Mountain, they give me a gun sock or cleaning pad, a warranty, a 25 dollar certificate on any future trade-in of that gun, and other paperwork, such as owner's manual as well. Folks selling new unconverted Saiga 12's should include, as standard with the purchase, a free membership to this forum. Anything less, and they aren't giving you everything the gun needs to run properly.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RJWesleyIII 7 Posted February 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2011 so after I take off my old trigger guard, am I going to need to paint the bottom? I watched the converting videos on CSS and when he took the trigger guard off, it was not painted. If so, what is the best to use? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Parkerson 9 Posted February 16, 2011 Report Share Posted February 16, 2011 so after I take off my old trigger guard, am I going to need to paint the bottom? I watched the converting videos on CSS and when he took the trigger guard off, it was not painted. If so, what is the best to use? and you were doing so well.......... 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RJWesleyIII 7 Posted February 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2011 so after I take off my old trigger guard, am I going to need to paint the bottom? I watched the converting videos on CSS and when he took the trigger guard off, it was not painted. If so, what is the best to use? and you were doing so well.......... eh??? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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