Saiga-12 laminated 3-pcs plywood furniture set

[Bean.223 365]

I have been watching this item at Rusmil, IS IT EVER in stock???

[schultze13 354]

You and me both and in two years I have only seen the red grip and forearm once and now there is the oak grip and forearm but never the 3 peice set. On GB there was a blonde grip and forearm set I should of bought but didn't and I have not seen it relisted since.

[gregomega 929]

I like their website but nothing anyone wants is ever in stock. I've been waiting for s12 magwell mags, the SVDS stock, and the DTK??? brake for over a year now an there's no hints when they'll be in

Edited April 5, 2011 by AZG

[YOT 3,743]

What about timbersmith?

[Bean.223 365]

What about timbersmith?

 

 

Yeah, that's and option, I'm just trying to keep it as Ruskie as possible, call me purist,

 

EDIT,

 

oh wait, you said Timbersmith, they dont make a Saiga 12 handguard though do they?? I think they are only for regular Ak platforms.

 

I was thinking about the company(forgot what its called) that sells virgin cut saiga wood, and you stain it yourself..

Edited April 5, 2011 by Bean.223

[Bean.223 365]

OK, heres the company I thought you were talking about.

 

http://ironwooddesigns.com/IWDsite/IWDHome.html

 

This is my second choice.

[grommit666 24]

I've been on the preorder list for the russian red oak for the better part of a year. No love. I talked to Oleg a few times about it. They don't seem to have a lot of control over what Izhmash gives them. They may get the russian red in eventually, or not. He said they're not getting a lot of the 3 piece sets because most people have a folding stock.

 

I gave up and ordered a set from ironwood. It's nice but definitely requires some fitting. The lower handguard needs to be bored out toward the rear where the barrel widens and the receiver side needs to be trimmed down. And of course, it's unfinished.

 

Paulyski is offering a staining service that he says matches the depth and color of the russian red. I can't speak to the quality of it though. I'm currently waiting to get my set back from him. I'll update when I know.

 

Also you'll need to buy your own mounting hardware. Specifically, you'll need a retainer for the lower handguard and a bolt for the pistol grip. Dinzag has the retainers and the bolts are pretty reasonably priced on CSS. If you want to mount the upper handguard (which ironwood inexplicably includes) you'll need to work some magic to get the retainers onto your gas tube.

Edited April 5, 2011 by Mr. Nathan

[Bean.223 365]

I've been on the preorder list for the russian red oak for the better part of a year. No love. I talked to Oleg a few times about it. They don't seem to have a lot of control over what Izhmash gives them. They may get the russian red in eventually, or not. He said they're not getting a lot of the 3 piece sets because most people have a folding stock.

 

I gave up and ordered a set from ironwood. It's nice but definitely requires some fitting. The lower handguard needs to be bored out toward the rear where the barrel widens and the receiver side needs to be trimmed down. And of course, it's unfinished.

 

Paulyski is offering a staining service that he says matches the depth and color of the russian red. I can't speak to the quality of it though. I'm currently waiting to get my set back from him. I'll update when I know.

 

Also you'll need to buy your own mounting hardware. Specifically, you'll need a retainer for the lower handguard and a bolt for the pistol grip. Dinzag has the retainers and the bolts are pretty reasonably priced on CSS. If you want to mount the upper handguard (which ironwood inexplicably includes) you'll need to work some magic to get the retainers onto your gas tube.

 

 

Yeah I'm not really needing the gastube cover, just the lower handgaurd. One question I do have, Does Ironwood's S12 lower handgaurd look like the factory one?? Or more like a classical Ak lower HG??

 

Pics if ya got em!! ;P

[Cobra 76 two 2,677]

What I would like to see the Russians do is start making the FOUR piece sets the way they used to in the old days. I have bought a few Russian laminate sets over the years (4) and the ones being made in the past few years, (at least the ones I have been able to obtain) are more of a honey golden brown than red. Some have a reddish tint but nothing at all like the real Russian red that the NOS stock sets are . I'm currently refinishing a set for another member here and hope to come up with a nice red finish that's not too dark. I've seen lots of people attempt to reproduce the true Russian red look. Just go over to AK Forum or one of the other few popular AK sites and search for it. Z-Recto is THE MAN for producing a really close match. It's an art getting it just right. I've spoken to Matt at Ironwood, among others, in depth about it, because I've tried my hand at it before and realized all there was too it. There are many "recipes" listed online on different forums, with different members sharing their own techniques. Some use ritt dye, some Iodine, some use a mixture of both, and some popular stains on the market like red sedona and minwax...there are lots of things people have tried. It's not really as hard to get a deep red color in the wood, as it is to produce the golden tones that literally jump out at you from different angles in the sunlight. This is really hard to get with just any wood too. The birch that the Russians use (It's not oak...) for their laminate furniture is not even the same as what you can get here in the US. I've heard those in the know say, it's the particular strain of birch grown in Russia, or what they use in their lamination process, that gives the true Russian laminate that iridescent look in the natural sunlight...the way it reflects and throws different lights, when seen from different directions. It's really sweet looking how the gold shines out from under and between the reds.

