Is the Saiga the Bargain .308 Auto of Today?

[monomonk 0]

One might think that the Saiga .308 is today the best buy for a quality semi-auto in that calibre. But is that so? Just looking at the rifle, the answer would probably be yes. If you can find a Saiga .308 today, one will cost at least $300-350, while a JLD PTR will cost $700 or more. But Saiga .308 mags hold only eight rounds and cost $50 or more, if you are lucky enough to find any. The 20 round HK91/G3 mags which fit the JLD, on the other hand, cost less than $10. It takes two and one half Saiga mags to hold the 20 rounds held by the G3 mag. So on a cost basis, 20 rounds of .308 in Saiga mags will cost you at least $125 to only $10 or less for the JLD. If you wanted to have enough mags to hold 60 rounds of .308, you would have to spend about $375 for the Saiga versus $30 for the JLD. The total cost for the rifle and mags would be about $675 to $725 for the Saiga versus only about $730 to $780 for the JLD. But there are other factors which equalize the two rifles as values. The Saiga mags are plastic and prone to break at the front lip/feed ramp, while the G3 mags are tough steel. And the JLD already has the pistol grip which the Saiga lacks. To change the Saiga into the pistol grip version will cost $100-$200 in parts and labor. And if you succeed with the conversion, you end up with a home-made rifle rather than a well-finished factory gun. So I suggest to you that the JLD PTR is today a better value than the Saiga, if you insist on having a number of mags and a pistol grip. If the Saiga mag problem is solved at reasonable cost, then the equation would shift somewhat back to the Saiga.

 

Monomonk

[emclean 0]

the mag issue is soulved by converting it to hte G3 mags, and the quoulty is determoned bu the person doing the work.

 

i will still take the saiga for price. $350, G3 comversion sempal and less that $100, so i could have the .308 with cheap mags for less than $450, and spend hte other $200 on more ammo.

Edited July 2, 2005 by emclean

[monomonk 0]

the mag issue is soulved by converting it to hte G3 mags, and the quoulty is determoned bu the person doing the work.

 

i will still take the saiga for price. $350, G3 comversion sempal and less that $100, so i could have the .308 with cheap mags for less than $450, and spend hte other $200 on more ammo.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

With all respect to the esteemed Battle Rifle G3, we will have to see how these G3 adapters work out in practice over time. I assume you will give us a report on your experience.

 

Monomonk

[BattleRifleG3 16]

The JLD is a great rifle even for its price, and yes, using stock G3 mags is a great thing about it. But there are things that make the S-308 stand out irrespective of mag capacity and price. It's an AK. Nuff said. Also, some have reported their S-308 to give better groups than a number of G3s out there (but probably not the PTR). That's why folks like me consider the S-308 worthy of extra money for P-grip and and a conversion to the bigger mags.

 

Folks can use my conversion or not, as long as they talk straight to me

 

My suggestion? Buy both. S-308 is a great rifle hi-cap or low-cap.

Edited July 2, 2005 by BattleRifleG3

[Dieseler 0]

I've been looking long and hard at a PTR91, but I am having a hard time getting around the fluted chamber and to a smaller degree the weight. JLD certainly does make a nice gun though!

 

I cannot say one is a better buy than the other, because either way you get alot of gun for you money. But to me it boils down to: do you want to tinker, or not. If you like to work on and personalize your stuff, I'd say the Saiga is the way to go. If you prefer more out of box readiness, then go with the JLD.

 

I'm waiting to see what happens with new importations of the Saiga line before I purchase either. Hopefully by that time I'll actually have some disposable income!

[akcowboy 0]

Man, I must really be out of the loop, I don't even know what a JLDPTR is? It sounds like an acronym for a nasty venereal disease!

[BattleRifleG3 16]

JLD PTR is a G3 variant made mostly in the US using HK machinery. They are now offering many versions including ones with a retractable stock and others with a heavier barrel.

 

I've considered rebarreling my FA-91 with one of their 24" target barrels but can't spare the change yet.

[Maxbeard 0]

The Saiga .308 is a great bargain period. Try finding another .308 rifle, much less a semi auto for that price. The Remington 7400 goes for an MSRP of $547. I don't have that much in my rifle, scope, and 4 mags.

