Getting ready to convert my Saiga iz-332....

[thepenguinknight 0]

I finally got the rifle, and while I had originally planned to leave it in factory configuration for a while, the wimpy 5rd mag that they sent with it has ruined my taste for the neutered AK. So I ordered from CSS the parts I didn't already have, and they arrived today .

 

I've got a lot of homework from college for the next week or two, but I may be able to get away for a couple hours sometime soon and I figure this'll be itching on the back of my mind. When I do get to start it, are there any burning tips that y'all'd have for me? Especially anything not covered in the CSS videos would be appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance. I plan on taking detailed photos of the process, if anyone wants me to post them.

[Nailbomb 10,221]

Pics! detailed build thread! do it!

[thepenguinknight 0]

Haven't gotten to the actual conversion yet, but I may have encountered a small problem: I was playing with the Tapco G2 trigger parts from CSS, and the little axis pin sleeve is too tight. I can slip it in there with some effort, but it doesn't allow the disconnector to rotate easily-- that is, the disconnector will rotate, but only with a fair bit of pressure and it will not return to it's normal position under the power of it's own little spring.

 

Is this normal? Is some fitting required? Did I just get a bad one?

Edited February 11, 2012 by thepenguinknight

[robalark 0]

its normal. mine was similar but worked out fine inside. Are you doing a bullet guide I hope also? I you didnt buy one yet, youll want to make one out of pipe and put it in while you got her apart.

[thepenguinknight 0]

its normal. mine was similar but worked out fine inside. Are you doing a bullet guide I hope also? I you didnt buy one yet, youll want to make one out of pipe and put it in while you got her apart.

 

Thank you for the prompt response! I'm glad to know it's not just me who has the sleeve a bit tight.

 

I also have a bullet guide from CSS which I will be installing somewhere during this process. Gotta have my standard-cap mags!

 

I'll post pics when I get it done. Thanks again.

[thepenguinknight 0]

Well, she's all done.

 

I realized that the only camera I currently have is in my phone, and while it's not a bad camera, it doesn't always do great on things like this, so I didn't take near as many pics as I was originally planning. But I'll post the major steps and fill in with text.

 

The rifle from the factory:

 

The IZ-332 came with the front end mostly done up like a modern AK, though the handguard lacks a heat shield and the FSB lacks a bayonet lug-- that part made me sad, but I had decided that a bayonet wasn't much use anyway, so those traded for the 24x1 FSB and standard handguards/retainers was well worth the price.

 

I cleared and field stripped the weapon, resulting as you see below:

 

 

I don't have a padded vise, so I used think cardboard to insulate the receiver from getting scratched up. I could have easily gotten away without a vise, but it made the job go much, much smoother.

 

At this point, I was ready to drill out the old trigger pins:

 

 

After stripping out the old Fire Control Group (hammer, sear, and disconnector, as well as the old trigger and transfer bar) and the Bolt Hold Open, I was left with an empty receiver:

 

 

There were three rivets holding the trigger/trigger guard plate to the receiver, all three of which I drilled out from the top. Specifically, I drilled just enough from the heads so that I could either pop the rivets off directly, or whack them lightly with a cold chisel to break them off. I them used a punch and knocked the trigger plate off the receiver by punching through the rivet holes -- prying the plate off with a screwdriver would've worked just fine too, but I like hitting things with my hammer .

 

The underside of the receiver, where the plate had been, was now bare metal, so I sprayed it down with matte black engine enamel from the auto parts store. It matches the finish on the rest of the gun well enough. While it was drying, I prepped the other parts to go into the receiver.

 

I had decided to save the factory trigger guard and reuse it, and it took me a little while to get it separated from the plate. I suspect I was just being way to ginger with it (through the whole process, really), but I was trying to keep everything in as close to perfect shape as possible. Drilling through the spot weld and loosing the rivet from the rear of the guard quickly separated them.

 

Once the paint was dry, I re-vised the weapon and set about installing the new parts. I had hoped to be able to bend the trigger guard over and reuse the front-most rivet hole (like the guard in the CSS videos), but the guard was just too stiff for me to get for the time being, so I slipped the front lip under the mag cath and secured it at the rear through the middle rivet hole:

 

The trigger guard required a little bit of a bend to get it to fit, and it's actually under a decent amount of tension. Eventually I'd like to get the front screwed down, but seeing how tight the fit is, I'm in no great rush.

 

I installed the Hogue pistol grip, and it fit with the factory trigger guard like a glove.:

 

I plugged the old trigger pin holes using some 3/16" nylon hole plugs, bent the ends over with some heat, and set about installing the new FCG.

 

Everything went in pretty smooth, but the tight disconnector I mentioned a couple posts up was clearly going to cause a problem. If I had left it as it was, it might have become lodged in the rearward position and failed to catch the hammer, allowing the hammer to ride the bolt back into battery and possibly causing a slam fire. To remedy the situation, I polished the underside of the disconnector (removing the slight ridge that was under there) and applied some light grease, and it is now smooth as butter.

 

After carefully assembling the FCG, I fussed with the BHO spring for a while before I remembered reading something about dental floss from another conversion thread. Using the floss to hold the spring down, I managed to wrestle it in there.

 

The following pic is of the complete FCG and BHO:

 

I should note that I removed everything one more time after this pic to polish the underside of the disconnector a bit more, and to put a second bend in the BHO spring. The pic shows only a lefthand bend-- I put an additional downward bend in the very end of the spring to help keep it in position. This allows the spring to kind of "hook" onto the BHO itself, and should hold itself there indefinitely.

 

I thoroughly tested the FCG for function, and all I had left to do was reassemble the weapon and install the new buttstock.

 

 

 

I have yet to shoot her (weather and schedule haven't been agreeing this week), but it passes every function test short of live fire, and it's a looker too .

 

Side note: Since taking the pics, I have removed the muzzle nut (Dremel with a cutting wheel made short work of the four welds) and put on a US made '74-esque muzzle brake. The brake doesn't fit snug at the indexing pin, so I plan on sanding down the rear skirt to make it index properly and be snugged up against the FSB. It doesn't appear to be chrome lined, but it otherwise looks solid, and I look forward to finally being able to test the difference between no muzzle brake and a 74-style .

 

All told, I am extremely happy with the conversion. I was nervous at first, I'll admit, but once you get over that initial misgiving, it's all very simple and easy.

 

One final note: I don't like my buttstock. It's a plastic Krinkov-style triangle stock made by RPB. I bought it from a gentleman here at the Saiga forums last year, in anticipation for one of the IZ-132s (which I couldn't end up getting at that time after all)-- with the standard Saiga foregrip, I think it would have looked amazing, but with the AK grips I'm just not sure like it. So if you know someone who had a Kvar stock they don't want, or even an extra Tapco t6, let me know.... lol

 

Anyway, Thanks to the forum and all the folks who contribute. Reading about all your conversions helped give me confidence to do it myself, and I am extremely please with the results. Hopefully she shoots as good as she looks!

Edited February 14, 2012 by thepenguinknight

[universal_exports 18]

sweet thanks for the detailes, I plan on starting my conversion as soon as I decide on a stock set, I already have all the parts from CSS.

[rocketfoot 29]

Looks great! Nice work!!