 

Here is a set I bought from a member on another forum about 5 yrs ago, that was made in the 50's in Russia.

 

It's AK-47 furniture so there are no palm swells like the 74 has. Also has the metal ferrule on the rear of the lower HG, and top of PG. The stock is actually a Romanian stained to try and match close at least. I only got the HGs and two matching PGs, one of which I put on my S-20...

 

I'll most likely strip the new Russian finish off the late model stock and HG on my 20, and refinish them darker, when I'm doing this set for another member here.

I'm selling him my new Russian laminate set after I refinish it to make it more of a true red. I'm hoping that all I've heard and read about the true Russian laminate is going to help me get something closer to the real thing when I'm done....that "Russian Red" everyone loves. I know I do....

This is the holy grail to me...

Here's another true Russian HG set from the 80's.... Has a great deep blood red.

(I've actually heard guys talk about trying real BLOOD to get their red color...)

 

Can't wait to see how what I'm doing turns out. It's gonna take a little. I'm also doing a set of Ironwood birch laminate so I'll see how much, if any difference there is. Matt told me that some of the really experienced guys like Z have gotten great results with his birch sets.

 

[Cobra 76 two 2,677]

Bean, their HGs look pretty nice actually. Just google the site and go look at their pics. They also have them already milled out for the S-12 barrel. In fact they made them so the palm swells account for the missing wood where they have to mill out the middle for the larger barrel.

 

[Bean.223 365]

Bean, their HGs look pretty nice actually. Just google the site and go look at their pics. They also have them already milled out for the S-12 barrel. In fact they made them so the palm swells account for the missing wood where they have to mill out the middle for the larger barrel.

 

 

Yeah I seen the site, what your saying is basically it looks like a mil spec AK hand gaurd made to fit a 12 barrel then??

 

Thanx for the info Cobra!

[jswledhed 57]

Ironwood walnut. Lower handguard needed some fitting.

 

 

[pedal2alloy 206]

Hey Cobra,

 

The Russian red that I've seen looks to be a red-tinted lacquer, rather than clear lacquer over a red stained wood. Also to get that glowing look takes another step, maybe similar to how candy-apple red is done on a car, where they start with a gold colored undercoat. This might be the trick with the wood, which is to start with a yellowish stain and do the red tinted lacquer over it. If you look at the part of the wood that is not lacquered, it looks to have the yellow color.

[Bean.223 365]

Ironwood walnut. Lower handguard needed some fitting.

 

 

 

Thanx man, just the info I needed, does the screw holes come pre drilled, or did ya have to do it yourself?? And did it require a lower handgaurd retainer?? It looks like ya got one on, and did ya stain it yourself??

Edited April 6, 2011 by Bean.223

[jswledhed 57]

I used the lower retainer from Dinzag. There is no screw in the wood; the tab that slips into the receiver isn't long enough to reach the screw hole. I wondered about it and emailed Matt at Ironwood about it and he said it doesn't use one. Its held in place with the retainer and the tab that fits into the receiver. Handguard dimensions are virtually identical to a normal AKM piece, but its been hogged out to fit the larger barrel. It ended up being a very tight fit.

 

I did the finishing work. Sanding, buffing, etc. I actually didn't stain anything. I used clear penetrating epoxy sealer and polyurethane. CPES is used heavily in when building wooden boats. Seals, waterproofs, rotproofs, and accentuates the natural grain of the wood.

[TwentyNizzo 66]

It just doesn't look right to me without the top handguard in place, but the wood is definitely nice.

 

I'm patiently waiting for Dinzag to come out with his new bolt-on rear sight block that will allow the use of standard AK top handguards.

[Bean.223 365]

I used the lower retainer from Dinzag. There is no screw in the wood; the tab that slips into the receiver isn't long enough to reach the screw hole. I wondered about it and emailed Matt at Ironwood about it and he said it doesn't use one. Its held in place with the retainer and the tab that fits into the receiver. Handguard dimensions are virtually identical to a normal AKM piece, but its been hogged out to fit the larger barrel. It ended up being a very tight fit.

 

I did the finishing work. Sanding, buffing, etc. I actually didn't stain anything. I used clear penetrating epoxy sealer and polyurethane. CPES is used heavily in when building wooden boats. Seals, waterproofs, rotproofs, and accentuates the natural grain of the wood.

 

 

Thanx again man!

[jswledhed 57]