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Gunfixr LRBHO Modification - First Range Report


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Some of you may recall my thread regarding the LRBHO I was looking to add to my Saiga-12. I ended up sending the gun to forum member Gunfixr and he worked his magic and I just received it back yesterday and took it at for the first field test today. A few of you have PMed me asking me to post how it turned out so I put this short synopsis together rather than PMing it to you individually.

 

Let me start by saying that I converted this gun myself some time ago, and got it working perfectly with WallyWorld bulk pack loads without any issues. Per the sticky thread, I had drilled out the three gas holes on the barrel to .093" each and after that it was most happy with the low brass rounds with the gas plug on the highest settings. Of course full brass rounds were never a problem. I only shoot with MD-20 drums and have one factory 5 round mag.

 

Again to review I felt that the CGW LRBHO was a bit much for me to install myself and I was unable to contact Tom to have him install it either by phone or email, PM and posts on this forum after multiple attempts. I contacted Gunfixr and he was kind enough to be willing to do his magic on my Saiga.

 

The Gunfixr mod leaves your stock bolt hold open in tact and functional, which is something I understand CGW disables. There is no tab or screw external to the Gunfixr modification. No slot in the receiver or other external receiver modification that I noticed. Gunfixer did tell me that with the MD20 drum that the bolt may close when the drum is inserted fully loaded sometimes and that does indeed seem to be the case. Nate also said that in some cases a modification was necessary to the drum but that did not seem to be the case for me (so long as you leave the spring at 3 turns like the factory sends them out).

 

Nate was quite backlogged and told me not to expect the gun to be finished for three months but he finished it in 6 weeks. The cost was the same as CGW install would have been. He communications were excellent and kept me up-to-date with progress without me pestering him smile.png

 

Here is the only visible part of the LRHO that you can see:

 

saiga001.jpg

 

To close the bolt with a full mag inserted you just pull the bolt back and let her slam home. With no mag installed you have to push up on the little lever (pictured above) and pull the bolt back let the bolt close. With the factory BHO engaged you also have to follow this procedure.

 

I started out by using some snap caps with both the drum and stock factory mag and the mechanism did indeed work as advertised.

 

First I tried the stock 5 round magazine with the bulk pack Wally world bulk low brass cheap skate rounds with my adjustable gas puck set to the highest setting. Again these rounds used to work flawlessly before the LRBHO modification. Unfortunately, this mechanism seems to put slightly more "drag" on the bolt and the rounds would not eject at all when shot from the hip. When shot from the shoulder, the rounds would mostly eject if you would pause a second between shots. If you pressed the trigger as fast as you can the low brass rounds will not eject and caused jams.

 

Same 5 round factory mag, next I stepped up to Winchester 1350FPS #6 shot 1 oz game loads, which again are from WallyWorld and are a little more expensive than the bulk pack. These rounds worked better when shot from the hip (they ejected most of the time). When shot for the shoulder, the rounds ejected faithfully. In all cases, the bolt held open when the mag was out of ammo. The bolt would not close when a full mag was gently inserted.

 

I next stepped up to the MD-20 drum which I had prior adjusted to 2 turns (stock it 3 turns). Two turns makes the MD20 easier to load and is recommended for low brass by the manufacturer. I had the same problems with the Wally World bulk ammo but the Winchester 1350FPS #6 worked as above. However, the drum would always have one round in it when it would lock open. I operated on the MD20 drum and put it back to three turns and this problem disappeared. So if you use MD20 drums you will definitely need to keep it the factory three turns for reliable LRBHO operation. As Gunfixer told me up front, sometimes inserting a full drum will cause the bolt to close. I can live with that. In all cases with the MD20 set at three turns it locked the bolt open smile.png

 

I did not try and high brass rounds, but that is what Nate tested it with so I am sure it will work with those. I do not have any other mags to try, although Nate said he tried them Promag 12rd drum.

 

Overall I am very pleased with how it came out even though I seemed to sacrificed the cheapskate Wally World bulk ammo packs for now. I would definitely recommend this modification if you are looking for LRBHO capability.

 

I will contact Nate and ask his advice on what he advises to do to possibly get the Wally World Bulk Pack ammo to work like it used to. I am thinking of drilling out the three gas holes to the next size up (.095 or something) but I am reluctant as I don't want to over gas the gun and have to replace the barrel!

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We don't carry the same ammo as the Walmart bulk pack. Both the Federal and the Winchester Universal that Walmart carries is a 3 dram powder load under a 1 1/8oz shot load. Whenever I use this load for testing, I have to go get some, just like everybody else, and so I don't always have it at the shop.

What we do have is the Winchester game loads, which is a low brass birdshot load with a 3 1/4 dram powder load under a 1oz shot load.

High brass is typically a 3 3/4 dram powder load under at least a 1 1/8 or 1 1/4 oz shot load.

I tested the gun with the low brass game loads, with which all was fine. I'm not sure why it would not work with the Walmart loads if it worked before.

What you can do is remove the BHO, and take a coil or two off its spring. This will lessen any drag it applies to the bolt. It will also lessen the amount of magazine tension required to deactivate the BHO, so you may be able to turn the drum spring back down.Turning the drum spring up will definately increase the drag on the bolt. I had one customer whose BHO wasn't acting right, and it was due to the spring being too weak, so I increased the spring some. Cutting the spring will however make it easier for the bolt to drop when installing a loaded mag.