 

Max out

 

edited to correct my piss poor spelling

Edited July 2, 2005 by Maxbeard

[jtoddellis 2]

The Saiga .308 is a great bargain period.  Try finding another .308 rifle, much less a semi auto for that price.  The Remington 7400 goes for an MSRP of $547.  I don't have that much in my rifle, scope, and 4 mags.

 

Max out

 

edited to correct my piss poor spelling

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I have to agree with Max. I bought my .308 Saiga for deer hunting and it is great for that in stock configuration. I may one day convert it to thumbhole stock just so I can put an ajustable trigger in it. If you want high caps, do what I did and get the 7.62x39. The ammo is cheaper, and when the "Zombies" come you just need to get a lot of lead down range it won't really matter which rifle you use.

[Maxbeard 0]

Well, it was a great deal when I bought it. They go for $600+ NIB on gunsamerica.com now.

[monomonk 0]

Well, it was a great deal when I bought it.  They go for $600+ NIB on gunsamerica.com now. 

 

Some people list guns for unbelievably high prices but that doesn't mean the items actually sell. I think $300-350 is more realistic for the Saiga .308 today. But I agree that, mags aside, the rifle was a fine value. I paid CDNN $250 for mine. And I have bought seven extra mags for $30-35 each.

 

Monomonk

[TWGLADF 0]

the cheapest thing right now would be the cetme at $298 and the mags are only about $5-$10 a piece depending on capacity.

 

now i've heard some horror stories about these but with a little work i'm sure it would be a real bargain in the end.

 

now i do believe that the saiga is the best bargain b/c it works perfectly fine out the box.

 

i paid $225 for mine nib and only $8 a piece for the mags.

 

so that was the best bargain back then. compared to the piece of shit remington, the saiga is a hell of a bargain at over $350.

 

just can't wait til that 30'06 lands on u.s. soil!

[jtoddellis 2]

I'm shocked every time I go to the gunshow and see the price of a Norinco Hunter. And of course those are in 7.62x39. I could imagine these .308 rifles fetching a good price in a few years.

 

This may be unrelated, but a friend of mine let me borrow his HK 93 this weekend. He paid less than $500 for it at a gun show when he was in high school. I guess it would bring close to 2 grand now a days. Good quality guns are always a good investment. I'm still kicking myself for selling my S-12.

[RooK 0]

CETMEs might be cheap, but chances are it's a CAI build and they are hit and miss with most having some kinks you have to work out, out of the box. The Saigas are 100% from the beginning. The price on my .308 was $275 when I got it in October. With tax is was $295 OTD. Since then, my modifications as in my sig have brought the price to $425 give or take a little. I dare you find a reliable .308 autoloader with the 'evil features' for anywhere near that. If and when we get hicaps, it will still be an even better deal. If it hadn't been for the Saiga, I was considering a Benelli Nova tactical shotgun, I wouldn't have been able to get a nice .308 near the price range I had set.

 

As for current prices... You're better off buying a VEPR or the PTR mentioned above.

[k_dawg 0]

probably just me, but I hate those cheap POS "cetme's".. it's an abomination of what the real rifle really was.

 

Of course, I'm jaded, because I do have an $$$ DPMS Panther .308 ;-)

[Harpoon 0]

In the commerical world, I agree that the Remington 7400 is an obvious comparison. I don't know if the one I had was a lemon or what. I had expected to use surplus in my 7400. I reload for several calibers and didn't want to do so for the .308. The 7400 would NOT feed surplus. Sent it back to Remington, no change. It ran well with commercial ammo, not very affordable for significant practice, certainly not for "plinking." Perhaps the Saiga and others have a slightly larger "military" chamber but that is just a supposition on my part. I prize reliability and the Saiga has it all over the Reminton I had. Don

[RooK 0]

The 7400 is nowhere near a comparison to an AK or any other military arm, it isn't build for hardwork, millions of rounds, extreme reliability, and longevity. 7400s will have to be rebuilt after a few thousand rounds. One of the few firearms sold on the market and not used by a major military force that would fit the bill is the Ruger Mini series. They were designed as a military arm from the ground up.

[BattleRifleG3 16]

The 7400 is nowhere near a comparison to an AK or any other military arm, it isn't build for hardwork, millions of rounds, extreme reliability, and longevity. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Which is why the S-308 kicks its arse. For a sporting arm in 308 with decent accuracy, it does everything the 7400 does but reliably and for far far longer, though I wouldn't say millions of rounds. Standard AKMs are designed to take tens of thousands, and in reality probably last into the low hundreds of thousands.