All you have to do is take out the screw on the side where the front rivet was in the ejector block, and the BHO will come out the top over the mag catch. It goes back in the same way. This also means you can test the gun with and without the BHO to see exactly what happens.

 

Great review. Too bad the contest is over. I few pictures or maybe some video and you would have had a winner on your hands.

 

Contest ??

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You know, it just occurred to me, I tightened the crap outta the handguard screws, pulled that top down really tight.

I abhor loose screws on anything.

Anyway, try loosening those up a bit, see it it hasn't flexed the gas tube and increased the drag.

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What we do have is the Winchester game loads, which is a low brass birdshot load with a 3 1/4 dram powder load under a 1oz shot load.

 

I tested the gun with the low brass game loads, with which all was fine.

 

Nate, right - sounds like those Winchester Game Loads with 1 oz shot is what I used and they worked perfectly just as you stated fired from the shoulder. A few jams when fired from the hip. The Wally World bulk pack stuff has less and is a little cheaper. I don't think I want to monkey around and mess up your perfection, so I'll just use the slightly costlier stuff. I'll check out the screws as you said also. I also noticed that you cleaned up all the over application of oil that I had applied. Maybe that massive oil spill I had applied made it work with the cheap stuff. Sorry to soak your work bench with all the crude ohmy.png

 

Do magazines have to be modified in order for your LRBHO to work?

 

No mag modifications needed, at least on mine.

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Sorry to be a dope, but how do i contact Gunfixr? I would really like to have him install a LRBHO in my Saiga.

 

There doesn't seem to be any contact info in his profile.

 

I don't like to post other people's emails or telephone numbers, but you can PM Gunfixr on this forum and he will reply. Or PM me and I will send you his contact info.

Edited by Flame Red
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Sorry to be a dope, but how do i contact Gunfixr? I would really like to have him install a LRBHO in my Saiga.

 

There doesn't seem to be any contact info in his profile.

Don't feel bad, I scoured the net too and only found a bunch of posts from him at various forums. I just PM'd him. Looks like that is the only way to contact him. I assume his website doesn't have the Gunfixr username attached to it in any way.

 

I need four of these bad boys....

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Red Flame, do you suppose this LRBHO would work a magwell?

 

To be honest, that is a question better answered by Gunfixer. I "think" it should be ok with a magwell, but I don't have one on my gun since I mostly use the MD20 drums and I am not sure if it will interfere with the LRBHO pawl. I could be very wrong.

Edited by Flame Red
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Let's see if I can get everything answered.

I used to have a Business Section membership, and so don't have an email in my profile. However, I added an email in my profile. Honestly, I don't get on here much in the last year or so.

As for services, we are an SOT Manufacturer, so we can do pretty much anything. I work on pretty much anything, not just Saigas.

While Tom had/has a great idea, as it is a 1st Generation kind of thing, I saw areas where I thought it could be improved. It can be made to work, but I think as is, it will always be super finicky as to how it's fitted. I haven't had a chance to install it yet, but I have one of his units I made a change to that I think would solve most of the problems experienced with it. No, that change will not get around his patent. If it turns out to work as I think it will, I'd actually tell him what it is, and he can decide whether to use it or not. I haven't found his patent on the patent site, but based on his description of what was covered, mine isn't an issue.

Can it be DIY'ed? Yes, but it would take skill beyond just normal conversion type work. Like Toms, a slot is cut into the ejector block, it is just wider than his. The bolt has a slot cut in it also, but it is shallower. The factory manual BHO is unaffected in any way. A hole must be tapped. If you do not want the bolt to drop, the bolt face has a slight modification right where the BHO catches, to create a mechanical disadvantage for the BHO.

Do magazines need to be modified? Mostly no. While to "beak" on Toms is in the center of the gun,mine is offset. It is right next to the feedlip of the magazine.Some magazines have a deeper area between the feedlips than others. Notably, Surefire mags are shallower, and hit the beak, preventing the bolt from locking back. Filing the area where it hits a bit deeper fixes that. This is the only modification needed.

Feeding is totally unaffected, as the rounds come all the way up to the magazine feedlips and feed as if the BHO were not present. I could not find a way to do this on the Cadiz unit, which is one of the main reasons it is so difficult to get to work right.

Will it work with magwells? In truth, I don't know, as it hasn't been put in one yet. However, since the magazine sits in the same position, it should work fine.

So far, I make each one as I need them. I have too big a work load to just make a bunch, and they'd still need fitting. I have considered getting a bunch of blanks made, but haven't had the chance to sit down and make a drawing and get bids. To keep them cheap, they'd almost need to be wire EDM cut.

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For Post '86 Samples, any SOT Manufacturer can have them, and any SOT Dealer can have them if they also have an LE Demo letter. Of course, LE agencies and Gov't agencies can have them.

He's an SOT Dealer, and provided a letter.

So really, his company owns it. Unlike regular firearms, or even other NFA items, should he close the business, he'd have to sell or turn in any Post Samples. We are the same in that respect. Persons cannot own them.

 

There's a 5 min demo video I made for it on Youtube.

Search "Gunfixr Select Fire Saiga"

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